TOP 5 Group Dinners

Article By XIANEASE

The holidays are coming, fast and furious. It’s a time for family and food, but for many of Xi’an’s foreigners, family is thousands of miles away and the traditional foods are hard-to-find (or crazy expensive—word up to all of our fellow turkey lovers). In the absence of authenticity, we recommend you go for broke and start making some new traditions. Get your Xi’an Family together and try out one of these communal dining experiences this winter.

201 HOT POT

Hot pot has a worse reputation among expats than it deserves, and that’s because you’re all doing it wrong. We suggest you stop being so basic with your Haidilao visits and try a more local place, if not a different type all together. Just to name three, Chongqing-style, Beijing-style and fish hotpot all keep the same basic format of “dip raw food into a boiling cauldron of flavor,” but change the experience in subtle, tasty ways. If you’re finding yourself estranged from the world of hot pot, now may be the time to come back to the table.

Tiger Hot Pot 大虎老火锅
Address: B Block, Cai Fu Zhong Xin Building,
Gao Xin 3rd Road
高新三路财富中心2期B座
电话: (029) 6367 7007

212 PEKING ROAST DUCK

We are well aware that this is not much of a Shaanxi specialty, but it’s more than possible to get a duck in Xi’an that tastes like it’s straight out of Beijing’s hutongs. Also underrated is how much better it is to devour that fowl together, critiquing each other’s pancake-rolling technique and fighting over who has the worst spring onion breath.

Peking Roast Duck
北京老铺烤鸭
Address: 339 Zhu Que Da Jie
朱雀大街399号路东
电话: (029) 6221 2888

223 DIM SUM

Whereas the previous two entries on this list practically require a small legion of people to make any sort of dent in the meal, dim sum can be easily scaled up or down to fit the size of your group. However, the more people there are at your table, the more variety you’re likely to enjoy.

Wei Ge Hong Kong Dim Sum Restaurant
大家好威哥香港美食大酒楼
Address: No.1 of Nan Guang Ji Jie,
Inside of Zhu Que Men
南广济街1号朱雀门里
电话: (029) 8725 8333

234 KOREAN BARBEQUE

If you’re looking for something a little less Chinese, Korean barbecue might scratch your itch. Xi’an’s robust Korean community ensures that there is no shortage of places to enjoy this meaty delicacy. Like hot pot, KBBQ is a bit hands on—you’ll be cooking the meat yourself on a hubcap-esque grill in the middle of the table, but it just adds to the charm. It’s like they say, the best meal is one you cook yourself.

Ming Dong Korea Restaurant
明东碳烤韩国料理
Address: 109# Greenland Central Plaza, Building 3, Lv Di Food Street, Jin Ye Lu
锦业路绿地世纪城俱乐部绿地中央广场3号楼109号
电话: (029) 6872 9631

245 SHAANXI FOOD

When people think of Shaanxi food, they usually start at bread and stop at the meat it’s filled with. To have that mindset is to do a disservice to the other spectacular local food out there, particularly the oft-overlooked Hu Lu Chicken. Seeking out the non-snack specialties will easily fill your table with any number of delicious dishes, and you’d best have a few friends on hand to chow down with.

Lao Wan
老碗 (湘子庙街店)
Address: 55#, Xiang Zi Miao Jie
湘子庙街55号
电话: (029) 6889 3666

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