The food in Lanzhou is quite unique compared to that of central China, having been influenced by ethnic groups - especially the Hui people. Besides the beef noodles, there are local delicacies that cannot be tasted in other places, as well as Sichuan cuisines, hotpot, and western food.

Gansu Cuisine

Lanzhou dishes are representative of Gansu cuisine which features the roasting, steaming, and braising of beef and mutton. Lanzhou people enjoy many tastes including salty, fresh, tart, and spicy. Gansu cuisine can be sampled at various hotels in Lanzhou. Typical dishes include Jincheng Baita, Jincheng Babao Melon Carving, Baihe Tao, and albino leeks with chicken and roasted pork.

Baihe (Lily) Tao (Peach) is so named because the dish is shaped like peaches. The washed fresh lily - a specialty of Lanzhou - is steamed for about 15 minutes. The lily is then stuffed with sweetened bean paste so that it looks like a peach. The 'peach' is braised in a bamboo steamer for about twenty minutes and then served with a white sugar sauce.

Jincheng Baita is an assortment of cold meats, imitating the famous attraction of Baita (the White Pagoda) in Lanzhou, which is a seven-story pagoda with eight facets.

Jincheng Babao (eight treasures) Melon Carving is a traditional food of Lanzhou. The carved melon peel is used as a bowl to hold white fungus, pineapple, cherry, longan, waxberry, and other delicacies. The carving is exquisite and the food is fresh and sweet. This dish will satisfy not only your palate but also your eye.

Silk Road Camel Hoof is a nutritious dish since the whole hoof is made up of tendon, which is very tasty.

Quick Fried Camel Hump, a dainty dish, has a history of 1,500 years.

Lanzhou Roasted Pork is heated over charcoal and served with spring pies or sesame pies.

Jinyu (golden fish) Facai (a kind of fungus that grows in the desert near the Yellow River) is a classic dish in Gansu Province. There is no golden fish in the dish; the name comes from the shape. The Fa Cai is soaked in water until it is soft and then kneaded until it is round. Minced chicken flavored with salt, egg white, sesame oil, and cooking wine is used to stuff the Fa Cai so it looks like a golden fish. The'fish' is steamed until it is cooked and then served in a dish surrounded with bree, giving the look of a 'golden fish swimming in water'. This popular Lanzhou dish goes well with wine.

For Lanzhou specialty-dishes, we recommend that tourists try them in the Chinese restaurants of the classic hotels because of their professional cooking style.

Local Delicacies

Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Stretched Noodles) is the most famous local dish in Lanzhou. It was first created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875 - 1908), Qing Dynasty (1616 - 1911) and it is now popular all over China. This dish has five main features: clear soup, white radish, red pepper, green caraway and yellow noodles. The noodles can be wide or slim to meet different preferences. Boys like er xi (a little wider) while girls like slim ones, the middle-aged and the old like jiuyezi (leek leaf) and maoxi (slimmer) and scholars prefer slim and jiuyezi. Farmers, soldiers and workers prefer wide or even wider. If a girl or an old man asks for wider noodles or a boy asks for maoxi noodles, it would be rather strange. The noodles have gone beyond food to become a culture.

A bowl of beef noodles costs 2 Yuan and takes only a few minutes to prepare. The chef twists and stretches the dough skillfully and in less than two minutes the noodles are finished. This quick and inexpensive food is undoubtedly the first choice among the locals. There are one or two beef noodles eateries on every street in Lanzhou.

Niang pi zi cannot be missed among the local delicacies. Flour paste is steamed for 3 - 4 minutes, then cut into strips and served with mustard, garlic, sesame butter, chili oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. This is a favorite among the locals and many of the tourists.

As many Hui people live in Lanzhou, barbequed mutton, boiled mutton, and lamb with wide vermicelli are local delicacies among the various ethnic groups.

Do not forget pie with preserved ham, casserole, and fried field snails, which are good choices for you to enjoy either alone or with friends.

Fried Sheep Tail is actually made up of egg, bean paste, and starch. It is crispy with a golden top.

