1. Hongyunxuan Hotpot

Marco Polo recorded eating Mongolian hotpot at Genghis Khan's palace and Hong Dacai, the owner of the famous Hongyunxuan Restaurant believes it was not the rinsed or instant boiled style of lamb hotpot, but boiled lamb chops.

That was 800 years ago. But if you visit Inner Mongolia, you won't find any of the bronze Beijing hotpots. Why? Because lamb hotpot was only for nobles.

A traditional way to cook lamb in Beijing is by searing thin slices of meat in a hot pot. Lamb hot pot was invented by Mongolian aristocrats but brought to Beijing by Manchu people during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Hongyunxuan, hidden in a hutong near the North 2nd Ring Road, is a Muslim restaurant specializing in Mongolian hot pot. Though small in scale, the restaurant attracts many celebrities to its door. Hong himself is also well-known as a mutton expert.

All mutton at Hongyunxuan are transported to Beijing in early morning. The mutton is very fresh and its blood is so little that it won’t stain the plates. To judge whether the mutton is fresh or not, you just need to dip it in the boiling water and observe the color. If the mutton turns white and gray, then it’s fresh.

Traditional Chinese medicine doctors believe lamb is warm and nourishing and especially good in the cold winter. In fact, they even use it as medicine to improve deficiency of energy, and pain in the stomach in cold weather. Lamb soup with angelica and ginger is a recipe that has been recorded in medical books since Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220).

Tel: 86 10 83161713

Add: Shouchangjie Ertiao, Xicheng District

2.Li's Poached Sheepshead

Back in the old days, poor families couldn’t afford fish and meat, and poached sheepshead became their best meat feast. The reform wind in the 1980s brought some fortune for the Li families. They sold poached sheepshead, entrails broth, and sesame-seed cakes near Hufangqiao. After three moves, Li’s restaurant finally settled down at Guangqumennei in 2005 when the third generation of Li’s family managed the business.

To be honest, few restaurants can stay open as long as 300 years as Li’s has done. Their unfailing poached sheepshead still can satisfy the taste buds of different generations. There must be some secrets that I have no clue where to spot but having a taste of the sheepshead meat.

The face meat contains lots of pectin, and to make the mutton more chewy, Li’s cooked the sheepshead with a unique method and special spiced salt. What’s more amazing, you won’t taste a wee bit of mutton odor.

As a Muslim restaurant, Li’s offers over 30 halal dishes, among which you should try the Deep Fried Tripe Kernel. This dish is the best match for a bottle of Baijiu.

Average Cost: RMB 60

Tel: 86 10 67112571

Add: 22 Baiqiao Dajie, Dongcheng District

4.Jingwuzhen Roast Whole Lamb

Located at a villa near Huihongguan, the restaurant started business as a tea house. The owners of Jingwuzhen found a new business opportunity as there were so few restaurants around. Roast whole lamp naturally became their best option as this feast is prefect for social gatherings and networking.Jingwuzhen chooses the best Tan sheep raised in Ningxia which are then cleaned and roasted for four hours. Chef Li Linyu needs to keep flipping the grill during the whole roasting process that his hands are pricked every day. The roast lamb will then be seasoned with 53 kinds of spices made from Tibetan medicine. After a mere two minutes, the lamb will be oiled and put on mild fire, in which way the seasonings can permeate the meat and enrich the flavors.

Another reason why Jingwuzhen roast lamb is so delicious lies in its stove customized for the size of the Tan sheep, and to better control the Oxygen volume and humidity inside the stove, they adjust the height of the windows and the fans.

Usually we feast first on the placenta membrane which is so crispy that it melts in your mouth, and then we eat the front feet and ribs. After that, we will chew on the kidneys, rear feet, necks, and spines. Big foodies couldn’t miss the fat on the tails which is so delicious that the fragrance escapes from your noses.

Tel: 86 10 80790269

Add: Longcheng Garden Compound, Huilonguan, Changping District

3.Shenglong Quick-Fried Tripe

You may have heard of Baodu, or quick-fried tripe, but you may not know Shenglong Quick-Fried Tripe, which is more authentic than Baodufeng. Many celebrities have been here at Jinshenglong restaurant for a bite of this delicacy. It is also rumored that many princes dined here during the Qing Dynasty.

Though Baodu belongs to the snack category, the preparation is no easy task. The cooking of baodu at Jinshenglong requires refined materials choosing, fine knife skills, accurate timing, and  extensive seasoning. For the washing procedure alone, the chef need to do it four times.

Jin’s cooking method has been passed down from generation to generation. The tripes are diced instead of being shred which is practiced by other restaurants. To cook a plate of quick-fried tripe, good timing is very important. The chef strives for a constant water temperature which determines the taste of the strips.

The quick frying process requires a lot of boiling water. Generally speaking, the chef only dip the materials for several seconds. Fried longer than this, the surface of the materials will become hardened. Apart from fresh ingredients, Jin’s restaurant also boasts its unique seasonings which remove the odor of the tripes and make the dish more delicious. Jin’s even applied for a patent for its seasonings whose secret lies in the ratio of different spices and ingredients.

Tel: 86 10 65279051

Add: Block 1 Building 6, Dewai Ande Lu, Xicheng District

5.Deshunlou Mutton Cuisine

If you wish for a mutton feast in Beijing, then you should head for the Ox Street. Deshunlou is one of the best restaurants serving mutton cuisine.

To create a new dish is no easy task. It’s hard to control the timing when you cook boiled mutton. The mutton becomes tough easily and the odor hard to remove. But when you steam the mutton, it’s easier to prevent the odor and fat from jeopardizing the scent of the mutton. This is the reason why the dish, created five years ago, is still popular among the locals.

The halal dish is quite beneficial to your health with a balanced ratio of nutrition. The chef slices the meat off Mongolian sheep legs before dressing them with spices for a long period of time. Apart from fine knifeworks, the dish owes its awesomeness also to the soup which costs four to five hours to prepare. The soup is stewed with mutton and the meat of hens and ducks. Some chicken chest meat will absorb the impurities and serves as the soup base. Stewed with Chinese yam, medlar, and codonopsis pilosula for another two hours, and the soup is done. As to the mutton, it tastes delicious and creamy.

Tel: 4000308630-3866

Add: No. 11 Ox Street, Xicheng District