Xi'an Food Guide: I Still Dream About That Xiaochao Paomo

Premium roujiamo that's absolutely incredible. The white bun (白馍) is crispy with a toasty wheat aroma; the braised meat (腊汁肉) is meltingly tender and juicy. Your first bite in Xi'an HAS to be this.

The 生汆丸子汤 (fresh meatball soup) is generous with toppings, peppery broth — solid side dish.

Ordered both 水盆羊肉 (lamb in broth) and 睁眼辣子蘸羊肉 (lamb dipped in fresh-poured chilli oil). Same lamb, different experience. The broth is beautifully clean and flavourful. The chilli oil is poured fresh on the spot — the best chilli of the entire trip.

Famous Xi'an French pastry shop. Tried the lemon tart (layered but not sour enough, gets cloying), black truffle Basque cheesecake (paired with truffle ice cream and sour cream — this one was good, pure truffle flavour), and "Corn Corn" (too complex, each element mediocre alone and stranger combined — pepper + char bitterness instead of sweet corn. Not recommended).

Crispy, oil-fragrant flatbread stuffed with smoked meat, brushed with sweet bean paste, topped with scallion shreds to cut the richness. Like a Northwestern version of Peking duck wrap. Pop one in your mouth — instant satisfaction.

Ordered the double cheese beef burger — thick patty, incredibly juicy, and the bun is soft with a lovely milky aroma. Genuinely excellent. The potato wedges are great too. Recommended!

Chose 油泼辣子 (chilli oil), 桂花醪糟 (osmanthus rice wine), and 芭乐 (guava). Never in my life did I expect to be BURNED by ice cream — the chilli one is seriously spicy, hits the back of your throat! 🥵 Osmanthus and guava are refreshingly sweet. The 虎符饼干 (tiger talisman cookie) is delicious!

A street-side belt noodle shop inside the Bell Tower neighbourhood. Ordered 三合一 (triple combo) — hand-pulled noodles with good chew, tasty meat sauce, decent overall but lacks wok-heat (锅气). Mainly relies on chilli oil for flavour. Not worth a special trip, but the jasmine soy milk (茉莉豆浆) across the street is quite good.

Soft braised beef brisket, savoury overall. Neither amazing nor bad — solid, no complaints. A reliable meal.

Recommended by a friend — packed with locals, bustling business. Generous portions. But the cold red-oil noodles are an acquired taste — non-locals might struggle. Their roujiamo looks super meaty though. Worth trying if you're in the area.