Beijing Hutong Evening Food Tour
6:30pm Daily • 3.5 Hours • Walking Tour • Most popular!
Overview
Activity details
Try local Han, Mongol, and Muslim cuisines (plus more!) at Beijing’s most authentic restaurants. This top-rated walking food tour will explore the historic hutong alleys of Beijing while making stops at our favorite off the beaten path eateries.
What's included
Far more than a meal’s worth of food, local beer, and soft drinks at 4 sit-down restaurants.
Itinerary
Enjoy Beijing Hotpot & Craft Beer with a View
This hidden gem offers rooftop views of Beijing’s historic bell tower and serves local hotpot in traditional copper pots and filled with a clear broth that highlights the quality ingredients. Thin slices of mutton and beef are quickly cooked in the pot and then dipped in a sauce made with sesame paste…plus grab a pint of local craft beer!
Eat Noodles in a 100 year-old Hutong Couryard Home
When Beijingers want noodles, there’s only one dish we think about. In fact, we literally call it “Beijing Noodles” because all other noodle dishes are inferior. Visit the Yan family’s 100+ year old home, nestled deep inside a hutong courtyard, to try their made-from-scratch secret recipe.
Explore Historic Hutong Alleyways
Step into old-Beijing’s historic lanes for a unique glimpse into authentic local life. Dating back to the 12th century, these narrow passages were formed between rows of courtyard houses built by government officials and the wealthy. Find out what the name hutong means, and how they’ve evolved over time, while being guided through the maze of alleyways that spread in every direction from the Forbidden City.
Try Beijing's Endangered Dish
Ever been to a Muslim diner? This hutong eatery is frequented almost exclusively by neighborhood men who keep their bottles of baijiu alcohol behind the counter. The rare Beijing speciality they serve was known to be a favorite of Empress Cixi, and is one of the few places left in town that serve it.
Beijing's Endangered Dish
Ever been to a Muslim diner? Finish off your dinner by trying the favorite dish of the Empress Cixi, also known as the Dragon Empress, at one of the few places left in town that serves it.
Celebrate Spring Festival Year-round
Run by a husband-wife team, this hidden restaurant specializes in spring pancakes, a dish traditionally enjoyed with family during Chinese New Year to celebrate the arrival of spring and a good harvest. Made fresh to order, they are eaten like a burrito and symbolize family reunion and togetherness.
Highlights
What were three dishes served to the US President during his visit to Beijing?
Seafood chowder, “Kung Pao” chicken, and beef steak with tomato sauce.
We can do much better.
Here’s your Beijing dinner itinerary: you get an email with directions to meet us at a central subway station. Within moments, there’s a cold beer in hand (you’re welcome). You then follow your local guide into your first hutong alleyway, originally home to the city’s first inhabitants centuries ago. You have no idea where you’re going, which way is North, and your Google Maps don’t work. Your gut is telling you that you’re hungry, but also that you’re about to have an excellent time. Trust it.
Additional information
Special requirements
This tour can accommodate travelers with vegetarian, dairy-free, no-spicy, and no-nut dietary needs. However, we are unable to accommodate vegan and gluten-free diets.
FAQs
What if I have special dietary requests?
All dietary requests must be communicated at the time of booking. When booking online, you will have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or special requests. Please use the following information to understand if this tour is right for you.
This tour can accommodate vegetarian travelers, including those who are pescatarian and those who do not eat beef, pork, seafood, shellfish, and/or mutton. However, there will not always be direct substitutes for every dish that we try on the tour. For example, at our 3rd stop we order fried buns filled with beef, and the restaurant does not provide any substitutions. Instead, we order different dishes for those that do not eat meat. Please note that every stop we visit during the tour does use meat in their kitchen.
This tour cannot accommodate vegan or gluten-free travelers. Wheat products are featured at every stop, in sauces like soy sauce and in tour highlights like noodles and doughs. There are no substitutes or alternatives available.
This tour also cannot accommodate severe allergies as we do not have control over the preparation for your food. Travelers that don’t eat nuts are welcome, but kitchens do use nuts and cross-contamination is possible.
If you have any questions not answered here, please contact us prior to booking.
How much food and drink will I get?
This is not a tasting tour, you should come hungry and you will get more than a full meal of food. If you need more, just let your guide know and we’ll get more, but usually guests cannot finish everything. We also provide unlimited local beer and soft drinks during the tour, plus one glass of local craft beer.
Will I need to walk very far?
This is a walking tour; let’s just get that out of the way. This tour covers about 1.5 miles / 2.5 km by foot, so we recommend leaving the heels at home. This distance is split up between 4 stops, so it’s roughly a 5-10 minute walk between each stop and a great chance to digest a bit before the next stop. We also find that exploring by foot is the best way to enjoy the sights of Beijing’s hutong alleyways and to see what local life is like up-close.
What happens if it rains or the weather is hot or cold?
All of our tours are rain-or-shine, so we suggest you dress for the weather. If rain is possible, an umbrella, along with shoes that can get wet, is a good idea. In rare cases of extreme weather, your guide will cancel the tour and provide a full refund. During times of extreme air pollution (AQI over 400) our tours will run but refunds will be provided if you are unable to join due to health concerns.
Should I sign up for multiple Lost Plate Tours? Are they all different?
We have many happy customers who do more than one of our tours in Beijing and across China! We have designed our tours to focus only on food from each city. This means that each dish, story, and vibe is unique to each tour and there aren’t any repeats.
Most people are very surprised how much the cuisine changes as they travel throughout China, and our tours are a good way to discover those differences. We encourage you to pick the tours that best fit your itinerary and we offer a 10% discount if booking more than one tour.
Cancellations
Bookings cancelled 24 hours or more before your tour begins are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings cancelled less than 24 hours before your tour begins are not refundable. Rescheduling requests made less than 24 hours before your tour begins will be charged an additional 50% of your previous total.