Getting there

Subway: Changchun Street on Line 2, walk 700 meters south; to reach Niujie Mosque.

Alternatively, get off at Caishi-kou (Line 4) and walk east along Luomashi Dajie, turn right when you come to Mishi Hutong and walk about 100 meters south. On your right is Kang Youwei's residence.

Bus: Niujie Lukou West Stop, Bus 5, 6, 57, 109, 381, 613, 715, 717, 743, 822, 853

Xuanwu Hospital Stop, Bus 10, 38, 626, 853

Food

Stopping at Niujie Halal Supermarket, diagonally across the road from Niujie Mosque, is de rigueur if you're in this area. While this is the place to try out typical Muslim food and snacks, there's a lot more to the fare than dumplings with halal meat fillings. The humble tofu, for example, appears in its multiple avatars - turned into soup, jelly, barbecue and stir-fry. Sticky rice cakes with sweet fillings and a layer of jujube on top compete with sweet potatoes with a crunchy crust dipped in a thick syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

The obvious draw is, of course, the meat-based dishes, be they soup dumplings, bunched dumplings (niu rou shao mai) to which julienned carrots add its distinctive taste or clear soup of sheep organs (yang za tang) that come with a garnish of greens on top. There is also a bunch of whole catfish (scales and fins still in place) cooked in red hot chili sauce, for the intrepid foodie.