Pyongyang Tanjun Guan: North Korean Cuisine with a Show
While Pyongyang Tangun does not have the best North Korean food in Shanghai, we had a decent dining experience. If you have an obsession with North Korea—and we know a few people like that—or are looking for a novel venue to take visiting tourists for dinner, this is a good option.
All of the waitresses here double as singers / performers and take turns on the stage between 7:30pm and 8pm for a cultural dance show. The pretty ladies are dressed to the nines in colorful traditional costumes, but be sure to contain your excitement—our Jinroh soju-fueled (RMB60) round of rambunctious applause elicited stares.
The waitresses get up on stage
We supplemented the usual free banchan (seasoned seaweed, fried cold eggplant, etc.) with two types of kimchi: cabbage (RMB25) and radish (RMB25). Both kimchi are strongly brined with ginger, garlic, scallions, and chili pepper, though we prefer the slightly spicier radish kimchi.
However, you should give the grilled meat assortment (RMB248) a miss. It drove up the price of the meal and was hardly worth it. They skimp on lettuce and condiments like soybean and chili paste, all of which are necessary to give the overwhelmingly brown selection of meat some flavor. The roasted spicy beef rib needs more spice and the beef tongue is overcooked, denying us the tenderness we had been anticipating. But we had no issues with the pork belly and really enjoyed the roasted beef, so just order those individually. The bibimpap (RMB40) is fine, but also needed more chili paste.
Be sure to order the cold green lentil jelly with vegetables dressed with a spicy, sour sauce and the kimchi pancake (RMB30): it tastes like cold spicy pizza in the best possible way.
OUR RATING: 3/5
DETAILS
What: Pyongyang Tangun
Where: 2/F, 889 Nanjing Xi Lu 南京西路889号2楼
Tel: 3211-0588
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