Yuanxiao, sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour, are the must-have snack during the Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Beijing's snack shops and restaurants traditionally sell various yuanxiao with different tastes on this day. These handmade yuanxiao are welcomed by Beijingers. Head for the following shops and experience a Beijing-taste Lantern Festival.

Jinfang Xiaochi

Jinfang Xiaochi, established in 1926, is a famous time-honored restaurant in Beijing. It specializes in Muslim snacks, such as sweet baked wheaten cake, aiwowo (glutinous rice ball), yipin matuan (fried glutinous rice balls with sesame), shaobing (baked sesame seed cake), and fried butter cake etc. However, the most representative snack is Yuan Xiao (rice ball) with mixed fillings, such as red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter. Yuan Xiao is usually cooked in boiling water. Once cooked, savory filled Yuan Xiao is served in a clear soup broth, tasting sweet and glutinous.

It enjoys high reputation among local Beijingers, especially the handmade Yuanxiao. A long queue can be seen in front of the window every Lantern Festival. The kinds of stuffing of Yuanxiao increased as time went by. Now, whatever traditional tastes like peanuts, black sesames or fashion flavors such as cherry tomatoes can be bought here. Featuring wonderful tastes and ingredients, yuanxiao of Jinfang Xiaochi are deeply loved by Beijingers.

Recommendation: Yuanxiao Set in Bamboo Basket (With two kinds of stuffing)  Price: CNY 88/1kg

Location: Floor 1, Dazhong Electronics, South Building 1, Dashushi Street, Ciqikou, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Dao Xiang Cun

When mentioned snacks, Dao Xiang Cun is must-go. Daoxiangcun retains the tradition of its Yuan Xiao producing. The ingredients are selected from different places such as the walnut kernel from Shanxi, Rose from Miaofeng Mountain, black sesame from Jiangxi, sweet-scented osmanthus from Hangzhou and sticky rice from Yanji. Hence, the tastes of yuanxiao in Daoxiangcun are much amazing. In addition to traditional tastes, new recipes are invented or introduced like cream, purple sweet potato, shredded coconut stuffing and so on, who are very popular among young people.

Daoxiangcun, was established in 1895 (the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty). Sitting on Qianmenwai Street, its factory is behind the storefront which sells Southern Chinese flavor food although it is located in the Northern China. The distinctive shop was recognized as the first one that produced and sold Southern flavor food in Beijing. Now Daoxiangcun has a portfolio of 30-plus direct-sale stores, 100-odd franchised outlets, one food distribution center, one central factory of 140,000m2, and one material processing base of 40,000m2. It offers over 400 varieties of 12 series, including Chinese and western pastries, cooked food, frozen food, and snack food.

Recommendation: Yuan Xiao in bulk is worthy to buy. The retail price is affordable that 30 yuanxiao cost about CNY 20.

Address: No. 48, Xisi North Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 北京市西城区西四北大街48号

Godly (Gongdelin)

Opened in 1922, GODLY Vegetarian Restaurant is a time-honored vegetarian establishment with a history of over 80 years, leading to its reputation as the originator of veggie food. The Shanghai-based restaurant is the oldest Buddhist veggie restaurant in Beijing. Its offerings feature “Buddhist veggie food and mock meat food”. Positioning itself as an affordable veggie food restaurant instead of a high-end one, GODLY never fails to honor its commitment to affordable veggie food and stays true to its mission of “spreading kindness”.

Yuanxiao sold in Godly retains the features of the restaurant. With low fat, less sugar and low oil, yuanxiao is healthier than those in other stores. After renovated, yuanxiao of the restaurant is easier to cook and masticate, which makes them suit the elders. Godly sells about 10 kinds of yuanxiao with 10 different fillings including black sesame, coco, potato, chocolate, spiced salt, juice, shredded coconut stuffing, rose and sweet-scented osmanthus.

Recommendations: Yuanxiao Set: CNY 23/set and CNY 45/set

Address: #2A, Qianmen East Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 北京市东城区前门东大街甲2号