Changchun Restaurant (长春饭店)

Changchun Restaurant is a long-established Jilin cuisine restaurant at 1826 Pingquan Road in Changchun's Nanguan District, in Jilin Province, northeastern China. It was established in 1950 and is counted among the city's heritage restaurants, serving the regional style known as Jicai, which draws on Manchu, Han and Korean influences and favours pan-frying, braising and deep-frying. The restaurant is known for two families of dishes that residents refer to by shorthand: the crispy 'san su', meaning crispy chicken, fish and pork, and the pan-fried 'san ta', meaning egg-battered chicken, fish and pork cooked in a pan until golden. The signature xiangsu ji, xiangsu yu and xiangsu rou are fried with a light, crisp coating and served with a dipping seasoning, while the guota ji, guota yu and guota rou are sandwiched or battered, then pan-fried and finished with a lightly sweet-sour sauce. These dishes are the culinary signature of Changchun's older banquet houses and are suited to sharing at a round table. Typical spend is about ¥70 (roughly $10) per person, mid-range for the city. The dining room follows the traditional Chinese restaurant pattern, with round tables, large menus and servers who bring dishes in succession; the atmosphere is calm and family oriented, and dress is casual. Beverages are tea, beer, soft drinks and baijiu for banquets, with no dedicated wine programme. Reservation difficulty is low on ordinary days, but family banquets, wedding parties and holiday dates fill the larger tables, so booking by phone a few days ahead is advisable for groups. Visitors interested in Changchun's historical food culture will find it a useful introduction, and ordering one crispy dish and one pan-fried dish for contrast gives a good sense of the house repertoire. The location on Pingquan Road is a little outside the busiest tourist core, so a taxi or ride-hailing app is the usual way to reach it.