Best Halal Food Beijing 2025: JM Cafe, Ningxia Hot Pot, Xinjiang BBQ and Hui Muslim Snacks
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Beijing halal food map issue 52 introduces an AI restaurant-search tool and then covers JM CAFE & BAKERY, Zanjin Ningxia spicy hot pot, Xinjiang Aimaier Barbecue, Samarkand, Tianjin yellow-broth ramen, Lianying shaomai, Jingzhenxuan, and more local halal restaurants.
My official account now has an AI chatbot. You can ask questions in the chat, and the AI will help you find restaurant information to make searching easier.
It is still in the testing phase, so the answers might not be perfect. Even so, it is much better than the old keyword replies. Otherwise, I would have to set up countless keywords to handle all kinds of unusual questions.
The halal restaurants featured in this issue are as follows:
1. JM CAFE & BAKERY
2. Zanjin Ningxia Spicy Hot Pot (lahuhu)
3. Xinjiang Aimaier Barbecue
4. Samarkand (Hamuerhan) Workers' Stadium Branch
5. Tianjin Fengwei Yellow Broth Ramen (huangtang lamian)
6. Roma Restaurant Bar
7. Lianying Steamed Dumplings (shaomai) · Grassland Red Pomegranate
8. Zhizi Barbecue Zhang
9. Mufu Halal Spicy Hot Pot · Beef Noodles
10. Highland yak meat revolving mini hot pot
11. FIRENZE Italian Restaurant
12. Jingzhenxuan
1. JM CAFE & BAKERY
JM is a chain brand founded by a Hui Muslim. JM are his initials, and the owner is a big fan of Jay Chou, so the shop always plays his songs.
This is the White Pagoda Mosque branch. The cafe and bakery are close to each other. The owner says he insists on using halal ingredients, does not sell alcohol, and all drinks in the shop are non-alcoholic.
Their bread and desserts taste great. I tried everything for you. The business is booming now, and it is a popular spot on social media.
The cafe has a terrace on the second floor where you can take photos with the White Pagoda in the background.
Everything is a non-alcoholic drink.
They do not have a halal sign hanging outside, but the owner promises that all ingredients in his shops are halal and insists on not selling alcohol. I think this approach might be more reliable than just hanging a halal sign.
The owner of JM says they will soon open new branches on Niujie and Daji Lane. They are expected to open in August, and the Daji Lane shop will be quite large. I am really looking forward to it.
2. Zanjin Ningxia Spicy Hot Pot (lahuhu)
This is a Ningxia-style spicy hot pot (malatang) shop. Its specialties are Ningxia cold skin noodles (liangpi), spicy paste (lahuhu), and stir-fried rice with fermented chili (zaolajiao).
Ningxia-style spicy hot pot does not use sesame paste. It uses chili oil, which is very similar to Sichuan-style skewers (chuanchuan).
3. Xinjiang Aimaier Barbecue
This is a unique Xinjiang barbecue shop. You pick your meat skewers from a freezer when you walk in, and then they grill them for you.
Eating barbecue here is quite satisfying because they use charcoal-grilled skewers. It is a chain store, and they have another location at Dawanglu.
4. Samarkand (Hamuerhan) Workers' Stadium Branch
If you want to see the best-decorated halal restaurant in Beijing, just come to the Samarkand (Hamuerhan) Gongti branch.
Samarkand is a high-end brand under the Western Mahua group. They first opened at the Fengtai headquarters base, which also has a lot of style, but none are as luxurious as this Gongti branch.
The highlight of the Gongti branch is the afternoon tea. I chose the one called Chief's Afternoon Tea, which is enough for 4 to 6 people to eat, drink, and chat for the whole afternoon.
The set includes sand-boiled coffee, black tea, desserts, and fruit.
They also have yogurt with milk skin (naipizi suannai), which is now a standard item in Northwest restaurants.
Overall, Samarkand focuses more on style than substance, and the taste of the dishes needs improvement. However, I still really like the series of fast food restaurants from Western Mahua.
5. Tianjin Fengwei Yellow Broth Ramen (huangtang lamian)
Yellow broth pulled noodles (huangtang lamian) are a specialty of Tianjin, and now there is a halal version in Beijing.
This shop is run by people from Tianjin and Qinghai. The Tianjin staff handle the seasoning, while the Qinghai staff handle the pulled noodles and barbecue, keeping the flavor true to Tianjin style.
The reason the broth for these pulled noodles is yellow is because curry is added to it.
The sauce brushed on the barbecue is on the sweet side.
6. Roma Restaurant Bar
This Roma Bistro is run by a Pakistani friend. Although the place is small, the menu features a mix of dishes from Africa, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Italy. It is surprisingly delicious and cheap.
