Lacking translation skills and having decided to go here after a conversation with the taxi driver I can only refer to this place as “The Russian Restaurant Hunchen”. I can though confirm that if you do end up in this Chinese border backwater then this is a fabulous dining spot.
You will though probably have to find here by looking at my photos, or as I did by talking to a taxi driver. Thankfully Hunchen is not exactly Vegas though.
What the Hunchen and why the Russians?
Hunchun, China—a town you’ve probably never heard of but absolutely should if you’re into weird borders and even weirder travel. Nestled in the far east of Jilin province, this little-known gateway sits at the tri-point of China, Russia, and North Korea. Yep, it’s one of the few places where you can sip baijiu, eat pelmeni, and eyeball North Korea all in one day. More importantly, it’s your ticket into Rason, the DPRK’s little economic zone where capitalism is sort of a thing.
Once a sleepy backwater, Hunchun is now buzzing with Russians thanks to the ever-cozy Sino-Russian bromance. The town itself is home to about 250,000 people—plus a rotating cast of traders, smugglers, and confused backpackers trying to find the North Korean border post. If you ever wanted a front-row seat to Chinese-Russian-North Korean relations over a bowl of (Russian) dumplings, Hunchun is the place to be.
The Hunchen Street Food and Overall Food scene
Hunchun is bloody cold in winter—the kind of cold that makes you question your life choices. We’re talking serious minus degrees, the kind where you’ll be sprinting between restaurants just to keep your toes intact. Frankly, you’re only here if you’re heading to Russia or, more likely, the North Korean Badlands.
At night, the street food scene is pretty sparse—this isn’t Bangkok—but you’ll still find some solid Dongbei-style BBQ joints, where skewers of sizzling meat pair perfectly with ice-cold beer – probably Snow. There are also plenty of hearty Dongbei restaurants dishing out dumplings and warming stews, a handful of ethnic Korean spots, and at least one,, Russian eateries serving borscht and vodka – BiDeBao likely being its name. One thing you won’t see? A McDonald’s. This is the Chinese boonies, my friend—welcome to Hunchun.
The Russian Restaurant Hunchen
The Russian restaurant in Hunchun—BiDeBao, or at least that’s what we think it’s called—looks like a happening nightspot from the outside. Neon lights, a steady flow of people, and the unmistakable sound of vodka-fueled conversations. Stepping inside, we were met with a sea of Russians, all of whom gave us that you don’t belong here look. Say what you want about Slavic hospitality, but “warm and welcoming” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
That said, no one bothered us, and at least the staff were friendly—though probably because they assumed we were Russian. Despite my best efforts in Chinese to clarify that we weren’t, the Chinese owner kept slipping back into Russian, clearly convinced otherwise. With diplomatic relations settled, we turned our attention to the menu. Would it be borscht and pelmeni, or would this be the kind of place where you end up drinking far more vodka than planned?
The Menu at the Russian Restaurant Hunchen
The menu at Hunchun’s Russian restaurant was a glorious mix of Slavic indulgence, hearty Russian staples, and a few unexpected Western surprises. You had your classic borscht, beef stroganoff, and pickled everything, alongside piles of Russian-style dumplings—steaming hot and perfect for dipping in sour cream. If you’re after something lighter, well, you’re in the wrong place.
Drinks? Oh, they had drinks. Ice-cold draft beer flowed freely, but the real highlight was the vodka—served by the carafe and costing next to nothing. And as its Russia they serve it by the gram! Unfortunately that means very little to me, other than that I will obviously order too much. And while we did drink a lot of vodka we avoided getting so much we would talk international politics, instead stopping for Soju and hitting it hard before our North Korean Tour.
We personally went for some borsch (obviously), as well as Okroshka a fabulous cold soup that contains the fizzy Kvas pseudo-beer fest drink. The remainder of dishes were filled by he bits of meat on a stick and a whole bunch of other dishes that proved we had eyes far bigger than our very big bellies.
The overall vibe at the Russian Restaurant in Hunchen?
In the end they were actually really friendly and when we told them we had a travel agency and that we would undoubtedly be back they gave us 3 free drinks and their card. Indeed I feel that we shall be back.
BiDeBao Western Restaurant
Address: Oushi Street, Hunchun, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin, China
Phone: +86 433 787 9777