Da Tieshao Restaurant
Da Tieshao, the king of cost-performance ratio, is a must-visit every time in Tianjin. Any branch is always full of dining guests, so you need to reserve enough time for queuing. Private rooms need to be booked three weeks in advance. A must-visit for locals: Binshui West Road branch, Yingshui Road branch (very popular, no group buying). Must-try dish: Bazhen Tofu Pot, which is rich in ingredients including shrimp, scallops, and squid, all delicious and fresh. The tofu is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, melting in your mouth.
Yanbinlou Restaurant
A super old brand of halal restaurant with authentic old Tianjin flavor, particularly favored by the elderly. The shrimp and beef dishes are very good. However, the Heping District branch is not recommended due to poor service and high customer flow, resulting in less flavorful dishes compared to the Nankai branch. The Heping branch offers group buying, while the Nankai branch does not.
Zhengyangchun Tianjin Roast Duck Restaurant
Zhengyangchun Tianjin Roast Duck Restaurant cannot compete with Beijing's Duck King Da Dong or Quanjude when it comes to roast duck, but friends outside of Beijing should give it a try. Besides roast duck, the menu is very diverse and the prices are moderate. You can also try the duck oil buns here. While the taste is not overwhelmingly amazing, it is definitely better than Qingfeng buns. Duck oil buns are a childhood memory for me, and eating them brings more joy than having roast duck.
Old Tianjin Zha Jiang Noodle Restaurant
Beijing's Zha Jiang Noodles are a specialty, but compared to Tianjin's, the taste is far inferior. One serving of Zha Jiang Noodles, one serving of sweet and sour gluten, and you'll fall in love with Tianjin's Zha Jiang Noodles!
Sibei Lamb Soup
Even if you are not a fan of lamb and at most eat a lamb kebab, this shop is not something you love but can eat. If it can make someone who doesn't like lamb eat it, then you really should give it a try. Those who love this taste will make a special trip to visit.
Kaisiling Hotel in Tianjin
The most famous century-old Western restaurant in Tianjin, founded by Germans in 1901. The second floor serves Russian cuisine, the third floor serves German cuisine, and the fourth floor serves French cuisine. The taste used to be consistently good, but it's uncertain if it still maintains its good reputation in recent years. People come here for its historical significance, environment, and culture, so it won't disappoint. There are group purchase deals available now.
Tianjin Bai Jiao Yuan
It offers dumplings, Tianjin cuisine, and local dishes. First, the pork and seafood dumplings at Bai Jiao Yuan are the best, surpassing even the famous Chuan Ge Yu in Qingdao. The crab roe and mantis shrimp dumplings are also recommended. The Spanish mackerel dumplings are a bit fishy and not as good as those in Qingdao. There are also a few Bai Jiao Yuan branches in Beijing. I have visited two of them, and the taste and quality are not on par with the Tianjin branch. The Bai Jiao Yuan in Beijing's Fangzhuang area has good dumplings, but the stir-fried dishes are overly salty. The Xidan branch in Beijing has a nice environment, but the dumplings are average, and the stir-fried dishes are good but not primarily Tianjin cuisine.
This has already become a must-visit place for tourists. Generally, people visit a restaurant called Yaxi Restaurant here, which still exists. If you must visit the food street, Yaxi Restaurant is recommended. The specialty of this restaurant is the 'Three Fresh Delicacies with Aged Vinegar'. Yaxi Restaurant also has many branches; you can find the addresses on Dianping.
