Peking Garden

Peking Garden in Dübendorf is a halal Chinese restaurant serving the Muslim community of the Zurich metropolitan area along with curious locals who have discovered that the pleasures of Cantonese and northern Chinese cooking can be fully enjoyed within halal guidelines. The menu covers the familiar and beloved classics: crispy aromatic duck with pancakes and hoisin sauce, salt and pepper chicken, sweet and sour dishes, Peking-style pork substitutes using halal meats, beef in black bean sauce, vegetable stir-fries, Singapore noodles, fried rice and spring rolls. Everything is halal, from the meats to the stocks to the sauces, opening up the full experience of Chinese restaurant dining to Muslim customers who might otherwise have to default to vegetarian selections or seafood. The dining room is comfortable and traditional in the style of Chinese restaurants around the world — red and gold accents, decorative screens, proper tablecloths — and the service is attentive and friendly. Switzerland's Muslim community, though small by European standards, is growing and includes families from the Balkans, Turkey, the Arab world, Iran, Somalia, South Asia and a significant number of Swiss-born Muslims and converts. The Zurich area has a particular concentration of educated professional Muslims, and restaurants like Peking Garden serve a clientele that appreciates both sophisticated cuisine and halal integrity. During Ramadan the restaurant accommodates iftars with tables set before Maghrib and warm soups and comforting dishes welcome at the breaking of the fast. Eid weekends bring family celebrations. For a traveler in Switzerland, a meal at a halal Chinese restaurant is a small but pleasant reminder of how the global halal dining landscape has expanded. Chinese Muslim history itself is a fascinating story, with the Hui and other Muslim communities in China maintaining their own distinctive halal cuisine (niujie cai) for over a thousand years, and restaurants serving pan-Chinese halal food anywhere in the world participate in a very old conversation between Chinese culinary tradition and Islamic dietary principles. Order across the menu, share dishes with friends, and enjoy a meal that honors both traditions well.