Alleyway Gourmet: Xi'an Wangjia

Despite an indistinguishable atmosphere from any other mom and pop hutong restaurant on the strip – with its drab still life paintings and unflattering fluorescent lighting – this restaurant is unique, delicious, and its location, just a stone’s throw north of Beixinqiao station, is a prime one.

Xi’an Wangjia has your staple Shaanxi cuisine like cold noodles (RMB 6) and roujiamo (RMB 6), but they also offer a selection of Korean and Japanese dishes, with a little Americana in the mix. Some of their customers remarked how many of the dishes served at Xi‘an Wangjia won’t be found at other Shaanxi restaurants. Though the staff denied that it was anything other than Chinese food, I felt my chain was being yanked a little.

I ordered the potato salad (RMB 8), a small egg omelet (RMB 6), and the koufu fried chicken (RMB 20). The potato salad was almost identical to the gamja salad you might find at a Korean restaurant. It was served cold, mashed with cucumber, carrots, and mayonnaise on a bed of lettuce. The eggs were reminiscent of a Japanese tamagoyaki, thin layers of sweetened egg folded into a cube shape and sectioned into mini bricks. The koufu fried chicken was exactly like one you might encounter at an American shopping mall, stuck to a toothpick and falsely labeled bourbon chicken. A guilty pleasure of mine because I have a little bit of a sweet tooth, it was unfortunately served with a chopped head of lettuce covered in mayo, which I left soaking in its quickly thinning juices on the plate.

Everyday at Xi’an Wangjia the same three spunky ladies prepare their delicious food with cat-like dexterity and speed. You can be in and out in about 15 minutes, and quick is good with Kenny G on loop at the neighboring winter wear store.

Xi'an Wangjia 西安王家
Daily 10am-10pm. 76 Yonghegong Dajie, Dongcheng District (6402 7070)
东城区雍和宫大街76号
100m north of Beixinqiao station (Line 5)
 

A version of this article appears in the February 2014 issue of the Beijinger

Photos: Ken