Polydish city guide

Best Beijing Peking Duck in Chicago

“The skin is the entire point — a properly prepared duck is air-dried for hours specifically so the skin roasts to a shattering crackle separate from the meat.”

Beijing Peking Duck

What the real thing tastes like

A whole duck is inflated to separate skin from fat, air-dried for hours (sometimes hung overnight), then roasted in a specialized oven until the skin turns deep mahogany and shatteringly crisp. It's carved tableside into thin slices, with the skin often served and eaten separately from the meat, wrapped in thin pancakes with scallion, cucumber, and hoisin or sweet bean sauce.

524 voices, one story

Reviewers rate skin crispness and fat rendering as the top priority — greasy, unrendered skin is a disqualifying flaw. The tableside carving skill and the thinness/freshness of the pancakes are frequently mentioned as secondary but important details.

Order it here when it has

  • shatteringly crisp skin
  • theatrical presentation
  • rich but balanced

Walk away when you see

  • very pricey
  • greasy if underdried
  • requires advance ordering often

Restaurant-level rankings for Chicago land as the Polydish review engine processes this city's reviews. Explore the dish itself while you wait —

Beijing Peking Duck on Polydish →