Beijing is one of the major foodie capitals of the world and as such has an incredible variety of unique cuisine from all over China. One type of cuisine which you must try is the Muslim cuisine of Beijing. Lamb or mutton is usually the meat of choice at both types of Muslim restaurants and most of the restaurants do serve alcohol as their customers are predominantly non-Muslim Chinese.
This type of cuisine typically falls into one of two categories: Muslim food from the northern China regions of Beijing and Shaanxi where many Hui Muslims live (nine restaurants covered first); and restaurants serving food from the western Chinese province of Xinjiang typically run by Uyghur Muslims. Follow this link to go to those five Xinjiang restaurants.
1. Dong Lai Shun Muslim Restaurant
Dong Lai Shun Muslim restaurant has dozens of branches around the city and is famous for its hundred-year plus history. It primarily serves Muslim food and people come here to enjoy its rendition of Mongolian hotpot in particular. The restaurant is also popular because of its perfect combination of Muslim architecture and a quadrangle courtyard, the beautiful antique ornaments, and the soft lighting that creates a comfortable atmosphere.
Dong Lai Shun Muslim Restaurant- Chinese name: 东来顺饭庄 Dong Lai Shun Fanzhuang
- Recommended dishes: mutton kebab (烤羊肉串), mutton cut by hand (手工切羊肉), pickled sweet garlic (糖蒜), sesame seed cake (烧饼), plum juice (酸梅汤), sliced tripe (百叶), beef in hot pot (肥牛), fried chop rice cake (驴打滚).
- Average price per person: 114 yuan
- Address: Floor 5, Beijing APM, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District (东城区王府井大街138号北京APM 5楼)
- Tel: 010-65280932, 010-65280501
- Transportation: Take Subway Line 1 and get off at Wangfujing or take Subway Line 5 and get off at Dengshikou
2. Baikui Old Brand Restaurant
Pea Flour CakeThis popular restaurant, with a history of more than 100 years, is famed for its braised mutton. The dishes here have an authentic taste and the restaurant serves nearly 200 types of Muslim food from all over the country. Those who love Muslim snacks will enjoy a variety with fine colors and flavors. The main restaurant branch at Jiaodaokou has a Tibetan-like appearance, is brightly colored and with huge windows.
- Chinese name: 白魁老号饭庄 Baikui Laohao Fanzhuan
- Recommended dishes: fried butter cake (奶油炸糕), sweetbread soup (杂粹汤), sautéed tripe (爆肚), pea flour cake (豌豆黄), seasoned millet mush (面茶), fried cake (炸糕), and fermented bean drink (豆汁).
- Average price per person: 42 yuan
- Address: 158 Jiaodaokou South Avenue, Dongcheng District (东城区交道口南大街158号)
- Tel: 010-64060067, 010-64040967
- Bus routes: 104, 108, 113, 803, or 75
Baikui Old Brand Restaurant Annei Branch (白魁老号饭庄安内店)
- Average price per person: 42 yuan
- Address: 195 Andingmennei Avenue, Dongcheng District (东城区安定门内大街195号)
- Tel: 010-64042657
- Transportation: Take subway line 2 to Andingmen and get out at Exit A then walk south down Andingmennei Avenue for 5 minutes
3. Hong Bin Building
Hong Bin Building mainly offers a variety of Muslim dishes, such as braised oxtail and sautéed ox tripe with coriander. Founded in 1853, Hong Bin Lou is a time-honored Muslim restaurant and stands out for its many distinguished visitors, such as the former Chinese leader Zhou Enlai and former British Prime Minister Edward Heath. The pleasant ambience, unique decorations, and tasty and nutritious food and snacks attract visitors from all over the world.
- Chinese name: 鸿宾楼 Hong Bin Lou
- Recommended dishes: braised beef tendon in brown sauce (红烧蹄筋), fried fruit roll with sugar (糖卷果), fried peeled prawns shrimp with chili and peanuts (宫爆虾肉), fried and simmered beef tenderloin (扒肉条), mutton kebab (羊肉串), fried mutton fillet in sweet sauce (它似蜜), sautéed sea cucumber with green onion (葱烧海参), roast duck (烤鸭), vinegar-flavored moo shu beef (醋溜木须), deep-fried squirrel-shaped mandarin fish in sweet and sour sauce (松鼠鳜鱼).
- Average price per person: 160 yuan
- Address: 11 Exhibition Road, Xicheng District (西城区展览馆路11号)
- Tel: 010-68994560, 010-68992569
- Transportation: Take subway line 6 to Chegongzhuang West station and then walk south for 5 - 10 minutes
4. Barbecue Restaurant
The Barbecue Restaurant serves roast beef and mutton as its specialties, along with other stir-fried food. The restaurant, which also provides self-help style barbecue, is a Muslim cuisine restaurant with a history of over 300 years. Its unique design and decorations show traditional Muslim features. The restaurant has developed its reputation in Beijing with unique tasting food and snacks, comfortable atmosphere, and considerate service.
