Best Halal Food in Inner Mongolia: Ordos, Baotou and Hohhot Muslim Food Map
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Inner Mongolia halal food map covers Ordos, Baotou, and Hohhot, including Hui Muslim restaurants, Mongolian-style halal dishes, mosques, and local food stops.
1. Ordos
See this beautiful mosque? This is the only mosque in Ordos, the Dongsheng Mosque.
It was expensive to build and has a great design. Ordos has a very modern city plan.
But even with such a beautiful mosque, not many Muslims come here for namaz.
If you think Ordos must have lots of halal food because of this beautiful mosque, you are wrong. Ordos does not have any large halal restaurants, only a few scattered noodle shops. I ordered this bowl of beef noodles. The once-prosperous Ordos has become very quiet. There are very few people on the streets now, which is why it earned the nickname 'Ghost City'.
Baotou
2. Baotou steamed dumplings (shaomai)
I had breakfast at a small shop across from the Baotou Great Mosque. They only serve pan-fried buns (shuijianbao) at noon.
Steamed dumplings (shaomai) are not unique to Inner Mongolia, but they are common here. Locals call one steamer of these dumplings 'one liang'.
I bought a baked flatbread (beizi) next to the Baotou West Mosque. This bread is a common staple in Inner Mongolia. It is a lot like naan, but softer. They come in sweet and salty versions, are easy to carry, and can be eaten as a snack.
3. Shunxinzhai
Shunxinzhai in Baotou is famous for its fragrant bone dishes. This place is very popular and was still full at nine in the evening.
I thought Zhencheng Jiabin was a local Baotou drink, but a friend told me the real local drink is 'Dayao Jiabin'. Zhencheng Jiabin is a knockoff.
I wanted to eat everything on the menu, but unfortunately, I could not eat too many heavy dishes alone. The server suggested I try the roasted lamb spine.
I ordered the roasted lamb spine. Several other diners around me also ordered it. While in Baotou, I noticed that the lamb restaurants barely have any gamey smell, which shows that the lamb in Inner Mongolia is high quality.
Address: No. 4 Bayantala West Street, Xinaobao Subdistrict, Donghe District, Baotou City
Hohhot
4. Ciyishi
Hohhot has a downtown area called the Hui Muslim District. This is where the most Hui Muslims in Inner Mongolia live. Pan-fried buns (youjianbao) are another specialty snack here besides steamed dumplings (shaomai).
The shop is small, but the decor is very thoughtful.
Sauce-braised lamb hooves, very tender and melt in your mouth.
Kidney bean porridge
I had it with pan-fried buns. It was a meal for one with lamb filling and no gamey smell.
5. Islamic Style Street
2017 marked the 70th anniversary of the autonomous region. Before the celebration, the entire city of Hohhot was under renovation, and all shop signs along the streets were replaced and updated.
When you are thirsty in Inner Mongolia, skip the water. Try the excellent yogurt and other dairy products here; they quench your thirst and quickly restore your energy.
Hohhot is the birthplace of the baked bun (beizi). These bread-like buns cost only 1.5 yuan each. You can find many Inner Mongolian specialties in Beijing, but not these buns, so I carried a few onto the plane.
There is a halal Chongqing-style hot pot in the city, which is quite rare.
6. Yideli Halal Fast Food
I saw a place selling halal oat noodles (youmian) by the side of the road, so I went in to try them.
Oat noodles are a local Inner Mongolian snack, but halal versions are very rare. A friend told me there was a place near the small mosque that sold them, but I couldn't wait and tried them here first.
This is the signature local drink that the locals recognize, Big Kiln Soda (Dayao Jiabin). Its status is like Beibingyang soda in Beijing.
It is not too spicy, and the noodles are like thin pulled noodles (lamian). They are quite tasty.
7. Aiboyihe Palace
This large building, Aiboyihe Palace, looks like a mosque from the outside. In Inner Mongolia, Mongolian and Islamic architectural styles are similar and hard to distinguish. It is actually a halal restaurant. I heard they have a buffet, but it felt a bit extravagant to go alone, so I skipped it.
Address: 5th Floor, Aiboyihe Palace, No. 51 Zhongshan West Road (Northeast corner of the North Gate intersection)
8. Cui Laoda Steamed Dumplings (shaomai)
You can find places selling steamed dumplings everywhere in Hohhot. This shop is opposite the Great Eastern Mosque (Dongdasi), and I went in when I saw the sign for an old, established brand.
The steamed dumplings looked good when they were served. Steamed dumplings in Hohhot are more famous than those in Baotou.
Address: Opposite the Hohhot Halal Eastern Mosque
9. Ox Street (Niujie)
Here is the highlight: Hohhot also has an Ox Street, which is a halal food street. I regret not coming here sooner.
There are many specialty halal restaurants packed together here, and everything looks delicious.
Next time I come to Hohhot, I will bring friends. When traveling alone, I feel reluctant to order the big, expensive dishes.
This was my first time seeing ice-boiled lamb (bingzhuyang), and I was curious about how it was made.
After eating, I really wanted to force myself to eat more at Ox Street, but I hated that my stomach was too small. I had the desire but not the capacity.
They even have halal crayfish here.
Finally, I couldn't resist and chose this shop's camel meat pie.
Camel meat (tuorou) is really chewy. It has a slightly stronger gamey taste than lamb. I ate one piece, but I couldn't finish the rest, so I packed it up to go.
