Xian Morning Market & Food Tour
Th/Sa/Su at 9am • 3 Hours • Tuktuk + 30 minutes walking
Overview
Activity details
The Muslim quarter is full of eateries that consistently sell out before lunch, one of China’s oldest and largest markets, and sensory experiences you have to be there in person to believe. See how many times you can be surprised in 3 hours on this morning tour that covers Xian breakfast staples you won’t find anywhere else in China.
What's included
5+ safe-to-eat restaurants and street stalls, plus a bunch of surprises while strolling through Xian’s sprawling morning market.
Itinerary
Fried Beef Pancakes
Our first stop is equally incredible to watch and taste. These savory beef pancakes are seasoned with spices like fennel, cumin, and Sichuan peppercorn, and are rolled up and fried resulting in flaky croissant-like layers. Always made fresh every morning until sold out!
Hot & Sour Soup
Get a bowl of Xian’s favorite breakfast: a thick soup made with blend of tangy vinegar, spicy chili, and rich broth – then filled with meatballs and whatever root vegetables are available. Garnished with fresh cilantro, a dollop of homemade chili sauce, and some local pita bread, this is a truly local experience.
Explore the Muslim Quarter Market
Step out of our tuktuks for a 30 minute walk through one of China’s oldest and largest markets – with a guide that can speak the local dialect. Sprawling throughout the hidden backstreets of Xian’s Muslim quarter, you’ll be shocked at the amount of what you’ll find here, which is sure to surprise all of the senses.
Persimmon Cakes & Local Sweets
Persimmons are possibly Xian’s (and our!) favorite fruit. Visit an uncle who harvests his own orchard in late autumn and uses the fruit to make fried persimmon cakes that locals line up for every day. Then visit a mom ‘n pop shop that makes Muslim desserts from scratch.
Handmade Sour Dumplings
This husband and wife team have been feeding their neighbors Xian’s famous sour dumplings for decades. Filled with meat, the dumplings are characterized by their tangy broth infused with Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and chili oil. Give them a big smile and they may even let you try making some of your own!
Highlights
There's the side of Xian's Muslim quarter for tourists (you'll know it when you see it), and then there's the side that isn't.
And because the former isn’t trying to woo any repeat customers, you know the food is 1000% better at the latter. Learn about the vendors and chefs that make up this incredible community, and see why they’re a vibrant part of continuing a legacy of culture in Xian that has stood the test of time.
On this tour, you’ll dive deep into the backstreets of Xian’s Muslim quarter (covering 2+ square km!), visit the local vendors that serve their neighbors, and visit one of China’s oldest markets that sprawl throughout this area every week.
Additional information
Special requirements
This tour can accommodate travelers with dairy-free, no-spicy, and no-nut dietary needs. However, we are unable to accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets.
FAQs
What if I have special dietary requests?
All dietary requests must be communicated at the time of booking. When booking online, you will have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or special requests. Please use the following information to understand if this tour is right for you.
This tour is not recommended for vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free travelers. Our eateries are small, family run, and very specialized, so we do our best but on this tour there just aren’t a lot of substitutes. Travelers that don’t eat meat simply won’t have items to eat at some stops. For vegetarian diets, we recommend you check out our Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai tours as they will have more options for you.
This tour cannot accommodate gluten-free travelers. Wheat products are featured at every stop, in sauces like soy sauce and in tour highlights like noodles and doughs. There are no substitutes or alternatives available.
All restaurants on this tour are halal and features a lot of mutton and beef.
This tour also cannot accommodate severe allergies as we do not have control over the preparation for your food. Travelers that don’t eat nuts are welcome, but kitchens do use nuts and cross-contamination is possible.
If you have any questions not answered here, please contact us prior to booking.
How much food and drink will I get?
We are not a tasting tour, we provide much more than a full meal’s worth of food so we recommend you come prepared to eat.
It is our professional recommendation to come hungry, and pace yourselves. There’s a bunch of dishes to try, so please pace yourselves because you are going to want to try everything we have.
Will I need to walk very far?
This tour is serviced by tuk-tuk, but we will get out and walk through Xian’s morning market for about 30 minutes.
What happens if it rains or the weather is hot or cold?
All of our tours are rain-or-shine, so we suggest you dress for the weather. If rain is possible, an umbrella, along with shoes that can get wet, is a good idea. In rare cases of extreme weather, your guide will cancel the tour and provide a full refund. During times of extreme air pollution (AQI over 400) our tours will run but refunds will be provided if you are unable to join due to health concerns.
Should I sign up for multiple Lost Plate Tours? Are they all different?
We have many happy customers who do more than one of our tours in Beijing and across China! We have designed our tours to focus only on food from each city. This means that each dish, story, and vibe is unique to each tour and there aren’t any repeats.
Most people are very surprised how much the cuisine changes as they travel throughout China, and our tours are a good way to discover those differences. We encourage you to pick the tours that best fit your itinerary and we offer a 10% discount if booking more than one tour.
Cancellations
Bookings cancelled 24 hours or more before your tour begins are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings cancelled less than 24 hours before your tour begins are not refundable. Rescheduling requests made less than 24 hours before your tour begins will be charged an additional 50% of your previous total.