MaDa HuZi Restaurant (Binhe West Road)

MaDa HuZi Restaurant on Binhe West Road in Lanzhou is a Xinjiang-style halal kitchen on the riverside road that runs along the Yellow River, in Gansu province. Xinjiang cooking shares a Muslim, lamb-centred foundation with much of Lanzhou's food but differs in its spicing and in its generous, shared plates. The signature dish is dapanji, the large-plate chicken: a whole bird stewed with potatoes, peppers, onion and spices, served over wide hand-pulled noodles that diners add to the plate. Lamb skewers, grilled over charcoal and seasoned with cumin and chilli, are the other staple. The dining room is built for groups and families, with large tables, shared dishes and a convivial, fairly loud atmosphere, especially in the evening. Because dishes are large, the restaurant works best for parties of three or more who can order several plates to share. The restaurant is halal, so there is no alcohol programme; tea and soft drinks are served. Prices are moderate by Lanzhou standards, with a meal generally costing about 60 to 120 yuan per person, roughly 8 to 17 US dollars. The rating is about 4.5. Lunch and dinner are both served daily. Reservations are advised for groups, particularly on weekends and evenings, and calling ahead a day or so in advance is a sensible precaution. The riverside location on Binhe West Road makes the restaurant easy to combine with an evening stroll along the Yellow River waterfront, one of the city's most pleasant public spaces. For visitors who have already eaten several bowls of beef noodles, a meal here offers a different regional flavour while remaining within the halal tradition that shapes dining across Lanzhou.