Summary: This Inner Mongolia halal food map covers Ordos, Baotou, and Hohhot, including Hui Muslim restaurants, Mongolian-style halal dishes, mosques, and local food stops.
1. Ordos
See this beautiful mosque? This is the only mosque in Ordos, the Dongsheng Mosque.
It was expensive to build and has a great design. Ordos has a very modern city plan.
But even with such a beautiful mosque, not many Muslims come here for namaz.
If you think Ordos must have lots of halal food because of this beautiful mosque, you are wrong. Ordos does not have any large halal restaurants, only a few scattered noodle shops. I ordered this bowl of beef noodles. The once-prosperous Ordos has become very quiet. There are very few people on the streets now, which is why it earned the nickname 'Ghost City'.
Baotou
2. Baotou steamed dumplings (shaomai)
I had breakfast at a small shop across from the Baotou Great Mosque. They only serve pan-fried buns (shuijianbao) at noon.
Steamed dumplings (shaomai) are not unique to Inner Mongolia, but they are common here. Locals call one steamer of these dumplings 'one liang'.
I bought a baked flatbread (beizi) next to the Baotou West Mosque. This bread is a common staple in Inner Mongolia. It is a lot like naan, but softer. They come in sweet and salty versions, are easy to carry, and can be eaten as a snack.
3. Shunxinzhai
Shunxinzhai in Baotou is famous for its fragrant bone dishes. This place is very popular and was still full at nine in the evening.
I thought Zhencheng Jiabin was a local Baotou drink, but a friend told me the real local drink is 'Dayao Jiabin'. Zhencheng Jiabin is a knockoff.
I wanted to eat everything on the menu, but unfortunately, I could not eat too many heavy dishes alone. The server suggested I try the roasted lamb spine.
I ordered the roasted lamb spine. Several other diners around me also ordered it. While in Baotou, I noticed that the lamb restaurants barely have any gamey smell, which shows that the lamb in Inner Mongolia is high quality.
Address: No. 4 Bayantala West Street, Xinaobao Subdistrict, Donghe District, Baotou City
Hohhot
4. Ciyishi
Hohhot has a downtown area called the Hui Muslim District. This is where the most Hui Muslims in Inner Mongolia live. Pan-fried buns (youjianbao) are another specialty snack here besides steamed dumplings (shaomai).
The shop is small, but the decor is very thoughtful.
Sauce-braised lamb hooves, very tender and melt in your mouth.
Kidney bean porridge
I had it with pan-fried buns. It was a meal for one with lamb filling and no gamey smell.
5. Islamic Style Street
2017 marked the 70th anniversary of the autonomous region. Before the celebration, the entire city of Hohhot was under renovation, and all shop signs along the streets were replaced and updated.
When you are thirsty in Inner Mongolia, skip the water. Try the excellent yogurt and other dairy products here; they quench your thirst and quickly restore your energy.
Hohhot is the birthplace of the baked bun (beizi). These bread-like buns cost only 1.5 yuan each. You can find many Inner Mongolian specialties in Beijing, but not these buns, so I carried a few onto the plane.
There is a halal Chongqing-style hot pot in the city, which is quite rare.
6. Yideli Halal Fast Food
I saw a place selling halal oat noodles (youmian) by the side of the road, so I went in to try them.
Oat noodles are a local Inner Mongolian snack, but halal versions are very rare. A friend told me there was a place near the small mosque that sold them, but I couldn't wait and tried them here first.
This is the signature local drink that the locals recognize, Big Kiln Soda (Dayao Jiabin). Its status is like Beibingyang soda in Beijing.
It is not too spicy, and the noodles are like thin pulled noodles (lamian). They are quite tasty.
7. Aiboyihe Palace
This large building, Aiboyihe Palace, looks like a mosque from the outside. In Inner Mongolia, Mongolian and Islamic architectural styles are similar and hard to distinguish. It is actually a halal restaurant. I heard they have a buffet, but it felt a bit extravagant to go alone, so I skipped it.
Address: 5th Floor, Aiboyihe Palace, No. 51 Zhongshan West Road (Northeast corner of the North Gate intersection)
8. Cui Laoda Steamed Dumplings (shaomai)
You can find places selling steamed dumplings everywhere in Hohhot. This shop is opposite the Great Eastern Mosque (Dongdasi), and I went in when I saw the sign for an old, established brand.
The steamed dumplings looked good when they were served. Steamed dumplings in Hohhot are more famous than those in Baotou.
Address: Opposite the Hohhot Halal Eastern Mosque
9. Ox Street (Niujie)
Here is the highlight: Hohhot also has an Ox Street, which is a halal food street. I regret not coming here sooner.
There are many specialty halal restaurants packed together here, and everything looks delicious.
Next time I come to Hohhot, I will bring friends. When traveling alone, I feel reluctant to order the big, expensive dishes.
This was my first time seeing ice-boiled lamb (bingzhuyang), and I was curious about how it was made.
After eating, I really wanted to force myself to eat more at Ox Street, but I hated that my stomach was too small. I had the desire but not the capacity.
They even have halal crayfish here.
Finally, I couldn't resist and chose this shop's camel meat pie.
Camel meat (tuorou) is really chewy. It has a slightly stronger gamey taste than lamb. I ate one piece, but I couldn't finish the rest, so I packed it up to go.
