Fenglinge (凤临阁)

Fenglinge is Datong's heritage shaomai house, a brand dating to the Ming Zhengde era, set in a classic courtyard-style building at the intersection of Gulou West Street and Huayan Street, near Huayan Temple, in Pingcheng District, Datong, Shanxi province, China. Datong is a former garrison city on the northern edge of the province, and shaomai, the open-topped steamed dumpling, is one of its signature foods. Fenglinge is the best-known place in the old city to try the Datong style, which is distinguished by its thin, pleated wrappers and flavourful fillings. The restaurant has a rating of 4.4 and prices are in the budget bracket.

The signature dish is baihua shaomai, the hundred-flower dumplings, served in assortments of fillings. The menu also features Hunyuan liangfen, a cold jelly dish from nearby Hunyuan, old Datong guoyou rou, the flash-fried pork in a glossy sweet-sour glaze, sea-buckthorn millet cake, a sweet local pastry, and sweet-and-sour meatballs. Together these give a representative sample of northern Shanxi cooking from a single table.

The building's traditional courtyard style gives the dining room a heritage character, with timber detailing and a busy, conversational atmosphere. It is popular with tour groups and local families, and noise rises at lunch and dinner. There is no dress code, and the beverage list is limited to tea, soft drinks and beer.

The restaurant is open 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:30. Reservations are not typical; instead, diners take a queue number early, from about 09:00 for lunch and 14:30 for dinner, and wait to be called. Phone enquiries can be made on +86 352 205 9699. Its location close to Huayan Temple makes it a natural meal stop when sightseeing in the old city.