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The cuisine of this water town focuses on seafood. Xitang restaurants offer moderate prices, but portions tend to be small, sweet, and rich, with little oil. Many people find them difficult to adapt to. You can request a preference for less sweet or salty dishes when ordering. Xitang specialties include braised pork with preserved mustard greens, salt and pepper pumpkin, cicada shell buns, stir-fried snails, wonton stew with old duck, minced meat and wild flowers, white-cut chicken, water spinach, and river crab.
Most of the restaurants in Xitang are concentrated near Beizha Street. They generally serve local specialties and are built by the river, so the taste will not vary much. They are also good quality and inexpensive, with an average price of 28-40 yuan per person. Some hotels will have special dishes marked on their menus. If you want to try all the special dishes, a table will only cost 300 yuan. Among them, Lao Pinfang has been a popular restaurant in Xitang for many years, followed by Yi Jiangnan and Songzi Deyue Tower. If you want to sit in a good position by the window and enjoy the view by the river, you must go early, and if you go late to popular restaurants, you will have to queue.
This is the most reputable and established restaurant in Xitang. It is always crowded at mealtimes. The environment is average, but the food is good and the prices are low.
Address: No. 39 Beizha Street
Opening hours: Last order at 19:30, closed from 13:30 to 16:30
Reference price: 29 yuan/person
It is located on the Misty Corridor. Its signature dishes are pepper and salt pumpkin and fairy tofu. It is more expensive than Lao Pinfang, but the owner is very welcoming. Sitting on the second floor, you can enjoy the scenery on the opposite bank and hear the locals singing songs (of course, you have to pay). It is very pleasant.
Tip: Next to Xiangtang is Dingji Restaurant, which is also good.
Address: On the Misty Corridor at the north entrance of Huanxiu Bridge (near Songzi Laifeng Bridge and Huanxiu Bridge)
Contact: 0573-84561392
Reference price: 38 yuan/person
The taste is authentic, and the key is the excellent service. From the boss to the waiters, they will ask about your taste before ordering and then recommend different dishes for different tastes. It's very considerate. It's more suitable for those who want to taste Xitang's special dishes and experience the local customs and culture of Xitang, but are also concerned about the price.
Address: No. 62-64 Tawan Street, Xitang Town, Jiashan County
Contact: 13656600435
Reference price: 24 yuan/person
The service is very thoughtful, there is hot tea, air conditioning, wifi, and a large amount of food. The price is not the cheapest, but the environment is much better.
Address: 2F, No. 15 Tangdong Street (near Bar Street)
Contact information: 13666775488; 13905832543
Reference price: 31 yuan/person
The environment of the store is consistent with its name. The dishes are generous in portion and affordable. White water fish and lotus-flavored chicken are the signature dishes. The owner is the chef as well. He is very kind and humorous.
Address: No. 17 Beizha Street
Contact: 13867356582
Reference price: 33 yuan/person
A variety of local snacks, such as eight-treasure cakes, thousand-layer cakes, tofu, and rice dumplings, are available, perfect for both drinking and as a snack. The lotus leaf steamed pork is particularly noteworthy: smooth, tender, and refreshing, fragrant yet not greasy. The aroma of the meat wafts from the wok, permeating the streets and alleys for a long time. Most snacks in the town cost 5-6 yuan each, with some 3 yuan available. Enjoy a bite as you walk around and fill yourself up.
Between Laifeng Bridge and Yongning Bridge in the Misty Corridor, there's a small shop specializing in tofu pudding. They also sell mung bean vermicelli noodles, which are sour, fragrant, and unique. A bowl of the Qian family's traditional tofu pudding costs 5 yuan. Unless otherwise specified, tofu pudding is usually salty.
At the entrance to West Street, in the easternmost square (there's a sign near the bridge), there's a small wonton shop called "Lu's Little Wontons," highly recommended by many. While the original signature dish is worn out, business is still brisk. If you go during lunchtime, there's a line! A bowl of wontons costs 6 yuan.
There is a wonton shop next to Yixiantian (near Songzi Bridge). The large wontons with wild vegetables are much more delicious than the small ones. A bowl costs 10 yuan.
The most popular ones for making Cishi cakes are "Forest" (No. 18, Tangdong Street, near Shaogangkou) and "One Line Sky" (No. 2, Xiaxi Street, West Street, Xitang Ancient Town, near Huanxiu Bridge).
The portions at Forest are generous, and they offer a buy-10-get-1-free deal. Next door is Cao Ji Gorgon Fruit Cake (16 Tangdong Street), said to be the largest handmade workshop in Xitang. However, many people find the "Yixiantian" ones more delicious, with a sweet and sticky texture.
Lao Ma's lotus leaf steamed pork with rice flour (53 Di Street, Chaonan, 0573-84565352) and A Ming's dragon's trotters (at the end of Yongning Bridge, opposite Qian's tofu pudding) are traditional snacks from Xitang Ancient Town with a long history. They are characterized by their authentic fragrance, crispy texture without being mushy, and richness without being greasy. Price: 5 yuan each.
Guan Laotai’s stinky tofu is a stinky tofu that has long been famous. This name can be found almost everywhere on the street, and it tastes very tender and smooth.
There is a "Three Flavors Stinky Tofu" restaurant near Songzi Bridge that has a unique flavor, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Other dishes such as beef soup and rice wine dumplings are also very good, all 5 yuan per serving.
Ah Liu Yikou Zong (a traditional Chinese rice dumpling) is a delicious and non-greasy rice dumpling. It's located across from Grandma Guan on West Street.
The locals in Xitang have the traditional custom of eating collapsed pancakes during the Beginning of Summer. Collapse pancakes are a kind of fried pastry with a sweet taste, costing 3 yuan each. The more famous ones are Yang’s Collapse Pancake and Wolong Collapse Pancake, both of which are located on the stone road.
It tastes similar to braised pork, just a bit saltier. 3 yuan a piece.