The dining room
Gouqi's Peking duck is carved tableside in the dining room at 25–34 Cockspur Street, St James's. It is the Legendary Peking Duck with Oscietra caviar, served three ways, and it needs 24 hours' notice. The restaurant is a short walk from Trafalgar Square.
Carved at the table, ordered ahead
This is a restaurant duck, not a takeaway pancake set. The carving happens in the room, and the dish is built for sharing. Because the kitchen prepares it to order, the menu asks for a 24-hour pre-order. Mention it when you reserve, whether you book on the reservation page, by phone or by email, so the duck is on the pass for your table.
The chicken and the Peking duck are halal. The sauce is not included in that note, so say so if the sauce matters for your table. Vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are available elsewhere on the menu; the team can point to them when you book.
Where it sits on the menu
On the à la carte, barbecued dishes include the Peking duck and Emperor's Lobster Soup. The steamed royal dim sum platter, eight types with a vegetarian option, is the other dish guests plan a meal around. Rice, noodles, vegetables and tofu are there so a table can build a full sharing dinner rather than order the duck on its own.
The festive Christmas menu is a different dish. That set menu, £88 per person through 30 December 2026, opens with a crispy aromatic duck salad. It is not the whole duck carved tableside. If you want the Peking duck, order it as the tableside dish and give the kitchen 24 hours.
A St James's table, before the theatre or for a celebration
Cockspur Street sits between Trafalgar Square and the West End theatres, and Gouqi is open for lunch from 12:00 and dinner from 16:30. The kitchen closes at 22:00 from Monday to Thursday and on Sunday, and at 22:30 on Friday and Saturday. That timing suits a pre-theatre dinner as well as a later sitting.
For a birthday or a business dinner, the same duck can be part of a private-room menu. Crimson seats 12 and Ruby seats 10; together they seat 22. Standing receptions use canapés and bowl food that can include Peking duck, dim sum, salt and pepper squid and black pepper beef. Larger groups should pre-order food and wine at least three working days ahead.
How to book the duck
Reserve the table first, then ask for the Peking duck with at least 24 hours' notice. Tell the restaurant about allergies and dietary requirements at the same time. The current menus, including the eight-course tasting menu and dim sum afternoon tea, are on the menus page. Gouqi also serves a dim sum set lunch, a theatre menu and seasonal specials from the same kitchen. Those are separate from the tableside duck. A dining-room table is booked on the reservation page; Crimson or Ruby is a private dining enquiry. The duck still needs a day's notice either way, because the pre-order sits with the kitchen.
Reserve on the reservation page, call 0203 771 8886, or email reservations@gouqi-restaurants.co.uk.