Halal Food in China
China has a large Muslim population (Hui and Uyghur minorities), so halal food is widely available:
- Lanzhou beef noodles (兰州拉面) — found in every city, cheap and halal
- Uyghur restaurants — lamb skewers, naan, pilaf. Common in bigger cities
- Xinjiang restaurants — hand-grabbed rice, big plate chicken
- Hui halal restaurants — look for the '清真' (halal) sign in green
Vegetarian Food
Buddhist cuisine (素菜) is the easiest vegetarian option:
- Buddhist temples — many serve affordable vegetarian meals
- Vegetarian restaurants — search '素食餐厅' on Dianping
- Tofu dishes — mapo tofu (without meat), braised tofu, tofu soup
- Vegetable dumplings — '素饺子' at most dumpling shops
Tips
- Learn key phrases: '我吃素' (I'm vegetarian), '不要肉' (no meat), '清真' (halal)
- Use Dianping (China's Yelp) and filter by cuisine
- University canteens often have a halal window and a vegetarian station
- Xi'an Muslim Quarter is a paradise for halal food