Restaurants at a Glance
Hangzhou
28 Hu Bin Road, Hyatt Regency
The name of the restaurant is also its address, which happens to be the Hyatt Regency. The West Lake is just in front of the hotel. This particular spot is very busy with a lot of motorised and human traffic. Every morning, the sound of music emanates from the lake. And is choreographed with a water display that, depending on your temperament and taste, is either very enjoyable or utterly unnecessary. It is more tranquil inside the hotel.
- Hangzhou and Zhejiang cuisines
- Located next to West Lake, China’s Number 1 tourist spot
- Water display complete with music in front of hotel
Hyatt Regency Hangzhou, 28 Hu Bin Road
86 571 8779 1234 ext. 2828
Cheng Zhong, Mid-Town Shangri-La
Cheng Zhong Restaurant is connected to both Mid-Town Shangri-La Hangzhou and Kerry Centre. The cuisine and concept at Cheng Zhong is part of a recent trend in China which international chains are championing. The food is an eclectic mix of dishes from various branches of Chinese cuisine including Hangzhou and Cantonese. Choice is one thing, quality may be another. Cheng Zhong scores on both counts.
- Dishes from a mix of Chinese cuisines
- Located on the edge of the scenic West Lake
- Casual but smart décor
Kerry Central Shopping Mall, Mid-town Shangri-La Hangzhou, 6 Changshou Road, Kerry Central, Yan’an Road
86 571 8733 8888
Dining Room, Park Hyatt
Located on level 37, Dining Room serves Zhejiang and Cantonese cuisines that employ locally-sourced ingredients from the hotel’s organic farm. The ravishing Chinese restaurant is wrapped in light on one entire side. Transparent, reinforced glass rises 5.2 metres from floor to ceiling. The food has to soar to compete with the breathtaking view.
- Located 20-minutes by car from the West Lake
- Locally-sourced ingredients from organic farm
- Breathtaking View
Park Hyatt Hangzhou, Level 37, 1366 Qianjiang Road
86 571 8696 1234
Jie Xiang Lou, Seven Villas
There are ponds, trees, plants and bamboo all around Seven Villas. Tranquility reigns. The restaurant also welcomes children from 12 years old which means the whole family can holiday and eat – together. Jie Xiang Lou is spacious and equally pleasing to the eye. So too the lighting, not glaring bright nor so dim that you wonder if you are in a restaurant or a night club. The wine list is also reasonably priced.
- BYO, “one for one policy” for wine
- Close to the Hangzhou city centre
- Children Friendly from 12 years old
Relais & Chateaux Seven Villas Hangzhou Resort, 1st Bapanling Road
86 571 8886 7888
Jin Sha, Four Seasons at West Lake
Jin Sha is situated inside the Four Seasons West Lake, one of the swankiest addresses in Hangzhou. It even has a miniature man-made lake in front of the terrace of the restaurant. It’s a great location to enjoy Jiangnan cuisine. Chef WANG Yong is a culinary master who has learnt cooking from his mother since a young age. That kind of bedrock beats any skills learnt in a classroom or gleaned out of a television screen.
- Jiangnan cuisine at its most delicate
- Close to the West Lake
- Man-made lake in front of restaurant
Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake, 5 Lingyin Road
86 571 8829 8888
Kui Yuan Guan
Kui Yuan Guan Noodle House is a famous restaurant in Hangzhou. It was started – by someone from Anhui – as a small noodle shop in 1867 during the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912). The story of a scholar who ate noodles here for good luck and then passed all three levels of the imperial examination spread by word of mouth. Kui Yuan Guan subsequently enjoyed roaring good business. Today’s students continue to visit before taking examinations.
- Serves more than just noodles
- Noodles for good luck before examinations
- Started in Qing dynasty
Lan Xuan, Aman Fayun
The tranquil setting of Lan Xuan within the extended oasis of an Aman resort is certainly capable of lulling us into a contemplative mood. Here, inspired by a serene calm including bamboo, trees and narrow walking paths, savouring simple but intensely flavoursome dishes, we reflect on the meaning of a life. The young owner is a former customer who frequented and like the food so much he decided to acquire the restaurant.
- Close to the West Lake
- Located inside an Aman resort
- Acquired by a customer of restaurant
Lou Wai Lou
Lou Wai Lou was founded in 1848 during the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912). The famed Hangzhou restaurant has been standing at the foot of Solitary Hill for 171 years and overlooks the West Lake. The two-storey Lou Wai Lou offers traditional Hangzhou cuisine. Guests, down the years, have included SUN Yat Sen, CHIANG Kai Shek and ZHOU En Lai. One of the restaurant’s most famous dish is Dongpo Rou.
- Started more than 170 years ago
- Overlooks the West Lake
- Famous Dongpo Rou
Tian Xiang Lou
One of the best restaurants, if not the very best, in which to savour Hangzhou’s Crispy Marinated Chicken. Founded in 1927, it was not then at the present location on the second and third floors of Zhejiang Hotel in downtown Hangzhou. While the skin is less new-money note crisp than the Cantonese version, the Tian Xiang Lou’s Crispy Marinated Chicken is less dry. It has the added gravitas of being free-range and is very tasty. Chicken aside, Tian Xiang Lou is even more proud of its duck.
- One of the best Crispy Marinated Chicken
- Famous Tian Xiang Lou Marinated Duck
- Founded 92 years ago
Wei Zhuang
Wei Zhuang does not accept reservations. Business is just that good. It proudly loops on a television screen the story how DONG Shun Xiang created his ingenious Gold Medal Braised Sliced Pork. It’s not taste alone which makes the dish stand out. Visually, Dong Shun Xiang’s entry into the Chinese culinary encyclopaedia is a spiralling stroke of genius. Slices of pork – skin, fat and meat – are twirled, layer after layer, until they form into a pyramid. Gold Medal Braised Sliced Pork is cuisine, design, and architecture.
- Does not accept reservations
- Original Gold Medal Braised Sliced Pork
- The dish is now written into modern legend
