01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Xi'an.
No tours listed for Xi'an yet — check back soon.
Hand pulled biang biang noodles, roujiamo lamb burgers, Persian cumin spice, Shaanxi black vinegar. Xi'an still cooks along the old Silk Road.
04 The pantry
- Cumin, brought along the Silk Road and used generously with lamb
- Hand-pulled noodles, wheat dough stretched for biang biang
- Black vinegar, sharp Shaanxi vinegar for the dipping bowl
- Chinese leek, fragrant greens folded into lamb dumplings
- Chilli oil, sizzled over fresh chilli flake for the aromatic finish
05 In the kitchen
- Stretching biang biang mian noodles by hand for wide belt strips
- Grilling yang rou chuan'r lamb skewers over long charcoal troughs
- Baking bing flatbreads in tandoor-style clay ovens
- Simmering yang rou pao mo lamb broth to be crumbled with bread
- Rolling roujiamo lamb burgers in split baked buns
06 Eat this first
- Biang biang mian, wide belt noodles under chilli oil and vinegar
- Roujiamo, cumin-spiced lamb stuffed into a crisp flatbread bun
- Yang rou pao mo, lamb soup poured over hand-crumbled flatbread
- Liang pi, cold wheat-skin noodles with sesame paste and chilli
- Yang rou chuan'r, cumin-dusted lamb skewers grilled over charcoal
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Xi'an.
Weather
Continental — hot, dusty summers (35°C-plus) and cold, dry winters (near freezing). Spring and autumn are the best months for the city walls and warriors.
Currency
The Chinese yuan (CNY); WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate — cards rarely used at street level. Set up mobile payment before you land.
Language
Mandarin Chinese is universal; the local Xi'an dialect is heard on the streets. English coverage is thin outside tour hotels; translation apps essential.
Etiquette
Modest dress in the Muslim Quarter and in mosques — cover shoulders and knees. Bargain gently in the market stalls; walk the ancient city walls at sunrise for the atmosphere.
Getting around
The metro is fast, cheap, and covers the main sights; bike-share (Meituan) is huge and the walled centre is flat. Didi is the ride app of choice.
Prayer
Officially secular. The Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarter is one of the oldest and most beautiful in China; five calls to prayer here mark the day quietly.