Tea drinking has long been a custom among the locals in Lanzhou, and sanpaotai is the most famous tea drink. Sanpaotai is made up of spring tea, longan, date, apricot, preserved fruits, wolfberry, walnut, sesame, dried raisins, etc. The tea is put into a unique tea bowl with a cover. The first time you taste it, you will enjoy the fragrance of the tea, the second time, the sweetness of the sugar, and on the third occasion you will notice the sweet taste of longan. It is not uncommon to linger over a bowl of tea for 5 to 6 hours.

Hui Dou Zi (Gray Bean) and Tian Pei Zi(Sweet Wine) are not seen in other parts of China except in Lanzhou. Boiled red bean and steamed barley are mixed with sweet wine for fermentation. This sweet, nutritious drink is good to have in hot weather.

Legend has it that Hot Boiled Pear (Re Dong Guo) was invented by Wei Zheng, a distinguished minister during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). His mother kept coughing but refused to take medicine due to its bitter taste. As her son, Wei Zheng knew his mother liked pears so he asked his servant to boil the pear juice with the powder of herbal medicines. It was sweet and tasty, and soon after, his mother recovered. Re Dong Guo is made of Dongguo Pear, a choice fruit in Lanzhou. This delicacy is sweet and helps curb coughing.

Steamed Lily is worth trying since the lily is one of the specialties of Lanzhou. Lily served with honeydew is refreshing and sweet.

As for fresh fruits,Bailan melon is the most widely known. Travelers should try this mellow and sweet fruit at least once. Peaches, Yellow River honeydew melons, and dongguo pears are all popular as well.

Restaurant Index

For beef noodles:
Most of the popular beef noodles restaurants in Lanzhou are crowded every day, and you may have to stand in line for the noodles. Only 20 Yuan will satisfy your hunger in such restaurants. Ma Zilu Beef Noodles Restaurant is usually closed at 2:00 pm. So we suggest that take beef noodles as lunch.

Jinding Beef Noodles Restaurant: Pingliang Lu

Ma Zilu Beef Noodles Restaurant: Dazhong Xiang, Zhangye Lu (near the provincial government)

Located near the Guofang Baisheng Department Store, there is a Tangwang Restaurant which features mutton dishes. The average cost per person is about 40 Yuan. The branches near Lanzhou University and Xiao Xihu are also recommended.

For various cuisines:
Yuebin Lou (Beijing Cuisine and Seafood)
Location: 384, Jiuquan Lu

Lanzhou Hongjin Fang Restaurant
Location: No.534 Binhe Nan Lu, Chengguan District
This is the only luxury restaurant on a waterfront in Lanzhou.

Seventy Two Industries Folk Customs Restaurant (Qishier Hang Minsu Jiulou)
Location: 279, Jiuquan Lu (Xinsheng Dasha)
This restaurant features Sichuan and Hunan dishes.

Tianlong Meishi Cheng (Dunhuang Flavor)
Location: No. 921, Gannan Lu

Tianfu Renjia Jiayan Restaurant (specialized in Sichuan food)
Location: No.98 Minzhu Xi Lu, Chengguan District

For hotpot:
Lanzhou Dazhamen Hotpot Restaurant (Chongqing Style)
Location: No. 262, Wudu Lu

Zhuyuan Cun Hotpot Restaurant
Location: No. 609 Binhe Dong Lu

Little Sheep Hotpot Restaurant (Xiao Fei Yang)
Little Sheep Hotpot featuring Inner Mongolia-style cooking is popular in most cities of China.
General Restaurant: No. 27, Xijin Xi Lu
Xilan Branch: 2/F, Xilan Hotel
Xigu Branch: No. 90, Shandan Jie

For western food:
Western style food (usually buffet dinner) in the classic hotels is more authentic than the Western food in the cafes in the streets. A simple set menu in a café usually costs about 30 to 50 Yuan.

U.B.C Coffee
Location: No. 472, Qingyang Lu
This chain cafe is seen in many cities in China. It provides good coffee and simple western food, in a casual and cozy environment.

KFC
Location: Xiguan crossing

In addition to these restaurants, the 'restaurant row' streets such as Nongmin Xiang, Hezheng Lu, Tielu Xincun Market,Xiguan Shizi (cross) and Xiao Xihu are good places to eat, since this is where the locals go.