iDen's Beijing Duck House opening NYC

Eater reported on September 2 that iDen’s Beijing Duck House is opening in New York City in the former La Grenouille space, adding a Chinese duck restaurant to one of Midtown Manhattan’s best-known dining addresses. Eater’s September openings list described it as a “fancy Chinese duck restaurant” and said it would occupy the storied restaurant space at 3 East 52nd Street. The address matters because La Grenouille operated there for decades as a fixture of New York French dining before closing in 2024. The new tenant’s own website says the restaurant is at 3 East 52nd Street and says it is preserving the setting of “The La Grenouille” while serving Beijing duck and other signature dishes. ### Which restaurant is moving into the old La Grenouille space? (ny.eater.com) iDen’s Beijing Duck House is the restaurant Eater identified for the space in its September 2026 openings roundup. Eater had also reported in August that the restaurant was set to open on Tuesday, September 1, in what had been La Grenouille, describing it as a new high-end Chinese duck restaurant coming to the former French institution’s home. (quanjude1864.com) The restaurant’s website brands the project as “iDen & Quanjude | Beijing Duck House.” The site says the company was established in 1864 and presents the New York location as part of that lineage, centered on Beijing duck and a formal dining-room experience. ### What do we know about the Midtown location itself? 3 East 52nd Street is the location listed on the restaurant’s website, along with two telephone numbers and an email contact for reservations and inquiries. (ny.eater.com) The site also says the restaurant is in a historic setting and includes online reservations and online ordering links. China Daily reported in August 2025 that iDen & Quanjude, a Quanjude franchise under the ownership of Andy Zhang, had acquired the former La Grenouille property for $14.3 million. (quanjude1864.com) That report said the restaurant was returning to the U.S. market through a New York location after an earlier Los Angeles attempt years ago. ### What is on the menu so far? (quanjude1864.com) The restaurant’s website lists “Quanjude Signature Beijing Duck” and “Quanjude Signature Premium Caviar Beijing Duck” among featured dishes. The same page also names Yoshihama-style abalone on the menu, indicating a higher-end format rather than a casual duck counter. Eater’s wording tracked with that positioning. Its September list called the project a “fancy Chinese duck restaurant,” but did not publish a full menu, pricing or service details in the roundup entry. (global.chinadaily.com.cn) ### Why is La Grenouille part of the story? La Grenouille was one of New York’s best-known French restaurants and operated at the East 52nd Street address for more than 60 years before closing permanently in September 2024, according to contemporaneous reports and reference material on the restaurant. (quanjude1864.com) Eater’s August item described it as a New York institution since the 1960s. (ny.eater.com) The new restaurant is not stripping that history from the marketing. Its website says the New York outpost preserves the elegance of La Grenouille, signaling that the operator intends to trade on the address’s existing identity as well as the duck-house brand. ### What should diners watch for next? September is the immediate timeline Eater gave for the opening, and the restaurant’s own site is already live with reservation and contact information. (ny.eater.com) Eater’s monthly openings list said details were still limited, so the next concrete updates are likely to come through the restaurant’s New York page, reservation channels and Eater’s continuing September tracker. (ny.eater.com) (quanjude1864.com)