Local Halal Food in China: Tianjin Northwest Corner, Gaba Cai and Muslim Restaurants
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Tianjin halal food in China guide keeps the original part-three food map, including Northwest Corner memories, gaba cai, Muslim restaurants, dishes, addresses, and photos. It is cleaned for easy English reading while preserving the source details.
I recently discovered that WeChat official accounts can add a keyword search feature for articles. I spent the whole night organizing information for over 70 cities. You can now just send a message with a city name to the account to see related articles.
This post continues to expand our halal food map of Tianjin. This is the third installment. When I visited Tianjin in the past, I mostly saw local Tianjin-style restaurants. In recent years, I have noticed a growing variety of food, including Cantonese, Sichuan, Japanese, Korean, and Western cuisine. The environment, taste, and service are all very high quality, and the prices are much cheaper than in Beijing.
Aimeike Western Restaurant
I found many halal Western restaurants in Tianjin and specifically chose the most popular one, Aimeike, to try. Aimeike is a chain store. We arrived at 2 p.m., a time when most restaurants are closed for a lunch break, but Aimeike was still busy. I imagine you would have to wait in line during peak meal times.
Drinks come with free refills, and there is free lemon water available.
I tried the Turkish chicken pizza, and even the 5-inch size was packed with toppings.
This purple sweet potato soup is delicious. It is slightly sweet and not greasy. You can eat bread after finishing the soup.
The pasta is also good. It cost less than 130 for two people, which is great value for money.
Address: B1, Pengxin Water Amusement City, No. 12-24 Dafeng Road, Hongqiao District, Tianjin.
On Fuxing Road in the Hongqiao District of Tianjin, about 1,000 meters from the Northwest Corner subway station, there is a cluster of halal restaurants near the ground-floor shops of Shuixiyuan. I took a walk and found several unique halal restaurants. The following restaurants are all located in the ground-floor shops of Shuixiyuan.
I just hate that my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I wanted to eat at every place I saw, but I couldn't. I was tempted to run over to other people's tables just to take pictures of their food.
Shengji Korean BBQ
This Korean BBQ spot in Shuixiyuan is the second one I have seen in Tianjin.
The style here is similar to Qingu BBQ in Changying, Beijing, but it does not taste as good.
The BBQ platter costs less than 100 yuan.
After the BBQ, you can eat the steamed egg (jidan geng) cooked on the side of the grill, and the restaurant gives you plenty of side dishes for free.
Address: Shop 115-116, Shuixiyuan, Fuxing Road.
Yilan Jin Fan'er
This is a popular place. We arrived at 7 p.m. and there were no seats left. The waiter said we could eat at the dumpling shop next door since they are the same business, but that was full too. We waited 10 minutes to get a table.
I did not know what stove-baked dumplings (lujiaozi) were at first. I ordered a pound of boiled dumplings at Yilan Jin Fan'er, and I realized what they were when they brought them out.
Iced jelly (bingfen), a dessert similar to pear syrup (qiuli gao).
Stir-fried lamb trio (laobao san) is a famous Tianjin dish made with lamb heart, liver, and kidney. It is a bit salty.
The signature dish is mustard shrimp, which is topped with popcorn and is a little greasy.
The red bean yogurt bun is delicious. It is filled with red beans and yogurt, and the texture is soft, fluffy, and lightly sweet.
Grilled oysters are tasty. Seafood is common in Tianjin restaurants.
This is the best dish and their signature item. The beef in the steak pot is incredibly fragrant, very tender, and full of flavor.
This is the pan-fried dumpling (lu jiaozi) sold at their other shop. It looks like a pan-fried bun and a potsticker at the same time. The portion is huge and salty, which is a typical feature of Tianjin cuisine.
While wandering near the Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao) at Shuiyou City, I found this halal Australian lobster hot pot on the fourth floor. I was too full to eat anymore, so I wish someone could go eat it for me.
On the first floor of Building B in Shuiyou City, I saw a halal Western-style bakery called Nisa Town (Nisa Xiaozhen). There is a lot of halal food in Shuiyou City.
This halal Sichuan spicy hot pot (mao cai) is on the basement level of Building A in Shuiyou City, very close to Aimeike Western Restaurant.
Early in the morning, I saw a long line at this Muji Pastry shop near the South Great Mosque (Nandasi). It felt very familiar, just as popular as Niujie.
To experience a local breakfast in Tianjin, you must have savory crepe strips in soup (gaba cai). You have to eat it at a small shop in a residential area like this to get the authentic taste.
Chaiji Breakfast is right across from the South Great Mosque. Just by looking at the exterior, I knew the food would be great.
