Hidden Halal Restaurants Beijing: Niujie Beef Noodles, Hopson One Fried Chicken and Local Hot Pot

Reposted from the web

Summary: This hidden halal restaurants guide for Beijing covers issue 33, featuring Hopson One halal fried chicken, Niujie beef noodles, Xingyuexuan hot pot, local barbecue, and practical restaurant notes for Muslim diners.

Beijing Halal Food Map (33) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: In the days right after Eid al-Fitr, I was still getting used to eating during the day and my appetite was much smaller. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

In the days right after Eid al-Fitr, I was still getting used to eating during the day and my appetite was much smaller. My weight dropped below 70kg and hasn’t bounced back. Actually, it is quite good to get into the habit of eating only two meals a day. Skipping lunch helps me stay clear-headed and awake in the afternoon.

1. Chicken Tender Master (Jiliu Daren)

Chicken Tender Master is a chain brand, but only this Hopson One (Hesheng Hui) branch is guaranteed to be halal. The owner is a friend (dosti) from Tongliao who studied in Egypt, and his parents are both Hajjis. So, please make sure to choose the Hopson One branch when eating at Chicken Tender Master. I suggested to the owner that he place a subtle halal sign in front of the register to make it easier for friends (dosti) to confirm.

Jiuxing Chicken is a very reliable halal food factory in Hebei, and many friends (dosti) have said it is trustworthy.

They only sell three things: chicken tenders, rice cakes (niangao), and french fries. They guarantee fresh oil every day, so the fried food comes out golden and very fresh.

The fried rice cakes puff up and are hollow inside. The seasoning powder sprinkled on top is a secret recipe and the highlight of this shop.

The owner says this fried food is best eaten right out of the fryer. He does not recommend takeout because it affects the texture. The freshly fried chicken tenders are crispy and delicious, and the rice cakes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, which really satisfies a craving. This kind of small stall does not involve selling alcohol, so the money earned is clean and wholesome.

The address is Shop 168, 21 Block, Basement Level 2, Hopson One.

1. Wei’s Big Bowl Noodles (Weiji Dawanmian)

Wei’s is a new small beef noodle shop on Zaolin Front Street in Niujie. They have grilled skewers, stir-fried dishes, and grilled fish.

We didn’t get to eat the grilled fish that day, so we just ordered a bowl of beef noodles. This Beijing-style beef noodle soup is what we call soup-poured beef noodles (jiaotang niuroumian). It is just like Chai-style beef noodles, except Chai-style sells the noodles and beef separately.

Small skewers on bamboo sticks are also a traditional Beijing-style barbecue. The skewers tasted average, so I still prefer the beef noodles.

1. Xingyuexuan Four Seasons Hot Pot

Xingyuexuan used to be Liankexuan on Niujie Street. It has a new owner now, the same person who owns the Lan Dayouxian beef and mutton shop on Shuru Hutong. Since the change in ownership, the meat quality has improved. The meat quality at the old Liankexuan was not good.

Lan Da’s meat is high quality and all comes from Inner Mongolia. This shop hasn’t been open long, so you usually don’t have to wait in line. If you can’t wait at Jubaoyuan, you can come here instead; the taste is about the same.

A highlight of Xingyuexuan is that they sell Haagen-Dazs ice cream for about 30 yuan a serving. It happened to be Eid al-Fitr that day, and the manager gave it to us for free.

1. Tianqiao Lao Jin Hot Pot

This is a branch of Tianqiao Lao Jin located on Jiaozihutong in Niujie. They spent a long time preparing, and it finally opened during Ramadan.

They focus on large, affordable portions. The mutton has a strong gamey flavor, and it lacks the refinement of a big restaurant, but the prices are cheap.

There is no fancy plating; you just eat for the rustic experience.

The chess-piece-shaped flatbread (qizi shaobing) is also very ordinary. Their specialty is a dipping sauce with vinegar. I guess most people aren’t used to such sour sauce, so you can also choose the non-sour sesame paste dipping sauce.

1. Jingyi Farmhouse

Jingyi Farmhouse is a courtyard run by Teacher Chen Hui from the former Halal Bookstore. It covers several acres at the foot of the mountain near Xiguanshi Village in Changping. The yard is full of fruit trees, and it is filled with birdsong and flowers when you visit in April.

The yard has chickens and sheep raised in a completely natural, eco-friendly way. You can book ahead if you want to eat here. We held our Eid al-Fitr gathering here this year, with over forty people meeting at the farmhouse to barbecue, drink tea, and chat under the open sky.

