Datong Cuisine

Datong dishes are representative of North Shanxi Province cuisine. It is not one of the Eight Cuisines in China, but has encompassed the essence of all renowned cuisines. The food culture of Datong dates back to a long time ago, and it mainly uses flour. You can find all kinds of delicacies with flour as the main ingredient.

Ba Rou Tiao (Braised Pork Strips)

This is one of the eight traditional dishes in Datong. It is also called Xiao Shao Rou (Little Braised Pork Strips). The main ingredient is marbled meat. It is usually boiled, fried, or steamed, and colored with sauce.

Characteristics: it is soft and delicious. It has fat but it is not greasy.
Recommendation: Feng Lin Ge Restaurant
Address: Intersection of Gulou West Street and Huayan Street, Pingcheng District, Datong

Grilled Lamb Chops

This is a very famous dish in Datong as local people serve it to treat their guests. Grilled lamb chops are derived from roasted whole lambs, a dish of the Mongol nationality. Grilled lamb chops are not only attractive, but are also considered good for nourishing the body.

Characteristics: it has a crispy sky and it tastes soft and not greasy.
Recommendation: Northwest Youmian (naked oat noodles) Village (Hengyuan Weidu Branch)
Address: Intersection of Tongquan Road and Beidu Street, Hengyuan Weidu periphery, Pingcheng District, Datong

Datong Instant-Boiled Mutton

This is a traditional dish of Datong. It is fragrant, tender, fresh and appetizing. It is also favored in the whole country. Datong produces the top mutton and the best ingredients which come from mutton are spread all over Datong, among which the Kazakh sheep from Guangling and the marbled mutton from Shuozhou are the top.

Characteristics: the mutton is fresh, tender and tasty
Recommendation: Sun’s Instant Boiled Mutton
Address: Southwest corner of the intersection of Jiaochang Street and Vintage Street, Pingcheng District, Datong

Datong Lamb Offal

It is probably the most ancient food in Datong. In addition to general ingredients, there will be lamb heads and hoofs in it. All the well-chopped ingredients are boiled in the stock with shallots, pepper and salt. It is usually served with potato vermicelli. The greens and the meat provide a balanced diet for the dish.

Characteristics: the dish is tasty and the gravy is fragrant.
Recommendation: Mr. He’s Offal
Address: 20 meters south of the Third Hospital, Wedu Avenue, Pingcheng District, Datong

Datong Xiaomian (Naked Oat Noodles)

This traditional type of noodle is common in Datong. Fried ‘naked oats’ (Avena nuda, also known as hull-less oat) are first ground into flour. Boiling water is used to knead the flour into dough. Slice the kneaded dough into noodles and steam it in the steamer. Mix the noodles cold, or add toppings when it is served. Its varieties mainly include steamed cone naked oat bread, or naked noodles with potatoes or aubergine.

Characteristics: it tastes smooth and chewy.
Recommendation: The Cai’s Restaurant (Yong’an Avenue Branch)
Address: Hunyuan County, Yong'an Town, Wuyuan County, Datong

Datong Copper Hot Pot

This is probably the most high-end hot pot dish in Shanxi traditional cuisine. All the copper pots are manufactured with a special process. They will not rust and the original taste of the dishes will always be retained. Very next after the copper hot pot is the assorted hot pot.

Characteristics: the soup is delicious
Recommendation: Gulou (Drum Tower) East Street Old Hot Pot
Address: The entrance of Gulou East Street, Pingcheng District, Datong

Lingqi Smoked Chicken

As one of the four top Shanxi Smoked Dishes, it was first invented in the early Qing Dynasty. A variety of traditional Chinese herbs are used for the cooking. It is believed to be good for health.

Characteristics: it is tender and delicious with a unique flavor.
Recommendation: Lingqiu County, Datong