- Chinese name: 烤肉苑饭庄 Kaorouyuan Fanzhuang
- Recommended dishes: braised abalone white with sauce (白扒鲍鱼), sesame seed cake (烧饼), sautéed ox tripe with coriander (芫爆散丹), fried fruit roll with sugar (糖卷果), fried shrimp ball with chili and peanuts (宫保虾球), fried mutton fillet in sweet sauce (它似蜜), braised oxtail (红烧牛尾), fermented dried mung bean juice (麻豆腐), and pea flour cake (豌豆黄).
- Average price per person: 104 yuan
- Address: 185 Yonghe Lamasery Street, Dongcheng District (东城区雍和宫大街185号)
- Tel: 010-64069729
- Transportation: Take subway line 5 to Beixinqiao then walk north a few minutes to reach the restaurant
Barbecue Restaurant Wanquan River Branch (烤肉苑万泉河店)
- Average price per person: 97 yuan
- Address: 69 Wanquanhe Road, Haidian District (海淀区万泉河路69号)
- Tel: 010-62576888
- Transportation: Take subway line 10 so Suzhou Jie station then walk south for 10 minutes
5. Nan Lai Shun Restaurant
Nan Lai Shun Restaurant mainly serves Muslim stir-fried dishes, seafood, open roasting duck, manual mutton hot pot, and a snacks banquet. The snack banquet offers a wide variety of snacks served as its staple dishes. The restaurant is outstanding; its external features include carved and painted beams and pillars in Muslim style and inside it's light and airy with some Islamic tiles on the walls.
- Chinese name: 南来顺饭庄 Nan Lai Shun Fanzhuang
- Recommended dishes: Jellied bean curd (豆腐脑), Mutton kebab (烤羊肉串), fried butter cake (奶油炸糕), pea flour cake (豌豆黄), seasoned millet mush (面茶), sweetbread soup (杂粹汤), fried chop rice cake (驴打滚), quick-fried tripe (爆肚), bun stuffed with beef (牛肉包子), glutinous rice ball (艾窝窝), beef wrapped in pancake (门钉肉饼), fried sugar cake (糖耳朵).
- Average price per person: 63 yuan
- Address: 12 Nancaiyuan (South Garden) Street, Xuanwu District 宣武区南菜园街12号
- Tel: 010-63534720
- Transportation: Take bus 423 or 56 and get off at Daguanyuan Ximen (大观园西). Otherwise we recommend taking a taxi as it's not close to any subway stations
6. Cradle of Treasure Hot Pot
Cradle of Treasure Hot Pot is a Muslim restaurant with a long history that operates on Ox Street. Its specialty is traditional Beijing hotpot with coals that heat the pot from the middle. The restaurant is credited with featuring fresh and tender mutton along with special ingredients. Moreover, the restaurant provides free pickled sweet garlic to each guest who dines in the restaurant. The two-storied restaurant with its simple decorations and delicious dishes is popular with people in the winter and the summer.
- Chinese name: 聚宝源火锅城 Jubaoyuan Huoguo Cheng
- Recommended dishes: mutton hot pot (涮羊肉), sesame seed cake (烧饼), hand-cut mutton (手切羊肉), ox tripe (牛百叶), fresh mutton (鲜羊肉), beef fillet (肥牛眼肉), deep-fried sesame seed cake (炸烧饼), and sauced beef (酱牛肉).
- Average price per person: 109 yuan
- Address: Unit 5-2, 1 Xili Commercial Building, Niu Jie (Ox Street), Xuanwu District (宣武区牛街西里商业1号楼5-2号)
- Tel: 010-83545602
- Transportation: Take subway line 7 and get off at Guanganmennei station then walk east for 5 minutes until you reach Niu Jie 牛街
7. Dragon Restaurant
Dragon Restaurant, with more than 220 years of history, primarily serves the mutton hot pot in a traditional copper pot. It got its name from the visit by Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. The restaurant enjoys a great reputation for its best-selected mutton and good quality ingredients. The three-storied restaurant is roofed with yellow glazed tiles that embody the style of ancient Chinese architecture.
