Yong He Yuan

Yong He Yuan is an old tea-house at 68 Jiankang Road in the Qinhuai District of Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, serving the city's morning dim sum and pastry tradition close to the Confucius Temple area. Nanjing's tea-house culture, in which diners take tea with small savoury and sweet items rather than a single main dish, is a distinctive part of Jiangsu dining, and Yong He Yuan is one of the houses that keeps it alive. It is a traditional casual venue rather than a chef-driven restaurant, so there is no Michelin recognition or celebrated chef lineage to cite; the appeal is the classic menu and the unhurried tea-house pace. Signature items include duck blood and vermicelli soup at about ¥20, the city's most emblematic bowl, made with soft cubes of duck blood, glass noodles and a clear duck broth, and crab-shell sesame pastry at about ¥12, a flaky baked pastry shaped like a crab shell and topped with sesame. Diners commonly order several small plates, pouring tea throughout, and the menu also includes steamed buns and other morning snacks. The dining room is bright and simple, with tables arranged for families and groups, and the atmosphere is lively but relaxed, particularly at weekend breakfast. Dress is casual. Tea is the main beverage, and there is no wine or spirits programme. The tea-house operates on a walk-in basis and does not take reservations, although lines can form at weekend mornings. It is open from 7AM to 1:30PM and again from 4:30PM to 8:30PM, with a break in the afternoon, so timing matters for visitors planning a late lunch. Prices are low, with a typical meal of soup, pastry and tea costing about ¥35 to ¥60 per person. The location on Jiankang Road places it within walking distance of the Fuzimiao snack streets, so it combines well with a morning stroll through the temple district.