Mei Da Er Qingdao Zhongshan Road Review: Must-Try Fried Eggplant

Of all the incredible food I tasted during my Qingdao trip, there was one restaurant that stood out above the rest, a place I'd revisit in a heartbeat: **Mei Da Er!**

When I first searched for top restaurants in Qingdao, Mei Da Er popped up so frequently that I initially thought it was just a tourist trap for foreigners. But I quickly learned that it's incredibly popular with Chinese locals too!

(In fact, the locals jokingly complain that foreign tourists make the wait times even longer!)

Location

Mei Da Er Zhongshan Road Branch

📍山东省青岛市市北区中山路125号 (125 Zhongshan Road, Shibei District, Qingdao, Shandong Province)

⏰Opening Hours: 10:00 AM - 10:30 PM

If you're using Gaode Map (a popular navigation app in China), search for:

美达尔烧烤海鲜家常菜 中山路店

It's conveniently located on **Zhongshan Road**, making it a perfect stop when you're exploring Qingdao's charming Old Town.

Waiting & Reservations

Mei Da Er is well-known for its notoriously long wait times. Since I prefer to avoid waiting, I arrived right when they opened.

I did a **weekday open-run at 10:00 AM** and was immediately seated without any wait.

You can also make reservations through apps like Meituan or Dianping. However, these usually require a local Chinese phone number. Your best bet is to either ask your hotel front desk for assistance or simply go for the open-run strategy like I did!

Inside Atmosphere

The first floor doesn't have a lot of seating, but head up to the second floor and you'll find plenty of comfortable sofa-style tables. You can browse the menu and place your order using the QR code conveniently located on your table.

The Menu

Mei Da Er boasts an incredibly extensive menu, ranging from fresh seafood to various skewers, fried rice, and classic Chinese home-style dishes.

If it's your first time visiting, I wholeheartedly recommend these two dishes:

✔️Mapo Tofu

✔️Fried Eggplant

I ordered **Mapo Tofu, Fried Eggplant, Lamb Skewers, a local draft beer, and a bowl of steamed rice.** Just a heads-up, the portions here are seriously generous!

Food Review

First up, the Mapo Tofu! Its vibrant red color makes it look incredibly spicy, but surprisingly, the heat doesn't linger. I'm usually quite sensitive to spice, but while the initial bite had a kick, the spiciness faded quickly, making it perfectly enjoyable.

The tofu itself was wonderfully soft and silky, not firm at all. It's incredibly flavorful but quite salty, so having a bowl of steamed rice with it is an absolute must.

Next, the famous Fried Eggplant – a dish everyone says you absolutely *have* to try when in Qingdao!

Honestly, I'm usually not a fan of eggplant, and I don't even like sweet potato fries, so I was skeptical. But I tried it with an open mind, and it was genuinely delicious... ❤️

I've heard that Chinese eggplant has a different flavor profile than what we typically find in the West. The exterior was perfectly crispy, while the inside was moist and tender. The sauce coating it was incredibly sweet and savory, a truly delightful combination.

It had a sticky, sweet-and-savory glaze, almost like a delicious honey-garlic chicken. This dish alone made me want to plan another trip to Qingdao!

Since you're in Qingdao, you can't miss trying the local draft beer (원장맥주)! I specifically asked for a cold one, but it seems that truly chilled beer isn't a common thing here.

Perhaps because of that, it wasn't my favorite beer experience. It might just be a matter of personal preference, though.

Finally, the Lamb Skewers were just okay! They weren't bad by any means, but the Mapo Tofu and Fried Eggplant were so incredibly delicious and the portions so large that I probably wouldn't bother ordering the lamb skewers again.

Initially, I had low expectations, thinking Mei Da Er was just another spot popular with tourists. But it quickly became my number one restaurant in Qingdao!

I highly recommend it for anyone:

✔️Who wants to try a variety of authentic local dishes all in one place.

✔️Searching for a fantastic restaurant in Qingdao's historic Old Town.