The five dishes to try first
Roujiamo (肉夹馍) is the one to start with: braised pork, chopped and packed into a flatbread that has been baked in a clay oven until the crust cracks. Order it 肥瘦 (fat and lean) rather than lean only — the fat is what keeps it from being dry. A good one costs 10–15 yuan and is eaten standing up.
Biangbiang noodles are wide, hand-pulled ribbons, named after the sound the dough makes when it is slapped on the counter. They come dressed with chilli oil, vinegar, garlic and usually a spoonful of hot oil poured over the top at the table. The character for "biang" is one of the most complex in Chinese and is written on every shopfront.
Yangrou paomo (羊肉泡馍) is a lamb broth with torn flatbread. You are given the bread and a bowl, and you tear it into pieces the size of a thumbnail yourself — the smaller you tear it, the better it soaks. This is a proper meal, not a snack, and it costs 30–40 yuan.
Liangpi (凉皮) is cold wheat or rice noodles in vinegar, chilli oil and sesame paste: the thing you want in July. Hulatang (胡辣汤) is the opposite — a thick, peppery breakfast soup with beef, gluten and wood ear, eaten with fried dough sticks before nine in the morning.
Where to eat it
The Muslim Quarter, centred on Beiyuanmen street behind the Drum Tower, is the obvious stop and worth one evening. It is crowded, some stalls are aimed squarely at tourists, and the good ones are identifiable by the queue of locals. Go hungry, buy small portions from several stalls, and walk the side lanes rather than the main street.
Yongxingfang, inside the old city wall on the east side, is a tidier, more curated version of the same idea: one compound, dozens of Shaanxi vendors, and reliable quality. It closes earlier than the Muslim Quarter and is a better bet at lunchtime.
For paomo, skip the tourist strip and find a shop with plastic stools and a room full of men tearing bread — there are several around Shuyuanmen and the streets south of the Bell Tower.
How to order
Most shops have a picture menu or a wall of photographs; pointing works. Two useful phrases: 不要辣 (no chilli) and 微辣 (a little). Be aware that in Xi'an, 微辣 still registers as hot to most European palates.
Xi'an's Muslim Quarter food is halal, which makes it the easiest place in the city for anyone avoiding pork. Conversely, check before ordering roujiamo — the classic version is pork, and the beef version is sold separately.