Muslim Quarter (Beiyuanmen)
回民街·北院门
The old Hui neighborhood north of the Drum Tower, known for roujiamo, lamb paomo, mirror cake, and pomegranate juice. A thousand-year-old mosque is tucked away in its alleys, making it the first stop for Xi’an food.
The Muslim Quarter refers to the Hui neighborhood north of the Drum Tower, including Beiyuan Gate, West Sheep Market, Dapi Courtyard, Huajue Lane, and Sajin Bridge. Persian and Central Asian merchants settled here in the Tang dynasty, so the area has a history of more than a thousand years. Beiyuan Gate, the main street, runs about 500 meters north from the Drum Tower. It has bluestone paving and shops in Ming and Qing style. Famous dishes include Jia San’s soup dumplings, Lao Mi Jia and Lao Sun Jia lamb paomo (where you break the bread yourself), cured beef and lamb roujiamo, hongong sour cabbage fried rice, mirror cake, persimmon cakes, pomegranate juice, grilled lamb skewers, and eight-treasure porridge. The main street is crowded and prices are higher. For a more authentic experience, turn into Dapi Courtyard for Zhiliang soup dumplings, Dingjia crispy pork, and Grandma Hua’s sour plum drink, or go to Sajin Bridge, a local breakfast and night market street, for Ma Jia crispy pork and Liu Xin lamb paomo.
Huajue Lane contains the Xi’an Huajue Lane Great Mosque, first built in 742. It is one of the oldest and largest mosques in Chinese style in China. Its Ming-dynasty wooden halls stand alongside Arabic inscriptions. Non-Muslims cannot enter the main prayer hall, so dress respectfully.
Suggested route: start in the evening at the Drum Tower and look at it at night. Then walk into Beiyuan Gate, eating as you go. Next, walk through Huajue Lane to West Sheep Market and Dapi Courtyard. After dinner, walk back to the Bell Tower to see the lights. The street is free to enter, and shops are generally open from 10:00 am to midnight.
Getting there: take Metro Line 2 to Bell Tower station, or Lines 1 and 2 to Bell Tower station and walk 5 minutes to the Drum Tower.
Note: respect Hui customs. Do not bring non-halal food into halal restaurants. The area is crowded, so keep an eye on your belongings. Roujiamo comes in two types: cured beef, which is the specialty of the Muslim Quarter, and cured pork, sold by Han Chinese shops. Don’t mix them up.
Opening hours
All day; shops 10:00–24:00
Nearby sights
- Gao Family Courtyard
- Great Mosque of Xi'an
- Bell Tower and Drum Tower
- Xi'an Yisushe Qinqiang Theatre
- Xi'an City God Temple
- Xi'an City Wall
- Sajinqiao Food Street
- Xi'an Beilin Museum (Forest of Steles) & Shuyuanmen