Restaurants of Suzhou

Continuing the good idea.

Let's get the basics out of the way.

If you come to Suzhou (or if you're among the elect who get to live here) you absolutely must swing by Good Eats, 694 Shi Quan Jie. It's just up the road from the Shamrock. It's pretty much the real deal for American-style fun food- good burgers, chili dogs, tuna melts, etc. with some meat pies and fish-and-chips to give it some exotic foreign appeal. It's also known for very cool Englishoid-speaking Chinese staff and absolutely zaftig  service. They will deliver anywhere that matters for 10 RMB if you call 6526-0675. Dinner for 1 will average 30-60 RMB.

The other pole for foreign food here is Mario's Pizza, 1736 Ren Min Lu. (It's near the North Pagoda, Bei3 Si2 Ta1) Real Italian food from real Italian Mario. The seemingly hundreds of Italian expats who haunt the place regularly will attest to the excellence and authenticity of the food. There's nothing bad here, but the Seafood Salad, Pizza Siciliana, Grilled Calimari, and Gnocchi Gorgonzola do stand out...while one original pasta dish, Rosetta Della Momma, literally belongs in the Louvre. If they like you they'll bring you a Nutella Pizza, which simply must be experienced to fully understand. Mario is the happiest human being I've ever met in my life (despite the fact that we share no common language; he speaks Italian and French. And Hungarian.)- I want to be Mario when I grow up. Dinner for one here will run at least 50 RMB plus wine/drinks; the temptation to spend a lot more here can be overwhelming.

While I'm rifling cards, Let's Rock Hong Kong Restaurant, 403 Shi Quan Jie in the very heart of Suzhou's fabled Chicken Bar District, is worth a stop for dinner or an inter-bar bite. Kickass Cha Shao Bao (barbecued pork buns) and generally good informal Cantonese food. And it's right in front of Garage Music. Dinner here can run 8 RMB and up as far as you want.

Another good Cantonese place is the Yun Gei (inexplicably pronounced 'Ren Ji') Cantonese Resturant at the very prominent intersection of Shi Quan Jie and Feng Huang Jie. Slightly more upscale Cantonese food, with amazing dim sum available early afternoons. And it's right in front of Rock Station. Dinner for one here will run 25 RMB and up.

Second that on Mario's... Excellent, although the spaghetti Marinara wasn't quite there.
Good Eats has an OK burger.

I can't sit idly by and let Yakeshi remain unnoticed.  You can't beat the location: right across the street from the Shamrock!  Authentic Xinjiang food, especially the various, lamb dishes, are enough to make ya cry; sop the juice up with the flat bread, which will also help soak up the pints you'll inevitably slug down afterwards....  And the cute outfits the waitresses wear make up for the horrid bathroom.  This place is well known among foreigners and Chinese alike, generally accepted as the best of its breed.  And the prices ain't too high.

Nicely done...Ya Ke Xi should definitely be here. (Sorry...Belgians don't tend to cope with pinyin well.  )
This was the first restaurant I ever ate in in Suzhou, many years ago, and I'm still a regular. If forced I could happily live on their lamb sticks, lamb's liver sticks, and nang bread.
The long-braided waitresses will cheerfully deliver anything on their menu to your table at the Shamrock across the street.

Is this the same Xinjiang place that used to be down the street near the corner of Feng Huang Lu?

Not sure, but there is a better (in my opinion) and cheaper Xinjiang place on Feng Men Lu. Just go across the bridge headed east on Shi Quan Jie. It is a tiny little place past a bus stop on the left... I will have to get the name and address as soon as I remember to...

I think Old 34 is thinking of Bei Jiang, a longtime Suzhou favorite. They've since moved over to a much bigger and newer place on Gan Jiang Road. Also pretty good...

There's a lot of good west-China food here...Xinjiang places and "Lanzhou" noodle shops (most of which are operated by one mega-family from Qinghai? ).

Ya Ke Xi is definitely not as good as it used to be...especially their lamb sticks. And NO restaurant on Shi Quan Jie will ever be cheap. But Ya Ke Xi is still pretty good...and a really great convenient location...

I think Old 34 is thinking of Bei Jiang, a longtime Suzhou favorite. They've since moved over to a much bigger and newer place on Gan Jiang Road.

Come to think of it, the old joint's name WAS Bei Jiang. Gan Jiang Jie is it now? Thanks for the the update.