Best Rou Jia Mo? While some of my best of lists might seem arbitrary with this one any least I am approaching it from experience that goes back almost 20 years. To me this not only was the best rou jia mo in Xian, but I am happy to say still is.
But if you are asking WTF is Rou Jia Mo and why is it important, then you have good point that I will explain.
What is Rou Jia Mo?
Sometimes called the Chinese Hamburger,, Rou Jia Mo 肉夹馍 quite literally means meat with bread. Typical and as I mentioned in the best street food of Guangzhou airport this is usually lamb/mutton.
Said meat is usually a bot on greasy side and is served with sometimes an egg and in the same bread as you get on muslim street in Xian. This means that it is hard as hell.
There are variations on this, but vernally speaking not all that many. This means that the term “Chinese Hamburger” is a bit simple and about as genuine as claiming the Chinese invented football (they did not).
There are though variations, which is why I landed on this particular place having the best Rou Jia Mo in not just Xian, but dare I say China?
Where is the Best Rou Jia Mo in Xian?
Located on a small street near the Bell Tower called Nanchang Road/Nanchang Lu this street is somewhere I actually used to live. Alas many things have changed not since just when I lived here, but even pre-covid.
The foreigners are now a thing of the past,which means many former places have also just gone. Thankfully some though are still here.
This is one of those places. I was introduced to it by a Chines person, my ex, who quite literally said “this is the best rou jia you in Xian”. She may have been wrong about a lot of things, but this wa snot one of them.
Why the best Ro Jia You in Xian?
Where the usual. Kind uses rock hard bread and just meat, with the best Ro Jia Mo in Xian they actually use good bread and have a mixture of things inside.
Of course most important of these is the meat, again minced lamb, but they also give the option of dare I say a vegan version. Other innards include pepper, fried egg, boiled egg, diced potato, diced carrot and other veggies.
I personally always go the same, meat, potato and pepper, but if. Ouch add cheese I would. This combined with the bread which rather than being hard is fuck is actually more like a muffin make this far and way the best roy jia mo in Xian.
That you can wash it down with Bing Fun, or Saun Mei Tang is but a mere bonus…..