LOUWAILOU

楼外楼

Founded in 1848, Louwailou, a renowned brand in the Hangzhou cuisine industry, is well-known for its exquisite dishes enjoyed alongside beautiful scenery. Its signature dishes include West Lake Sour Fish, Song Sister’s Fish Soup, and Honey-Glazed Crispy Square.

Louwailou Restaurant is a well-known establishment with a history of 160 years, renowned both domestically and internationally. It is located at the foot of Solitary Hill by the picturesque West Lake.

Established in the 28th year of the Qing Dynasty (1848), Louwailou was founded by Hong Ruitang, a struggling scholar who came to Hangzhou from Shaoxing. He took three characters from a poem by the Southern Song Dynasty poet Lin Sheng, naming his small eatery “Louwailou” (meaning “building outside the building” in English).

Originally, Louwailou was a humble lakeside eatery that consisted of just a single-story building. Due to the owner’s skillful management and the delicious seafood-based cuisine, especially his interactions with literary figures, the business flourished, and its reputation spread far and wide.

In 1926, Hong Shunsen, a descendant of the Hong family and financially capable, carried out extensive renovations, transforming the single-story building into a three-story Western-style building with a rooftop terrace. Equipped with electric fans and telephones, it became a modern restaurant with a touch of the times, further boosting its popularity.

In May 1949, with the liberation of Hangzhou, Louwailou entered a new phase of development. By the second half of 1952, the staff size had grown to only 14 employees. In 1955, Louwailou applied for a public-private partnership, which was approved, changing the nature of the establishment from a private business to a mixed-ownership entity. With the government’s support and policies after the partnership, various aspects of the business improved significantly, particularly the restoration of signature dishes. In 1956, the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government recognized 36 Hangzhou signature dishes, with 10 of them coming from Louwailou. These 10 dishes are: West Lake Sour Fish, Pai Noodles, Drunken Chicken, Sautéed Shrimp, Fried Squid Rings, Tomato Crisps, Ham and Broad Bean, Marinated Duck, Fish Head Soup, and West Lake Water Shield Soup.

In 1980, Louwailou became a pilot unit for Hangzhou’s institutional reform. In 1983, it implemented contracted management, and in 1984, it held democratic elections for its manager. In September 1999, it transformed from a state-owned enterprise into a diversified investment entity with state ownership and shared employee ownership, becoming an industrial limited company. This innovation marked a significant change for the century-old establishment.

Since the mid-1990s, Hangzhou has accelerated its efforts to restore West Lake, revitalizing the entire lake area. Louwailou underwent six rounds of extensive renovations, upgrading its restaurants, private dining rooms, and main facade. Through these renovations, Louwailou not only offers exquisite food and scenic views but also radiates a cultural atmosphere that harmonizes with West Lake’s historical and regional essence.

During the renovations, Louwailou commissioned the master of Dongyang wood carving, Lu Guangzheng, to design and create a large wall sculpture titled “Dongpo Dredging West Lake.” Covering an area of 50 square meters, this sculpture features 85 figures and five interconnected scenes that vividly depict the process of Su Shi leading a group to dredge West Lake and build Sudi Causeway and Liuhe Bridges over nine centuries ago.

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