Beijing 2009 - Gui Jie (Ghost Street)

Gui Jie (Ghost Street) is the most popular food street in Beijing. The name refers to the throngs of people who frequent the street for food at all hours - commonly referred to by the Chinese as "Er Gui" or "Hungry Ghosts". The street is located at the North-Eastern side of the Forbidden City - in the Dongzhimen area. About 100 restaurants line both sides of this 1 km stretch of street, and it is distinguished by the hundreds of red lanterns hanging over the street. 

Though there are so many restaurants in this area, most of them seem to be serving the same type of food - barbeque skewers, spicy hot pot, or traditional Beijing cuisine. Spicy hot pot (Ma La Huo Guo) seems to the specialty here, as there is one outlet at every corner.

One of the most popular restaurants in Gui Jie is Huajia Yiyuan - a restaurant specializing in traditional Beijing cuisine with a mix of cooking from other regions. The design is based on a traditional courtard house, and the relatively large couryard is the main dining area. There are also smaller courtyards providing more intimate dining spots. It was so popular that even after waiting for half an hour, we couldn't get a table. Sadly we had to try another place.