Muslim Quarter

回民街（北院门）

Lanes thick with skewer smoke and baking bread

Hours

Varies by stall, roughly 9am–11pm, seven days; around 30% close for 5–7 days at Spring Festival

Tickets

Street free; Great Mosque ¥25

Address

Beiyuanmen street north of the Drum Tower arch, plus side lanes such as Xiyangshi and Dapiyuan

Step through the Drum Tower arch and the air changes: lamb skewers spitting over charcoal, vats of mutton broth, the thud of wooden mallets pounding peanut brittle. The Hui, descendants of Muslim traders who came along the Silk Road, have lived here for centuries, so lamb and beef replace pork. The main drag, Beiyuanmen, is packed and priced for tourists; duck into side lanes like Xiyangshi or Dapiyuan to eat. Tucked down an alley is the Great Mosque, built with Chinese-style roofs.