Muslim Quarter Route

A street of flatbread and mutton

The food of the Muslim Quarter turns on two things: flatbread and mutton. Paomo, whose hard-baked bread the guest tears into the broth; rou jia mo, that bread stuffed with braised meat; lamb skewers fanned over charcoal. The handwork passed down through generations of Hui eateries and stalls gathers in the narrow lanes. Pork is absent here, so lamb and beef sit at the center, cumin and chili rounding off the mutton's edge. More than signs, the chopping of meat and the steam of baskets point to where a shop is. Begin by sharing a plate and settling into the flow of the street.

Between heat and sourness

The taste of this street sways between heat and sourness. Liangpi raises its sour with vinegar and garlic water and adds warmth with chili oil. Hu la tang pushes peppery heat to the front while sweet-pickled garlic settles the mouth. Into paomo's rich broth you add raw garlic and chili paste little by little to shape your own edge. Nor forget the sweet: jing gao and sour-plum drink cool the mouth slowly after a spicy plate. Each dish is strong, so order small and many, and walk moving between heat, sourness, and sweetness. Keep water or a drink at hand to ride the waves of chili with ease.

How to walk this route

Get off at Bell Tower Station on Line 2, pass the Bell and Drum Towers, and stand at the mouth of Beiyuanmen. Settle first over paomo, tasting the first bowl through the time it takes to tear. Heading north, take a rou jia mo, then a light liangpi at Xiyangshi to reset the palate with its sour. Turn into Dapiyuan and by evening the smoke of lamb skewers rises; join the charcoal line. If you are out early, swing toward Sajinqiao for a bowl of hu la tang. Close with a jing gao at the corner of Huajue Lane. The whole runs about two hours, though afternoons and weekends stretch the queues. Order small, keep a drink in hand, and walk slowly through the space between heat and sourness.