Elia Mertz
The city of Beijing, with its skyscrapers and historic marvels, is also a fantastic place to enjoy a wide array of delicious street snacks in a variety of exotic ethnic flavors.
Translating to Nine Gates, Jiumen Snacks is named after the nine gates of old Beijing's inner city. Jiumen Snacks consists of various street food sellers and is considered to offer one of the widest selections of snacks. However, the vendors are not independent sellers and are operated under a single management. This means that you are required to pay first to obtain credits and then to swipe the card to purchase food at the stalls. Jiumen Snacks is one of the many food streets in the city and these can keep travellers well fed for weeks and even months if they are on a long visit. For great accommodation, Beijing serviced apartments such as the Ascott Raffles City Beijing is an excellent choice.
Translating to Ghost Street, Guijie is one of the earliest opening snack streets in the city. This is also a place for those who stay up late. The street is 1.5 kilometers of delicious snack vendors who offer their treats at affordable prices. This is a great place to enjoy the highly popular hot and spicy shrimps and a variety of other snacks around the clock
Niujie or Ox Street is not only famed for its vast selection of food but also for its large community of ethnic residents along with the Niujie Mosque. Niujie Mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in the city and the street is home to about 23 ethnic groups. Visitors are given a fantastic opportunity to enjoy authentic muslim cuisine made from mutton and beef along with a huge selection of delicious pastries as well as traditional snacks from Beijing.
If you are in the mood for something a bit more upscale, you can head on to Yansh Business Circle in the Chaoyang District to find Haoyun Street. This particular street is where visitors would find over 20 global chain restaurant and medium – upscale food establishments. The street also features art galleries, bars as well as a scattering of exotic eateries to create a sort of international dining mall. The restaurants in the area offer Italian, French, Thai, Korean, Australian and Japanese cuisine.
Wangfujing Snack Street is located very close to Beijing's busiest shopping street with the same name. This is a highly popular tourist attraction and gets quite busy especially at night. The street not only provides visitors a chance to enjoy a selection of delicious treats but also to purchase handicraft items and souvenirs. The street food is not only delicious but also offers the more exotic dishes that include various animal parts, scorpions and insects. While these are wildly popular among the more adventurous travellers, the common items such as candied fruits and meat kebabs are also big sellers.
Fucheng Street is another upscale street in Heijing and about 50% of the consumers are the local professionals. The street consists of various upscale eateries on a 3 kilometer stretch. The different cuisines include Sichuan, Hunan and Jiangsu among many others. There are also quite a few Cantonese outlets that offer great seafood dishes that are considered to be among the best in the entire city.
