Xianhe Dining

Xianhelou is a time-honored restaurant in Yinchuan, near the South Gate Square. The storefront sign is quite impressive and the environment is relatively clean. I ordered a sweet and sour Yellow River carp, which was fried crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The sweet and sour taste was good, and their homemade yogurt was also quite refreshing.

A very popular restaurant near the hotel We went in at around 8pm and it was still very busy. The two of us sat at a round table. Seeing that many people were eating together at other tables, we didn't dare to order too much. The hand-pulled lamb should be delicious, but I don't like it. I must order the eight-treasure tea. I fell in love with this bowl of tea in Yinchuan. The yogurt in this restaurant is also very delicious. As for the dishes, I don't think there is anything special except the large quantity. The door is used as a weighing scale, which is very funny.

After two days of eating in Yinchuan, for lunch before leaving the city, I went to Xianhelou Restaurant, which I'd heard so much about. I always have this bad habit of saving what I think is the best for last. But this time, I was truly disappointed! After eating hand-pulled lamb for several days, I had given up hope for Xianhelou; it's not their strong suit anyway. Since I was still craving lamb, I ordered the most expensive dish, the 158 yuan roasted lamb chops, just to try! It was absolutely terrible! Roasted lamb chops are all about the quality of the ingredients and the chef's skill, and Xianhelou lacked both. The lamb was greasy and mushy, laid out on the plate without any crispy exterior or tender interior. Yesterday, I had steak at another popular barbecue restaurant for 98 yuan, which was delicious—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with carefully selected ingredients and rich seasonings. Compared to that, it was like heaven and earth. Xianhelou's roasted lamb chops also had a shoddy dressing; a thin, watery sauce clearly showed the restaurant's attitude towards the dish. I feel truly ripped off. Aside from the ambiance, there's really nothing commendable. The so-called famous Xianhelou dumplings were disappointing; a plate of dumplings had four or five broken pieces, and the filling was barely generous. 39 yuan for 20 dumplings—it's a complete waste of its name. It's a shame that a renowned old-timer restaurant operates like this! This restaurant should learn from this and reflect on its practices! Below are comparison pictures of the lamb chops. The first two are from Xianhelou (158 yuan), and the last one is from another restaurant (98 yuan). Compare them yourself!

I arrived in Ningxia around midnight last year and found that Xianhelou Restaurant was still open. [Taste] Local Ningxia specialties, the lamb and beef were delicious. [Environment] A long-established brand, very distinctive. [Service] The service was pretty good, considering how late we were eating, we were the only customers there.

I have a small appetite, but the waiters were very attentive. They gave me half a portion of the food I ate with my hands, and they served the soup, which was sold by the basin, in a bowl. I didn't order the Yellow River carp because I was too full. I'll definitely go back to eat it next time. Everything was great.