Soy milk costs one yuan extra if you add sugar. I didn't expect that.
Savory mung bean and millet soup (gabacai) is a local snack that visitors usually try just for the novelty. You might not get used to the taste, but I think it is okay, just a bit salty.
A bowl of gabacai wasn't enough for breakfast, so I spotted some hanging oven flatbread (diaolu shaobing) nearby. I have loved all kinds of flatbreads since I was a kid. This one is hollow inside and sprinkled with Sichuan pepper salt, and I could eat it plain every day without getting tired of it.
I really envy the people of Tianjin. You don't see these kinds of cozy, local shops in Beijing much anymore.
You have to eat the hanging oven flatbread, and you have to eat the crepe with fried dough sticks (jianbing guozi) too. Jinfeng Lao Huiji Jianbing is right across from the flatbread shop. The man making the crepes, Brother Jin, is quite interesting. He chatted with me while he worked, saying my wife looks like a British person. Judging by his tone, he must have traveled to quite a few places.
Address: Near the South Mosque (Qingzhen Nandasi) in Hongqiao District.
Fresh from the oven.
This is the second halal Japanese restaurant I have tried in Tianjin. There must be at least five halal Japanese restaurants in the city.
The shop is quite small, but it feels just like a Japanese street-side eatery. If you go for lunch, you can use a voucher, which is like getting a 50% discount.
The salmon sashimi is very fresh.
Japanese-style smashed cucumber, which has a sweet flavor.
Grilled eel, which I order every time I eat Japanese food.
Cheesy mashed potatoes.
The owner gave us a complimentary pudding dessert.
Address: No. 43 Xinhua Road, Heping District, Tianjin.
Hongxishun.
The staff are very helpful, and the restaurant was half full at dinner time.
Napkins cost one yuan extra.
A half-jin (250 grams) plate of fresh-cut lamb costs 30 yuan; it is cheaper than in Beijing but slightly more expensive than in Inner Mongolia.
The house-made pickled vegetables are good.
Address: No. 44 Wenlan Road, northeast of Wangfu No. 1, Nankai District.
On the way back to Beijing, I saw a halal Sichuan-style hot pot restaurant called Huishuxiang. It is located at No. 985 Dagu South Road, Hexi District. It has been open for many years and I heard it is quite good.
Previous links:
Tianjin Halal Food Map (Part 2).
Summary: This Tianjin halal food in China guide keeps the original part-three food map, including Northwest Corner memories, gaba cai, Muslim restaurants, dishes, addresses, and photos. It is cleaned for easy English reading while preserving the source details.
I recently discovered that WeChat official accounts can add a keyword search feature for articles. I spent the whole night organizing information for over 70 cities. You can now just send a message with a city name to the account to see related articles.
This post continues to expand our halal food map of Tianjin. This is the third installment. When I visited Tianjin in the past, I mostly saw local Tianjin-style restaurants. In recent years, I have noticed a growing variety of food, including Cantonese, Sichuan, Japanese, Korean, and Western cuisine. The environment, taste, and service are all very high quality, and the prices are much cheaper than in Beijing.
Aimeike Western Restaurant
I found many halal Western restaurants in Tianjin and specifically chose the most popular one, Aimeike, to try. Aimeike is a chain store. We arrived at 2 p.m., a time when most restaurants are closed for a lunch break, but Aimeike was still busy. I imagine you would have to wait in line during peak meal times.
Drinks come with free refills, and there is free lemon water available.
I tried the Turkish chicken pizza, and even the 5-inch size was packed with toppings.
This purple sweet potato soup is delicious. It is slightly sweet and not greasy. You can eat bread after finishing the soup.
The pasta is also good. It cost less than 130 for two people, which is great value for money.
Address: B1, Pengxin Water Amusement City, No. 12-24 Dafeng Road, Hongqiao District, Tianjin.
On Fuxing Road in the Hongqiao District of Tianjin, about 1,000 meters from the Northwest Corner subway station, there is a cluster of halal restaurants near the ground-floor shops of Shuixiyuan. I took a walk and found several unique halal restaurants. The following restaurants are all located in the ground-floor shops of Shuixiyuan.
I just hate that my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I wanted to eat at every place I saw, but I couldn't. I was tempted to run over to other people's tables just to take pictures of their food.
Shengji Korean BBQ
This Korean BBQ spot in Shuixiyuan is the second one I have seen in Tianjin.
The style here is similar to Qingu BBQ in Changying, Beijing, but it does not taste as good.
The BBQ platter costs less than 100 yuan.
After the BBQ, you can eat the steamed egg (jidan geng) cooked on the side of the grill, and the restaurant gives you plenty of side dishes for free.
