Any visitor to Asia knows the importance of street markets in sustaining local communities. Not only a significant source of income for the vendors, but also a powerful cultural exchange platform for foreign visitors, street markets continue to thrive. Having slurped, chewed and sipped our way through dozens of Asian markets over the years, here is our top 7:

7 Favorite Food Markets in Asia

Mandarin Journeys Asia

1. Dong Hua Men Night Market ( Beijing, China)

The ‘top’ street food market in Beijing, Dong Hua Men is located in the heart of the commercial Wangfujing area and continues to offer exotic nibbles from Beijing and greater China. For the conservative foodie there are a number of classic snacks like soup filled dumplings, fried noodles and sugar coated fruit sticks. The real crowd-pleasers however, assuming you're the adventurous type at least, are the sumptuous chocolate coated scorpions, crunchy deep fried crickets and succulent grilled tentacles. We suspect most snacks were sourced on this planet but can't be entirely certain. Have a dumpliang and let your camera lens consume the rest.

When: Every Day from 4pm-10pmWhere: Close to Donganmen Street, Dongcheng District. Beijing, China.

STAY NEARBY IN BEIJINGWaldorf Astoria, Rosewood, Raffles