I’ve got an almost-5-year-old little girl who’s obsessed with reptiles. So, when we could only do ONE thing in Solana one afternoon, she had to pick her favorite restaurant. She doesn’t love it for the food, though the food is not too shabby. She loves this place for their pets – reptiles.
Dragon Planet in Solana lets you pet lizards while you eat. My daughter’s been obsessed with the place since we first discovered it, and every time we visit, she’s as excited as ever.
We order a few quick dishes to share since, after so many visits, I know she’s not going to eat much food anyway. She’s there for one purpose, and one purpose alone: to pet as many lizards as she can get her little hands on.
In the past when we visited, the restaurant only had beaded dragons. While the bearded dragons are still there, getting passed from table to table like the one who found a cosy spot to rest in our fries basket after we’d devoured it all, other reptiles have been added to the Dragon Planet collection.
If you’re into reptiles, the crested gecko is super popular among reptile owners. They’ve got a docile nature, silky soft skin, and beautiful eyes that look like they’re batting long eyelashes at you. Dragon Planet now has multiple of these geckos for diners to play with.
We absolutely love this place. You’re never rushed by the staff so they can turn the tables, and on more than one occasion, we’ve had knowledgeable staff chat with us about animal behavior and left the restaurant with a belly full of food and interesting bits of reptile knowledge. For less than the admission price of one adult plus one child to your local petting zoo, you get a clean booth, delicious food, and all the personal time with these reptiles your child’s heart desires. So if you’ve got a reptile-loving kid, Dragon Planet is a lot easier on the parents than the zoo.
Find it:
L-VD1-21, 1/F, Bldg 2, Solana, Chaoyang District (Northeast of Steakhouse)
Tel: 158 0127 5556
Want more family-friendly restaurant recommendations? Join the FamFriendlyEats WeChat group and get real recommendations from other families in Beijing. Add TBJButler on WeChat to request to join.
Images: Mina Yan
