21 Xian Famous Foods You Need To Try on any visit to Xi’an, China (And where to try them!)

These are some of the best dumplings you will ever eat. They are stuffed plump with beef and garlic chives and poured steaming hot into a bowl of vinegar, chili oil, sesame, cilantro, and garlic. When you bite into one and the juice pops into your mouth, you will feel the true soul of Xi’an in your mouth and never want to leave!

You really have to try this one.  There are two ways to get your paomo. You can either get a fresh pita bread unbroken, and break it into your empty bowl, then hand it back to the chef, which he will then add into the wok and cook for you, or, you can get it pre-broken up. For your first time, you should break it up yourself, so you can get the true feel for the pita and have a little fun too. The locals say that you should break it as small as possible, so that each piece can soak in the richness of the lamb stock. Just say “ziji bai 自己摆” I visited a few paomo restaurants, and all of them were amazing! The one we found on our last night in Xi’an was probably the best. The address is below. Apart from the one below, you can also visit 老白家水盆羊肉 (北广济街 76号) if you want to try another one after at a different location. The stock was full of aroma!

Apart from the Yangrou paomo, there is another dish, the xiaochao paomo (小炒泡馍）, a very similar but spicier version, that is also worth ordering. I ate it at the same place as the Yangrou paomo place, and it was super delicious and spicy and garlicky.

The hulatang is a classic Hui street food found on a lot of corners in the Hui district of Xi’an. The first time I tried it, I was surprised by how numbing the flavour was. The Sichuan peppercorn they add into the thick porridge like broth gives it a real kick, and when you add chili oil in as well, it’s quite spicy!

Eating BBQ lamb kebabs on the streets of Xi’an late at night is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable things you can do in the city. The portion of meat on the kebabs is quite small at many places, so it’s a good idea to order at least 20 kebabs to get a good filling of meat. In the Huiminjie area there are many late night kebab joints, but my favourite is at xinliang kaorou, where the cumin and chili mix is perfect and where they also serve you these beautiful wide nang breads also put on the BBQ and covered in spice.

If you’re exploring the old alleyways of Xi’an in the morning, chances are you’ll find a delicious Hui Chinese Xi’an jianbing. It’s loaded up with 0ne or two eggs and wrapped up with a selection of pickled vegetables, peanuts, chicken, carrots, and more. You simply point at what you want! For ordering, you will say either “one egg” as “yi ge ji dan”, or “two eggs” as “liang ge ji dan”.

These are some of the best steamed dumplings you will ever eat. They are stuffed with beef, and I think I tasted a little cumin and spices in there as well. Their shape is a signature style which I haven’t been able to find in other places in China. They are so plump and round and served with a chili and vinegar dip goes along perfectly! Their restaurant recently moved to a bigger location, which is much larger and cleaner. It’s still in the old hui neighbourhood of central Xi’an, and is walking distance to Alley Youth Hostel. When you visit, make sure to also order their majiang liangfen 麻酱凉粉 cold rice noodles with sesame paste, chili oil, and vinegar, along with their sweet and refreshing babaozhou 八宝粥  a cold date, lotus petal, seeds and nuts porridge. And don’t forget to order their majiang liangpi 麻酱凉皮!

If you were to choose one noodle dish to try in Xi’an, the Biang biang mian would be the champion. These noodles are so good you could move here just to eat them every day! I would love to do that! The fat hand pulled noodles are covered in a rich chili oil with a strong cinnamon and star anise flavour and topped with carrots, celery, cilantro, beans, and nice big chunks of beef. There are hundreds of biang biang noodle shops in Xi’an all lining the huiminjie area, making it a really easy bowl of noodles to find. I personally really enjoyed the noodles at Liu laosi 刘老四牛肉擀面庄.

This is another classic Xi’an street food, and one of the most flavourful too! There are many different places to try it on the streets of Xi’an, especially in the Huiminjie area. You will find a high concentration on Sajinqiao street. It’s essentially a bowl filled with a broken up pita bread, fat rice jelly noodles, their specialty five spice thick soup, vinegar, chili oil, sesame paste, and a half boiled egg. It’s a lot of flavours in one bite, and definitely worth a try! The place we found was deep in a local alley and was the best I’ve ever had. It also turned out to be quite a famous place, and we didnt’ even research it or plan it. Go try it out!

