What if I’m vegetarian or have special dietary requests?

All dietary requests must be communicated at the time of booking. When booking online, you will have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or special requests. Please use the following information to understand if this tour is right for you.This tour can accommodate vegetarian travelers, including those who are pescatarian and those who do not eat beef, pork, seafood, shellfish, and/or mutton. However, there will not always be direct substitutes for every dish that we try on the tour. Instead, we will provide vegetarian guests with different dishes. Please note that every stop we visit during the tour does use meat in their kitchen. This tour cannot accommodate vegan or gluten-free travelers. Wheat products are featured at every stop, in sauces like soy sauce and in tour highlights like bread and fried dough. There are no substitutes or alternatives available. This tour also cannot accommodate severe allergies as we do not have control over the preparation for your food. Travelers that don’t eat nuts are welcome, but kitchens do use nuts and cross-contamination is possible.If you have any questions not answered here, please contact us prior to booking.

How much food and drink will I get?

We are not a tasting tour, we provide much more than a full meal’s worth of food so we recommend you come prepared to eat. We are just tickled by the share of reviews we get that warn other guests to pace themselves. Even our guide training covers tips and tricks for guests to pace themselves. It is our professional recommendation to wear your Christmas pants, or its equivalent.

Will I need to walk very far?

This is a walking tour; let’s just get that out of the way. This tour covers about 2.2 miles / 3.5km by foot, so we recommend leaving the heels at home. This distance is split up between a lot of food stops, so it’s roughly a 5-15 minute walk between each stop and a great chance to digest a bit before the next stop. We also find that exploring by foot is the best way to enjoy the sights of Beijing’s hutong alleyways and to see what local life is like up-close.

Do you offer a different price for children?

This tour’s price applies to all people ages 4 and over (3 and under are free). It is important to us to make this tour as reasonable as possible, and we think it’s a great deal due to the amount of food you’ll eat and the information you’ll learn from your guide. Feel free to take some food with you if your child cannot eat everything!

Where does the tour start and end?

The tour starts at National Art Museum (Zhongguo Meishuguan) subway station which services subway line 8. You’ll get the exact address, directions, and transportation details immediately after booking. The tour ends about 3km away from the start location. Your guide will point you in the right direction for wherever you need to go next.

How many people will be on my tour?

Our minimum is 2 and maximum is 10. There’s no flag to follow, or megaphone, or tacky uniforms. It’s small enough to be intimate, but big enough to get away with trying several dishes at each stop. You’ll get plenty of face-time with the experts. Bottom line is, you’ll follow the guide through a super-local experience and make friends along the way.

How long does this tour last?

This tour lasts about 3 hours but it can depend on how the group is eating and walking. If you have any other concerns or needs about the end time, don’t fret, just let us know if you are worried about time and we’ll let you know what we can do.

What happens if it rains or the weather is hot or cold?

All of our tours are rain-or-shine, so we suggest you dress for the weather. If rain is possible, an umbrella, along with shoes that can get wet, is a good idea. In rare cases of extreme weather, your guide will cancel the tour and provide a full refund. During times of extreme air pollution (AQI over 400) our tours will run but refunds will be provided if you are unable to join due to health concerns.

Do you offer private tours for special groups/events?

Yes we do! If you would like to book a special tour for your organization or group, just contact us and we’ll take care of you.

Should I sign up for multiple Lost Plate Tours? Are they all different?

We have many happy customers who do more than one of our tours in Beijing and across China! We have designed our tours to focus only on food from each city. This means that each dish, story, and vibe is unique to each tour and there aren’t any repeats.Most people are very surprised how much the cuisine changes as they travel throughout China, and our tours are a good way to discover those differences. We encourage you to pick the tours that best fit your itinerary and we offer a 10% discount if booking more than one tour.

Do you offer discounts?

Yes! You’ll get a promo code in your confirmation email that will give you a 10% discount on all future Lost Plate tours. It doesn’t matter if the tour is in the same city or a different city, we want to keep feeding you as long as you let us.

What is your cancellation policy?

Bookings canceled 24 hours or more before your tour are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings canceled within 24 hours notice are not refundable. If you would like to reschedule your tour with less than 24 hours notice, we will need to charge 50% of your total since we are unable to fill your spots at short notice.

