Thousands of red lanterns turn on each night about an hour before the sun is down, marking the rebirth of Beijing's most celebrated dining experience: Guijie. Although it's known as "Ghost Street" because of the ghostly spectacle of the grocery and produce night market formerly located here, Guijie is now one of the most lively places you can find in the city.

On this less than 1-km street are a series of 24-hour non-stop restaurants offering cuisines from the iconic crayfish, hotpot, BBQ, regional cuisines such as Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Guangdong cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Muslim cuisine, to vegetarian-friendly food and various old Peking snacks. Usually, one can hardly find a crawfish restaurant without long line waiting outside all night. Given this, people dubbed the Guijie the “weather vane” of the most popular food in Beijing.

Huajia Yiyuan (Hua’s Restaurant)

Established in 1998, Hua's Restaurant specializes in fine Beijing cuisine in a beautiful courtyard setting with comfortable private rooms. Their roast duck, spareribs, grilled Chinese steamed bun, spicy crayfish and draft beer are popular. Beijing’s hutong architecture, authentic food, and great charming busy atmosphere can be found here.

Jingui Xiaoshancheng

One of Guijie's original restaurants with two branches on each end of the street, Jingui Xiaoshancheng is the place for spicy crayfish and frogs. With three adjoining courtyards and large private rooms, this is the must-go-to location for old Beijing ambiance. The place is noisy, crowded and usually has a line outside, but is one of the most genuine Guijie experiences.

Xiaoyushan

Xiaoyushan is probably the most well known place to get grilled fish on Guijie. In addition to great meat, grilled seafood is the specialty here. You can pick the fish, shellfish, or shrimp from the tank. Reservations are essential on weekends.