Although the best restaurants of Pingyao are generally located outside the City Wall, dining within the old city is probably unavoidable between spurts of sightseeing. If you can afford the time, definitely go outside where the locals spend their money (see previous article for my favorite Pingyao restaurants). But if you're in need for a quick meal between sights, this article is for you.
We tried out three different places within the old city. One wasn't even worth reviewing, one was passable and deserves a short review, and one actually turned out to be an authentic hole-in-the-wall eatery that, incredibly for Pingyao, doesn't overcharge.
Food Review: SAN GE DA (Pingyao)
Address: Cheng Huang Miao Jie, Pingyao
Hours: 11:00-20:00?
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Starting from the City God Temple (Cheng Huang Miao), walk west towards the centre of town (towards Yamen). Just a few steps and you should see a metal car-barrier that blocks vehicle traffic during daytime. San Ge Da is on the right hand side, just past the barrier. Ask a local shopkeeper if you're not sure.
Here is my recommendation for cheap, authentic food within the Pingyao's old city. San Ge Da is yet another eatery recommended by Pingyao locals on Baidu.com's Tieba, and the only one within the City Wall. Most importantly it's right between the unmissable sights of Confucius Temple, City God Temple, and Yamen, making it supremely convenient for lunch in the middle of sightseeing.
I'm sure this is the first ever English review for this restaurant -- in fact I can't even find any Chinese reviews online. I don't have a photo of the exterior, but it's fairly well-known and any shopkeeper in the Confucius Temple / City God Temple area should be able to point you in the right direction.
Don't expect any decor -- it's family-run, basic and just a step-up from a roadside stand. But the food is authentic and filling, and they won't gorge you for RMB 40 for a dish of Pingyao Beef (it's RMB 28 here). The menu above has most noodles listed at RMB 5 to 10, and vegetable dishes are all RMB 8 (CAD$1.2) or less. That's definitely family restaurant pricing, located right beside some of Pingyao's most popular sights.
Cat's Ears (Mao Er Duo) is one of those authentic and unmistakable Shanxi dishes that every housewife can make. Behind the disturbing name is really a harmless, hand-rolled pasta in the shape of a pointy shell, typically boiled in soup, drained and mixed with various ingredients and sauces. This dish here was seasoned with Shanxi's famous Aged Vinegar, and was reasonably priced at RMB 8 (CAD$1.2).
As cheap, peasant cuisine seemed to be this eatery's forte, my wife ordered one of her favorite home style dishes, the simple and homey Beef Tripe with Cilantro (Xiangcai Chao Niudu). The slow-cooked beef stomach was perfectly tender and mildly seasoned (for us ... as we ordered non-spicy), though I'm sure locals would order it with chili peppers.
And they had my wife's favorite Chinese beer, the Xuehua Draft, at RMB 12 (CAD$1.8) for a large bottle. We also ordered a Sweet Glutinous Rice Wine Soup with Eggs (Laozao Dan Tang), which was also cheap but was substandard compared to the other dishes.
I won't make the unfair comparison between little San Ge Da and proper restaurants outside of the City Wall -- nor should anyone expect exceptional dining at such a run-down place. But San Ge Da operates very well within its niche, serving informal, reasonably priced, authentic local Shanxi cuisine right in the heart of the tourist district. When you've got only 45 minutes for lunch between seeing the Confucius Temple and the Yamen, this is definitely a smart choice.
Bill for Two Persons
| Cat's Ears with Sliced Pork | RMB 8 |
| Beef Tripe with Cilantro | RMB 20 |
| Sweet Glutinous Rice Wine Soup with Eggs | RMB 6 |
| Large Draft Beer | RMB 10 |
| TOTAL | RMB 44 (CAD$6.7) |
Food Review: XIANG ZHONG XIANG (Pingyao)
Address: Nan Da Jie, Pingyao
Hours: 11:00-21:00?
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Start on Nandajie (South Main Street) and walk south of the crossroad with Yamen / City God Temple Street. The restaurant occupies an alley on the right hand side after a minute's walk.
This has got to be one of the strangest eatery locations I've ever reviewed.
Smartly named Xiang Zhong Xiang, or "Aroma from the Alley," this place is truly hole-in-the-wall in the most literal definition -- a total of 3 tables lined up inside a narrow alley with the owner hawking her local wine at the entrance. Prior to visiting Pingyao I had heard of this eatery's reputation as reasonably-priced, which turned out to be only half true. The whole pricing scheme was somewhat Jekyll and Hyde -- it can be a rip-off, or an excellent deal, or both, depending on what you order.
Most prices were clearly posted on a wall-sized illustrated poster and were very reasonable. Vegetable dishes were mostly RMB 10-18 and many meat dishes were below RMB 30. A few popular and well-known local specialties were not posted however, and were markedly more expensive. We ordered one such dish, the Stir Fried Pingyao Beef with Aged Vinegar, in the hope that it would live up to the price of RMB 48 (CAD$7.3). It didn't.
A better choice was the Long Chinese Yam, which was also relatively expensive at RMB 30 ($4.5) for a vegetable dish. The yam was seasoned, deep fried and smothered with a sweet sauce. Again we ordered non-spicy, but this was good with or without chili peppers.
It would have been safer to stick with cheap, common non-local dishes like this Stir Fried Indian Spinach, very reasonably priced at a mere RMB 10 (CAD$1.5).
One local practice that I picked up in Shanxi and Shaanxi was drinking beer out of ceramic bowls. The local Xinghuacun beer however was too watery for my tastebuds ... I'd opt for a bitter melon beer any day.
Bill for Two Persons
| Pingyao Beef with Aged Vinegar | RMB 48 |
| Deep Fried Long Chinese Yam | RMB 30 |
| Indian Lettuce | RMB 10 |
| Beer | RMB 8 |
| TOTAL | RMB 96 (CAD$14.5) |
EDIBLE SOUVENIRS
Most Chinese tourists won't leave Pingyao without taking home a few packs of the famous Pingyao Beef as souvenirs, and you may want try one pack as snack for your next long train ride. The cheapest prices -- with a wide selection -- that we found was at the two major supermarkets (Wanfulong and Jiajiali) just south of the Train Station. Prices were typically 1/3 cheaper than at the official Pingyao Beef store inside the City Wall, and we picked up the bite-sized individually packaged type (RMB 18.8 for 180g). Be warned that your urine may smell like Pingyao Beef the next day (no I'm not joking) ... but perhaps that's exactly the justification for trying.
But our favorite edible souvenir was the hand-pulled Dragon Beard Candy, freshly made in front of visitors at several stalls inside the old city. Now this was definitely not a local specialty, but the package that we bought at the stall on Xidajie (West Main Street) was the best we've ever tasted anywhere.
The thinness of the strands were amazing as you can see, and gave the whole candy a melt-in-the-mouth crunchiness that was better than any Dragon Beard Candy maker that we've tried elsewhere. With the green-tea-flavored pumpkin seeds inside the combination was simply perfect. I wish we bought another box before leaving.
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