Bei Yuan Cuisine (北園)

Bei Yuan Cuisine (北園) is known as one of the three garden restaurants in Guangzhou, China.  The other two are Panxi (泮溪酒家) and Nan Yuan (南園).

Founded in 1928 by the then President (Dianbang Zou  鄒殿邦) of the Chamber of Commerce, the restaurant was previously a private villa owned by the President's grandfather.  Since the restaurant is located in the northern suburb next to Yuexiu Mountain (越秀山)  with a flowing stream passing the front of the restaurant, people used to describe it with the phrase "山前食肆，水尾茶寮".  You can read more about this history of the restaurant here.  (Sorry it's Chinese only!)  Over the years, the restaurant has catered diners from all walks of life.  In the 1950s, it's earned the title of "Foreigners' Cafeteria" and in 1998, it was named as one of the Nation's top restaurants.

The Entrances:

The phrase "其味無窮" is a gift from Maestro Haisu Liu (劉海粟) to Bei Yuan after he tasted the food here.
The meaning is similar to "Food for Though".

the back entrance

The Garden:

The Interior:

The Food:

北園水晶蝦餃皇
Bei Yuan Crystal Shrimp Dumplings

Good size, thin skin, fresh shrimp.  Pretty good.

五色燒賣
Five-colored Pork Dumplings

Nice presentation, good size, fresh ingredients.  Good.

招牌叉燒飽
Signature Char Siu Buns

I am never a big fan of Char Siu Buns so it's is just alright for me.

香茜陳皮牛肉腸
Coriander Dried Tangerine Peel Beef Rice Rolls

The rice roll is outstanding!  It's silky and the rice flour is excellent!
This is a must try in my opinion!

We also ordered the Steamed Beef with Porcini Mushrooms (牛肝菌蒸牛肉球) but both my friend and I forgot to take a picture.  Below is a sample picture closest resemble the one we had (minus the greens).  It's huge and juicy.  Quite tasty.

生燒妙齡鴿
Roast Pigeon

Pretty disappointing dish.  The skin is not crispy and the presentation wasn't appetizing.

At first I thought I ordered drunken chicken but it wasn't...
I forgot the name of the dish but it has Shaoxing wine (紹興酒) somewhere
The chicken was overcooked and the sauce lacks "umami" :(

Lovely presentation!  can you imagine slicing this at home?
The tofu tastes awesome~  silky smooth and fragrant!

The rice rolls and tofu are superb, the dim sum are nice but the rest of the dishes were disappointing.  Maybe we didn't order the right things?  I read the reviews later and found out the must-try item there is the red rice roll (紅米腸).  I would give it a try again.

Bei Yuan Cuisine (北園)

202 Xiaobei Rd, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

越秀區小北路200-202號(近小北花圈)

Tel: +86 20 8356 3365

Hours: 11:00 - 14:30, 17:30 - 22:30 / Weekends and holidays 9:00 - 10:45

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with the restaurant and I paid for my own food.