A Legendary Chinese Peking Duck Restaurant Will Open on Westheimer

Later this month, a Peking duck restaurant that’s been open in China for more than 100 years will open its doors in Houston.

QJD Peking Duck is set to host its grand opening at 5901 Westheimer Road in August, bringing the second North American location of the restaurant to Space City. The restaurant, a spin off of Quan Ju De Roast Duck restaurant in Beijing, was founded in 1864, according to its website, and has operated continuously since the Qing Dynasty. In addition to the Beijing original, a Toronto outpost of QJD Peking Duck opened in September 2017, and has since earned solid reviews for its namesake dish. The restaurant has even scored a nod from President George H.W. Bush, who dined at the Chinese outpost.

As is expected, lacquered and roasted Peking duck is the star of the menu, served with steamed pancakes, vegetables, and a sweet soybean dipping sauce. Duck liver pate, salty duck liver (a dish that sort of resembles foie gras), and spiced smoked fish are also on the menu, along with duck wings, Xi’an rice noodles, and duck tongue soup. Presentation is especially important at QJD — bites of duck are fashioned into pretty rosettes, a tofu dish is decorated with little duckling cutouts, and the garnishes are particularly extravagant.

Originally expected to debut on July 20, a representative for QJD Peking Duck tells Eater that the restaurant’s opening has been pushed back to August. Stay tuned for an official opening date.

Update, 7/12, 12:03 p.m: This post has been updated to reflect QJD Peking Duck’s updated opening timeline.