Paomo Guan 泡馍馆

Paomo Guan, or the House of Paomo, specializes in the hearty Muslim dish that made Xi'an famous. Mo, the unleavened bread, is quite filling, and for a small stomach, one piece is more than enough. Customers have a choice of breaking the mo themselves or having it done by machine in the kitchen. Tearing up the bread yourself is much more fun, but if time is pressing, or you’re too lazy, or too hungry to wait, then the machine shredder is not a bad alternative. Paomo is quite filling, and it’s a meal in its own. Pick one or two cold side dishes, such as “smacked” cucumber (pai huanggua) or dried bean curd (doufu gan), and you have a hearty meal. This restaurant is adorable, with a cozy outdoor porch shaded by brightly painted red and blue bamboo blinds. It has the low stools and tables popular in the Shaanxi countryside, and the walls are decorated with folk art from the area. Although paomo is the main dish here, the rou jia mo and dumplings in hot-and-sour broth (suantang shuijiao) are also excellent.