[2025 Xi'an Restaurant] Travel Guide for Xi an Jiasan Stuffed With Juicy Pork Baoziguan (Updated Oct)

You think Xi'an is only about the Terracotta Warriors and Muslim Quarter? Then you’re missing out on so much! 💕 This old Shaanxi local has been around for 20 years and personally tested this super comprehensive 5-day, 4-night itinerary for only 7,600 yuan 💰 Quickly save this most authentic "History + Mountains & Rivers + Local Life + Tang Dynasty" quartet guide to Xi'an! 🚩 Daily itinerary overview: 【Day 1】Arrival → Ming City Wall cycling + Muslim Quarter night market 📍 Ming City Wall address: No. 2 South Street, Beilin District 🕒 Opening hours: 8:00-22:00 Must-capture: The stunning sunset view at the South Gate city wall 🌇 【Day 2】In-depth Terracotta Warriors tour + Huaqing Palace 📍 Terracotta Warriors address: Qinling North Road, Lintong District 💰 Ticket: 120 yuan 🏯 Huaqing Palace address: No. 38 Huaqing Road, Lintong District 🌟 Must-see: "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow" performance (268 yuan) 【Day 3】Mount Hua or cultural day trip 📍 Mount Hua Scenic Area address: South section of Yuquan Road, Huayin City ⏳ Recommended duration: 6-7 hours 🚆 High-speed train 30 minutes direct, super convenient 【Day 4】Shaanxi History Museum + Big Wild Goose Pagoda + Tang Paradise Night Market 🏛️ Shaanxi History Museum address: No. 91 Xiaozhai East Road, Yanta District 📸 Best photo spot for Big Wild Goose Pagoda: 4th floor terrace of Joy City 🌃 Tang Paradise Night Market is stunning at night! Don’t miss the roly-poly doll girl show 【Day 5】Free activities + return trip 💯 Recommended options: ❶ Gao Family Courtyard Shadow Puppet Show (inside Muslim Quarter) ❷ SEG Shopping Mall (Asia’s longest escalator, super impressive) 🔥 Here comes the key part! Detailed expense list: 1️⃣ Accommodation: 600 yuan/night × 4 nights = 2400 2️⃣ Food: 100 yuan/day × 5.5 days = 550 3️⃣ Transportation: High-speed train + subway = 310 4️⃣ Tickets: 789 (including Mount Hua cable car) 5️⃣ Shows + souvenirs: 768 optional 💕 Total cost: 7,585 yuan (under 8,000!) 💡 10 local insider tips: 1. Definitely hire a guide at the Terracotta Warriors! Otherwise, it’s just looking at dirt pits 2. The most authentic food in Muslim Quarter is in the small alleys 3. Cycling on the city wall is most beautiful at sunset 🌆 4. For Mount Hua, it’s best to ascend from the west and descend from the north to save energy 5. Booking the Shaanxi History Museum requires quick fingers 6. Tang Paradise shows start after 7 PM 7. Authentic roujiamo (meat sandwich) is pure meat with no green peppers 8. Staying near the South Gate is convenient for everywhere 9. Bring a pair of comfortable shoes! Xi'an is a city for walking 10. Prepare a power bank—you won’t want to stop taking photos Ladies wanting to shoot Hanfu photos, take note 🎀 Here are three reliable Hanfu shops recommended: 1️⃣ Qingqushe (near Big Wild Goose Pagoda) 2️⃣ Momei Hanfu (Bell Tower shopping area) 3️⃣ Sheng Tang Impression (inside Tang Paradise Night Market) 🍜 Finally, here’s the must-eat list: 1. Lao Mi’s Paomo (breaking the bread is a skill) 2. Jia San Soup Dumplings (super fresh broth) 3. Chang’an Dapai Dang (famous brush pen pastry) 4. Zichang Jianbing (a must-eat at Yongxingfang) 5. Biangbiang noodles (bowl bigger than your face) Quickly save this! This is the most authentic way to experience Xi'an!

An old city with a traditional yet modern feel, a Chinese historical site.

