Beijing's authentic snack shack

Donghuamen evening snack market may be famous among tourists for its kooky cuisine - everything from fried scorpions to cicadas - but the truth is, average Chinese people find such foods pretty strange as well.

For a better example of Beijing's traditional snacks, or xiaochi, visit Jiumen Xiaochi (Nine-gate Traditional Snack Restaurant), a restaurant adapted from a courtyard house along the north bank of Houhai Lake. That's where you'll find a truer taste of Beijing.

Some popular city snacks include Qian's glutinous rice cake, Wei's cheese juice, Li's flour tea, pouch-shaped baked wheaten cake, Yue Sheng Zhai's stewed marinated beef, Ma's water-boiled sheep head mutton and Bai's jellied bean curd.