Xiao Jiao Private Kitchen No. 10: Don’t Believe the Hype

The talk of the town seems to be all about this new, hidden hutong gem named Xiao Jiao Private Kitchen No. 10. I’ve been told by multiple sources that this is the new “it” place. A nightmare to find, but worth the effort (or so I have been led to believe).

In a time of Beijing’s “great brickening”, perhaps this is a glimmer of hope that the soul of Beijing’s beloved hutongs is not dead and gone. This new restaurant opening shows that there are still creative entrepreneurs who are trying to keep the hipster hutong vibes alive. We don’t buy the gentrified baloney we see on Nanluoguxiang, we miss the good old days where authenticity and passion were the foundations behind each little cafe, restaurant, or bar. Our hutong neighborhoods that we hold dear to our hearts are being gutted and we are helpless to stop it.

So that brings us to Xiao Jiao Private Kitchen No. 10 (XJPK). To say that I was ecstatic when told about a new opening in the hutongs is an understatement. I literally dropped all my plans to book 2 seats on Wednesday evening and gave myself plenty of time to get lost (because I knew that I would and I recommend that you do the same). Xiao Jiao is a tiny, narrow little hutong that you could very easily miss if you aren’t paying attention. It’s not far from Meishuguan 美术馆 Art Museum and in a similar neighborhood to Little Yunnan and Susu. The trickiest thing about finding the right door to knock on is that there is literally no signage, so I accidentally knocked on the wrong door and met a grumbling neighbor who knew what door I was trying to find (I guess I’m not the first to make this mistake) and pointed me to the correct door.

I wasn’t sure about what to expect, but I knew that there is very limited seating each night (only a grand total of 6 seats), there is no menu, and that there is one lady running the show (the owner, chef and also the server).

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