If you’re feeling adventurous and want to experience food you’re not likely to find in your home country, Lao Hanzi is the perfect restaurant destination. Located on the edge of the Houhai lake area, this is one of the true culinary bargains in Beijing. Aside from some of the best whole fish selection I had while dining in the city, Lao Hanzi offers a number of things off the culinary beaten path. Fried snake, which is a little bony and fits the “tastes like chicken” cliche, is a perfect choice for adventurous eating without taking any risks. If you like prawns, you can’t go wrong with the bucket of rock salt cooked with enormous shrimp skewered and buried in the salt (yes, you are supposed to eat the head and the shell). Numerous animal parts are on the menu as the Hakka palate is from the part of China where anything is fair game at the dinner table. This is a restaurant where you will likely be surrounded by locals as it isn’t a frequent tourist destination, which is always a good thing in my book. Plan on dinner lasting for at least 2 hours as this is an experience.

Location: 1/F, Jiezuo Building, 57 Xingfucun Zhonglu
幸福村中路57号杰座大厦1层