Xi'an Muslim Quarter Night Food Street
The Muslim Quarter in Xi'an — centred on Beiyuanmen Street and the lanes radiating out from the Great Mosque — is one of China's most electric street food destinations, where Hui Muslim vendors have been feeding travellers for centuries using recipes that blend Central Asian spice routes with Tang-dynasty Chinese cooking.
What to eat and where
Start with a bowl of yangrou paomo — a rich lamb and bread soup where you tear your own flatbread into a clay bowl before the kitchen ladles over slow-braised mutton broth. Lao Sun Jia restaurant on Dong Dajie has served this dish since 1898 and remains the gold standard.
Work your way along Beiyuanmen for rou jia mo (the original Chinese hamburger — braised spiced pork or lamb stuffed into a crispy flatbread), cold liangpi noodles dressed in chilli oil and black vinegar, and biangbiang noodles — wide as a belt buckle and slapped onto the bowl with theatrical flair.
Finish with a glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice — Shaanxi pomegranates are famous across China, and vendors press them to order at stalls throughout the quarter. A large cup costs around 15 CNY.
Navigating the quarter
The Muslim Quarter is walkable from Xi'an's Bell Tower in about ten minutes on foot. It is busiest and most atmospheric from around 5 pm until 10 pm, when lanterns illuminate the alleyways and the smell of cumin-scented lamb skewers drifts through the crowds.
The Great Mosque of Xi'an, tucked inside the quarter, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in China and is built entirely in Tang-dynasty Chinese architectural style — a beautiful and surprising detour from the food stalls. Entry costs 25 CNY.
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