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A little preparation. A much better adventure.Independent travel advice · Made for China
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A taste of Beijing

Yao Ji Chaogan

姚记炒肝店

A no-frills Beijing breakfast and lunch canteen opposite the Drum Tower, famous for chaogan: pork liver and intestine in a thick, starchy garlic-heavy brown soup, eaten with small steamed pork buns. It became internationally known after Joe Biden ate here as US vice-president in 2011, ordering noodles, buns and cola for five people for a total of 79 yuan, and the 'Biden set' is still a thing locals joke about.

¥30–60 per person≈ US$4.47Dongcheng, 311 Gulou East Street, across from the Drum Tower; Shichahai station (Line 8) is the nearest stop
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Yao Ji Chaogan (姚记炒肝店), Beijing
Photo: wanghongliu · CC BY-SA 3.0

Why come here

A place worth making time for

No Michelin star. A famous Beijing offal institution near the Drum Tower, internationally known since the 2011 vice-presidential visit and a standard stop on local Beijing food tours.

The house favourites

What to order

Point at the Chinese. Staff will understand it even where the menu has no English at all.

  • Stir-fried liver and intestine soup (炒肝)
  • Pork and scallion steamed buns (猪肉大葱包子)
  • Noodles with fermented soybean paste (炸酱面)
  • Mung bean juice (豆汁) if you are brave

What it actually tastes like

This is offal food and it does not hide it. Chaogan is glutinous in texture, intensely garlicky, and tastes strongly of liver and intestine. The optional douzhi (fermented mung bean drink) is sour and barnyard-funky and is the single most commonly rejected thing in Beijing cuisine.

Allergens in this kitchen

gluten/wheatsoysesame

This is the kitchen, not one dish. Woks, fryers, blanching water and utensils are shared in almost every Chinese restaurant, so for a serious allergy treat the whole premises as the unit rather than ordering around it.

Get to know the menu

Local specialities to try here

Fried sauce noodles 炸酱面Deeply salty and savoury, slightly oily, cut by crunchy raw cucumber and radishStewed liver and intestine 炒肝Thick, gluey, intensely garlicky and offallyFermented mung bean drink 豆汁Sour, slightly funky, thin and savoury — nothing like sweet soy milk