- Chinese name: 壹条龙饭庄 Yitiaolong Fanzhuang
- Recommended dishes: Mutton hot pot (涮羊肉), mutton kebab (羊肉串), hand-cut mutton (手切羊肉), beef wrapped in pancake (门钉肉饼), mutton (羊肉), and beef boiled in hot pot (肥牛)
- Average price per person: 82 yuan
- Address: 27 Qianmen Gate Street, Chongwen District 崇文区前门大街27号
- Tel: 010-63037895, 010-63044638
- Transportation: Take subway line 2 to Qianmen station then walk south for 2 minutes
Dragon Restaurant Taijichang Branch (壹条龙饭庄台基厂店)
- Average price per person: 88 yuan
- Address: Building 2, East Street Qianmen Gate, Chongwen District
- Tel: 010-65124534
- Transportation: Take subway line 1 and get out at Wangfujing station then walk south for 5 minutes
8. Ah Lan Restaurant
Ah Lan Restaurant offers tasty lamb spine hot pot as its specialty. It's also a great place to eat noodles and various other lamb dishes. The restaurant is popular not only with local people but also celebrities, as is shown by the shopkeepers' photos taken with famous guests. Red lanterns hang from the ceiling inside making for a cosy yet traditional atmosphere.
- Chinese name: 阿兰菜馆 A Lan Caiguan
- Recommended dishes: Roasted lamb shank (羊棒骨), fermented dried mung bean juice (麻豆腐), braised oxtail (红烧牛尾), quick-fried tripe (爆肚), boiled noodles with mutton (羊肉氽面), and shredded Chinese cabbage in sauce (凉拌白菜心).
- Average price per person: 99 yuan
- Address: Building 2, South Side, Dongli Temple of Heaven, Chongwen District 崇文区天坛东里南区2号楼
- Tel: 010-67026618
- Transportation: Take subway line 5 to Tiantandongmen station and then walk south for 5 minutes
9. Yijin Garden Restaurant
Yijin Garden Restaurant enjoys a great reputation for creating Muslim dishes in Cantonese style by combining traditional Muslim cuisine and other Chinese styles. It is the only one five-star restaurant built and managed to follow Muslim customs and sits next to the Yuan Dynasty Ruins Park in Beijing. Covering an area of 4,000 square meters, the restaurant has 25 Ming-Qing Dynasty-style private rooms and one large hall with a glass roof and carved pillars.
- Chinese name: 伊锦园 Yijin Yuan
- Recommended dishes: Roast lamb back (烤羊背), steamed baby cabbage with chopped garlic and vermicelli (蒜蓉粉丝蒸娃娃菜), stewed beef en casserole (罐焖鹿肉), roast whole lamb (烤全羊), sweetbread soup (羊杂汤), roast lamb chop (烤羊排), roast lamb leg (烤羊腿), braised oxtail (红烧牛尾), steamed cold rice noodles (凉皮), and stewed ox tendon en casserole (罐焖牛筋)
- Average price per person: 223 yuan
- Address: East Gate, Yuan Dynasty Capital City Ruins Park, Beitucheng East Road, Chongwen District 朝阳区北土城东路元大都城垣遗址公园东门
- Tel: 010-84652288, 010-84650088
- Transportation: Take subway line 10 or 13 to Shaoyaoju then walk west for 5 minutes.
Xinjiang Restaurants in Beijing
The following restaurants all specialise in Muslim cuisine from Xinjiang Province of far western China:
1. Silk Road Impression Xinjiang Restaurant
The restaurant has the same name as the Silk Road, which played a significant role in trading between China and other Asian countries during ancient times. As its name implies, the restaurant primarily offers the tasty and fragrant Xinjiang cuisine. In addition to its dishes, the clean and tidy restaurant provides a pleasant atmosphere by integrating Islamic design with a modern interior. The restaurant provides ethnic singing and dancing entertainment in the evening.
- Chinese name: 丝路印象新疆餐厅 Silu Yinxiang Xinjiang Canting
- Recommended dishes: Xinjiang-style braised chicken (大盘鸡), yogurt (酸奶), mutton kebab (羊肉串), grilled naan (烤馕), dry fried noodles (干煸炒面), grilled mutton with rose willows (红柳烤肉), Xinjiang-style braised lamb chops with naan (馕包肉), and grilled bun (烤包子).
- Average price per person: 88 yuan
- Address: Floor 1, Building C, 9 Chegongzhuang Da Street, Xicheng District (西城区和车公庄大街9号院五栋大楼C座1楼)
- Tel: 010-84228548
- Transportation: Take Subway Line 2 or 6 to Chegongzhuang station then walk west for 2 blocks then north for 100 metres
2. Tulufan Restaurant
Tulufan (Turpan) Restaurant offers delicious dishes that combine the Beijing style and Xinjiang style, such as simmered beef. Turpan is a city in eastern Xinjiang province so the cuisine is from this region. Since its opening in 1985, the restaurant has been popular for its good decor and high quality service. Located near the famous Niu Jie mosque this is one of the best restaurants at Ox Street.
