Xin Rong Ji
Xin Rong Ji's cooks marinate the Peking duck in nothing but jujube honey and air-dry it for about two days before it goes into the roaster.
Why go
Zhang Yong opened the first Xin Rong Ji in Linhai, in Zhejiang province, in 1995. His restaurants cook the food of Taizhou, the region on the Zhejiang coast he comes from.15 He told Louella Berryman of Asia's 50 Best in 2026 what the cooking is after: Xian in Chinese means both 'freshness' and 'umami'.
1 This Wan Chai room is the group's Hong Kong branch.
The fish is the reason the critics send you here. The MICHELIN inspectors call the braised wild-caught yellow croaker from the East China Sea the must-try signature here.
2 The South China Morning Post's 2026 guide calls the yellow croaker soup a benchmark.
3 The Hong Kong blogger Supertaster Mel wrote in 2018 that wild yellow croaker can fetch more than HK$10,000 a catty (a Chinese unit of weight), so ask the price first.7
Alex Husic of 50 Best Discovery sends readers to a Beijing dish on this Taizhou menu: Don't miss the Peking duck, skilfully carved tableside, and try a dessert of steamed buns with pork lard.
4 Nora, who writes the Hong Kong food blog Sticky Stories, ate it in 2021 and called it one of the best in the city: The meat was firm but succulent, and the skin is beautiful and thin with a melting crisp.
5 DL, of the travel blog Quantitative Travel, was less taken in 2022: Although all the elements were on point, I found the duck to make less of an impression compared to the appetizers.
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Chefs come here to eat. Danny Yip of The Chairman told the MICHELIN Guide in 2021: You can always find surprises at Xi Rong Ji, the flavour is authentic and the quality is consistent.
9 Julien Royer, the chef of Odette in Singapore, went further in 2022: My most memorable meal was at Xin Rong Ji and I was blown away by the quality of ingredients and cooking.
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Order this / avoid
- Order: the Peking duck. The South China Morning Post's guide, 2026:
the roast duck is another that should not be missed.
3 - Order: the smoked silver pomfret, fried, dipped in a soy, sugar and red vinegar sauce, then smoked. DL, 2022:
Flaky like a baguette that's just out of the oven, each piece had a perfect ratio of natural flavour, sweetness, savouriness, and acidity.
6 - Order: the honey-glazed sweet potatoes. DL, 2022:
remarkably moist and nothing like the fibrous texture I had in mind.
6 - Order: the crispy fried silver ribbon fish. Supertaster Mel, 2018:
they were fried perfectly but not oily at all.
7 - Order: the sea anemone sweet potato noodles. Nora, 2021:
a simple dish that highlights the briny sweetness of sea anemone.
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What locals & experts say
- Award: MICHELIN one star.2
Good to know
- Booking: call on the first day of each month for a table the following month, and ask which dishes must be ordered ahead.52
- Price: the Peking duck cost HK$798 in 2021 and 2022. The ribbon fish cost HK$498 in 2018. Corkage was HK$200 in 2026.573
- The room: a large, dim main dining room and eight private rooms. The smaller private rooms had minimum spends of HK$5,000 at lunch and HK$10,000 at dinner in 2021.53
- Timing: lunch and dinner.2
- Where: ground and first floors, China Overseas Building, Lockhart Road, Wan Chai.4
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Chef rec, famous for Peking duck"
Verdict
should-visit — Bring a group for the Peking duck, carved at the table, and the Taizhou fish dishes around it. The critics' signature pick is wild yellow croaker from the East China Sea, priced by weight and very dear, so ask before you order it. Book at the start of the month for the month after.