Explore 13 iconic Shaanxi street snacks — from crispy flatbreads to hearty soups and delicate pastries
From savory stuffed flatbreads to sweet steamed cakes
The "Chinese hamburger" — crispy baked flatbread (baiji mo) stuffed with slow-braised pork belly (la zhi rou) chopped and moistened with rich broth. Melt-in-mouth tender meat meets crackling crust in Xi'an's most iconic grab-and-go snack.
1. Pork belly, slow-braised in spice broth
2. Baiji mo (crispy flatbread)
3. Star anise, cinnamon, fennel
4. Green peppers (optional)
5. Meat broth for moistening
1.秦豫肉夹馍 Qin Yu Roujiamo
2.子午路张记 Ziwulu Zhang Ji
3.樊家肉夹馍 Fan Jia Roujiamo
A golden, pan-fried half-moon pastry stuffed with vermicelli, egg, and seasonal greens. The dough is crispy outside, tender inside, and the vegetable filling stays juicy and savory. A beloved Xi'an breakfast or afternoon snack, especially popular in spring.
1. Wheat flour dough
2. Chinese chives or leeks
3. Glass noodles and egg
4. Five-spice and sesame oil
5. Pan-fried until golden
1.老马家菜盒 Lao Ma Jia Caihe
2.东新街小吃 Dongxin Jie Xiaochi
3.洒金桥菜盒 Sajinqiao Caihe
Warming, nourishing bowls from Xi'an's morning markets and night stalls
Xi'an's most famous dish, where diners tear flatbread (mo) into small pieces that are then simmered in a rich, slow-cooked mutton broth with vermicelli and tender lamb. Served with pickled garlic and sweet chili sauce, it's a deeply satisfying, ritualistic meal experience unique to Xi'an.
1. Flatbread (mo), torn by hand
2. Mutton bone broth, simmered 12+ hours
3. Tender sliced lamb
4. Glass noodles and wood ear
5. Pickled garlic and chili sauce
1.老孙家饭庄 Lao Sun Jia
2.同盛祥 Tong Sheng Xiang
3.西羊市老米家 Xiyangshi Lao Mi Jia
Xi'an's quintessential breakfast soup — a thick, peppery broth loaded with handmade beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, and seasonal vegetables. Its signature numbing heat comes from Sichuan peppercorn and heavy white pepper. Eaten with a torn piece of mo (flatbread) to soak up the rich broth.
1. Handmade beef meatballs
2. Potatoes, carrots, cabbage
3. Sichuan peppercorn and white pepper
4. Wheat starch for thickening
5. Served with flatbread (mo)
1.老刘家胡辣汤 Lao Liu Jia Hulatang
2.马老虎胡辣汤 Ma Laohu Hulatang
3.方团结胡辣汤 Fang Tuanjie Hulatang
A bold, hearty soup featuring silken sheep blood curd simmered in a numbing-spicy Sichuan peppercorn broth with vermicelli and tofu. The blood curd is silky and tender, absorbing the rich, peppery broth. A beloved working-class dish that's both nourishing and intensely flavorful.
1. Sheep blood curd, sliced
2. Vermicelli and soft tofu
3. Sichuan peppercorn and dried chili
4. Star anise and aromatic spices
5. Cilantro and garlic
1.老刘家粉汤羊血 Lao Liu Jia
2.西羊市老米家 Xiyangshi Lao Mi Jia
3.回民街老马家 Huiminjie Lao Ma Jia
A crystal-clear, slow-simmered mutton broth served in a large basin with thinly sliced tender lamb, vermicelli, and wood ear. Lighter and more refined than yangrou paomo, the broth is the star — pure, aromatic, and deeply restorative. Eaten with mo torn into the broth or on the side.
