Where To Get Your King Cake to Celebrate Epiphany
It’s only one day until Epiphany (Jan 6) and there are plenty of places in Beijing to get a king cake, aka galette des rois (国王饼 guówáng bǐng in Chinese) to celebrate. For those who are unfamiliar, Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the three wise men visiting the baby Jesus. Part of the celebration is to eat a king cake, which consists of flaky puff pastry layers filled with frangipane. Traditionally, a lucky charm is hidden inside the cake (‘une fêve’) – similar to how money is hidden in a Christmas pudding – and whoever gets the piece with the luck charm is crowned king or queen for the day.
Whether you want to celebrate Epiphany or just fancy trying this delicious French cake, there are plenty of spots in Beijing to get yourself a slice of or a whole king cake.
La Maison Lyonnaise
French restaurant La Maison Lyonnaise has traditional galette des rois available for pre-order for either take away or pick up on-site. You can choose either one for 4-6 people (RMB 299) or one for 8-10 people (RMB 449). To order, scan the QR code in the poster above.
La Maison Lyonnaise
44 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区光华路44号
Hours: 11am-11pm
Phone: 132 6003 4808
JiangMaiTang
After being closed for nearly a year, JiangMaiTang (JMT) is back, and as you’d expect from any French café worth its salt they’ve got king cake! Here they keep it simple with just a standard 22cm (RMB 308) one available, however it includes a lucky charm imported from France! To order, scan the QR code in the poster above.
JiangMaiTang 讲麦堂
Unit 102, Tower 20, Central Park, 6 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳门外大街6号新城国际20号楼102底商
Hours: 8am-5pm
Phone: 010 6597 0724
Comptoirs de France
French bakery chain Comptoirs has traditional king cakes available in three different sizes. They have Galette Individual (RMB 42), Galette des Rois, 6-8 people (RMB 198) and Galette des Rois, 10-12 people (RMB 298). They also have a Brioche Couronn (serves 8-10 people, RMB 138), a twist on the normal galette that features brioche instead of puff pastry. You can buy king cakes from Comptoirs in-store, on Meituan Waimai or on Eleme.
Comptoirs de France法派 1855 (Xingfucun Branch)
55-1 Xingfucun Mid Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区幸福村中路55-1号杰座大厦
Hours: 7am-9pm
Phone: 010 6416 2853
TIENSTIENS
French café TIENSTIENS brings a bit of variety with three different flavors of king cake (serves 6-8 people): Classic Almond Flavor (RMB 268), Black Truffle Vanilla Flavor (RMB 288) and Raspberry Rose Flavor (RMB 288). If you don't want a whole one you can also buy it by the slice for RMB 59. Whole cakes need to be ordered at least one day in advance and can be bought by calling the number below, ordering through Meituan Waimai, ordering through Eleme, or by visiting one of the TIENSTIENS branches.
TIENSTIENS (Sanlitun Branch)
Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路4号院
Hours: 9am-11pm
Phone: 010 8587 8897
Le Petit Pain
Another shop where you can get different flavored king cakes is Le Petit Pain. They have Classic (RMB 220), Pistachio (RMB 260) and Black Sesame and Red Date (RMB 249). The Classic and Pistachio are also available by the slice for RMB 20 in the shop or RMB 22 on waimai (Classic) and RMB 22 in the shop or RMB 24 on waimai (Pistachio). You can order on Meituan Waimai, on Eleme, by calling the number below, or by visiting their shop. Whole cakes need to be ordered at least one day in advance.
Le Petit Pain 小面包
1/F, South Side of Bldg 10, Sanlitun Courtyard No. 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路4号院10号楼南侧1层
Hours: 8am-9pm
Phone: 130 0126 5751
CHEZMOREL
This bakery in Maizidian is sticking to tradition, with just original flavored galette des rois on offer. They have 22cm for 4-6 people (RMB 228), 28cm for 8-10 people (RMB 288), and Mini for one person (RMB 45). They have a limited number of the Mini and 22cm ones available for immediate delivery on Meituan Waimai, otherwise, you need to order in advance via their WeChat mini program which you can access by scanning the QR code in the poster above.
CHEZMOREL
5, Shouhoudajia Dishang, Nongzhanguan Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东三环农展北路甲5号首厚大家底商
Hours: 8am-10pm
Phone: 177 4440 6563
Gontran Cherrier
This year Gontran Cherrier is just offering a classic king cake, which can be bought by the slice (RMB 38) or whole (RMB 299). They’re available to buy immediately at either one of their shops, through Meituan Waimai, or through their WeChat mini program (search: GC可颂GO), though please note the number available each day is limited.
Gontran Cherrier (Joy City Branch)
2F-72 Chaoyang Joy City, Chaoyang Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳北路朝阳大悦城2F-72
Hours: 10am-10pm
Phone: 010 8581 7529
Le Grenier à Pain
French bakery chain Le Grenier à Pain has two different varieties of galette des rois available: Almond (RMB 288/whole, RMB 49/slice) and Pistachio (RMB 298/whole, RMB 49/slice). Both can be ordered in-store, via Meituan Waimai or via their WeChat mini program (search: 正本原 LeGrenierAPain).
Le Grenier à Pain 正本原 (Grand Summit Branch)
1/F, South Wing, Grand Summit, 19 Dongfang Donglu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东方东路19号官舍南区1层
Hours: 8.30am-9pm
Phone: 010 8532 6397, 185 1924 0205
Winson Baking
Winson Baking has two sizes of king cake on offer: either an 8-inch (RMB 198) or 10-inch (RMB 298). You can order the cakes at one of their branches or by Meituan Waimai or Eleme, but you need to book two days in advance and orders must be placed before 5pm.
Winson Baking文森烘焙 (Hujialou Branch)
7-2-4, 1/F-3/F, 7 Hujialou Beijie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区呼家楼北街7号楼-1至3层- 7-2-4
Hours: 7.30am-6.30pm
Phone: 138 1044 3767
Fudi
Membership store Fudi has galette des rois available for immediate order for a low price of RMB 158 if bought in one of their stores or through their WeChat mini program (search: fudi会员商店). It can also be bought on Meituan Waimai but costs RMB 213.3 instead.
Fudi (Yaowa Lake Park Branch) 仓储会员店(窑洼湖店)
North Side of Yaowa Lake Park
窑洼湖公园北侧停车楼一层
Hours: 8am-10pm
Phone: 010 6730 5888
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Images: courtesy of the vendors, Meituan Waimai, Canva