Beijing Hutong Breakfast Tour

Daily at 9am, Duration 3 hours

$39 USD per person

This walking food tour covers approx 2.2mi / 3.5km

The Essentials:

Try over 12 dishes at over 6 locations on this walking tour through Beijing’s historic hutongs! Along the way, uncover centuries of culinary heritage as we share the stories behind each bite and the passionate shop owners that are preserving the unforgettable tastes of Old-Beijing.

Stops

At least 6 food stops, with a mix of sit-down restaurants, street-food stalls, and a local market.

Group Size

Small groups of 2-10 people per tour.

Start Location

This tour starts at the National Art Museum (Zhongguo Meishuguan) Subway Station. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking.

Cancellation Policy

Reservations cancelled 24 hours or more before your tour start time are fully refundable.

Dietary Requests

We can accommodate the checked dietary requests on this tour. All requests must be communicated at time of booking. Visit our FAQ section for more details.

What You'll Do:

Meeting Location:

This tour starts at the National Art Museum Subway Station. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking.

Explore a Local Market

Step into this factory-turned-market brimming with fresh veggies, spices, and neatly sliced meat. We’ll make a stop at Aunt Jie’s stall for some zongzi: glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with seasoned pork and wrapped in bamboo leaves – handmade from her family’s generations-old recipe.

Brace Yourself for Douzhi

This tangy, fermented mung bean soup might just top your personal “weirdest foods” list (love it or hate it, you won’t forget it!). This popular spot has earned a Michelin nod and is the place to get a true taste of Beijing’s boldest tradition.

Discover Beijing Comfort Food

Meet Mr. Yu who serves up childhood memories in the form of crispy sesame flatbread stuffed with beef, alongside a warming bowl of tofu pudding – proof that good taste never goes out of style.

Learn Hidden Hutong Secrets

Wander historic lanes and discover the secrets hidden in doorway pillars made of stone, the meaning of color-coded street signs, and how to tell how many families live inside each courtyard (plus so much more)!

Try Jianbing with a Twist

Tucked into a literal hole-in-the-wall, this shop crafts one of the city’s favorite jianbing (think “Chinese burrito”), staying true to its roots with a classic mung bean batter while adding a cheesy twist – perfectly blending tradition with innovation.

Enjoy Meat Pies & Wontons

This centuries-old favorite was once immortalized in an 18th-century poem, and with good reason: thin sheets of dough are stuffed with seasoned pork and fried to a crispy golden perfection. It’s so delicious, you might momentarily overlook the delicately folded wontons served on the side.

Beijing's Imperial Treats

From Pea Jelly & Donkey Rolls, once relished by emperors, to tangy Hawthorn Cake, this 80 year old shop celebrates Old-Beijing’s sweet traditions.

Plus More Surprises!

* This itinerary is subject to changes and adjustments based on daily vendor operations and availability, but it will always be awesome.

Try over a dozen breakfast items Beijingers love.

Beijing can feel like a fortress – its vastness, history, and language barrier often hide the city’s real heartbeat. For a few hours, we’ll unlock that fortress, taking you deep into the hutongs where the morning bustle unfolds just as it has for generations.

With at least six different stops, from hole-in-the-wall breakfast joints to a Michelin recommended restaurant, you’ll sample over a dozen local favorites, mingling with neighbors as dogs trot off for playdates and uncles stroll by with birds in cages. Peeking into doorways adorned with old horse ties and family shrines, you’ll see how Beijing’s past and present stand side by side. Join us as we pull back the curtain on authentic hutong life and taste the true flavors of this incredible city.

Featured In:

"Beijing's Hutong Breakfast Club!"

The first foodie stop was only around the corner, and we waited for our first slices of a Beijing breakfast. We tried a series of Beijing snacks, and each obscured bite held secrets from Beijing’s past.

Desperately Seeking Adventure

"Visit Beijing and its Essentials"

I certainly would not have tasted all of these dishes if I had not taken part in the tour – and obviously, I would not have learned as much about Beijing and its old districts. Each place visited is super local and absolutely unknown to tourists.