Mina’s Western Restaurant
米娜西餐厅

Article By Stephen Robinson

20210, No.21 Building, Qu Jiang 6 Hao, Qu Jiang New District.
曲江新区曲江六号商铺21号楼20101号商铺
185-9198-6855
11:30am – 14:00pm
18:00am – 21:30pm

Average Price per Person /人均消费:80RMB

Have you heard? There’s a new western restaurant in town that has been the talk of the town. Real, home-style Western food, something the community in Xi’an has been sorely missing, especially in this era of limited travel. But this is no mere substitute for tastes of home. The food here is legitimately good, and varied enough to satisfy any taste buds. Whether you want smash burgers, fish and chips, falafel, or delicious milkshakes, Mina’s Western Restaurant is sure to hit the spot..
Authentic as you can get, the chef and owner Steve, and his partner-in-crime Dalia, have been running Mina’s since the end of May. Located at the south gate of Qujiang No. 6 community near the Big Goose Pagoda, Mina’s shares space with a bar that produces craft beer, as well as selling some of the most reasonably-priced bottled beer that you can find in Xi’an. However, people don’t come here for the beer. At Mina’s, it’s all about the food.
Practically everything at Mina’s is made in house, from the sauces to the wraps and everything in between. This labor intensive process is a labor of love, and you can taste the results in each and every bite. It’s somewhat difficult to describe the menu, as there is so much on offer that you’ll spend a good while trying to figure out what you want to try, as it all looks good. There are smash burgers, which have all the crispy edges you might desire. There’s the Southern Chicken Wrap and the Falafel wrapped in the soft, warm home made wraps. There are Chili Cheese Dogs made with hand-crafted sausages. Tons of British classics like cottage pie, pie and mash, and the biggest fish & chips you’ll find in Xi’an. And these are just the main dishes, each one carefully crafted and taste tested for perfection. And those are just the main courses.
The side dishes and appetizers are something from a trip home wish list. Creamy hummus with fresh made pita. Deep-fried chicken wings in barbeque or buffalo sauce. Phyllo-wrapped feta rolls that have been deep fried to golden crispy deliciousness. Fried calamari and shrimp that have been hand dipped and fried. They even have macaroni and cheese. Over the past month, I’ve been in to Mina’s four to 5 times, and each time I’ve had something different, and each time it has been good. It’s rare that a restaurant will be good across multiple menu items, usually falling short in at least one area, but this has not been the case here.
Of course, I can’t talk about the food at Mina’s without mentioning the desserts. Right now they have gooey chocolate brownies and apple crumble, both served with vanilla ice cream and each delicious on their own. But the real show-stopper for me have been the milkshakes. Milkshakes at Western restaurants in Xi’an have always been… disappointing. Too thin. More milk thanice cream in most cases. This is not the case with the milkshakes at Mina’s. The milkshakes here are thick and robust in their flavors, with classics like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, and bolder flavors like peanut butter, Nutella, and Snickers. They are also always testing out new flavors for their milkshakes and if you happen to be around when this is happening, you might just get to taste test for them.
Recently, Mina’s has also started opening for lunch with a menu of lunchtime and brunch time favorites, including a Full English Breakfast, Eggs Benedict, French toast, pancakes, sandwiches, and salads. Their menu is constantly developing and evolving, as they receive feedback from customers. And that is one of the best things about Mina’s. It’s not only a place where you can eat, but a place where you can interact with the people behind the food. Too often, in most places, it feels like complaints and requests fall on deaf ears, but at this restaurant your feedback actually means something. Also, there is certainly a community that is building around this restaurant. Each time I’ve been in, I’ve run into people that I know, some that I haven’t seen in months. That is the power of a good restaurant, of good food. It brings people together, connects them to the tastes of home, whether it is their home or someone else’s. I think that you can find this at Mina’s, and I highly encourage you to give it a try.

Stephen Robinson is the editor-in-chief at xianease and would love to get your thoughts on everything we are doing.
You can contact him at stephen@xianease

If you give this a try, let us know about your experience by messaging us at reviews@xianease.com.