The Xi'an Muslim Quarter is a famous food and cultural district in Xi'an. It represents the mutual influence and integration of multiple ethnic cultures while preserving traces of ancient East-West trade exchanges. The mosques in the district highlight the inclusiveness of multi-ethnic religions, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists year-round and earning widespread affection. *Composition of the Muslim Quarter: Located near the Bell and Drum Towers in downtown Xi'an, the Muslim Quarter is a collective term for the Hui ethnic community, locally referred to as "Fangshang." It consists of multiple streets, including Beiyuanmen, Beiguangji Street, Xiyangshi, Dapiyuan, Huajue Lane, and Sajinqiao. The streets are lined with Ming- and Qing-style architecture, exuding a strong Islamic ambiance. *Historical and Cultural Background: The history of the Muslim Quarter dates back to the late Northern Song and early Southern Song dynasties when the northwestern part of Xi'an became a Hui settlement. From the Yuan Dynasty onward, the Muslim community centered around the Hui Quarter gradually developed. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the areas around West Street and Beiyuanmen had become traditional commercial hubs for the Hui people. Today, Beiyuanmen Street has undergone several renovations, with asphalt roads and brick sidewalks replaced by bluestone paving, and buildings reconstructed in two-story Ming- and Qing-style architecture, forming a retro cultural tourism street. As it is a residential area for the Hui community, it is named the "Muslim Quarter." *Religious Features: The district houses 10 mosques of varying ages and sizes, the most famous being the Great Mosque in Huajue Lane, reportedly built during the Tang Dynasty's Tianbao era. It is one of China's most well-preserved and distinctive Chinese-style mosques. Around 60,000 Hui Muslims live near the mosques, maintaining their religious traditions and lifestyle. *Recommended Popular Snacks: The Xi'an Muslim Quarter is renowned for its food culture, offering the most concentrated selection of Xi'an's specialty snacks. The delicacies here are not only uniquely flavorful but also affordable, loved by both tourists and locals alike. 1. Yangrou Paomo (Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup): A traditional Xi'an dish, most famous for its beef and lamb versions. Meticulously prepared, the tender meat and rich broth are nutritious and aromatic, leaving a lasting aftertaste. 2. Xiaochao Paomo (Stir-Fried Pita Bread): A Hui-style dish similar to Yangrou Paomo but prepared differently. While the latter is boiled, Xiaochao is stir-fried with additional ingredients like daylily, wood ear mushrooms, greens, dried tofu, and eggs, along with diced beef, chili oil, and vinegar. It combines the richness of Paomo with a tangy and spicy kick. 3. Jingao (Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake): A historic Xi'an snack with a soft, delicate texture, made from glutinous rice, kidney beans, and red dates. The bottom layer absorbs the color of the dates, turning a vibrant red, topped with brown kidney beans, dark red date paste, and green raisins, making it visually appealing. 4. Majiang Liangpi (Cold Noodles with Sesame Paste): A Shaanxi specialty with a history dating back to the Qin Dynasty. The chewy noodles are served with a rich sesame paste sauce, offering a refreshing and nutritious taste. This Hui-style version is particularly popular in the Muslim Quarter. 5. La Niu Yangrou (Cured Beef and Lamb): A famous Xi'an snack, meticulously prepared with select ingredients and proper cooking techniques. The cured meat is reddish, tender, and flavorful. 6. Dingjia Xiaosurou (Ding Family Crispy Meat): A 20-year-old Xi'an favorite, served in small yellow bowls with golden oil on top. The crispy meat is coated in a thin layer of flour, tender and fragrant. Paired with rice, chili oil, and sesame seeds, it’s savory but not spicy. 7. Jiasan Guantangbao (Jia San Soup Dumplings): Made with fine flour dough and rib meat filling, mixed with marrow broth and over a dozen premium seasonings. The dumplings are delicate, thin-skinned, and filled with rich, non-greasy broth. 8. Rouwan Hulatang (Meatball Pepper Soup): A Hui specialty and a popular breakfast in Xi'an. Unlike versions elsewhere, this soup is thickened and includes beef meatballs, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, wood ear mushrooms, daylilies, and winter melon, all simmered in beef and lamb bone broth. 9. Desserts: Include Huanainai Sour Plum Juice (a must-buy in the Muslim Quarter), Zhiliang Steamed Soup Dumplings (locally certified as the best), Babao Zhou (Eight-Treasure Porridge, a Xi'an must-try), and Majiguang Rose Rice Cakes (featuring rose-flavored cakes and red bean rolls).

Jia San Soup Dumpling Restaurant is one of the must-visit places when we come to Xi'an. As soon as the dumplings are served, you can see each one filled with delicious soup, making your mouth water just by looking at them. However, there's a small downside when you actually taste them—the dumplings break too easily! 😭 If you're not careful enough or move too quickly, the soup will spill out, wasting the essence of the flavor, which is quite a pity. Besides the soup dumplings, we also ordered the lamb offal soup, but the strong mutton flavor was overwhelming and hard to get used to. I gave up after two sips, as I really couldn't handle it 😩. In contrast, the hawthorn and plum soup was excellent—sweet and sour, very refreshing, and highly recommended to balance out the greasiness.