Their set meals are a great deal, costing only 50 to 60 yuan per person. The Pakistani kitchen staff are very particular about their cooking; the biryani is excellent, and the drinks are well-made.
7. Lianying Steamed Dumplings (shaomai) · Grassland Red Pomegranate
Lianying Shaomai, a famous restaurant from Ulanqab, has opened a flagship store in Qianmen that specializes in halal Mongolian food.
I highly recommend their Inner Mongolian pot tea (guochai), which is brewed fresh to order and contains milk tofu and beef jerky.
The Mongolian meat sausage and hand-grabbed meat (shouba rou) are also signature dishes, and all the ingredients come from Inner Mongolia.
Steamed dumplings (shaomai) are their signature dish. You can watch them make them fresh in the open kitchen, and my favorite is the lamb leg steamed dumplings (shaomai).
The most expensive dish is the whole roasted lamb for 2,000 yuan, which is actually a fair price. The meat is very tender and the skin is crispy.
You can also watch Mongolian dancing while you eat.
The stir-fried wild onion with lamb (shacong chaoyangrou) is also delicious.
The Inner Mongolian style sweet and sour beef (guobaorou) is made with strips of beef.
The lamb spine hot pot (yangxiezi guo) has a light flavor that is just right. You can add more meat after finishing the spine, making it a great choice for seniors and children.
The second floor has private rooms and a terrace for parties. It is very spacious and has an underground parking lot, with an average cost of under 100 yuan per person.
8. Zhizi Barbecue Zhang
The tomato hot pot restaurant at Caishikou has turned into a halal iron plate barbecue (zhizi kaorou) shop, but they still serve the tomato hot pot.
I saw paddlefish (yazuiyu) on the menu and decided to try it since I had never eaten it before.
The paddlefish (yazuiyu) meat is tender and has no small bones, so it is good for kids. The meat is marinated beforehand.
The rattan pepper beef (tengjiao niurou) comes from Xingji at Niujie.
Someone helps you grill the whole time, the service is pretty good, and it costs about 100 per person.
9. Mufu Halal Spicy Hot Pot · Beef Noodles
A newly opened halal spicy hot pot (malatang) in Wangfujing is owned by the same person as the beef noodle shop next door, who is from Linxia.
The owner studied Islamic scriptures in the past and has been running this shop in Wangfujing for three years.
Their spicy hot pot has many options. You can choose the dry-mixed Tianshui style or the Sichuan style. You can also pick the spice level. The mild version uses Gansu chili peppers, which are fragrant but not too spicy, and you can choose even spicier levels.
Their grilled skewers are especially delicious because the ingredients are high quality. The seasoning added to the spicy hot pot tastes just like Chongqing small noodles (xiaomian), which I really like.
10. Highland yak meat revolving mini hot pot
Alihan Grilled Meat and Mixed Noodles in Jinsong has been open for thirty years and is always busy. They recently added a yak meat conveyor belt hot pot.
There are many types of dishes and the prices are not expensive; you can eat for a few dozen yuan.
They even have two flavors of kvass (kawas) to choose from.
What attracts me most is the yak beef rolls. They taste great in the hot pot, have a good chew, and are better than the meat at typical conveyor belt hot pot places.
Their mixed noodles (banmian) and barbecue are also signature dishes, and you can choose either.
11. FIRENZE Italian Restaurant
This is the first halal Italian-themed restaurant in the capital. It used to be an Italian restaurant that struggled, but now Pakistani owners have taken over. They kept the Italian flavors and added Indian and Pakistani dishes.
The lamb chops and pasta are very Italian. It is rare to find such authentic halal Italian food in Beijing.
Seeing the crispy balls (pani puri) served with this dish reveals the chef's background.
The shop serves a special orange Americano. They stick to the Pakistani restaurant tradition of serving no alcohol. In the summer, you can sit in the small garden courtyard and eat barbecue. The average cost is over 100 yuan.
12. Jingzhenxuan
I spent Eid al-Adha (Qurban Festival) in Doudian. In the morning, I went to Jingzhenxuan and had their freshly made meat porridge and fried dough (youxiang).
Jingzhenxuan is located inside the Doudian Mosque, and they are very particular about their ingredients.
The owner gave Fahim a bottle of homemade sour plum drink (suanmeitang). It had a rich flavor and was great for cooling off.
After the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at noon, we came back to Jingzhenxuan to eat their traditional halal dish, braised lamb strips (pa yangrou tiao).
Their stir-fried dishes are authentic, generous, and clean. If you have a large group, you can come here for the beef head feast, which requires at least 10 people to finish.
