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A little preparation. A much better adventure.Independent travel advice · Made for China
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A taste of Inner Mongolia

Erdun Hand-pulled Mutton

额尔敦·手扒肉

A Mongolian restaurant group whose whole identity is shouba rou — mutton on the bone, broken at the joints and boiled in plain water, served with a knife and nothing else. This is the dish at the centre of Mongol food culture and the one most English-language guides mention without explaining how austere it actually is.

¥100–180≈ US$15Hohhot; flagship branded as the ethnic-speciality store (民族特色旗舰店), exact address not confirmed
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Why come here

A place worth making time for

A well-known Hohhot Mongolian-cuisine group specialising in hand-pulled boiled mutton, with a flagship branded as its ethnic-speciality store; no verifiable award.

The house favourites

What to order

Point at the Chinese. Staff will understand it even where the menu has no English at all.

  • Hand-pulled boiled mutton (手扒肉)
  • Mongolian milk tea (奶茶)
  • Mutton and sand-leek dumplings (沙葱羊肉饺)
  • Dried milk curd (奶豆腐)

What it actually tastes like

The mutton is boiled with literally no seasoning — no salt, no spice, no aromatics. You season it yourself from a dish of salt or leek paste. Bones stay in; you eat with your hands and a small knife. The curd is sour and chalky.

Allergens in this kitchen

dairygluten/wheatsoy

This is the kitchen, not one dish. Woks, fryers, blanching water and utensils are shared in almost every Chinese restaurant, so for a serious allergy treat the whole premises as the unit rather than ordering around it.

Get to know the menu

Local specialities to try here

Mongolian salted milk tea 蒙古奶茶Savoury, salty and tannic with a milky body - closer to a thin broth than to anything a visitor would call tea.Milk curd 奶豆腐Firm, slightly rubbery and squeaky, ranging from faintly sour to faintly sweet depending on the maker; mild but unmistakably dairy.