Beijing Eat: Huguosi Snack Bar (护国寺小吃) Beijing-Specialty Snacks + Street Food

Rick
2 days ago
2 min read

Huguosi Snack Bar (护国寺小吃), named after a food street in Beijing, is a renowned brand for offering a wide variety of authentic, traditional Beijing-style snacks with a history of over 700 years.

It originated from the bustling temple fairs held at the Huguo Temple (护国寺) during the Qing Dynasty. These fairs were a gathering place for snack vendors from all over the city, passing down generations of recipes. In 1956, the Beijing Municipal Government established the Huguosi Snack Bar to preserve and formalise the traditional Beijing snacks, creating a brand that now operates several chain stores across Beijing. The flagship store is located along Huguosi Main Street.

I visited the outlet along Dongsi North Street (东四店), near to Zhangzizhong Subway Station (张自忠站).

Huguosi Snack Bar offers over 80 kinds of traditional Beijing snacks and street food. The snacks are typically served in small portions for customers to try more items. Most popular Beijing snacks, such as aiwowo (艾窝窝), rolling donkey (驴打滚), golden pea cake (豌豆黄), fermented mung bean juice (豆汁), etc, can be found here. Popular street food, such as fried beef tripe (爆肚), Chinese crepe (煎饼果子), doornail beef pie (门钉肉饼), dumplings with different fillings, noodle dishes, etc, are also available.

My first visit to Huguosi consisted of fermented mung bean juice, rolling donkey, golden pea cake and beef patty pancake — for breakfast. The Fermented Mung Bean Juice / Douzhi (豆汁) has a unique taste and not as pungent as others. It is creamier in texture with a mellow savoury flavour instead of the sour taste of fermentation. The bean juice is accompanied by a dish of pickled radish to enhance its flavour.

Hu Guo Si Snacks (护国寺小吃): Fermented mung bean juice, rolling donkey, golden pea cake and beef patty pancake

The Rolling Donkey and Golden Pea Cake are popular Beijing-specialties desserts that are often cited as must-tries when in Beijing.

Left: The Rolling Donkey (驴打滚) is made by rolling steamed glutinous rice with red bean paste and then rolled again in roasted soybean flour, giving it a "dusty" appearance — like a donkey rolling in dirt. Despite its appearance and ingredients, it is mildly sweet.

Right: The Golden Pea Cake (豌豆黄) — a popular imperial snack from Old Beijing — is another traditional pastry using yellow pea to give a yellow hue. It is mild-sweet too with a rich flavour.

Hu Guo Si Snacks (护国寺小吃): Rolling Donkey (驴打滚) and Golden Pea Cake (豌豆黄)

The Beef Patty Pancake (牛肉饼 / 三两肉饼) is wrapped like a crepe with minced beef, spring garlic, etc. It has a nice flavour, not salty and with a crispy skin. This is great for breakfast or when planning to try more snacks.