麻辣 crayfish (spicy crayfish)
The dish that made Guijie famous: piles of freshwater crayfish stir-fried in numbing chilli and Sichuan pepper. Summer is peak season, and the busiest houses ship them in by the tonne nightly.
Hutongs & Historic Neighborhoods
foodnightlifespicycrayfishdongzhimen
Guijie (Ghost Street): Complete Visitor Guide
Beijing's late-night spicy-crayfish and hotpot street off Dongzhimen
Guijie — literally 'Ghost Street' — is a kilometre-long restaurant strip running east from Dongzhimen, famous across Beijing for late-night eating. Its signature is 麻辣 (málà) spicy crayfish, and many places stay open around the clock. This guide explains how to get there on Lines 2 and 13, what to order, and how to manage a menu you cannot read with picture menus and pointing.
Quick Facts
- Opening hours
- Most restaurants 11:00–late; many open 24 hours
- Last entry
- n/a — restaurants set their own closing
- Closed
- Open daily; some close briefly between lunch and dinner
- Suggested time
- 1.5–2 hours for a meal
- Ticket price
- Free to walk; meals paid per order
- Best season
- Summer nights for crayfish season
- Booking
- Not required — walk in; queues at peak
- Nearest metro
- Line 2 / 13, Dongzhimen (Exit B)
Do You Need to Book?
Guijie is a street of restaurants with no entry fee, and most places take walk-ins. The only planning worth doing is arriving off-peak, because the popular crayfish houses queue on weekend nights. Big groups may be wise to call ahead, but a couple can usually just turn up.
- Walk in from Dongzhimen (Exit B) and pick a restaurant with a crowd and a picture menu.
- Take metro Lines 2 or 13 to Dongzhimen and use Exit B, then walk east along Guijie.
- For a large group on a Friday or Saturday, book by phone or via a Chinese app if possible.
- No passport or ID check applies — this is a dining street, not a venue.
Getting There
By metro
Metro Lines 2 or 13 to Dongzhimen Station (Exit B); Guijie begins a 3-minute walk east along the lit restaurant frontage.
By taxi
Show the driver 簋街 (Guijie) or 东直门簋街; it is the well-known food street by Dongzhimen.
Entrances
There is no gate — the street is open along its length. Enter from the Dongzhimen end in the west or from the east; most action is on the southern side.
What to See Inside
24-hour hotpot houses
Several Guijie restaurants never close, serving Beijing- and Sichuan-style hotpot through the small hours. They are a lifeline for late arrivals and night owls after a show or a flight.
The red-lantern street frontage
Nearly every venue hangs rows of red lanterns, so the whole kilometre glows at night. It is the most photographed aspect of Guijie and the easiest way to recognise you are in the right place.
Side-street noodle and skewer joints
Between the big crayfish halls sit humbler noodle, barbecue and skewer shops favoured by locals. They are cheaper, faster and a good fallback if the famous houses have a queue.
Photo Gallery
From Ghosts to a Food Street
Guijie follows an old east–west lane by Dongzhimen, one of the city's former inner gates. Its name, 'Ghost Street', comes from a historical cluster of funeral and spirit-offering shops, when the area was associated with the deceased rather than dinner.
The turn came in the 1990s and 2000s, when the district government rebranded the lane as a night-food street and subsidised restaurants to stay open late. Crayfish, then a novelty, became the signature, and Guijie quickly turned into Beijing's default late-night eating destination.
Today the street runs for about a kilometre with hundreds of restaurants, many open 24 hours, and draws crowds well past midnight. It is less about heritage than appetite, but as a piece of contemporary Beijing food culture it is unrivalled — and entirely free to simply walk.
Suggested Route
- 1. Arrive at Dongzhimen Exit B Take Lines 2 or 13 to Dongzhimen and leave by Exit B, then walk east as the lanterns appear.
- 2. Walk the street eastwards Stroll the lit frontage to gauge the crowd and pick a house with a lively but manageable queue.
- 3. Choose a crayfish or hotpot house Sit down at a picture-menu restaurant; order crayfish and a side dish, or a hotpot if you prefer.
- 4. Pace the meal and people-watch Eat slowly — portions are large — and watch the late-night parade of diners along the street.
- 5. Exit east or loop back west Finish and walk back to Dongzhimen for the metro, or continue east to a bar if you want one more stop.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not arrive between 19:00 and 21:00 on a weekend without expecting a long queue.
- Avoid ordering '特辣' (extra hot) unless you truly handle Sichuan spice.
- Skip restaurants with no picture menu if you cannot read Chinese.
- Do not assume cards work; carry cash as backup for smaller joints.
- Bring a bib or old shirt — crayfish are messy and the broth splashes.
Combine It With
Lama Temple →
20 minutes west; pair an evening temple-area walk with a Guijie dinner.
Sanlitun Taikoo Li →
15 minutes north; bar-hop from Taikoo Li to the food street.
Wudaoying Hutong
20 minutes west; a calm café lane before the late-night feast.
Guide coming soon
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Guijie free to visit?
Yes. Walking the street costs nothing and there is no ticket or booking. You pay only for what you eat. Most restaurants take walk-ins, though popular crayfish houses queue on weekend nights, so off-peak arrival helps.
What is Guijie famous for?
Spicy 麻辣 crayfish, piles of freshwater prawns in numbing chilli and Sichuan pepper, and round-the-clock hotpot. The street is Beijing's best-known late-night eating strip, with hundreds of restaurants many open 24 hours.
How do I order if I cannot read Chinese?
Ask for the picture menu (图片菜单) and point at what you want. Learn '微辣' for mild and '不辣' for none. Staff are used to foreigners; calculators and translation apps bridge the rest, and many dishes are visual anyway.
When is the best time to go to Guijie?
Summer evenings are peak crayfish season and the street is at its liveliest. Arrive before 18:00 or after 21:00 to dodge the worst queue. Weeknights are calmer than Friday and Saturday, when waits can be long.
How spicy is the food, really?
Genuinely hot. The default málà level numbs the tongue with chilli and peppercorn, and 'extra hot' is fierce. Ask for mild (微辣) if you are unsure, order plain sides to cool down, and keep a drink handy. It is manageable with care.