Rated a "Top 10 Foodie Experience in the World"
Daily at 6:30pm
Duration 3.5 hours
560 RMB / $85 USD per adult
460 RMB / $71 USD per child
Tour operated by tuktuk
The Essentials:
Try Han, Mongol, Muslim Hui, and Imperial Cuisine during this tuktuk serviced odyssey of Beijing’s cuisine. Travel through the historic hutongs and visit Beijing’s most authentic, off the beaten path restaurants. Try specialty dishes with legends larger than the restaurant’s menu. Unlimited beer, soft drinks, and food are included.
Stops
Over 10 authentic dishes at 4 sit-down restaurants, plus one craft brewery.
Group Size
Small groups of 2-12 people per tour.
Start & End Location
Starts at Lama Temple Subway Station. Ends 10 minutes walk away from the start location. An email will be sent with detailed meeting location details immediately after booking.
Dietary Requirements
We are happy to welcome vegetarians and pescatarians, but please let us know prior to your tour date as same day requests cannot be guaranteed. This tour is not recommended for gluten free or vegan diets. Please message us prior to booking if you have any questions.
Book Now:
Book & Pay by WeChat:
WeChat ID: Lostplate
About This Tour:
Seafood chowder, “Kung Pao” chicken, and beef steak with tomato sauce: 3 of the 8 courses served to the American president during his Beijing visit in 2017.
We can do much better.
Here’s your Beijing dinner itinerary: you get an email with directions to meet us at a central subway station. Within moments, there’s a cold beer in a custom coozie in your hands (you’re welcome). You’re knee to knee with 3 other intrepid eaters in a tuktuk winding through hutongs centuries-old. You have no idea where you’re going, which way is North, and your Google Maps don’t work. Your gut is telling you that you’re hungry, but also that you’re about to have an excellent time. Trust it.
What You'll Do:
Try baijiu, unlimited beers, and much more on this tuktuk serviced exploration of all the major cuisines in Beijing.
Of all the noodle dishes, try the one that earned the accolade “Beijing Noodles,” in a restaurant so hidden its literal name is “very hard to find.”
Grill your own heaping plates of marinated meats and veggies in the style of Mongolian Nomads who brought the word “hutong” to this city.
Ever been to a Muslim dive bar? Come with us to try the favorite dish of the Empress Cixi, also known as the Dragon Empress.
Finish off your dinner coaxing 3 or 4 more courses of ceremonious food, including authentic Kung Pao chicken, tucked into one of the oldest Hutong courtyards in Beijing.
End the night with a pint amongst the patrons of Beijing’s emerging craft beer scene. All brewed in-house and catered to the tastes of China’s growing, hip middle class.
Featured In:
"Delving into the hutongs of Beijing, chopsticks at the ready"
"The fun of tonight has been in the adventure: the lost-then-found feeling of a night spent blasting through the unknown, punctuated with homey, unpretentious meals. Tomorrow, we'll go back to being clueless foreigners in an unfamiliar city, but tonight the curtain was pulled back, and we lived in Beijing, even if it was just for a few hours."
"Top 10 Food Experience in the World"
TripAdvisor's Travelers Choice Awards ranked our Beijing Hutong Evening Food Tour as the 2nd best food experience in the World. Our Xian Evening Tour was 1st.
Watch:
YouTube
Take a close look at our Beijing Hutong Evening Food Tour and what you’ll experience in our own Lost Plate produced video.
YouTube
With over 100k views, The Fung Bros. discover our evening tour and introduce you to the traditional Beijing hutongs dating back 700 years.
Customer Reviews:
“Our family had a fantastic time on the tour – it was my husband’s birthday and I was looking for a last minute way to surprise him. Lost Plate (tour guide Flower) was really good to take us on a private tour with short notice and even pulled out a birthday cake at the last stop. Food highlights for me were the giant meatball dumplings that in 3 years in Beijing we’d never tried. The tuktuk rides were the highlight for the kids. Flower was a lovely guide and really accommodating, looking after our children’s needs (ages 5 and 8) so we all had a great time.”
Kelly O
August 2022
“It was a hot and super humid evening in Beijing but it didn’t dampen our fun! We had a great time! The food stops were amazing – I am still thinking about those door nail meat buns. Flower our guide was great and super helpful. The only problem with the tour is that I ate too much and was so full by the last stop!!”
Katie Z
August 2022
“My daughter and 6 of her friends, all high-school-aged, took this tour. It was my daughter’s request as her going away “party.” We had taken the tour two years ago and she had enjoyed it so much, as well as the one in Xi’an we took before and the multi-day tour of Yunnan we took a year ago, that she really wanted to experience it with her friends. They had a fantastic time. It’s a perfect, safe, liberating way for a group of teens to have an amazing cultural experience, even those who’ve spent much of their lives in China as expat kids. I’m so grateful my daughter was able to make those memories with her friends before saying goodbye. Lost Plate accommodated the vegetarian in the group, and everyone had a favorite among the meals.”
Gabi A
June 2022
“It was such a wonderful experience! I loved so much this tour and all the food was amazing. Furthermore, the host was very lovely and friendly.”
