Despite having the look and feel of feel of Chinese franchise Xian Kao Chuan is a standalone restaurant serving the length and breath of Xi’an cuisine in the Guo Mao district of Shenzhen (down by Hong Kong).
And overall not only is it pretty damned good, but is also located quite literally opposite my office. So, here’e my guide on getting the best Xian style food in Guo Mao.
What the Xi’an Cuisine?
Xi’an cuisine/Shaanxi Cuisine is the pride of China’s northwest and a spicy, meaty snapshot of Silk Road history. It is street food with muscle. You get rou jia mo, often called the Chinese hamburger, stuffed with slow braised meat and served in a crisp flatbread. Liang pi hits with cold chewy noodles drenched in garlic, vinegar, and chili oil. Biang biang noodles are hand pulled and belt wide, slathered in chili and cumin.
Then there is yangrou paomo, a dish that makes you tear up bread by hand into mutton broth. Try qishan saozi mian, thin noodles in a sour tomato and beef soup, or pita bread soaked in rich stew. Skewers of grilled lamb dusted in cumin and chili are everywhere. There are spicy chicken wings, pickled vegetables, sweet and sticky rice cakes, and giant pots of stewed beef with flat noodles. This is not delicate food. This is the kind of cuisine you eat standing up and in my experience at least pretty much always end wearing on your shirt.
Xian food around China
Xi’an food might be rooted in Shaanxi province, but it has gone national. From the alleyways of Guangzhou to the food courts of Shanghai, Xi’an-style joints are cropping up everywhere. Restaurants like Xi’an Kao Chuan and Biangbiang Noodle franchises are introducing people across China to the bold, spicy flavours of the northwest. You will spot the tell-tale signs: rough-cut noodles slapped on counters, giant flatbreads stacked like golden bricks, and steam rising from bubbling lamb soups.
Yet while they are for the most part dominated by mall type franchises and clean copy and paste restaurants, you can also some that are staffed by actual Xianese that are a bit more down and dirty.
Xian Kao Chuan Menu
“Xi’an Kao Chuan” (西安烤串) roughly translates to “Xi’an Grilled Skewers.” “Kao” (烤) means “grilled” or “roasted,” and “chuan” (串) refers to skewers. This is the legendary Xi’an style BBQ or meat on a a stick that you get throughout city, but particularly at the iconic Muslim street.
Xian Kao Chuan though has much more to it than that though serving pretty much every other meal you would get in Xi’an such as, but not limited to Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍), Liang Pi (凉皮), Yangrou Paomo (羊肉泡馍), Chilled Noodles (拌面), Lamb Skewers (羊肉串), Grilled Fish (烤鱼), Xi’an Cold Noodles (陕西凉面), Xi’an Stewed Beef (牛肉泡馍), and the most difficult Chinese character Bang Bang Noodles (棒棒面). In fact the menu is pretty damned epic and you will find little to Xian favorites missing, save perhaps a nice breakfast Jian Bing.
Eating at Xian Kao Chuan
Eating here actually occurred after I was kicked out of the Guangdong Noodle House next door. You see the owner of that establishment handed me some hot water and tried to get me to clean my dishes (its a Chinese thing). I replied in the negative and said if I wanted to wash my own dishes I would have stayed home and cooked. Long story short – no noodles for G.
Next door thought we recognized the signs for Xianese grub and decided to give it a try, starting a 2 day Shenzhen style Xian food marathon. The restaurant has a great layout and is always busy of a lunchtime, but is one of these new fangled ones which need you to order from an app and pay before you eat. I am not a fan of this because it feels like a mall, but when in Rome. Overall the food, of which we tried almost everything was very well presented, extremely clean and decently sized. Yet despite this all of these “good points” were also negatives as it all just felt a little sanitized and not as flavorsome as the real deal.
This though is not to say it is bad and it probably marked some of the better Xian food I have had outside of the city with the dumplings and bang bang noodles, both washed down with Bing Fun being particularly stand out. Therefore it gets an overall Street Food Guy seal of approval if only for its speed in delivery and nostalgia value.
Where is Xian Kao Chuan?
The address of Xi’an Kao Chuan in Shenzhen is:
365 Kaochang Luchuan Factory
No. 63, Jian’an 2nd Road, Liutang Community, Xixiang Residential District, Bao’an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Apple Maps
To reach this location via the Shenzhen Metro:
- Nearest Subway Station: Xixiang Station (西乡站)
- Metro Line: Line 5 (Orange Line)
- Exit: Exit A or B
From Xixiang Station, it’s approximately a 10-minute walk to the restaurant. Alternatively taxis are one of the few things still cheap in Shenzhen…..