Opened by the titular 'Fatty Wang' in 2004, Wang Pangzi is lauded by many as Beijing's best purveyor of donkey-meat snacks. The lip-smacking speciality here is lǘròu huǒshāo (驴肉火烧; ¥12/14), toasted pastry pockets stuffed with thinly sliced donkey and diced green peppers (the meat tastes somewhat like pastrami). Two per person, plus soup and salad dishes, is a feast for lunch.
The practice of eating donkey is said to have originated in the city of Baoding, 150km to the south. For years, traversing the intervening hills to the capital was done on four legs, until the railway came along in the early 20th century, putting a whole lot of donkeys out of a job…and into a cooking pot.
Note that the cheaper lǘròu huǒshāo uses fattier cuts of meat. You can also get Eeyore stewed with tomato, roasted with onions, or turned into soup or spicy hotpot. There are several Wang Pangzi branches around town, including another nearby at Houhai Lake.