- Chinese name: 吐鲁番餐厅 Tulufan Canting
- Recommended dishes: mutton kebab (烤羊肉), Xinjiang-style braised chicken (大盘鸡), fried mutton fillet in sweet sauce (它似蜜), vinegar-flavored moo shu beef (醋溜木须), fried fruit roll with sugar (糖卷果), roasted leg of lamb (烤羊腿), Xinjiang-style braised lamb chops with Nan-bread (馕包肉), fried mutton fillet in sweet sauce (它似蜜), braised oxtail (红烧牛尾), and grilled mutton with cumin (炒烤肉).
- Average price per person: 83 yuan
- Address: 6 Ox Street North Exit, Xuanwu District 宣武区牛街北口6号楼
- Tel: 010-83164691, 010-83160247
- Transportation: Take subway line 7 and get off at Guanganmennei station then walk east for 5 minutes until you reach Niu Jie 牛街
- 6-Day Beijing Winter Tour with Skiing in a 2022 Olympic Winter Games Venue
- 1-Day Beijing Hutong Tour
3. Baron Rozi Restaurant
This is the most popular branch of the 20 restaurants in the chain in Beijing. It draws big crowds at the weekend when you'll often have to wait for a table. The food served here is excellent and includes all of the classic Xinjiang dishes. You'll notice that many of the waiters are from Xinjiang and they also have traditional live music performances most evenings.
- Chinese name: 巴依老爷新疆美餐 （工体店） Baiyilaoye Xinjiang Meican (Gongti Dian)
- Recommended dishes: Xinjiang-style braised chicken (大盘鸡), Xinjiang-style braised lamb chops with Nan-bread (馕包肉), roast whole lamb (烤全羊), grilled Nan-bread (烤馕), sautéed sliced noodles (炒面片), special flavor eggplant (风味茄子), grilled mutton with cumin (炒烤肉), fried mutton fillet in sweet sauce (它似蜜), stir-fried hand-pulled noodles (拉条子), grilled bun (烤包子), and Xinjiang rice (手抓饭).
- Average price per person: 89 yuan
- Address: First floor Xinzhong Plaza, Gonti North Road (Worker's Stadium Road) Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北路新中大夏1层
- Tel: 010-69818181
- Transportation: Take subway line 2 then get out at Dongsishitiao at the southeast exit B then walk 400 metres east and you will see it.
4. Junggar Restaurant
The restaurant is well known for its Xinjiang dishes and in particular its lamb, chicken and noodle dishes. Its located next to Longtanhu Lake park so can be combined with a walk around the park. The restaurant features beautiful Xinjiang-style decoration and furnishings so you feel a world away from Beijing after entering.
- Chinese name: 准噶尔餐厅 Zhungaer Canting
- Recommended dishes: Xinjiang-style braised chicken (大盘鸡), yogurt (酸奶), mutton kebab (羊肉串), grilled bun (烤包子), stir-fried hand-pulled noodles (拉条子), grilled mutton with cumin (炒烤肉), Xinjiang-style braised lamb chops with Nan-bread (馕包肉), spicy sautéed lamb feet with black pepper (胡辣羊蹄), roast fish (烤鱼), and special-flavored fish (大盘鱼).
- Average price per person: 98 yuan
- Address: 8 Longtan Lake Park, Chongwen District 崇文区天坛东里南区2号楼
- Tel: 010-67180018-65, 010-67180018-66
- Transportation: Take subway line 5 to Tiantandongmen station and then walk east for 15 minutes
5. Crescent Moon Restaurant
This is a small and very traditional restaurant nestled in the hutongs. The family that runs it is from Xinjiang and you can hear them speak Uighur to one another and they wear traditional Uighur dress. The food is very traditional and you should try their lamb dishes, Nan bread, and meat pies.
- Chinese name: 弯弯月亮 Wanwan Yueliang
- Recommended dishes: Xinjiang-style braised chicken (大盘鸡), yogurt (酸奶), mutton kebab (羊肉串), grilled bun (烤包子), stir-fried hand-pulled noodles (拉条子), grilled mutton with cumin (炒烤肉), Xinjiang-style braised lamb chops with Nan-bread (馕包肉).
- Average price per person: 80 yuan
- Address: 16 Dongsi Liu Tiao Street, Dongcheng District 东城区东四六条16号
- Tel: 010-64005281
- Transportation: Take subway line 5 to Zhangzizhonglu station then take exit C and walk south for 5 minutes until you reach Dongsi 6 Tiao hutong then walk east up the hutong for 5 minutes
Eat Like A Local On Our Beijing Tours
It often seems like every third shop in Beijing is actually a restaurant — Beijingers are spoiled for choice when it comes to food! To get the best out of the local restaurant scene see our Beiijing tours.
All our Beijing tours are customizable, which means you can not only choose which sites to visit but also choose which restaurants and styles of food you want for your meals. If you aren't sure where to start then here are our top 10 recommended Beijing restaurants.