Traditional Interior & Punk Rock Sounds: Zhuo Mo Restaurant Opens on Liulichang Culture Street

Zhuo mo means “carve” and “ink,” a name befitting the restaurant's location on Liulichang Culture Street, the tree-lined antiques haven, as well as the sculpture of the giant ink stone in the lobby.

The interior is traditional, the seating modern, and the background punk music only seems odd until you find out that owner Zhang Qing, a serious foodie and cocktail expert, is friends with many punk rockers. He calls the menu contemporary Chinese, and numerous fanciful dishes are indeed presented so beautifully that they call to mind ink-wash paintings.

However, locals wouldn’t feel out of place here. They’d appreciate the traditional Beijing flavors of the refreshing tofu with toon leaf salad (xiangchun doufu 香椿豆腐 RMB 32), the hand-pulled noodles (shou ganmian 手擀面 RMB 12) and a vinegar-stewed fish (jingsu jiyu 京酥鲫鱼 RMB 24) that’s so tender even the bones are edible.

If you stop by for a meal, don’t forget to try the lao Beijing snack platters (RMB 58) – the glutinous rice roll with red bean, aka “donkey rolling on the ground” (驴打滚) is a winner, and has the best name for a dessert, ever.

Also try: Mo Yu’er Song Dynasty, Samadhi Vegetarian Tea House

Zhuo Mo
Daily 10.30 am-10.30 pm. 1/F, Rongbaozhai Dasha, 19 Liulichang Xijie, Xicheng District (6407 3516)
琢墨中华菜, 西城区琉璃厂西街19号荣宝斋大厦1层

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