Address: Shop 115-116, Shuixiyuan, Fuxing Road.
Yilan Jin Fan'er
This is a popular place. We arrived at 7 p.m. and there were no seats left. The waiter said we could eat at the dumpling shop next door since they are the same business, but that was full too. We waited 10 minutes to get a table.
I did not know what stove-baked dumplings (lujiaozi) were at first. I ordered a pound of boiled dumplings at Yilan Jin Fan'er, and I realized what they were when they brought them out.
Iced jelly (bingfen), a dessert similar to pear syrup (qiuli gao).
Stir-fried lamb trio (laobao san) is a famous Tianjin dish made with lamb heart, liver, and kidney. It is a bit salty.
The signature dish is mustard shrimp, which is topped with popcorn and is a little greasy.
The red bean yogurt bun is delicious. It is filled with red beans and yogurt, and the texture is soft, fluffy, and lightly sweet.
Grilled oysters are tasty. Seafood is common in Tianjin restaurants.
This is the best dish and their signature item. The beef in the steak pot is incredibly fragrant, very tender, and full of flavor.
This is the pan-fried dumpling (lu jiaozi) sold at their other shop. It looks like a pan-fried bun and a potsticker at the same time. The portion is huge and salty, which is a typical feature of Tianjin cuisine.
While wandering near the Northwest Corner (Xibeijiao) at Shuiyou City, I found this halal Australian lobster hot pot on the fourth floor. I was too full to eat anymore, so I wish someone could go eat it for me.
On the first floor of Building B in Shuiyou City, I saw a halal Western-style bakery called Nisa Town (Nisa Xiaozhen). There is a lot of halal food in Shuiyou City.
This halal Sichuan spicy hot pot (mao cai) is on the basement level of Building A in Shuiyou City, very close to Aimeike Western Restaurant.
Early in the morning, I saw a long line at this Muji Pastry shop near the South Great Mosque (Nandasi). It felt very familiar, just as popular as Niujie.
To experience a local breakfast in Tianjin, you must have savory crepe strips in soup (gaba cai). You have to eat it at a small shop in a residential area like this to get the authentic taste.
Chaiji Breakfast is right across from the South Great Mosque. Just by looking at the exterior, I knew the food would be great.
Soy milk costs one yuan extra if you add sugar. I didn't expect that.
Savory mung bean and millet soup (gabacai) is a local snack that visitors usually try just for the novelty. You might not get used to the taste, but I think it is okay, just a bit salty.
A bowl of gabacai wasn't enough for breakfast, so I spotted some hanging oven flatbread (diaolu shaobing) nearby. I have loved all kinds of flatbreads since I was a kid. This one is hollow inside and sprinkled with Sichuan pepper salt, and I could eat it plain every day without getting tired of it.
I really envy the people of Tianjin. You don't see these kinds of cozy, local shops in Beijing much anymore.
You have to eat the hanging oven flatbread, and you have to eat the crepe with fried dough sticks (jianbing guozi) too. Jinfeng Lao Huiji Jianbing is right across from the flatbread shop. The man making the crepes, Brother Jin, is quite interesting. He chatted with me while he worked, saying my wife looks like a British person. Judging by his tone, he must have traveled to quite a few places.
Address: Near the South Mosque (Qingzhen Nandasi) in Hongqiao District.
Fresh from the oven.
This is the second halal Japanese restaurant I have tried in Tianjin. There must be at least five halal Japanese restaurants in the city.
The shop is quite small, but it feels just like a Japanese street-side eatery. If you go for lunch, you can use a voucher, which is like getting a 50% discount.
The salmon sashimi is very fresh.
Japanese-style smashed cucumber, which has a sweet flavor.
Grilled eel, which I order every time I eat Japanese food.
Cheesy mashed potatoes.
The owner gave us a complimentary pudding dessert.
Address: No. 43 Xinhua Road, Heping District, Tianjin.
Hongxishun.
The staff are very helpful, and the restaurant was half full at dinner time.
Napkins cost one yuan extra.
A half-jin (250 grams) plate of fresh-cut lamb costs 30 yuan; it is cheaper than in Beijing but slightly more expensive than in Inner Mongolia.
The house-made pickled vegetables are good.
Address: No. 44 Wenlan Road, northeast of Wangfu No. 1, Nankai District.
On the way back to Beijing, I saw a halal Sichuan-style hot pot restaurant called Huishuxiang. It is located at No. 985 Dagu South Road, Hexi District. It has been open for many years and I heard it is quite good.
Previous links:
Tianjin Halal Food Map (Part 2).
