Xi'an street food in Chinatown
Xi'an Food in London - Authentic Shaanxi Street Food
Shaanxi cuisine, the way it has been made for 1,400 years
Xi'an is the ancient capital of China and the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. Its food reflects 2,000 years of trade between China, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Lamb instead of pork. Cumin and Sichuan pepper alongside soy. Wheat noodles and flatbreads instead of rice. In London, this cuisine is rare. At The Greedy Sheep, it is the entire menu.
What is Xi'an food?
Xi'an food is the cuisine of Shaanxi province in north-west China. It is one of China's oldest regional cuisines and one of its most distinctive. Key features:
- Wheat-based, not rice-based - hand-pulled noodles, flatbreads, dumplings
- Lamb-heavy - the influence of Hui (Chinese Muslim) culinary tradition
- Cumin and chilli forward - spices brought via the Silk Road
- Halal by tradition - many Xi'an dishes were created in Muslim kitchens
The signature dishes are rou jia mo (the original Chinese burger), biang biang noodles (wide hand-slapped noodles), cumin lamb, and lamb noodle soup.
Why Xi'an food is rare in London
Most "Chinese food" in the UK is Cantonese. Cantonese cuisine spread globally because of 19th-century migration from Guangdong. Xi'an cuisine stayed in China longer because Shaanxi is inland, far from the ports.
In the last decade, a handful of Xi'an restaurants opened in major Western cities. New York and San Francisco have had them for years. London has been slower. Today there is a small cluster of Xi'an-style spots - and within Chinatown, The Greedy Sheep is the only fully halal version.
What to order at a Xi'an restaurant
If it is your first time eating Xi'an food:
- Start with rou jia mo. This is the gateway dish. Tender braised lamb in a crispy flatbread. It has been called the world's oldest burger
- Move to lamb noodle soup. Hand-pulled noodles, slow-cooked broth, the dish that defines Lanzhou-style noodle making
- Add biang biang noodles. Wide, chewy, fiery
- Order cumin lamb to share. The 1,400-year-old classic
- Finish with cold sesame cucumbers. Cool palate cleanser
You can find the full menu here.
Halal Xi'an food specifically
Xi'an food has always had a strong halal tradition because of the Hui Muslim cooks who created much of it. Hand-pulled noodles, rou jia mo, and cumin lamb were all developed in halal kitchens centuries ago.
That makes Xi'an cuisine unusually compatible with halal certification. There is no need to substitute pork with chicken (because Xi'an dishes use lamb). There is no need to remove alcohol (because traditional Hui cooking does not use it). The recipes are halal as written.
The Greedy Sheep is 100% halal certified. The supplier is HFA-approved. The kitchen is exclusively halal. We do not adapt Xi'an recipes - we cook them as they have always been cooked.
The Greedy Sheep serves Xi'an food at 8 Little Newport Street, London WC2H 7JJ. Open 12pm to 10pm daily. Walk-ins welcome.