Wen Ji Yixinji

Guangzhou, China; 10 Xuanyuanqiao, 76 Baohua Road, Liwan, Guangzhou, China

Wen Ji Yixinji offers a focused lesson in the importance of chicken to Cantonese cooking. In Liwan’s Baohua Road area, the restaurant built its reputation around Yixin chicken and expanded its dining space in 2020. The attraction remains the preparation itself, making this a useful stop for visitors who want to explore a specific local speciality in depth. The birds come from Qingyuan and are cooked slowly in a light marinade with herbs and dried scallops. The intended balance is between supple flesh, resilient skin and a savoury seasoning that supports the chicken’s own flavour. Another notable dish is the osmanthus roll, an unusual traditional preparation involving pork and salted egg yolk, finished with a honey glaze. The restaurant appears in Michelin’s current Bib Gourmand selection, recognising good cooking at accessible prices. Its inclusion here also reflects the value of culinary continuity: Guangzhou’s food culture is sustained by specialist neighbourhood addresses as much as luxury hotels. Build the meal around the chicken, then add a few complementary dishes to understand the kitchen’s broader Cantonese repertoire.