Kitchen Pavilion is located near Kunshan Jade Peak Mountain, which lies in the south gate of Tinglin Park. With the longest history in Kunshan, the kitchen pavilion is a prestigious traditional noodle shop that was founded in the period of Emperor Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). With more than 100 years of history, it enjoys high popularity in Shanghai and Nanjing. Experiencing ups and downs during its development, it is beloved and famous overseas for its unique cuisine and pure flavors. Its main traditional dishes include noodles with red spicy oil and fried fish, noodles with consommé and duck, and Suzhou specialty dishes. On average the restaurant serves more than 2,000 people per day. It is a leader in Kunshan dining.
Kitchen Pavilion was formerly known as "Tianxiang Pavilion". It is said that when Emperor Qian Long paid a visit to South China, he was hungry after visiting Yufeng Mountain in Kunshan and went to the small shop. He ate a dish named noodles with red spicy oil and fried fish. Enjoying the dish, he had his eunuch inquire into the cooking method. But because of the language, the eunuch did not fully understand. He got the clever idea to report to the emperor that the taste of the noodles was mainly a result of a focus on cooking utensils. Qian Long laughed and said, “Cooking utensils are nice, nice cooking utensils". After that, the noodle shop was named “Kitchen Pavilion”.
In 1987, Kitchen Pavilion was renovated to cover 1,200 square meters across two floors decorated in the style of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). A gilded signboard sits on top of the front gate. The inscription on the board was written by Mr. Song from the provincial academies. Both sides were painted vermilion, with cornices resembling swallows flying through the clouds. The floor corridor features antique carved windows. There are granite stone steps that make the restaurant look magnificent and majestic. There are seats inside that feature elegant, chic carvings and "Wang Shan Ge" rooms that are unique and elegant, facing Yufeng Mountain.