I have now spent about six months in Beijing. My Chinese is still pretty weak, I am behind schedule with my PhD and I probably still don’t know half of the things you can do here, but here is a selection of my favorites in the Gulou area.

Eat Jian Bing

Jian Bing is a tasty crepe fried with an egg and filled with different sauces, coriander and a deep-fried Wonton. My favorite places are the Andingmen metro station exit A and at the eastern end of Gulou Dong Dajie. At Andingmen they add some fermented relish, at Gulou Dong Dajie the Wonton is the most crisp.

Buy Feiyue Sneakers

If you want to wear awesome Chinese sneakers, you can buy Feiyue shoes at Natooke in Wudaoying Hutong.

Get a Used Bike

Around 100 meters south of Beixinqiao metro station exit D, on the right hand side, there is a shop that sells used bikes for very little money. I got a nice Giant racer there for only 200 Yuan.

Drink Beer at Great Leap Brewing in the Hutong

If the weather is nice and the pollution low, go and have great craft beer at the Great Leap pub in Doujiao Hutong, close to Gulou (Drum Tower). Be early, it is quite popular.

Get Coffee at Voyage Coffee

My local coffee dealer in Beiluoguxiang. Nice little hutong café where people spend hours taking selfies, rearranging the furniture if need be, to optimize the lighting. Incredibly nice staff and the only place where I managed to buy (actually really nice) coffee beans for making coffee at home in the morning.

Mr Shi’s Dumplings

Clearly targeting foreigners, this place just has the most delicious dumplings. There is one in Baochao Hutong and I actually go there once every week or so. It got a little embarrassing recently when I showed up three days in a row. After renovations started in Baochao Hutong, their entrance was moved a bit away from the street. Hasn’t affected their dumplings. Getting dumplings at Mr Shi’s and then going to Great Leap is a great combo!