Summary: This Beijing halal food map issue 52 introduces an AI restaurant-search tool and then covers JM CAFE & BAKERY, Zanjin Ningxia spicy hot pot, Xinjiang Aimaier Barbecue, Samarkand, Tianjin yellow-broth ramen, Lianying shaomai, Jingzhenxuan, and more local halal restaurants.
My official account now has an AI chatbot. You can ask questions in the chat, and the AI will help you find restaurant information to make searching easier.
It is still in the testing phase, so the answers might not be perfect. Even so, it is much better than the old keyword replies. Otherwise, I would have to set up countless keywords to handle all kinds of unusual questions.
The halal restaurants featured in this issue are as follows:
1. JM CAFE & BAKERY
2. Zanjin Ningxia Spicy Hot Pot (lahuhu)
3. Xinjiang Aimaier Barbecue
4. Samarkand (Hamuerhan) Workers' Stadium Branch
5. Tianjin Fengwei Yellow Broth Ramen (huangtang lamian)
6. Roma Restaurant Bar
7. Lianying Steamed Dumplings (shaomai) · Grassland Red Pomegranate
8. Zhizi Barbecue Zhang
9. Mufu Halal Spicy Hot Pot · Beef Noodles
10. Highland yak meat revolving mini hot pot
11. FIRENZE Italian Restaurant
12. Jingzhenxuan
1. JM CAFE & BAKERY
JM is a chain brand founded by a Hui Muslim. JM are his initials, and the owner is a big fan of Jay Chou, so the shop always plays his songs.
This is the White Pagoda Mosque branch. The cafe and bakery are close to each other. The owner says he insists on using halal ingredients, does not sell alcohol, and all drinks in the shop are non-alcoholic.
Their bread and desserts taste great. I tried everything for you. The business is booming now, and it is a popular spot on social media.
The cafe has a terrace on the second floor where you can take photos with the White Pagoda in the background.
Everything is a non-alcoholic drink.
They do not have a halal sign hanging outside, but the owner promises that all ingredients in his shops are halal and insists on not selling alcohol. I think this approach might be more reliable than just hanging a halal sign.
The owner of JM says they will soon open new branches on Niujie and Daji Lane. They are expected to open in August, and the Daji Lane shop will be quite large. I am really looking forward to it.
2. Zanjin Ningxia Spicy Hot Pot (lahuhu)
This is a Ningxia-style spicy hot pot (malatang) shop. Its specialties are Ningxia cold skin noodles (liangpi), spicy paste (lahuhu), and stir-fried rice with fermented chili (zaolajiao).
Ningxia-style spicy hot pot does not use sesame paste. It uses chili oil, which is very similar to Sichuan-style skewers (chuanchuan).
3. Xinjiang Aimaier Barbecue
This is a unique Xinjiang barbecue shop. You pick your meat skewers from a freezer when you walk in, and then they grill them for you.
Eating barbecue here is quite satisfying because they use charcoal-grilled skewers. It is a chain store, and they have another location at Dawanglu.
4. Samarkand (Hamuerhan) Workers' Stadium Branch
If you want to see the best-decorated halal restaurant in Beijing, just come to the Samarkand (Hamuerhan) Gongti branch.
Samarkand is a high-end brand under the Western Mahua group. They first opened at the Fengtai headquarters base, which also has a lot of style, but none are as luxurious as this Gongti branch.
The highlight of the Gongti branch is the afternoon tea. I chose the one called Chief's Afternoon Tea, which is enough for 4 to 6 people to eat, drink, and chat for the whole afternoon.
The set includes sand-boiled coffee, black tea, desserts, and fruit.
They also have yogurt with milk skin (naipizi suannai), which is now a standard item in Northwest restaurants.
Overall, Samarkand focuses more on style than substance, and the taste of the dishes needs improvement. However, I still really like the series of fast food restaurants from Western Mahua.
5. Tianjin Fengwei Yellow Broth Ramen (huangtang lamian)
Yellow broth pulled noodles (huangtang lamian) are a specialty of Tianjin, and now there is a halal version in Beijing.
This shop is run by people from Tianjin and Qinghai. The Tianjin staff handle the seasoning, while the Qinghai staff handle the pulled noodles and barbecue, keeping the flavor true to Tianjin style.
The reason the broth for these pulled noodles is yellow is because curry is added to it.
The sauce brushed on the barbecue is on the sweet side.
6. Roma Restaurant Bar
This Roma Bistro is run by a Pakistani friend. Although the place is small, the menu features a mix of dishes from Africa, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Italy. It is surprisingly delicious and cheap.
