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A taste of Xi'an

Lao Sun Jia (Dongguan branch)

老孙家饭庄（东关店）

A paomo house trading since 1898 and the single most famous name attached to Xi'an's mutton-and-bread soup. The Dongguan branch sits on three floors away from the Muslim Quarter crush, so it is calmer than the tourist-facing outlets near the Drum Tower. The house broth is deliberately peppercorn-forward, pale gold rather than muddy, and the kitchen will push you towards the premium grade.

¥40–70 per person≈ US$5.96local institution (China Time-honoured Brand)Beilin, Dongguan Zhengjie. Ctrip's listing places it a four-minute walk from Changlemen station exit C2 on Metro Line 6.
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Why come here

A place worth making time for

Its mutton paomo technique was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2021 (fifth batch), under Xi'an Catering Group, per the government ICH register.

The house favourites

What to order

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

  • Mutton paomo, premium grade (优质羊肉泡馍)
  • Cured beef in a flatbread (腊牛肉夹馍)
  • Lamb flash-fried with spring onion (葱爆羊肉)
  • Sour-soup dumplings (酸汤水饺)
  • Sesame cold rice cake (芝麻凉糕)

What it actually tastes like

The broth leads with Sichuan peppercorn and whole spices that are left in the bowl, and mutton fat gives a distinct barnyard note some diners find strong. Bones are left in on the lamb plates. The whole dish is wheat gluten and fat with almost no vegetable.

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

Meat in a bun 肉夹馍Savoury, lightly spiced with star anise and cassia, juicy and faintly fatty; not spicy by defaultLamb or beef stew with torn bread 羊肉泡馍Deeply savoury, mutton-rich, thickened by the bread; eaten with pickled sweet garlic and chilli pasteSour soup dumplings 酸汤水饺Sharply sour, mildly spicy, light