Louwailou is located at the foot of Solitary Hill near the beautiful West Lake in Hangzhou.It has a history of more than 150 years.It is well-known at home and abroad People can enjoy delicious dishes and beautiful scenery at the same time in Louwailou.
When it comes to the naming of this restaurant，there are two versions.One is that the owner，Hong Ruitang，got inspiration from a poem written by Lin Sheng，a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty and named it after the famous verses:”The green hill sets beside the mountain and a house sets outside another building；ceaseless dances and songs go along the West Lake.”Thus“Louwailou”comes from this poem.Another version is that it is because the restaurant was located in front of Yulou，a building owned by a famous scholar，Yu Quyuan.Mr.Hong Ruitang asked Mr.Yuto name his restaurant，and then he entitled it as“Louwailou.”The restaurant has served many famous figures in history including Sun Yat-sen，Premier Zhou Enlai，and writer Lu Xun.There are famous traditional dishes such as West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce，Shrimp Meat with Longjing Green Tea，Beggar’s Chicken，Lady Song’s Fish Soup，Dongpo Pork，and many typical dishes of Hangzhou.
