Th/Sa/Su at 9am, Duration 3 hours
$55 USD per adult, $39 USD per child
Tuktuk + 30 minutes walking
The Muslim quarter is full of eateries that consistently sell out before lunch, one of China’s oldest and largest markets, and sensory experiences you have to be there in person to believe. See how many times you can be surprised in 3 hours on this morning tour that covers Xian breakfast staples you won’t find anywhere else in China.
5+ safe-to-eat restaurants and street stalls, plus a bunch of surprises while strolling through Xian’s sprawling morning market.
Small groups of 2-10 people per tour.
This tour starts at Xi Hua Men Fire Station, near the Bell Tower. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking. The tour ends near Sajinqiao subway station.
Reservations cancelled 24 hours or more before your tour start time are fully refundable.
This tour is not vegetarian or gluten-free friendly. Instead we recommend joining our tours in Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu. Please notify us of any dietary requirements prior to your tour date, same-day requests cannot be guaranteed. Message us prior to booking if you have any questions.
This tour starts at Xi Hua Men Fire Station, which is about a 5 minute walk from Xian’s Bell Tower. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking.
Our first stop is equally incredible to watch and taste. These savory beef pancakes are seasoned with spices like fennel, cumin, and Sichuan peppercorn, and are rolled up and fried resulting in flaky croissant-like layers. Always made fresh every morning until sold out!
Get a bowl of Xian’s favorite breakfast: a thick soup made with blend of tangy vinegar, spicy chili, and rich broth – then filled with meatballs and whatever root vegetables are available. Garnished with fresh cilantro, a dollop of homemade chili sauce, and some local pita bread, this is a truly local experience.
Step out of our tuktuks for a 30 minute walk through one of China’s oldest and largest markets – with a guide that can speak the local dialect. Sprawling throughout the hidden backstreets of Xian’s Muslim quarter, you’ll be shocked at the amount of what you’ll find here, which is sure to surprise all of the senses.
Persimmons are possibly Xian’s (and our!) favorite fruit. Visit an uncle who harvests his own orchard in late autumn and uses the fruit to make fried persimmon cakes that locals line up for every day. Then visit a mom ‘n pop shop that makes Muslim desserts from scratch.
This husband and wife team have been feeding their neighbors Xian’s famous sour dumplings for decades. Filled with meat, the dumplings are characterized by their tangy broth infused with Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and chili oil. Give them a big smile and they may even let you try making some of your own!
* This itinerary is subject to changes and adjustments based on daily vendor operations and availability, but it will always be awesome.
And because the former isn’t trying to woo any repeat customers, you know the food is 1000% better at the latter. Learn about the vendors and chefs that make up this incredible community, and see why they’re a vibrant part of continuing a legacy of culture in Xian that has stood the test of time.
On this tour, you’ll dive deep into the backstreets of Xian’s Muslim quarter (covering 2+ square km!), visit the local vendors that serve their neighbors, and visit one of China’s oldest markets that sprawl throughout this area every week.
In addition to trying some of the best eats in the neighborhood, you’ll also have the chance to learn about the history of this community and get to meet some of the people who make the best biang biang noodles (so named for the loud way they slam onto the table) and Eight Treasures congee, which was a staple of travelers along the Silk Road thanks to its easy-to-haul ingredients like nuts, spices and seeds.
Take a close look at our Xian Morning Food Tour and what you’ll experience in our own Lost Plate produced video.
We are not a tasting tour, we provide much more than a full meal’s worth of food so we recommend you come prepared to eat.
It is our professional recommendation to come hungry, and pace yourselves. There’s a bunch of dishes to try, so please pace yourselves because you are going to want to try everything we have.
Vegetarians will not be able to eat everything on this tour as substitutes are simply not available. Our eateries are small, family run, and very specialized. They make large batches of one thing and there is no opportunity for modifications. For vegetarian diets, we recommend you check out our Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai tours as they will have more options for you.
When booking online, you’ll have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or special requests. Please use this field to let us know about your requests and we will follow up if there are any problems or questions.
This tour is serviced by tuk-tuk, but we will get out and walk through Xian’s morning market for about 30 minutes.
Our child pricing is valid for ages 4 through 15. Children ages 3 and under are free.
The tour starts at 9am at the Xi Hua Men Fire Station which is about a 5 minute walk from the Bell Tower. You’ll get the exact address, directions, and transportation details immediately after booking.
The tour ends at our last stop, which is about a 20 minute walk back to the start location. Most guests decide to continue exploring the market and surrounding streets some more!
Our minimum is 2 and maximum is 10. There’s no flag to follow, or megaphone, or tacky uniforms. It’s small enough to be intimate, but big enough to get away with trying several dishes at each stop. You’ll get plenty of face-time with the experts. Bottom line is, you’ll follow the guide through a super-local experience and make friends along the way.
This tour lasts around 3 hours, dependent on group size and their interests. There’s a lot to do, see, and taste on this tour, we try to personalize each experience as much as possible!
All of our tours are rain-or-shine, so we suggest you dress for the weather. In rare cases of extreme weather, your guide will cancel the tour and provide a full refund.
Yes we do! If you would like to book a special tour for your organization or group, just contact us and we’ll take care of you.
We have many happy customers who do more than one of our tours across China! We have designed our tours to focus only on food from each city. This means that each dish, story, and vibe is unique to each tour and there aren’t any repeats.
Most people are very surprised how much the cuisine changes as they travel throughout China, and our tours are a good way to discover those differences. We encourage you to pick the tours that best fit your itinerary and we offer a 10% discount if booking more than one tour.
Yes! You’ll get a promo code in your confirmation email that will give you a 10% discount on all future Lost Plate tours. It doesn’t matter if the tour is in the same city or a different city, we want to keep feeding you as long as you let us. Also, children ages 4 through 15 receive a discount on all tours (3 & under are free).
Bookings canceled 24 hours or more before your tour are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings canceled within 24 hours notice are not refundable. If you would like to reschedule your tour with less than 24 hours notice, we will need to charge 50% of your total since we are unable to fill your spots at short notice.
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Xian Morning Food & Market Tour
$55 USD/person
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