Elena
September 2021
“Wow! My husband and I LOVED this tour so much. Perfect blend of great food, culture and a lovely host. Flower greeted us at the meeting point with ice cold beers and a tuktuk waiting to whisk us off to our first stop. She was so knowledgeable and friendly! We will look to book more food tours with Lost Plate.”
Lisa
August 2021
“Diana, our host, was fun and knowledgeable which made for a great night out. We were a group of 9 and we took our tuk tuks to the hutongs and stopped at 5 places total. We had noodle dishes, Mongolian BBQ, Chinese pancakes and donkey meat burgers / pastries. Everything was delicious, we learned a bit about the history of the hutong buildings and there was no shortage of beers / soft drinks along the way. We topped off the tour at a craft brewery! Lost Plate sends you the places afterwards and my wife and I actually went back to a place for lunch because we liked it so much. Can only recommend this tour!”
Ailton007
May 2021
“Zipping through the tight alleyways of Beijing on a Tuk Tuk with a cold beer in hand. Stopping at small restaurants to try the most amazing food! Couldn’t recommend this more. We stopped at four family owned places and tried different food in each one. The last was my favorite but the first was the most spectacular. If your beer ran low, there would be another waiting for you. The tour finishes in a local brewery with an excellent selection of beer on tap! Our guide Murong was brilliant. So friendly and couldn’t do more for the group. Great night!”
David
April 2021
“We had a brilliant night doing the tuktuk food tour. Our guide was Hong, and he was so informative and had so many interesting things to tell us about Beijing and the food we were tasting. Although it was a cold December night, the tuktuk ride was a lot of fun and allowed us to see lots of Beijing. This tour is definitely a must do as these are the restaurants you would never find alone and all the food was delicious. Thank you Hong and Lost Plate!”
Claire F
December 2020
COVID-19 Health & Safety.
- We're taking the following steps on this tour to keep your safety our priority:
- Flexible Cancellation Policy: We have always offered one of the most flexible cancellation policies in the industry and that hasn’t changed. You are able to reschedule your tour or receive a 100% refund for all cancellations made at least 48 hours before the tour start time. Your reservations with Lost Plate are worry-free.
- Symptom-Free: We require that all guides and guests are not ill when joining a tour. Guides or guests showing symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, will be asked to not join the tour.
- All restaurants that we visit follow local requirements. Temperature checks, personal registration, and/or health app screening are likely. It is the guest’s responsibility to meet requirements at each stop.
- Masks: In general, there are no mask mandates in our destinations but we do recommend wearing one when in public. Additionally, the establishments we visit may require you to wear a face mask. Carry a face mask with you at all times.
- Sanitization: Hand sanitizer or hand-washing facilities will be provided at each stop.
- Your guide has the right to refuse service to anyone who does not cooperate with our health & safety requests. All Lost Plate tour guides are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you have any questions or concerns with any of these details, please contact us before your tour begins.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How much food and drink will I get?
This is not a tasting tour, you should come hungry and you will get more than a full meal of food. If you need more, just let your guide know and we’ll get more, but usually guests cannot finish everything. We also provide unlimited local beer and soft drinks during the tour, plus one glass of local craft beer at our last stop.
What if I’m vegetarian or have special dietary requests?
Our tours have been designed to accommodate as many diets as possible while still remaining stupid delicious. This tour is vegetarian and pescatarian friendly, but please let us know prior to your tour date as same day requests cannot be guaranteed. This tour is not recommended for gluten free or vegan diets.
When booking online, you’ll have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or special requests. Please use this field to let us know about your requests and we will follow up if there are any problems or questions.
Will I need to walk very far?
This tour is primarily done by tuktuk, but our tuktuks can’t always go door to door. This means there is a total of about 20 to 30 minutes of walking throughout the entire tour. During these short walks, you’ll step through very old hutongs and hear the stories behind some of the doorways.
What ages qualify for child pricing?
Our child pricing is valid for ages 4 through 15. Children ages 3 and under are free.
Where does the tour start and end?
The tour starts at 6:30pm at Lama Temple subway station which services subway lines 2 and 5. You’ll get the exact address, directions, and transportation details immediately after booking.
The tour ends at a brewery about 10 minutes by foot from the meeting location. Your guide will point you in the right direction for wherever you need to go next, or you are welcome to stay at the brewery as long as you like!
How many people will be on my tour?
Our minimum is 2 and maximum is 12. 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 3.5 hours and ends in a brewery, it’s not uncommon for guests to stay and keep the pints going afterward.
If you have any concerns about timing and meeting up based on your itinerary, let us know and we’ll see what we can do to make this as hassle-free as possible.
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. Our tuktuks provide shelter from the rain, and are lightly covered in winter to block the wind. 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?
We sure do! If you decide to do more than one tour with us we are happy to offer you a 10% discount off your total amount. 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. Our online booking system will automatically deduct the discount from your total if booking online at the same time. If you decide to add more tours later, your original confirmation email will include a promo code to use on those bookings. Also, children ages 4 through 15 receive a discount on all tours (3 & under are free).
What is your cancellation policy?
Bookings cancelled 2 days (48 hours) or more before your tour are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings cancelled within 48 hours notice are not refundable. Cancellations must be communicated by email to info@lostplate.com or by phone. If you would like to reschedule your tour with less than 48 hours notice, we will need to charge 50% of your total since we are unable to fill your spots at short notice.