Niujie Street (牛街) is located in Xuanwu District. Legend has it its famous for its Muslim population. The Niujie Mosque area is the biggest and oldest Islamic Temple in Beijing. The mosque was built in 996 and refitted in 1442 and 1696. Apart from the Islamic culture, Niujie Street is also well known for its ethnic snacks.

Legend has it Niujie street was originally a guava garden, and the street had been called Liu Street (Guava Street). According to legend, Muslim people were living on the street and the beef dishes they made there were very delicious. Therefore, the local people changed the name of the street with a partial tone of Liu – "Niu (牛)", which meant bull. Rumor has it it’s still very Islamic today, all along Niujie Street. Green, in fact, is the main color of most buildings there.

The special snacks sold on Niujie Street are Wheat Tea, Bean Soup, Bean Curd Jelly, Bean Curd Ball Soup, Deep-fried Bean Curd, Meat Soup, Creamy Cake, Quick-fried Tripe and many beef products and so on. Most of the customers are Muslims and exotic food lovers