1. Mutton bones, slow-simmered 8+ hours
2. Tender sliced lamb
3. Glass vermicelli and wood ear
4. Star anise, fennel, cinnamon
5. Served with mo flatbread and chili
1.老白家水盆羊肉 Lao Bai Jia
2.老乌家 Lao Wu Jia
3.坊上水盆羊肉 Fangshang Shuipen
Savory snacks cooked to crispy, golden perfection
Tender pork ribs or belly coated in spiced rice flour and steamed until the meat falls off the bone. The rice coating absorbs the rich meat juices, creating a soft, fragrant crust. Often layered with sweet potato or pumpkin at the bottom for a touch of sweetness.
1. Pork belly or ribs
2. Roasted rice flour with spices
3. Doubanjiang (fermented bean paste)
4. Sweet potato or pumpkin
5. Star anise, ginger, soy sauce
1.老陈家粉蒸肉 Lao Chen Jia
2.回民街老铁家 Huiminjie Lao Tie Jia
3.马家粉蒸肉 Ma Jia Fenzhengrou
A classic Xi'an breakfast staple — crispy fried mahua (braided dough twists) soaked in a rich, savory fried flour soup (youcha) made from roasted wheat flour, sesame, peanuts, and walnuts. The mahua softens slightly in the warm soup, creating a satisfying contrast of crunchy and silky textures. Nourishing, warming, and deeply comforting — it's the go-to morning meal for locals.
1. Wheat flour, dry-roasted and fried
2. Fried mahua (braided dough twists)
3. Sesame seeds, peanuts, walnuts
4. Salt and five-spice
5. Served hot in a bowl
Best enjoyed as a traditional Xi'an breakfast — locals have it piping hot at morning markets before 10 AM, often paired with a freshly fried mahua on the side.
1.老马家油茶麻花 Lao Ma Jia Youcha Mahua
2.大皮院小吃 Dapiyuan Xiaochi
3.洒金桥早市 Sajinqiao Zaoshi
Long, crescent-shaped pork dumplings pan-fried until the bottoms are deep golden and crackling, while the tops stay soft and steamed. Biting in reveals a burst of juicy pork filling. Served in rows of 5-6 with vinegar and chili oil, they're a beloved Xi'an comfort food.
1. Wheat flour wrapper
2. Minced pork with Napa cabbage
3. Ginger, scallion, soy sauce
4. Sesame oil and white pepper
5. Pan-fried with flour-water slurry
A versatile Xi'an favorite — equally beloved as a morning pick-me-up or a late-night snack. Night stalls near Huimin Jie serve them fresh off the pan until the early hours.
1.海荣锅贴 Hairong Guotie
2.老刘家锅贴 Lao Liu Jia Guotie
3.大华锅贴 Daha Guotie
A rustic Guanzhong countryside dish made by vigorously stirring cornmeal or buckwheat flour in boiling water until thick and smooth. Served hot with a sour-spicy garlic-chili sauce or cooled and sliced with a tangy vinaigrette. Simple, hearty, and deeply comforting peasant food.
1. Cornmeal or buckwheat flour
2. Boiling water, stirred continuously
3. Garlic chili sauce
4. Vinegar and sesame oil
5. Pickled vegetables
Traditionally a countryside breakfast in Guanzhong — hearty and warming, best eaten fresh and hot in the morning, with a tangy garlic-chili sauce to start the day.
1.关中搅团王 Guanzhong Jiaotuan Wang
2.陕北农家院 Shanbei Nongjia Yuan
3.乡下搅团 Xiangxia Jiaotuan
A delicate, layered steamed pastry that unfurls like golden silk threads when lifted with chopsticks. Made from paper-thin dough sheets brushed with sesame oil and rolled, stacked, and steamed, it's airy, fragrant, and melt-in-mouth. Served with sweet or savory dips, it's a Tang Dynasty delicacy.
1. Fine wheat flour dough, paper-thin
2. Sesame oil and lard
3. Salt or sugar for seasoning
4. Steamed in layered towers
5. Served with plum sauce or chili
A Tang Dynasty delicacy often enjoyed as a refined breakfast or tea-time treat — best when freshly steamed in the morning, when the layers unfurl like silk threads.
1.西安饭庄 Xi'an Fanzhuang
2.老孙家 Lao Sun Jia
3.春发生 Chunfasheng
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