Yao's Chao Gan

Ma Shuqin rides her bike for an hour to the eatery on weekends from her home near outside the Fourth Ring Road.

She always orders chao gan and steamed stuffed buns, although the options are many.

She takes home douzhi, a traditional fermented Beijing drink made from ground beans.

"I've been eating here since the day it opened," Ma says.

"I'll follow it if it moves."

Its allure is growing among new customers, as more tourists visiting the drum and bell tower know its reputation, Yao says.

Zhang Chi, a 22-year-old migrant worker from Anhui province, brought his friend Xiao Hui to the restaurant for Xiao's first trip to Beijing as part of their "most original Beijing tour".

"The flavor's a bit heavy for southerners like us," Zhang says.

"But it’s original. It is what it is."

Another eatery that has become a fixture of the neighborhood won't survive the first relocation, its owners say.

Ren's Bao Du has bleated Peking Opera from its loudspeaker since its 1986 opening.

"If I can't find another place, my only choice is to close," 59-year-old owner Ren Zhiqiang says.

If the place closes, Ren's family is out of work.

But Yao's eatery has around 30 employees. Those that aren't family members are migrant workers.

Zhu Junwei and Gu Xiaoying, a couple from Gansu province, have worked at Yoa's Chao Gan for more than five years.

"We count on this job," Zhu, 32, says.

"If we lose it, we also lose our free meals and housing."