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A taste of Xi'an

Jia San Soup Dumplings (Beiyuanmen main shop)

西安贾三灌汤包（北院门总店）

The best-known halal soup-dumpling house in the Muslim Quarter, on Beiyuanmen a few doors from the Drum Tower. Thin-skinned steamed buns filled with lamb or beef and a set broth that liquefies in the steamer. It is unapologetically on the tourist drag and the upstairs rooms can feel like a canteen, but the dumplings themselves are the real article.

¥30–50 per person≈ US$4.47Lianhu, Beiyuanmen no. 93 in the Muslim Quarter, just north of the Drum Tower. Ctrip lists hours of roughly 08:30-22:30.
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Why come here

A place worth making time for

No verifiable guide award. Known as the Muslim Quarter's benchmark halal soup-dumpling house, with thin-skin lamb and beef guantang baozi.

The house favourites

What to order

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

  • Lamb soup dumplings (羊肉灌汤包)
  • Three-delight soup dumplings (三鲜灌汤包)
  • Eight-treasure sweet rice (八宝粥)
  • Grilled lamb skewers (烤羊肉串)
  • Cold wheat noodles (凉皮)

What it actually tastes like

Lamb fat in the broth gives a pronounced mutton note that pork-dumpling eaters will not expect. The skewers are heavy with cumin and chilli. Nothing here is subtle.

Allergens in this kitchen

gluten/wheatsesamesoyegg

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

Cold skin noodles 凉皮Sour, garlicky, cool and chilli-fragrant rather than burning hotSoup-filled buns 灌汤包Savoury and lightly spiced, with a strong beef or mutton character