We are all familiar with jianbing, dandanmian and jiaozi – snacks spoken about in a shared Street Eats Language from the eastern cities to the western highlands, from the northern wall to the southern domains. But what about huoshao or tanghuachun? These are utter nonsense words to us southerners, who cannot deign to understand the rolling pirate-like ‘rrrrrs’ of the Beijingren – it’s northern lingo that just doesn’t jive with us southern folk… but it should. 

These are tasty snacks – common street eats – that are all too familiar in the north, yet we just haven’t caught on to them down here in the humid wetlands of Shanghai. It’s about time to venture into the northern snack world found on the street corners of the capital city and we did so with carbo-loaded glee. Without further ado, here are a few of our favorite Beijing street snacks. 

Huoshao 火烧

This pouch-shaped log of a dumpling is stuffed with various fillings of the consumers’ choice (anything from egg and scallions to pork and mushroom) before being pan-fried until crispy. As a heavier alternative to the dainty (in comparison) guotie, a set of 4-5 (roughly RMB20-25) is a full meal on its own. Think Chinese potsticker meets Mexican burrito where, instead of salsa, you dip in vinegar and chili oil. 

Tanghuachun 糖花春

Dense like an American south-style biscuit and sweet with flavors of cinnamon and chocolate, these thick bread-like rolls are China’s answer to Jewish babka. The swirls of flavor pull apart into delectable layers that get moister, like the inside of a cinnamon roll the closer you get to the center.

Sugar Ears 小糖耳朵

Named for their ear-like shape, these fried dough twists are submerged in a hot, thick sugary super glue-esque paste that will make dentists and doctors alike cry. One bite will have your teeth sticking together and your jaw locked, but your tummy happy. Carbs, oil and sugar, this sweet treat definitely covers all of the necessary food pyramid bases. 

Sesame Roasted Bing 麻酱烤饼

While Shanghai does have its fair share of roasted bing (round bread-like pastries in both sweet and savory flavor options), the Beijing version is thicker and denser when compared with the flatter Shanghai version. In Beijing, they also have some wacky flavors that are heavily spiced and seasoned, reminding us of one of Chengdu’s signature seasonings – ‘strange flavor’ aka guaiwei. 

Donkey Burgers 驴肉火烧
 

A tasty alternative to the more common roujiamo (or Chinese ‘burger’) is the Beijing-style donkey burger. A rectangular shaobing is toasted and filled with cold shredded donkey meat. The meat is tender with a distinct flavor unlike pork or beef, and depending on the shop you buy it from, it can be quite lean. To balance this, some shops will add chunks of fat mixed in with the donkey shreds for extra flavor. 

Zhajiang Mian 炸酱面
 

Arguably Beijing’s most famous noodle dish, zhajiang mian is usually served cold. Fat, unctuous noodles are topped with soybean paste and fresh julienned veggies – usually cucumbers, beetroot and cabbage. Garlic finds its way into the mix as well, whether pickled or raw, it’s always welcome. 

Mongolian Shaomai 烧卖

Unlike the rice-filled Shanghai style of shaomai, Mongolian shaomai is typically filled with lamb or beef. The thinner skin is comparable to that of a xiaolongbao as it also helps hold in the meat juices. Steamed and served hot, these are best consumed with copious amounts of dark vinegar and chili oil. 

Honorary Mention: Biang Biang Mian and Roujiamo 肉夹馍

Yes, we know these snacks hail from Xi’an, but they are so much easier to find (and usually tastier) in Beijing than Shanghai, making our consumption levels of both easily double. The thicker the noodle, the better, and always ask for extra meat on the roujiamo for a more Xi’an-like experience. 

Yes, yes, Beijingren, we understand this is not an exhaustive list, and – in fact – misses quite a few of your typical dishes. Yet, these are some of the dishes we found ourselves unexpectedly craving upon on our return to Shanghai, with high hopes of consuming them again in the near future. 

Navigate Beijing (and China) Like a Local: Top Tips

1. Download WeChat: all of China life (and essentially the whole internet in China) runs through WeChat. This is a MUST.
2. Buy an ESIM with a built in VPN BEFORE you arrive in China. I highly suggest this ESIM from Trip.com which offers great 5G coverage and a built in VPN for use all over China. You can customize your plan by exact number of days, total GB or GB per day, and prices are far more competitive than other ESIM providers.
3. You can hook up your international credit card to Alipay so that you can pay for anything in China that way. China doesn't use cash nor does it really use credit cards (most places won't have a way to swipe a card easily), so it's best to hook up your card to Alipay, which is used here  similar to Apple Pay in the rest of the world.
4. Download Didi. This the most common ride-hailing app, similar to Uber. It's cheap to use; for example,  an hour cab ride from the airport will cost about 22 euros/$24USD using Didi.
5. Download Dianping. This is like Yelp/Google Reviews but on hyperdrive as it's used by every Chinese person for reviews of everything. The app is in Chinese, but it is the most updated way to find any restaurant, bar, hotel, destination. For most Western places in Shanghai, you can type in the name of the place in English and still find it. There’s a map function within the app that is more accurate and updated than Google (a lot of Google locations for things in China aren’t the most accurate since Google isn’t used in China), so it's good for being able to find where places are.
6. If you have a VPN on your phone ahead of time, you can always use Google Translate to help translate anything from Chinese into English.
7. China is very safe. You don't need to worry about walking around at night as a woman, you can leave your stuff on a table while you go to the bathroom, and no one will steal it. Of course, it's good to be mindful when traveling, but personal safety is, luckily, not a major concern in China.