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Dining In Lanzhou

The staple food of Gansu, as with most of western China outside of Tibet, is often Muslim influenced, so that meat dishes are generally of mutton and beef, rather than pork and chicken, varieties. Lanzhou dishes are representative of Gansu cuisine which features the roasting, steaming, and braising of beef and mutton. Lanzhou people enjoy many tastes including salty, fresh, tart, and spicy. Muslim restaurants and food stalls are to be found on nearly every street. The most common of these dishes would have to be the cheap and easy to make. Beef Noodle and restaurants (Lanzhou Lamian Guan) serving this soupy delight is plentiful. Also popular, especially for breakfast is the slightly sweet Beef-Stuffed Cake that is a favored breakfast dish. A slightly more interesting and hearty, Muslim delight is the Roast Whole Lamb.
 
For Lanzhou specialty-dishes, we recommend that tourists try them in the Chinese restaurants of the classic hotels because of their professional cooking style. 
 
Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Stretched Noodles)
Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Stretched Noodles) is the most famous local dish in Lanzhou. It was first created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875 - 1908), Qing Dynasty (1616 - 1911) and it is now popular all over China. This dish has five main features: clear soup, white radish, red pepper, green caraway and yellow noodles. The noodles can be wide or slim to meet different preferences. Boys like er xi (a little wider) while girls like slim ones, the middle-aged and the old like jiuyezi (leek leaf) and maoxi (slimmer) and scholars prefer slim and jiuyezi. Farmers, soldiers and workers prefer wide or even wider. If a girl or an old man asks for wider noodles or a boy asks for maoxi noodles, it would be rather strange. The noodles have gone beyond food to become a culture.
 
Most of the popular beef noodles restaurants in Lanzhou are crowded every day, and you may have to stand in line for the noodles. Only 20 Yuan will satisfy your hunger in such restaurants. Ma Zilu Beef Noodles Restaurant is usually closed at 2:00 pm. So we suggest that take beef noodles as lunch.
 
Niang Pi Zi
Niang pi zi cannot be missed among the local delicacies. Flour paste is steamed for 3 - 4 minutes, then cut into strips and served with mustard, garlic, sesame butter, chili oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. This is a favorite among the locals and many of the tourists.
 
As many Hui people live in Lanzhou, barbequed mutton, boiled mutton, and lamb with wide vermicelli are local delicacies among the various ethnic groups.
 
Do not forget pie with preserved ham, casserole, and fried field snails, which are good choices for you to enjoy either alone or with friends.
 
Fried Sheep Tail is actually made up of egg, bean paste, and starch. It is crispy with a golden top.
 
Tea drinking has long been a custom among the locals in Lanzhou, and sanpaotai is the most famous tea drink. Sanpaotai is made up of spring tea, longan, date, apricot, preserved fruits, wolfberry, walnut, sesame, dried raisins, etc. The tea is put into a unique tea bowl with a cover. The first time you taste it, you will enjoy the fragrance of the tea, the second time, the sweetness of the sugar, and on the third occasion you will notice the sweet taste of longan. It is not uncommon to linger over a bowl of tea for 5 to 6 hours.
 
Hui Dou Zi (Gray Bean) and Tian Pei Zi(Sweet Wine) are not seen in other parts of China except in Lanzhou. Boiled red bean and steamed barley are mixed with sweet wine for fermentation. This sweet, nutritious drink is good to have in hot weather.
 
As for fresh fruits, Bailan melon is the most widely known. Travelers should try this mellow and sweet fruit at least once. Peaches, Yellow River honeydew melons, and dongguo pears are all popular as well.
 
Best Recommendation:
 
Dexiang Building
The mutton hotpot is a highlight, and the fried dishes are okay. Other recommended dishes are instant-boiled mutton (涮羊肉), roasted gigot (烤羊腿), mutton eaten with hands (手抓羊肉) and sheep neck (羊脖子).
 
Chinese name: 德祥楼 Dexiang Lou /der-sshyung loh/
Average price per person: 66 yuan
Address: 701 Donggang West Road, Chengguan District (城关区东岗西路701号)
Tel: 0931-8854 688, 8854 988
 
Eight Kilometers Restaurant
the position is a little bit out-of-the-way, it never influences Eight Kilometers’ popularity. The dishes there are so delicious that the restaurant attracts numerous customers to drive there to have dinners. Lamb (羊羔肉), roasted mutton chops (烤羊排), braised mutton (黄焖羊肉), roasted buns (烤包子) and Dongxiang potato slices (东乡土豆片) are highly recommended by customers having been there.
 
Chinese name: 八公里 Ba Gongli /bar gong-lee/
Average price per person: 48 yuan
Tel: 0931-8380 026
 
Ma Da Huzi
Even though the decoration is too simple, it is still very popular in the area. Lamb (羊羔肉) should be the most famous dish there, with tender taste. Other recommended dishes are braised mutton (黄焖羊肉), potato slices (土豆片), mutton eaten with hands (手抓羊肉) and sheep neck (羊脖子).
 
Chinese name: 马大胡子 Ma Da Huzi /ma daa hu-jee/
Average price per person: 47 yuan
Address: 188 Binhe West Road, Qilihe District (七里河区滨河西路188号)
Tel: 0931-2584 556
 
Caigeng Xiang Grand Hotel
The restaurant mainly serves Zhejiang cuisine, some spicy Sichuan dishes and some local snacks. The service and dining environment is good. Sweet and sour fillet (糖醋里脊) should be the most popular dish. Sizzling mutton (铁板葱烤羊肉), sweet lotus roots (糖藕) and bean jelly (凉粉) are recommended by some customers having been there.
 
Chinese name: 菜根香大酒店 Caigen Xiang Da Jiudian /tseye-gen sshyung daa jyo-dyen/
Average price per person: 60 yuan
Address: 71 Jiuquan Road, Chengguan District 
Tel: 0931-8429 035, 8427 979
 
Kongliang Hotpot
It should be the most popular hot pot restaurant in Lanzhou. There are several kinds of hot pot for customers’ choices, such as hot and spicy beef tallow hot pot (牛油火锅) and light mushroom hot pot (菌汤锅). Popular ingredients for hot pot are wide rice noodles (宽粉), meatballs (肉丸), bovine stomach (毛肚), skin of tofu (油豆皮), tender beef (嫩牛肉) and eel (鳝鱼).
 
Chinese name: 孔亮火锅 Kongliang Huoguo /kong-lyung hwor-gwor/
Average price per person: 40 yuan
Opening hours: 10:30am–9:30pm
Address: 179 Nongmin Lane, Chengguan District 
Tel: 0931-8803 082
 
Minuo Pizza
Pizza and salad with minced potato are recommended food there.
Roasted wings (烤鸡翅) and roasted corns (烤玉米) are recommended food there.
 
Chinese name: 米诺比萨 Minuo Bisa /mee-nwor bee-saa/
Average price per person: 45 yuan
Address: 401 Wudu Road, Chengguan District 
Tel: 0931-8406 398
Another weatern restaurant in Lanzhou.
 
Muslim Restaurants
Lanzhou has plenty of Muslim restaurants. We at China Highlights has listed some of the best ones, and you can check out more top Muslim restaurants in Lanzhou.
 
Vegetarian Restaurants
There are plenty of vegetarian restauratns in Lanzhou. We at China Highlights has listed some of the best ones, and you can check out more top vegetarian restaurants in Lanzhou.
 
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