The Uyghur (or Uighur) cuisine is extremely popular in China, well in Beijing anyway. Not only can Uyghur restaurants be found all over the city, but it is also loved by the locals – both Muslim and not. Some of the most popular foods in China actually come from Xinjiang and the Muslims there (i.e. the Uyghur people). I found that fascinating when I discovered that. This restaurant, Crescent Moon, happens to be one of the most popular and best rated Uyghur restaurants in Beijing. So, if you want to sample the best most authentic Uyghur food, this place has to be the spot.
Location
Xinjiang Crescent Moon Uighur Muslim Restaurant is located in a quiet area of Beijing. Get to the Dongzhimen station in the Dongsi subdistrict. You’ll find some fake stores on the main road and a lovely mosque with a beautiful courtyard is walking distance too. Plan accordingly and you can potentially pray one of your Friday prayers in this mosque and then just wander the area. After you walk past the fake shops on the main road, you’ll need to go down a side road. This is a hutong. Hutongs in Beijing are alleys or narrow streets that have been preserved in their traditional forms. If you get a chance, wander a few hutongs in Beijing, you’ll love the experience. It’ll be like walking back in time – you’ll see some amazing things.
What to order at a Uyghur restaurant
Before we discuss the restaurant, let’s explore the cuisine a little. Xinjiang is the largest province in China and is located in northwest China. It is home to most famously the Turkic Uyghur people, an ethic minority in China. Being on the ancient Silk Road route, the resulting food is a wonderful concoction of the Middle East, Turkey and China! Truly something unique and familiar at the same time! Unfortunately, it isn’t very easy or common to find this cuisine outside of the region, but it is extremely popular in the country with some of their dishes being the most loved by locals. Here are a few recommendations that you should try though:
Dapanji, translated big plate chicken – this is the national dish of Xinjiang. It is made up of chicken, potato, flat noodles or rice and a lot of Chinese spices with the sichuan pepper corn being the most prominent. One of the true favourites of the city.
Meat skewers/kebabs – heavy on the cumin flavour, these will be the best kebabs you ever taste. They certainly were the best I have ever tasted.
Polo – this is their version of the pilao (rice and meat dish). It is slightly on the sweet side (thanks to the carrots), kind of like the Afghan version.
Laghman – this is their speciality noodle dish. Hand pulled noodles usually served with a flavoursome broth and meat.
Samsa / Kaobaozi – essentially a meat pie, it is kind of like a cross between the samosa and the dumpling.
Restaurant
So, as mentioned the restaurant is based in the middle of a quiet and unassuming hutong. Once you are near it though, you cannot miss it. The strong green colour, the English and Arabic writing to accompany the Chinese makes it stand out strong and proud. It almost resembles a mosque. Inside, the main dining area is quite small (certainly smaller than online pictures make it seem), but I hear they have private dining areas at the back too to cater for larger groups.
Food
The menu is a large one, but thankfully it is in English (trust me this is a blessing in Beijing – very rare to find this). This obviously made ordering a lot easier. They do all the classic Uyghur dishes and to be honest I wish I went with people or more hungrier so I could’ve tried more of the menu. Nonetheless, I opted for polo and a stuffed naan. I decided to not get my two favourites (kebab and dapanji) because I had had them quite frequently in Beijing. And I went for the polo because I hadn’t found one I had enjoyed it and was kind of hoping this would convert me. The Uyghur naan is also a famous dish that is sold on the streets of Xinjiang and I thought I’ll give this stuffed version a try. How was the food? Both were decent to be fair. I enjoyed the stuffed naan and the polo was good, but I just don’t like my meat and rice dishes to be sweet. So, it’s not for me.
Overall
Overall, a great authentic Uyghur restaurant in Beijing. A spot you seriously need to visit whether you are seeking halal food or just good Uyghur food when in Beijing. Bring friends and an empty stomach though!
Getting there:
Google Location Link: click here