Teacher Chen’s wife prepared Xinjiang-style noodle soup (fentang) and rice pilaf (zhuafan) for us, along with fresh fruit and vegetable salad.

We cooked over a fire in the yard. Food cooked with firewood has a down-to-earth, delicious flavor.

With over forty young people, two big pots of rice were not enough, so we started an outdoor barbecue.

The grilled fish was very popular. The smoky flavor from charcoal grilling cannot be matched by electric grills.

I usually do the grilling at our events, and the skewers are snatched up as soon as they are ready. The mountain behind me is Fushan Cemetery. The grave of the famous writer Wang Xiaobo is in the new section eight of Fushan Cemetery. Anyone who likes literature will know Wang Xiaobo.

1. Ruizi Dumpling Restaurant

At Ruizi Dumpling Restaurant in Xiguanshi, Changping, the signature dish is dumplings, but I think their steamed dumplings (shaomai) and meat pies (roubing) are even better.

We came at noon and it was very crowded. Everything with a filling is wrapped to order, so the wait is a bit long.

The taste did not disappoint, especially the beef steamed dumplings and the meat pie. Their meat pie is huge, just like a Shandong thick pancake (zhuangmo). Two people definitely cannot finish it; one pie is enough for four people, so be careful with how much you order.

The dumplings taste good too. They have many kinds of fillings, and I love the beef and green onion ones.

1. Beizi shop at Xiguanshi Market

In the Xiguanshi market, we found a baked flatbread (beizi) shop that has been open for many years. We asked the owner, and he is indeed from Hohhot. This baked flatbread is a specialty of Hohhot and is also found in Baotou. It is a food unique to Hui Muslims.

We bought a few sugar-filled baked flatbreads (beizi) to go. They also have savory baked flatbreads and sesame flatbreads (shaobing), and they fry dough fritters (youxiang) every day at 4:00 PM. Baked flatbreads (beizi) and flatbreads (nang) are staple foods that are easy for Muslims to carry when traveling.

We found a few unique small shops in Xiguanshi village. We did not have time to eat there, but we look forward to trying them one by one next time.

This flatbread (nang) shop is great. It is run by a Uyghur young man. He only sells flatbreads and nothing else. We have bought from there twice.

Jia County buckwheat noodles (heluo mian) from Henan

Hai Family beef covered pancakes (niurou zhaobing) in Baoding

Clam vermicelli (huajia fen)

1. Maidebao (Niujie branch)

Maidebao opened another branch on Niujie. This shop used to be called Lebangke, and the address still shows Lebangke, but it has actually changed to Maidebao. It is an alcohol-free fast-food restaurant, suitable for couples on dates.

The Niujie branch features many Islamic design elements.

Arabic calligraphy calendars hang on the walls.

The tables hold Arabic novels and tea from Zhengxingde.

Small Islamic-themed ornaments sit on the dining tables.

The burger menu now includes a double beef patty option.

Besides burgers, they offer a variety of pizzas.

I think the pizza tastes better. I had the Margherita pizza this time and will try other flavors next time. Their french fries and chicken nuggets are also delicious.

Margherita pizza

1. Pakistan Truck Art Festival

The Embassy of Pakistan in China is hosting a truck art festival at the Silk Road International Arts Center in Langfang from April 28 to July 24.

Truck art is a traditional part of Pakistani culture. These beautiful hand-painted truck bodies were created by the Pakistani truck art group Phool Patti.

The Phool Patti group commercialized truck art, which helps protect this cultural heritage while creating income for local artisans.

Truck art started as a traditional painting style used on horse harnesses and carriages. As industrial transport grew across the country, many types of imported trucks came into use. During this time, artists and truck owners began putting a lot of effort into decorating these new vehicles. These carefully decorated trucks drove into remote areas and quickly became eye-catching symbols on the road.

There was a free buffet on the opening day, but I am not sure if they will have it later.

I had dinner with a beautiful Pakistani host.

The big festival cake was cut into small pieces and eaten up in an instant.

The main courses and dessert tables were set up on both sides of the exhibition hall. This was my first time eating these cold cheese sweet rice balls (tangyuan), and I really liked them.

We took a bus from the Pakistani embassy to get there and back. The bus broke down on the highway on the way over, but it did not affect the mood of our Pakistani friends at all. Everyone kept laughing and talking. Luckily, we were not late for the opening ceremony, and the event started on time.