Master of Lijiang

The Experience

Master of Lijiang is the Dayan Old Town's most accomplished traditional Naxi restaurant — a converted Qing-era courtyard home on the south side of Sifang Square (the Old Town's central plaza) that has been a restaurant since the 1990s and, through ownership changes, has held onto the standard for Naxi cuisine that the city expects of its name-brand restaurants. The layout is classical courtyard: a central stone-paved open-air courtyard surrounded by four dining wings, each of which is a small dining room with traditional Naxi furnishings, painted ceiling beams, and two-table or four-table seating. The courtyard itself holds the larger communal tables.

The menu is the full Naxi canon. Jiba (the signature flatbread, served as both opener and side), jidou cold tofu (fermented tofu with chilli oil, garlic, and Yunnan herbs), smoked-pork and pickled-cabbage claypot, the Naxi version of steamed chicken with wild mushrooms, Naxi smoked duck, and — in mushroom season (July–September) — a matsutake preparation at a price point that the resort restaurants cannot match. The pu-erh tea service is the Naxi ceremonial version (three pourings, the leaves re-used across a full meal) and is the standard welcome.

Live Naxi Dongba-script music is performed on Friday and Saturday evenings in the main courtyard (typically 20:00–21:30); the performance uses traditional instruments (bowed lutes, flutes, small drums) and a vocal style that is distinctly Naxi rather than Han Chinese. The performance is free to diners and is one of the better cultural additions to an Old Town meal. The restaurant is not a tourist-show venue — the live music is authentic rather than costumed-performance — but it is crowded on weekend evenings.

Reservations are recommended for weekend evenings and for the courtyard tables (which offer the best view of the live performance). The CNY 150–280 per person range covers a full Naxi dinner for two with tea; adding the matsutake preparation in season raises the check significantly. Bookings are by phone or WeChat; the restaurant is listed on Dianping (the Chinese Yelp) and Meituan. Walk into the Old Town via the south entrance; the restaurant is a five-minute walk from the main plaza.

Why it's perfect for First Date

For a first date in Lijiang, Master of Lijiang hits the right balance between cultural interest (the Naxi cuisine and the live music) and romantic register (the courtyard setting, the intimate dining wings). For a team dinner of six to ten, the courtyard's larger tables accommodate the group and the shared-dish Naxi format works well for groups. For a birthday, the live-music weekend evenings add the celebratory element without being overbearing.

A note on context

For the full Lijiang dining landscape, the city guide contextualises Master of Lijiang within the broader scene. The best first date restaurants guide ranks this among the notable choices globally. See also the team dinner occasion page and our editorial team's scoring methodology.