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Old Beijing Dinner Tour: An exploration of traditional Hutong neighborhood cuisine
4.9
255 Ratings
Dongcheng
Experience the authentic flavors of Beijing’s traditional Hutong neighborhood cuisine on this small group food tour. Discover delicious dishes perfected over thousands of years and dine shoulder-to-shoulder with locals.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- UnTour Beijing Food Tours - Our walking culinary tours are designed to get visitors off the beaten path and into authentic local shops where they can eat shoulder to shoulder with locals. Since 2010, UnTour Food Tours has taken thousands of guests to our favorite mom-and-pop-owned shops.
Beijing’s dinnertime cuisine is so much more than the crowded tourist markets featuring bugs and mystery meat on sticks! Instead, join our small group food tour and explore delicious, local dishes shoulder-to-shoulder with Beijingers in a traditional Hutong neighborhood. You’ll try authentic dishes that Chinese chefs have been perfecting for thousands of years, and learn about the history and culture of Beijing along the way.
- Hutong Tour - Head deep into the hutongs with us as we explore some of the best food in the city. These wandering alleyways are bustling with local neighborhood life, and some of the best mom-and-pop shops are buried deep down the lanes.
- Nuoyan Rice Wine Shop - Historians believe rice wine (mijiu) was first brewed by the Chinese in 1,000 BC. The rice wine method then spread from China to other parts of East Asia; in Japan it was made into sake, in Korea, cheongju and makkoli. We’ll head to a modern, local boutique mijiu producer to try a six-cup sampler of their craft rice wine. The delightful flavors range from osmanthus to rose to the beguiling original flavor.
- Ghost Street (Gui Jie) - Meet your guide at the end of Guijie, or Ghost Street, and see why this is one of the most popular streets in the city to come to for snacks.
What's Included
- Expert guide leadership
- Comprehensive post-tour packet with local recommendations and tips
- Refreshments, including bottled water, soft drinks, and local alcohol
- Dinner featuring local cuisine
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
The evening meals in Beijing go beyond the busy tourist markets showcasing insects and unknown meat skewers! Participate in this intimate food excursion as you dig into appetizing, established food alongside the locals in a customary Hutong area. You’ll connect with your multilingual guide and small assembly at an easy-to-find spot, then set off to sample time-honored dishes which Chinese culinary experts have been fine-tuning for millennia.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking advanced notice is required to be able to cater to any dietary restrictions.
- Standard group size is 8, but in some cases groups can be up to 12 people with a second guide
Location
Beixinqiao station
Departure Point: Beixinqiao Metro Station (Line 5) - Exit B. Taxi Directions: 北新桥地铁站B出口在东直门内大街和雍和宫大街路口的东北角. Public Transport Directions: By metro, take Line 5 to Beixinqiao. Walk out of Exit B of Beixinqiao Metro.Your guide will meet you at the street level entrance to Exit B.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(255 Ratings)
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R3993qqmattl
Aug 4, 2024
Don’t leave Beijing without doing this! - Another incredible tour by Garth. We’ve done the breakfast tour and the dinner tour and couldn’t be happier. Garth is as charismatic and knowledgeable in this area of Old Beijing as he was for the morning tour.
The food was fantastic and the experience even better. It’s just hidden gem after hidden gem. We are vegetarian and had two swaps from standard dishes on the tour and they both hit so well.
If Garth done a lunchtime tour, dessert tour or a drinks tour I would go to them all.
Another 10/10 for Garth and UnTour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z781ygstevenw
Jul 18, 2024
Amazing food tour with lots of fun facts - Garth was our tour guide and he did an incredible job not only showing us great food, but also explaining some history and fun facts. I learned a lot of the origin of the food, but also a good amount of useful information about Beijing itself. The food was outstanding and felt extremely authentic, for example, the last stop was basically a locals home. I can’t recommend this food tour enough, worth every cent!
You also get a Beijing food tour pdf afterwards with more recommendations, so I’d recommend doing this on one of the first nights in Beijing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scenic13938306324
Jul 17, 2024
A fun, fascinating and delicious tour - We had an amazing time on this tour. Our guide, Garth, was very knowledgeable about the area and history and was clearly passionate about the food we tried. Everything we ate was delicious and there was an excellent variety. The drinks were flowing and we had a really fun time with our guide and the other members of the tour. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a great night out with good, local food in Beijing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
765steffand
Jul 12, 2024
Great intro to your diner in Beijing - This was our second night in Beijing, and we were very curious about what to eat for the next two weeks that we would be in the city :) Our host Garth was the best introduction to all of this; we enjoyed some stellar yogurt, surprisingly tasty donkey burgers, complex Mijiu, and face-melting chicken wings. It was great to wander through the Hutongs and hear Garth's stories about the food and neighborhoods. Absolutely recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Raymundjorge_m
Jul 6, 2024
Perfect China - Garth was so amiable. He narrated well what the tour is all about and the history behind it. Garth gave an expansive story about every plqce we visited. It qas an exclusive tour for us.
Review provided by Viator
Emilyaq550ka
Jun 4, 2024
GET READY FOR THE CHICKEN WINGS - Everything on this tour was delicious, ending at a spot is famous for 2 things: cricket fighting and damn good chicken wings. I also loved the mijiu tasting and bought a whole bottle to take home! Would highly recommend this tour especially if you want an authentic experience that celebrates the rich culture of Beijing and its cuisine.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Footprints706663
Jun 2, 2024
Best food tour in Beijing! - Our amazing host Garth introduced us to hidden gems of the Beijing Hutongs and provided us with access to great food, a fun group and an easy accessible experience. Garth was informative and interesting and provided special local insights that it would otherwise take years of living in China to learn. He was also very attentive to the group needs, accommodating vegetarian diners, drinkers and non drinkers and made sure we were all fed and watered. Highly recommend! Made a great contribution to our travels in China.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
14davidev
May 27, 2024
Amazing experience - Amazing culinary experience! Our guide Garth was an amazing and pleasant person who really made the experience all the more enjoyable. We went to places where I would probably never have gone to if I were to wander alone in the hutong streets. Highly recommend to anyone, alone or with friends/family. Would definitely do something similar next time I will come to China.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Luigid281
May 20, 2024
Must do - Great tour. Excellent local food options, interesting explanations, nice guide, always ready to help. Definitely a must do in Beijing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
33barist
May 18, 2024
amazing guide -amazing food - We lucked out and were the only bookings on our tour so we got the private tour experience. Garth was a fantastic tour guide. Extremely knowledgeable and understands the area just like any local. The food was fantastic. This was my second experience with UnTour so I'm confident to recommend this 100% to anyone in Beijing. I wish they did other countries as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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