Article By Sasha and Giulia
- 4F, Qin Han Tang Jiang Pin Hotel, near the sky screen, South Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔南广场天幕旁秦汉唐精品酒店4楼
- (029) 8966 2997
- 5:00pm – 1:00am
- Average Price per Person / 人均消费:70RMB
- PROS:The excellent view; superb lamb
- CONS:Not so easy to find
It was one of those good days; one of those rare, clear, deep-blue sky, cotton ball cloud, perfect temperature, spring slowly falling into summer days. So, when I had to meet Sasha after work, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate dinner than barbecue.
Whether you are a veteran or a newbie to the Xi’an scene, you all know this street-meat meal: barbecued skewers, cold veggie salads, chicken wings on sticks, seasoned grilled bread, and (usually) cold beer. What if we tell you that you can have all that in a place that’s much nicer than a busy street corner? The newly opened Amici Barbecue Garden is the place you’re looking for.
It’s located on the fourth floor of the shopping mall on the southwest corner of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The place isn’t exactly easy to find, so follow our advice and don’t just take every elevator hoping it will be the right one, but instead walk on the pedestrian street next to the pagoda, enter the first gate, get in elevator number 11, go up to the 4th floor and prepare to be amazed. Yes, the view is THAT good!
We were shown to our table and reached for our phones to take selfies the second the waiter was gone. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is right there, right in your face; you can even see tourists taking pictures of the view from the pagoda. After we updated our WeChat Moments, two cold pints of draft refreshing beer were placed in front of us, and the dinner began.
Amici Kaorou offers 8 kinds of draft beer that are served in a chilled glass, and an “appropriate” blueberry non-alcoholic beer “for the ladies”. As beer magically appeared on our table so did the meat. Mildly spicy beef and lamb skewers and juicy chicken wings on sticks, just like in any other kaorou place but here your jaw is dropped by the view. We definitely have to mention the lamb, served in Xi’an Muslim Quarter style on wooden skewers, whose deliciousness we devoured first. Always a poor idea to have lamb cold!
When we finally asked for a menu, we were surprised by the huge variety of liangcai (cold salad dishes) and barbecue available. Unfortunately, the menu is entirely in Chinese, so make sure to bring a local friend with you, brush up your street food Mandarin, or, if you’re totally lost, the two very friendly owners will be more than happy to help with your order. Other than barbecue and cold dishes, Amici offers seafood, maocai and a piece of heaven in one of the busiest tourist areas in the city. This rooftop barbecue garden can fit up to 100 people, and it is the perfect spot for a big birthday kaorou celebration, or to watch the soon-to-start Euro Cup or the Olympics on a big screen and far away from the noise of the streets. A cold beer, sunset over Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the summer food of Xi’an…what more could you possibly want?
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