Liangfen is one of Xi’ans most satisfying flavour combos. Thick sesame paste is paired with hot chili oil and cold jelly noodles with vinegar to give you a sour, spicy, nutty, refreshing slurp that will bring you into another dimension

This is one meal that tastes way better than it looks. The Xiaosurou is a somewhat oily lamb stew concoction that is full of peppery and smooth gravy like flavour. You can add chili oil to it and eat it with a bowl of rice and it will fill you up and give you energy. It’s one of my favourite foods in Xi’an.

The fenzhengrou is one of my favourite foods to have in China. It’s found all around China, served spicy and numbing in Sichuan, and Xi’an, where it’s a little more mild but served with raw cloves of garlic for an extra punch of flavour. It’s essentially steamed beef with chunks of rice flour with some spices served with a soft bun. The place I go to in Xi’an is run by a friendly Hui woman who is proud of her bowl.

Originally from Xinjiang in Northwest China, the Dapanji big chicken plate is another famous dish you can eat in Xian. It’s one of the best noodle dishes you can try in all of China. A huge bed of hand stretched noodles is covered in huge chunks of chicken, dried red chilies, potatoes, and bell peppers, and the flavour is full of cinnamon and star anise. It’s one of the most enjoyable noodle experiences in the world!

This is absolutely the best street snack you need to try when you travel to Xi’an. There are two versions, one which is halal style made by Hui people, usually made with beef, and another style made by Han Chinese, usually made with pork. After visiting Xi’an a few times, I’ve found the most incredible pork roujiamo at a little restaurant that is worth the walk out of the huimin district. It is so packed with flavour and it is the perfect mix of both fatty and lean meat, served inside a crispy and fluffy hot pita. When I visited, we got a look into the back kitchen and witnessed the chopping of this ultra rich, fatty pork meat. It was insane! The way they scoop it into each steaming hot bun one after another with all the juices bursting and the meat overflowing from each bun gets you so hungry!

One thing you really have to eat in Xi’an is the beautiful spinach noodles. You can find the uncooked noodles sitting on shelves ready to buy and take home in shops all throughout the city, but your best option is to go to a shop that specializes in making them and preparing them fresh. You can choose from a bunch of different sauces to put on top, but I always choose either tomato and egg, or stewed pork. The place we found was great, and also sitting right across from a popular youth hostel, the Han Tang Inn. I’ve stayed there before and enjoyed it, especially being able to meet travellers from all over the world.

I found this while exploring the back lanes on our way to eat the luzhi liangfen dish. It’s this massively plump sticky rice ball stuffed with a very sweet brown sugar and rose jam combo. The best part is how it is super gooey and soft when you bite into it, and the sweet floral rose jam just gushes out as you eat it!

This is one of the most refreshing things you’ll ever put in your mouth. It’s essentially a cold rice porridge with seeds, nuts, and dried fruits. It goes along perfectly with the guantang jiaozi dumplings, so order one of each and a liangfen at the same restaurant as above.

If you love plump dumplings, juicy buns, and all the different types of dim sum and bao’s in China, you’re going to love these baozi in Xi’an. They offer a huge selection of fillings, which you can point at and try to your heart’s delight. Definitely order the pumpkin baozi, my personal favourite, AKA nangua baozi.

The zenggao is my favourite Xi’an dessert. It’s made with sticky rice, dates, and beans, and it’s super sweet and filling. You can find it all around the huiminjie district. I found one offered by a man selling it from a giant tricycle! It was super delicious!

After the biang biang mian, also known as biang biang noodles, these noodles were my favourite in Xi’an. The noodles are coated in a rich beef, carrot, cinnamon, and star anise gravy and they are all hand pulled by noodle masters in the back kitchen! This is a little outside of the Xi’an huiminjie district, but so worth coming for! The coolest part is watching the guys in the back kitchen pull the noodles. It’s a noodle heaven! They pull thousands and thousands of noodles each day and they have hundreds of bowls waiting on the counter ready to pour the hot noodles on top of! You’ll be so excited as soon as you see these!

The jinggao is another of Xi’an’s best desserts, made from sticky rice, rose jam, and some nuts. It’s very cheap for one stick, usually one or two RMB, and is found all over the huiminjie area. While I did’t find a specific spot with the best jinggao, you can find it so easily everywhere and they are all quite similar.