Xi’an’s Goat Noodles

Article By Brian Bergey

We have no idea why goat noodles aren’t more popular. It’s certainly not hard to find this “heaty” meat grilled on sticks or stewed with self-torn pita bread, but noodles are typically piled high with pork or beef. Our search for the best local food in Xi’an took us south of the city wall this month to Wángèr Yáng Ròu Miàn Guǎn (王二羊肉面馆), a shop specializing in hand-made noodles served in a rich broth with generous portions of goat meat.

Before we get any further, let’s settle the sheep vs. goat debate. Yángròucan go either way, but this shop uses real genuine goats. So don’t make any assumptions after noticing their giant signboard covered in multiple species of Yang. After speaking with the owners, we confirmed that they do serve goat and only source the meat from their hometown in the north part of Shaanxi.

So many of the noodle dishes in town are very similar, using different shapes and sizes of noodles with the same toppings. This noodle dish will blow all of those out of the water. They’re super simple: fresh hand-pulled noodles, a seasoned and slightly spicy meat broth, and large chunks of boneless goat meat. They don’t skimp on their meat, but we recommend ordering an extra portion of meat chunks because they’re just that good.

The goodness doesn’t stop there.They also serve a unique (and spicy!) fried potato noodle with called yáng yù cā cā (洋芋擦擦). Think potato dumplings in soup, but instead fried with lots of chili and goat meat. Finally for those of you who are a bit adventurous, their juicy goat feet (yángtí, 羊蹄) are more delicious than they sound.

What You Need to Know:

Location: From the southwest corner of the city wall, head south on Taibai North Road for one city block, and then head west on Daxue South Road. After one block, the road will end and the shop will be on the west side of the road across the street. The signboard has a lot of Yang on it.

Cost: 15RMB for a bowl of noodles, 10RMB for extra meat.

Hours: 11:00am-9:00pm

Brian is from the US and has lived all over the world finding good food and adventure everywhere he lives. In Xi’an he works for an American software company and co-owns Lost Plate Food Tours, a tour company aimed at introducing foreigners to the best local food in the city. To find out more about their tours, check out www.lostplate.com or email info@lostplate.com