Beijing: Hutong Food Tour & Rice Wine Tasting

Beijing's Hutong Alleys Hide Better Food Than Any Tourist Market

You walk through Beijing's hutongs with a bilingual guide, stopping at six local food shops to taste traditional dishes and then sample craft rice wine at a boutique producer. The tour includes water, soft drinks, and local beverages, and the tasting portions are large enough that you won't need another meal for hours. You get a packet of restaurant recommendations and local travel tips to take with you.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Beijing's traditional dinner cuisine

• Meet guide at Guijie (Ghost Street)
• Walk through Hutong neighborhood
• Visit local mom-and-pop food shops
• Try authentic traditional dishes
• Sample six-cup craft rice wine

The experience

The moment your guide points down a narrow hutong lane and says "this is where the locals actually eat," you realize the street food stalls you walked past yesterday were a trap. This small-group Beijing food tour takes you the opposite direction: away from the crowded night markets selling things on sticks, and into the mom-and-pop shops where Beijingers queue up after work. Your bilingual guide meets you at the end of Guijie (Ghost Street, one of the city's most popular snack strips) and from there you walk deeper into the hutongs, those wandering alleyways that still feel like neighborhood life instead of a performance for tourists.

You'll stop at six different spots over the evening, tasting dishes that Chinese chefs have been refining for thousands of years: the kind of food that doesn't photograph well but tastes like someone's grandmother spent the afternoon on it. The tour includes a detour to a modern, local boutique rice wine producer where you sample six different cups of mijiu, the craft rice wine the Chinese have been brewing since around 1,000 BC. The flavors shift from osmanthus to rose to something harder to name. By the time you're done, you've eaten enough that you won't need dinner again for several hours, which is the whole point.

Groups stay small (usually eight people, sometimes up to twelve with a second guide), so you're never shuffling through a crowd of thirty tourists. Your guide handles the ordering, explains what you're eating and why it matters, and the welcome packet they hand you at the end has restaurant recommendations and local tips for the rest of your stay. If you have dietary restrictions, you need to mention them when you book so they can plan ahead.

What’s included

Your evening includes a bilingual guide, six food tastings at local mom-and-pop shops in the hutongs, a six-cup sampler of craft rice wine at a boutique mijiu producer, bottled water, soft drinks, and local alcoholic beverages. You'll also receive a post-tour welcome packet with restaurant recommendations and local travel tips for the rest of your stay in Beijing.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday, Thursday and SaturdayDeparts at 19:00

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (6 to 12 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by UnTour Food Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to eat what Beijingers actually eat without spending your evening figuring out which stall is safe or what you're ordering. The guide handles the navigation and the ordering, which is what makes eating deep in the hutongs possible without speaking Mandarin.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 12 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's included in the tour?

Guide fee, six food tastings, a six-cup rice wine sampler, bottled water, soft drinks, local alcoholic beverages, and a post-tour welcome packet with restaurant recommendations and local tips.

How many people are in a group?

Standard groups are 8 people, but in some cases groups can be up to 12 with a second guide.

Do I need to book dietary restrictions in advance?

Yes. You must advise any specific dietary requirements at the time of booking so the tour can cater to them.

Where does the tour start?

You meet your guide at the end of Guijie (Ghost Street), one of Beijing's most popular snack streets.

Is public transportation available?

Yes, public transportation options are available nearby the meeting point.