Their set meals are a great deal, costing only 50 to 60 yuan per person. The Pakistani kitchen staff are very particular about their cooking; the biryani is excellent, and the drinks are well-made.
7. Lianying Steamed Dumplings (shaomai) · Grassland Red Pomegranate
Lianying Shaomai, a famous restaurant from Ulanqab, has opened a flagship store in Qianmen that specializes in halal Mongolian food.
I highly recommend their Inner Mongolian pot tea (guochai), which is brewed fresh to order and contains milk tofu and beef jerky.
The Mongolian meat sausage and hand-grabbed meat (shouba rou) are also signature dishes, and all the ingredients come from Inner Mongolia.
Steamed dumplings (shaomai) are their signature dish. You can watch them make them fresh in the open kitchen, and my favorite is the lamb leg steamed dumplings (shaomai).
The most expensive dish is the whole roasted lamb for 2,000 yuan, which is actually a fair price. The meat is very tender and the skin is crispy.
You can also watch Mongolian dancing while you eat.
The stir-fried wild onion with lamb (shacong chaoyangrou) is also delicious.
The Inner Mongolian style sweet and sour beef (guobaorou) is made with strips of beef.
The lamb spine hot pot (yangxiezi guo) has a light flavor that is just right. You can add more meat after finishing the spine, making it a great choice for seniors and children.
The second floor has private rooms and a terrace for parties. It is very spacious and has an underground parking lot, with an average cost of under 100 yuan per person.
8. Zhizi Barbecue Zhang
The tomato hot pot restaurant at Caishikou has turned into a halal iron plate barbecue (zhizi kaorou) shop, but they still serve the tomato hot pot.
I saw paddlefish (yazuiyu) on the menu and decided to try it since I had never eaten it before.
The paddlefish (yazuiyu) meat is tender and has no small bones, so it is good for kids. The meat is marinated beforehand.
The rattan pepper beef (tengjiao niurou) comes from Xingji at Niujie.
Someone helps you grill the whole time, the service is pretty good, and it costs about 100 per person.
9. Mufu Halal Spicy Hot Pot · Beef Noodles
A newly opened halal spicy hot pot (malatang) in Wangfujing is owned by the same person as the beef noodle shop next door, who is from Linxia.
The owner studied Islamic scriptures in the past and has been running this shop in Wangfujing for three years.
Their spicy hot pot has many options. You can choose the dry-mixed Tianshui style or the Sichuan style. You can also pick the spice level. The mild version uses Gansu chili peppers, which are fragrant but not too spicy, and you can choose even spicier levels.
Their grilled skewers are especially delicious because the ingredients are high quality. The seasoning added to the spicy hot pot tastes just like Chongqing small noodles (xiaomian), which I really like.
10. Highland yak meat revolving mini hot pot
Alihan Grilled Meat and Mixed Noodles in Jinsong has been open for thirty years and is always busy. They recently added a yak meat conveyor belt hot pot.
There are many types of dishes and the prices are not expensive; you can eat for a few dozen yuan.
They even have two flavors of kvass (kawas) to choose from.
What attracts me most is the yak beef rolls. They taste great in the hot pot, have a good chew, and are better than the meat at typical conveyor belt hot pot places.
Their mixed noodles (banmian) and barbecue are also signature dishes, and you can choose either.
11. FIRENZE Italian Restaurant
This is the first halal Italian-themed restaurant in the capital. It used to be an Italian restaurant that struggled, but now Pakistani owners have taken over. They kept the Italian flavors and added Indian and Pakistani dishes.
The lamb chops and pasta are very Italian. It is rare to find such authentic halal Italian food in Beijing.
Seeing the crispy balls (pani puri) served with this dish reveals the chef's background.
The shop serves a special orange Americano. They stick to the Pakistani restaurant tradition of serving no alcohol. In the summer, you can sit in the small garden courtyard and eat barbecue. The average cost is over 100 yuan.
12. Jingzhenxuan
I spent Eid al-Adha (Qurban Festival) in Doudian. In the morning, I went to Jingzhenxuan and had their freshly made meat porridge and fried dough (youxiang).
Jingzhenxuan is located inside the Doudian Mosque, and they are very particular about their ingredients.
The owner gave Fahim a bottle of homemade sour plum drink (suanmeitang). It had a rich flavor and was great for cooling off.
After the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at noon, we came back to Jingzhenxuan to eat their traditional halal dish, braised lamb strips (pa yangrou tiao).
Their stir-fried dishes are authentic, generous, and clean. If you have a large group, you can come here for the beef head feast, which requires at least 10 people to finish.
