Wet ‘n’ Wild – Beijing’s Fine Food Markets

Find fresh, fantastic produce and fabulous ingredients at these fine food markets.

Sanyuanli Market
This excellent market is where many Western restaurants and international grocery stores buy wholesale; it is also a dear friend to many amateur chefs. Many of the items available at Sanyuanli are difficult to find elsewhere in Beijing. There are exotic fruits and vegetables like mangoes, star fruit, lemongrass, brussel sprouts and porcini; fresh seafood; cheeses; fresh herbs and imported condiments like herbs, thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley and fish sauce; frozen goods like burritos, pies and berries; and dry goods like coffee, beans, spices and pasta, bulk chocolate. The prices can be very wholesale-like, but these vendors know they are popular with foreigners and quote their prices accordingly. A half kilo of mint only costs RMB 7, and RMB 30 can get you a good-sized bag of basil.
Daily 5am-7pm. Shunyuan Jie (opposite Jingkelong Supermar¬ket, west of Sanyuan Dongqiao), Chaoyang District. 三源里市场， 朝阳区顺源街三元东桥往西京客隆超市对面

Dongjiao Market
An integrative wholesale market that is a favorite among locals. Most restaurants nearby and many from a distance get their ingredients and condiments here. Everything a Chinese meal needs is here – from tofu, vegetables and seafood, to frozen dumplings, all of which are fresh daily. Don’t like the price? Roll up your sleeves and haggle among the more than 15 stalls for each kind of item. Foods and cooking ingredients are only a subset of this enormous market’s many splendors. It also sells everything you would find at a huge department store like Walmart in addition to flowers, trees, birds and much more.
Daily 8.30am-5pm. 12A Xidawanglu, Chaoyang District.东郊市场, 朝阳区西大望路甲12号

Dayanglu Market
Located adjacent to the exits of highways feeding into Beijing from both northern and south¬ern China, the total area of this market is 3,260,000 sqm. The market is divided according to categories of goods, with a meat hall, a hangar for poultry and a hall of fruit. Since the opening of the market’s seafood hall, many vendors from the seafood market in the base¬ment of Hongqiao (“pearl”) Market have relocated to Dayanglu.
Daily 7am-5.30pm. Zhouzhuanglu (East of Shilihe Qiao on Dong Sanhuan Lu), Shibalidian, Chaoyang District. (6747 2596) www.dylsc.com 大洋路市场，朝阳区十八里店乡周庄路口(东三环十里河桥向东)

Nanhu Market
A favorite shopping spot for both Wangjing-area’s Korean community and local Chinese. The whole market is covered by a large blue rain cloth, earning it the affec¬tionate nickname “Big Blue Hall.” From both sides of the entrance, snack stalls sell a range of ready-to-eat Chinese and Korean snacks, including cake in the shape of fish, and roujiamo. Aside from regular selections of fresh vegetables and meat, you’ll also find a variety of Western foods, as well as homemade ingredients like dried fish, Korean sauce, kimchi and more.
Daily 7am-6pm. Nanhu Nanlu, Wangjing Area, Chaoyang District. 南湖市场, 朝阳区南湖南路

Chongwen Market
One of the oldest markets in Beijing, the largest market in southern Beijing, the cleanest market in town, the only old market that has remained the same … the list of alleged honors goes on and on for this renowned neighborhood market, which provides 2,200 families living nearby with their vegetables, meat and other cooking ingredients. It is said that during the 80s, people would stand in line here all night to buy fish and meat in prepa¬ration for Spring Festival celebrations. Aside from fresh meat, vegetables, dry fruits and cake, this market also offers a large selection of cooked food and snacks, such as beef-filled dough pock¬ets, chestnuts, hand-pulled noodles, and dumplings made right in front of you. The market’s chuan’r are clean and tasty. Many of the goods are self-branded. Nowadays, the operation of the subway brings a stream of customers from other neighborhoods.
Daily 8am-7pm. 1 Chongwenmenwai Dajie, Chongwen District. 崇文区崇文门外大街1号