Jim ThurmanMeat pie lovers who live in the Eastern San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Freeway travelers — rejoice. Beijing Pie House has opened a location in the City of Industry. Known for its xian bing, meat pies likened to hockey pucks or doorknobs, the original location in Monterey Park quickly became a favorite upon opening in late 2010.
The new outpost, which opened in mid-February, is upstairs in Four Seasons Plaza, a newish spot, which counts Monja and Magic Restroom Café among its roster of restaurants. The space, formerly occupied by Michelle's Pancake, is much roomier than the cramped original. The interior is dominated by a glass partition slightly above table level along the right side of the restaurant. Behind the partition, workers prepare all manner of meat pies, dumplings and wontons on full display. On the left, a flat-screen TV is tuned to Chinese-language programming. Perhaps you'll catch a Chinese drama while munching on a meat pie.
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Lamb & Green Onion Pie (#2), Beijing Pie House; Credit: Jim Thurman
With the opening comes some menu changes for both locations. For one, the touted lamb pie now is available with either green onion or summer squash. A celery and pork pie has been added and the Homeland meat cake, a crispy pan-fried pancake filled with ground meat, is now available with beef, pork or lamb filling. Bucking the trend, the Beijing lamb hot pot has been dropped. As meat-centric as the restaurant is, there are “wild vegetable pies” as well as a couple of newly added fish items (dumplings and wonton soup) available.
See also: 68: Lamb Pie at Beijing Pie House
There are noodles, pancakes, appetizers and dumplings, but it's the xian bing (listed under pies) that are the draw here: pliable, with thin-skinned dough, filled with meat and steaming hot soup, then pan-fried and plated, four to an order. You'll find them on nearly every table. About that soup, the menu warns: “Caution! it's hot inside.” This is an understatement, much like saying lava is hot. On the plus side, in the more spacious digs, the only people you're likely to squirt with soup are yourself or your dining companions.
Closed Mondays, Beijing Pie House is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. the rest of the week. The new restaurant also is freeway-adjacent, with ample underground parking should the surface lot be full. And it probably will be — with very good reason.
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