Skewered: Beijing's Mightiest Meats on Sticks

Catch sight of a looping trail of red neon on any Beijing street and odds are it’ll be spelling out chuan’r. The Chinese character for “food on a stick” (串) is Beijing’s favourite xiangxing wenzi – a character that resembles its meaning. In this case, skewered sustenance. Like Gotham City’s bat symbol, the chuan’r sign is a call to arms for hungry Beijingers.

Easy to grill, hold, eat and throw away, the food skewer represents a brilliant bit of prehistoric problem solving. Picture the scene around the campfire, perhaps that of the Peking Man. “Meat burnt,” exclaims one ape-man. Cue scratching of tiny Stone Age head. “Turn meat!” “Ow, burnt.” More scratching. Then,suddenly: “Use stick!”

These days, whether it’s a chuan’r, shashlik, kebab or yakitori, there’s something about the informality of skewered food that makes for a whole lot of fun. It’s a cross-cultural leveler, no etiquette required, the ideal street eat. Roll your sleeves up and get gnawing.

The Beijing Classic

Yangrou chuan’r, 羊肉串儿 Xibei Youmiancun Restaurant
You’re probably less than 25 feet from a yangrou chuan’r right now, but for a truly special mutton skewer, you’ll have to travel a bit. The Xibei chain of restaurants – the Sanyuanqiao branch will be the most accessible for many readers – sells giant skewers of young, tender mutton that arrive bound in foil, with a perfect ration of meat to fat. Not cheap at RMB 7 per stick, but you get what you pay for.

Hongliu yangrou chuan’r, 红栁 羊肉串儿 Bingtuan Dasha

Even pricier (RMB 8) are the Jurassic-sized skewers at Bingtuan Dasha, a restaurant run by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and located near Maliandao tea street in southwest Beijing. Dark chunks of lamb are speared onto fragrant sticks of willow – you could imagine the fat kid at Hogwarts having a magic wand like this.

Leg of Lamb

Kao yangtui, 烤 羊腿 Xinjiang Meishi Fengwei Canting

新疆美食风味餐厅

Barbecued mutton forelegs are all the rage in town right now. This humble place near Houhai grills up a storm, with limbs (RMB 12) of soft meat that tumbles willingly off the bone. Skewered onto two big sticks, they’re what we polite English like to call caveman food. Great fun.

Wings and Things

Chicken wings, Wu Ge

This ramshackle, earthy courtyard hidden in the Dongsi hutongs is so popular that you have to book one of three seating slots nightly (6pm, 8pm and 10pm). Spicy or regular, the wings are some of the best in town, and a bargain at RMB 4.5 for a skewer. You can order them “double spicy,” seasoned with chilli on both sides for a fierce kick.

Psycho wings, Kuan Dian

These volcanic hot wings truly are the stuff of nightmares – and uncomfortable mornings after. But everyone at this rowdy, graffiti-ridden dive seems to order a few chuan’r, if only to save face. It gets so busy here that surly servers warn customers they can only order once – be sure to order more sticks than you can possibly finish. (You will finish them.) Don’t miss out on the spicy mashed potato.

Sichuan Sticks

Bobo ji, 钵钵鸡 Zhang Mama

This skewer-centric chicken dish is a Chengdu specialty. Diners select various chicken pieces on sticks (pre-cooked) along with veggie skewers, mala tang style, then soak them in a table-top clay pot (the bobo) which is filled with a thin soup of chicken stock and Sichuan spices. The dish is served cold in summer and warm in winter.

Skewers of the World

Chicken heart skewers, Tori Tei

Grab a stool at the wooden counter to watch the busiest grill in town – goodness knows how the black-clad chefs keep track of when to turn what. Chicken is the mainstay, and it’s nose-to-tail dining all the way, with everything but the feet getting the grill treatment. Don’t pass up on the soft, juicy chicken hearts – the livers are also lovely. Those of gentler palate should try the bacon-wrapped tomato, charred corn cobs or the skewered ginkgos that look like little shallots.

Tandoori platter, Indian Kitchen

OK, it’s no longer on a skewer when it gets to your table, but at least it saves you from scalding your tongue on hot metal. Indian Kitchen’s platter of tandoor-blasted meats (RMB 115) stars juicy chunks of succulent Malai Murgh chicken, plump shrimp and spicy fillets of fish. It’s a fact that everything tastes great out of a tandoor, and this dish is no exception.

Beef rump, Latin Grillhouse

Beijing’s favorite Brazilian beef-fest crams them in on evenings for the RMB 98 dinner buffet. Servers in gaucho outfits slice beef rump, tenderloin and various cuts of pork, chicken, lamb and more from giant skewers. Meanwhile, a Latin band relentlessly pumps out the tunes.

Sultan’s Platter, Rumi


For the kebab junkie on the bender of a lifetime (or a table of about six to ten), this giant platter of skewer-grilled goodies should do the business. RMB 888 gets you beef fillet, jujeh chicken kebabs marinated in lemon and saffron, ground beef koobideh kebab, chicken and lamb shish, salmon kebab, shrimp and more.

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