Authentic Peking duck is hard to come by in Tokyo, especially if you don’t want to break the bank, but this restaurant in Shinagawa serves up the good stuff at reasonable prices. You can’t miss the entrance – there are numerous roasted ducks hanging in the window, just like you’d see in Beijing. Once seated, you’ll get a small bowl of soup to start before your meal arrives.
You can order a small roast duck (¥2,178) for two people, a medium size (¥3,278) for three people, or a large size (¥4,928) that feeds up to six people, depending on how hungry you are. Despite the affordable price, each duck is meticulously roasted for at least six hours, basted with around 40 layers of starch syrup to achieve the perfect crispy outer layer. You can eat the meat on its own, but it’s worth going all the way and wrapping it up in one of the thin pancakes with cucumber, green onion and housemade tenmenjan (sweet soybean paste) sauce.
Don’t forget to try some of the other dishes on offer, including steamed duck wings (¥682), duck jerky (¥462), grilled pork with blue cheese (¥968) and pan fried squid and celery (¥968) while you wait for your main course. You can pair your meal with an ice cold beer (from ¥500) or a warm cup of flowering tea (¥495).