About Sister Peng Beer Fish
Sister Peng's Beer Fish (彭嫂啤酒鱼) operates from a small countryside-style restaurant on the Yulong River in Furong-cun village, twenty minutes by bicycle south of central Yangshuo, in the rural rice-paddy district that surrounds the karst mountains. The restaurant is run by 'Sister Peng' (a local cook whose actual name is Peng Cuilan), who has won multiple medals in national-level Chinese cooking contests for her beer-fish recipe and is the most-cited authority on the dish in Chinese culinary press.
The signature is the Beer Fish (啤酒鱼) at ¥120 for a single fish (typically a one-kilogram Li River carp or river bass) — pan-fried in pork lard with chili, tomato, ginger, garlic, and scallion, then braised in a half-bottle of local Liquan beer with the cap removed (so the carbonation evaporates as the dish cooks), served as a single hot wok at the table with rice and sliced raw chilis on the side. Diners share the fish across three to four people; the broth is spooned over the rice as the meal continues.
What makes Sister Peng's beer fish distinctive from the West Street versions is the technique discipline — the fish is scored deeply along the spine to absorb the braising liquid, the beer is added in two stages (one early to flavour the broth, one late to retain freshness), and the chili is the local Yangshuo variety (slightly less hot than Sichuan, with a more pronounced aromatic note). Beyond beer fish, the menu runs to twenty Guangxi-Province specialties — stuffed-mushroom dishes, river-shrimp stir-fry, bamboo-steamed taro — plus a wider Chinese village menu.
The room is unsophisticated — fifty seats across an open ground floor and a covered outdoor terrace facing the Yulong River, with rural farmhouse furniture and small bamboo lanterns. The bicycle ride from central Yangshuo (along the Yulong-Bei Liu River cycle path, one of the country's iconic countryside rides) is the proper way to arrive; the restaurant is also accessible by hired bamboo raft along the river. Walk-ins outside Chinese national-holiday weekends work; reservations are useful for groups of six or more.
Best Occasion Fit
Team dinners with visiting colleagues — the cycle-and-river arrival, the shared-fish format, and the rural-farmhouse atmosphere give the dinner a built-in adventure. For first dates with active partners, the bicycle journey from central Yangshuo and the Yulong River views make for a low-stakes, high-impact afternoon-and-dinner combination. Birthdays absorb easily into the family-style format.
Explore More in Yangshuo
Discover more exceptional restaurants in Yangshuo ranked by occasion — from first dates to deal-closing dinners and once-in-a-lifetime proposals. Browse our full occasion guide for every type of table, or explore all cities in our directory.