Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Review, Taiyuan, China

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant

No. 398 Ping Yang Road, Xiaodian District

Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, CA

0351-8199996

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Website

More Foodie delights from our  recent trip to China.

Chinese name: 唐都生态园

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 32

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant or Ecological Park is one of the biggest restaurants we have ever seen. It is located in Taiyuan, an industrial city about 400km from Beijing. Open in 2006 and occupying 16,818 square meters (3 NFL football fields!), it is indoor “natural habitat” full of trees, waterfalls, fish, crocodiles, seals, birds, and a playground. They serve a wide range of Chinese food styles: Guangdong, Shandong, Sichuan, Anhui.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Seals

Live music was being played, there are 3 live seals that you can feed sardines to, artists making custom toys, and there is a playground for kids.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China 5

Decor, Vibe – Enormous Rainforest cafe like with seating in many different zones. Private rooms on several floors. Transparent huge open kitchen with hundreds of workers. This is clearly a popular oasis that lets diners get away from the dirty, noisy, crowded city outside. The place was about 80% full the day we visited.

Menu Pictures (Click to zoom into any picture)

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 46

Ready to take your order

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 44

Menu – Note the large kitchen

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 42

Live Scorpions

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 29

Silkworm Larva, Sea Snails

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 27

Lots of fresh live seafood

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 15

Live Seafood Tanks

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 5

Sushi, Sashimi

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 28

Elaborate food displays

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 6

Roast Pig, Roast Duck

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 17

Peking Duck Ovens

Full layout of their menu

There is no physical menu. All the food is on display. You walk around with a waitress to place an order. There are enormous tanks full of live seafood to choose from. The variety of food is outrageous, from Peking duck cooked in special ovens to Bear Paw to Sushi to live Scorpions to long Boiled soups.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Menu 40

Bear Paw

Picks:

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Cold Jello

Cold Jello with shredded ham and cucumber is a staple to this area. Done well and good for the summer.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Marinated Tofu

Cold Marinated Tofu was pretty tasty. It had a lot more texture (and color!) than most tofu.

Table Side Noodle Cutting

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Noodles

Noodle Soup (188¥, $1=6.8¥) had noodles that were hand cut at our table with scissors. Pretty amazing dexterity on the part of the server. The flavorful broth was very good too, indicating it had been cooking for hours.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Soup

Mushroom soup with chicken was very good. We asked the cooks if they cooked it in the pots lining the window. They responded that the soup had been cooked for hours and was simply reboiled.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Buns

Buns with red bean filling looked great and amazingly tasted good. Filling was not too sweet.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Potatoes

Shredded potato is another classic dish in this area. Simple but satisfying.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Shrimp and Eggs

Shrimp with egg white, ginko nuts, looks really messy but had some fresh shrimp cooked very well.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Eggplant

Sauteed Eggplant had some fresh eggplant and lots of it but a lot of grease too. Couple string beans mixed in too.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Eight Treasure Rice

Eight treasure rice was a nice dessert with raisins laying on sticky rice. Not as much sugar sauce as other versions.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Millet Soup

Millet porridge was pretty bland. Tiny yellow nutritious grains. It is a local favorite and served cold for the summer season. Homestyle food.

OK:

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Scorpions

Fried Scorpion were very crunchy but almost tasteless. A novelty for westerners as all the others at the table had never had it.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Stir fried Sardines in chilis

Stir fried sardines in chili’s had deep fried fish cooked with chili’s, garlic, and green onion. Almost Yunan style. Average dish.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Walnuts

Young fresh walnuts were raw white walnuts that were unshelled, peeled, and them sauteed. Simple and lots of walnut flavor.

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Taiyuan China Salad

Greens in a simple light sauce seems to be a popular salad in this area. Foreigners need to be careful with raw vegetables.

Pans:
None

Tang Du Zoology Restaurant had fair service with the waiter needing to be hailed for many items. They could have used more people in our zone. Prices are reasonable if you stick to core items and do not go overboard. The waitresses will push fancier items that probably won’t be the best when cooked by such a huge kitchen. If you are visiting this area, you must check out this one of a kind restaurant. Cash only, ATM available in the restaurant.
They have a newer location in the Northwest Chinese city of Harbin.

Restaurant Map:


Tang Du Zoology Restaurant Overall Rating: (Very Good 2.5)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Very Good)
Service Rating: (Good)
Atmosphere Rating: (Extraordinary)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Beer, Wine
Attire:Casual
Hours:Lunch, Dinner
Parking:Free Log
Reservations:Yes
Prices:10 - 388 ¥

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6 Comments

  • Silke Dallmann
    July 1, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    I was disgusted to see that you serve bear paw!!!!!!!!!!! Bears are an endangered species and need protected, not killed for their food!! There is plenty of other food, there is absolutely no excuse for killing and eating endangered animals!

  • Sheri Reese
    July 2, 2010 at 12:25 am

    How horrible to kill an endangered species for it’s paws. I realize it is something that has been in your culture for a very long time, but you are killing off a species for one of it’s body parts. Please, sometimes we have to make some changes for the betterment of the world. You seem to serve abundant food and people seem to love it. They will not miss that you have eliminated bear paws and you will make the world better for it.

  • Maryse Dumas
    July 2, 2010 at 1:35 am

    With all the exotic fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, I think you should omit food of animals, turtles and other living creatures that are endagered. Now is a time for conscious eating. I am shocke that you include bear paw on your list.

  • Jeanette McDermott
    July 2, 2010 at 8:10 am

    All of the bear species that are endemic to Asia are listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened and endangered species. It is an international crime to traffic and trade in species on the Red List, yet the “food delicacy” bear paws are clearly on the menu of the Tang Du Zoology Restaurant, as seen on your foodnut.com website and the Flickr site for the Tang Du Zoology Restaurant.

    How does this restaurant obtain fresh bear paws if the bears in Asia are listed on the IUCN Red LIst? Are the bears poached from the wild? Are the bears bred in captivity for the purpose of commercializing their severed paws?

    Please respond to this email publicly and to my private email address that I have left on this site.

  • Food Nut
    July 2, 2010 at 8:49 am

    Yes selling bear paw is terrible! I suggest you contact the restaurant directly. I just took the picture and ask the waitress what it was and know nothing else.

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