Article By Sasha and Giulia
#9 Yannan 1 Lu, Man Di Guang Chang Xi Ce
雁南一路9号曼蒂广场西侧
(029) 8955 7872
10:00am – MidnightAverage Price
per Person
/人均消费:120-160RMBPros: It was a great meal
Cons: Might seem a little pricy
Giulia and Sasha are two fancy girls who manage to live champagne lives on a beer budget. They can be reached at reviews@xianease.com
We felt pretty lucky to be chosen to review Xian Brewery, a new joint project from Near Wall Bar and Leban. The two companies have made a name for themselves with delicious craft beer and western food, respectively, and we were excited to see what new things they had in store.
Xian Brewery has quite a different vibe than either of its parts. Located in Qujiang at Mandi shopping plaza, just south of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, it has two floors with entrances from both outside and inside the shopping mall. When we arrived, we were hypnotized by the shiny new equipment in the first floor brewery. They told us that when it becomes operational it’s going to produce more than 16000 liters of at least 12 kinds of beer per month, including some old hits from the Near Wall bar and some new experimental beers.
The bar and restaurant on the second floor is a dark but spacious room with minimalistic wooden décor. You will be greeted by a big, inviting bar with a bunch of taps, a stage that will host some musical entertainment and a big wall window that offers a view of the plaza outside (which has a skate park, some weirdly shaped and shiny go-karts and a carousel that you and your drunk friends can ride on).
We sat down, ordered a couple of beer cocktails and studied the menu. It was the first time for us both to try a beer cocktail; the Citra IPA Negroni was a refreshing variation on the original and the Blueberry Classic Wit Mojito all that you would need on a hot afternoon. There is so much deliciousness in the menu that it was hard for us to choose. Their specialties are pizza, beer and burgers, and that’s what we went for.
We shared a Classic California Burger, a Superfine Pizza and a Beer-Sautéed Pear and Avocado Salad, and we didn’t regret it. We were served the salad first and it was a fresh, light treat of oranges, mangos, avocados, mixed lettuce and beer sautéed pears dressed with natural flavored yoghurt. We had just started enjoying it when the pizza and burger arrived, served on wooden plates. The meat was calling me so I rushed to grab the burger, a tower of perfectly cooked homemade buns carefully holding a huge beef patty and slices of avocado, tomato, onion, pickles and cheddar cheese. It was hands down the best burger I’ve had in Xi’an, and the buns never got too soggy. The pizza looked like it was prepared by angels, a pillow of fresh Mozzarella cheese with arugula complemented the taste of ham, black olives and marinara sauce.
The menu offers 10 different kinds of burgers and sandwiches and 3 kinds each of pizza, pasta and salads, as well as a selection of appetizers and sausages and much more. But fear not, dear vegetarians, you can always enjoy the Pine Nut Pesto Spaghetti, the sweet potato fries or other amazing salads and appetizers. Also, folks who don’t drink alcohol or don’t really like beer can appreciate a variety of mocktails and cocktails. Even more good news for non-smokers: to enjoy our nicotine we had to go outside, so the taste and smell of food would not be compromised.
If you have to ask why someone should go to Xian Brewery, the answer is obvious: the taste. The quality of the ingredients, the freshness, the unique flavor of the authentic American cuisine, and the beer will easily get you in the door and keep you coming back.