Beijing's Another Landmark Sichuan Restaurant Suddenly Closes! 25-Year Culinary Icon, Countless Memories

In the past few days, a piece of news has suddenly spread widely among social circles. The early flagship restaurant of Meizhou Dongpo, a benchmark Sichuan cuisine restaurant in the Beijing Asian Games Village area that has been in operation for 25 years, will close by the end of March 2026. Along with it, Meizhou Snacks will also cease operations.

Before closing, the restaurant’s business suddenly picked up. Hundreds of loyal customers heard the news and made special trips to check in and dine once more, reminiscing about the culinary memories that are about to disappear.

Meizhou Dongpo holds a high status in Beijing’s Sichuan cuisine scene. Over the years, it has been a high-end brand restaurant that you can’t go wrong with for friends’ gatherings, business dinners, or when you’re unsure what to eat.

Meizhou Dongpo Asian Games Village Night Snack

The first Meizhou Dongpo I ever visited was at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, which is also the founding location of the Meizhou Dongpo brand, established in 1996. After achieving success, Meizhou Dongpo gradually expanded, opening numerous branches across Beijing and later expanding nationwide and globally.

The China-Japan Friendship Hospital branch is located in a small two-story building with a modest size. Business is excellent every day, and waiting in line for a seat is common.

Back in 2008, during the Beijing Olympics, the company was nearby, so my colleagues and I often regarded it as our lunch spot. We would go there regularly, sharing meals and ordering one dish each. From Dongpo Pork to Spicy Blood Curd, Mapo Tofu, and Mama’s Pig Trotters, this restaurant shaped my understanding of Sichuan cuisine.

Many years later, when I passed by the China-Japan Friendship Hospital again, I found that Meizhou Dongpo had moved out and was replaced by a medical clinic.

Meizhou Dongpo Asian Games Village Night Snack

The place I visited most often at the Asian Games Village branch was their late-night menu.

At that time, there weren’t many 24-hour restaurants around the Asian Games Village, and even at 3 a.m., you might need to wait in line for a seat, sometimes for an hour or two, which shows how busy it was.

While the rise and fall of Meizhou Dongpo is regrettable, it’s not surprising. Over the past two years, many restaurants that once stood firm for a decade or two have either closed due to poor management or undergone rebranding, with quality declining day by day.

Meizhou Dongpo Dongpo Pork

I clearly remember that in 2008, the signature dish Dongpo Pork at Meizhou Dongpo cost 45 yuan. It quickly rose to 80 yuan, and now it’s over 120 yuan. Food prices have become more expensive, but people’s willingness to spend on dining out doesn’t grow indefinitely; there’s always a ceiling.

In recent years, rent and labor costs in the restaurant industry have increased rapidly. More and more operators have replaced freshly prepared dishes with pre-made ingredients to cut costs, leading to deteriorating taste and declining quality. Meanwhile, as people’s incomes stagnate, the first expenses to be cut are dining and clothing.

On one hand, restaurant owners look down on customers for being poor; on the other hand, customers complain about poor quality. It’s a lose-lose situation. As the entire restaurant industry is forced to compete ruthlessly on price, it’s a disaster for once high-quality, service-oriented chain mid-to-high-end restaurants.

Meizhou Dongpo Sichuan Breakfast

Today, Meizhou Dongpo faces a tough environment, surrounded by “community eateries” like Ziguangyuan, Nanchengxiang, and Chaoyixing, which offer much lower prices and attract most customers who care about affordability and brand recognition.

If the economy cannot recover, restaurants like Meizhou Dongpo, which once enjoyed glory, will not have an easy time ahead.

There is an unconfirmed rumor circulating online about the closure of the Asian Games Village branch, claiming that the lease expired, and Meizhou Dongpo negotiated with the landlord to rent only the first floor, as renting both floors would inevitably lead to losses in the current environment. The negotiations failed, and Meizhou Dongpo had no choice but to close down.

This 25-year landmark restaurant in the Asian Games Village, regarded as the most reliable Sichuan restaurant by locals, has come to an end.