Beijing Eats: Nanluoguxiang / South Luogu Lane (南锣鼓巷) Shopping & Snack Street
- Rick
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
South Luogu Lane (南锣鼓巷) — translated as South Gong & Drum Lane / Nanluoguxiang in hanyu pinyin — is the oldest, well-preserved hutong (胡同 or alleyway) in the city centre of Beijing that has evolved to become a famous commercial alley. It is located next to the Gong Tower (钟楼) and Drum Tower (鼓楼), thus its name, and not far from The Palace Museum (北京故宫博物馆).
Blending ancient Yuan Dynasty architecture with modern shops, cafes, and street food, South Luogu Lane is a vibrant cultural spot popular with tourists, especially the young, for its traditional charm, unique souvenirs and lively atmosphere. It is famous for its 800-year history, grid layout with parallel alleys, and as a hub for artsy shops and specialty snacks, a place where old Beijing charm blends with modern fashion.
The north-south South Luogu Lane retains the chessboard-like layout from the Yuan Dynasty, with 16 hutongs running parallel on both of its sides to the west and east, resembling the body of a centipede, hence its nickname "Centipede Street". There are supposedly two wells at the northernmost end of the lane that are sometimes referred to as the centipede's eyes — not on the guide map (below) though.
Open throughout the day till late, the lane and its adjoining hutongs are best visited in the morning to experience quiet strolls along the traditional alleyways. On weekends and public holidays, the lane starts to get crowded from around noon time, but the other hutongs are usually spared the crowds. Popular eating places, such as the Michelin-awarded No. 69 Fang Zhuanchang (方砖厂69号炸酱面) serving its Beijing-style fried-sauce noodle / zhajiang mian, and Tik Tok-worthy hotspots, etc, are usually with long queues.
Along the hutongs around South Luogu Lane are many former residences of famous figures, but they are mostly occupied by their descendants or new owners over the centuries and are not open to visitors. The former Chiang Kai-shek Headquarters is also locked behind a solid gate — read about its history outside the gate. There are more shops, quiet cafes, bars and accommodations nested in some hutongs too.
To the northeast of the lane, the Drum Tower (鼓楼) and Gong Tower (钟楼) are two of Beijing's cultural attractions, inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024, to visit.
After sunset, South Luogu Lane becomes more lively with amicable atmosphere for shopping and dining. More street food, that are closed during the day, may also open for business. Expect the lane to be crowded on Friday nights and weekends.
Nearly all the street food or snacks that can be found in South Luogu Lane are popular Beijing specialties, such as bingtanghulu (冰糖葫芦), doornail meat pie (门钉肉饼), meat skewers (肉串), burst belly (爆肚), traditional pastries like rolling donkey (驴打滚), golden pea cake (豌豆黄), etc, and a ton of others. The lane is a great spot to go on a Beijing-specialties food hunt but it will probably take several visits to try most of the stuffs here.
Aside from food, gift shops lined the street too. Some shops have unique names that may warrant curious peeks and draw in the crowds. One of the iconic shops in the area, a handicraft shop named "Stone Scissor Paper" (石头剪刀布), sells a variety of creative stationery, Beijing-style souvenirs and handmade goods with unique design.
One of the popular Old Beijing street food to try is the "burst belly" (爆肚) — we tried it at Old Beijing Burst Belly (老北京爆肚) — where fresh beef or mutton tripe is quickly "blanched" in boiling water for few seconds to maintain its tender and crisp texture. It is then eaten dipped in a special sauce made using sesame paste as one of the condiments. Old Beijing taste is seldom too salty nor spicy, emphasising flavours over strong tastes.
Meat skewers, usually mutton (羊肉串), are the most popular street snack across China. The meat are usually skewered on long sticks and grilled over charcoal. They are aromatic and tasty snacks to go for. Aside from meat skewers, there are the cheaper gluten skewers and Hu's pork-lard buns (胡氏猪油馍).
Other snacks we tried include:
An imperial osmanthus cake (宫廷桂花糕) famous for its rich osmanthus fragrance, sweet and soft texture. It is made of glutinous rice flour, with sugar, and dried osmanthus flowers. Not the typical Chinese pastry that we know.
The most "bad-tasting" dou zhi (最难喝的老北京豆汁) made by fermenting mung beans. It has a strong, sourish note of fermented beans but not too bad-tasting till cannot swallow — well, for me.
The yam poria crisp (山药茯苓酥) is a healthy snack that is made and sold along the lane. It is warm and soft when freshly-made and turns into crisps after cooling.
South Luogu Lane is a great spot to spend a whole day. Explore the hutongs, visit Gong and Drum Towers, dine at the restaurants, eat street snacks, buy gifts, and definitely more things to do than a one-night visit.
Opening Hours:
During the day, around 10am to 6pm, most specialty shops, restaurants, cafes will open for business. The night gets lively, from 6pm to 10pm, with street snacks and bars becoming active. After 10pm, majority of the shops will close for the day whereas some bars may operate till late.
Getting There:
South Luogu Lane is easily accessible via Nanluoguxiang Station (南锣鼓巷站) lines 6 or 8, exit via Exit E.