Manzhouli, a border city in Inner Mongolia, has leaned so hard into Russian-themed tourism that the buildings turn progressively more golden as you drive in — domes, matryoshka dolls, illuminated facades, the lot. And the centrepiece of the whole kitschy spectacle, according to Young Pioneer Tours, is a restaurant: Lubuli Western Restaurant, which they rate as arguably the best in the city and one of the most fun they've eaten at anywhere in the world.

Lubuli opened in 2001, founded by Yu Bo, who moved to Manzhouli as a child and later studied restaurant management and Russian cooking in Russia. It began humbly with six tables serving expats and Russian truckers crossing the border. As China's economy grew and trade between the two countries boomed, Manzhouli transformed into a Russian theme park — and Yu Bo turned Lubuli into an entertainment venue as much as an eatery.

The menu straddles Russian and Eastern European cooking with a Chinese-friendly BBQ focus. Highlights include Ukrainian borscht (¥18, about US$2.50), Russian grilled sausage (¥48–58), pork skewers at ¥30 each, cheese bread for ¥16, canned beef, and a big BBQ platter at ¥188. There's homebrewed craft-style draft beer — served in intimidating one-litre mugs — plus, inevitably, vodka.

The showstopper is the Vladimir Putin BBQ, a gimmick name that convinced the writer to spend over US$50 on a platter so enormous it carried real substance alongside the spectacle: generous cuts of meat, sausages and solid Russian breads, all edible, nothing for show. Ordering it earned a personal song and dance from the house performers.

And performance is the point. Diners are sung into the restaurant by costumed Russian entertainers, shows run throughout the meal, and there are group dance moments. It's unapologetically tacky and touristy — the crowd skews heavily Chinese tour groups — but the combination of genuinely good food and electric atmosphere is what wins people over. The service for drinks is quick, with food arriving in well-paced stages.

You'll find Lubuli at No. 178 West Third Street on the Sino-Soviet Pedestrian Street in downtown Manzhouli, in the middle of the action. Beyond dinner, the city itself is worth a wander: Babushka Park takes the matryoshka obsession to its logical extreme, and the border-trade setting gives the place a frontier energy you won't find elsewhere in China.

For travellers, this is the rare story where the gimmick and the quality arrive together. If you're passing through Hulunbuir or overlanding between China and Russia, budget an evening here — go hungry, order the platter, and let the singers do their thing. Just don't expect subtlety; expect the most entertaining meal of your China trip.