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Light Bites
Top 50 Light Bites in Dunhuang [2025]
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杨老七羊肉粉汤
5.0
/5
9 reviews
Snacks
From MYR 13.00
Shazhou Market | 262m from downtown
Address: 甘肃省酒泉市敦煌市阳关中路1144号
Highlights:
Winner of multiple food awards, with a divine mutton noodle soup
Verified user reviews
There are several medals hanging on the wall. The mutton noodle soup is very famous and tastes good.
My solo trip to Northwest China has come to a perfect end! The Symphony Silk Road, the enchanting Gansu, and finally, Dunhuang, the last stop, gave me so many surprises! 💫
▪️ Classic Photo Spots: The "Reverse Pipa" statue in the city center is a must-see, a classic promise to Dunhuang! 📸
▪️ Local Food Treasure Map
🥣 Yang Laoqi Lamb Soup: Highly recommended! It's a restaurant frequented by locals, around 20+ RMB per person. The lamb portions are incredibly generous, the soup is flavorful and the meat is tender—it warms you right to the core! You can keep getting refills of the soup (actually, I was full before I finished, the flatbread was delicious).
🍢 Mysterious Night Market BBQ: Thanks to a local friend I met on the way! Hidden deep in the night market, it took me a while to find it, but the taste was amazing! You'd never discover this place without someone familiar with it!
▪️ A Limited-Time Romance: My friend even drove me to see the exterior of the Mogao Caves at dusk. Feeling the ancient sands blowing in the vast twilight was breathtaking—words can't describe the awe.
On the way back, I experienced the roar of a Golf GTI. The speed and passion, combined with the expansive night sky of Northwest China, made me think: Life's moments are just like this! 😭
▪️ Sending My Thoughts from Dunhuang: I sent postcards to my friends from Dunhuang, sharing this romance of the Western Regions! 💌 Next stop unknown! If any of you would like to receive travel postcards, see you at our next travel destination! Leave a comment wishing for your city!
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Shun Zhang Donkey Meat Noodle
4.0
/5
354 reviews
Fast Food
From MYR 41.00
Shazhou Market | 411m from downtown
Address: Jinshan Road Binhe Century Home 1 (near Jinshan Hotel)
Highlights:
A famous local noodle shop with a unique, unforgettable flavor
100+ recent views
Verified user reviews
During the trip, the local driver led the way to this Shunzhang Yellow Noodle Restaurant. There is a parking lot next to it, which is convenient for parking. After sitting down and searching, I found out that this noodle restaurant has a long history. There were not many of us, so we only ordered a few dishes. The taste was good. The dishes here are all put with a little chili. The children don’t eat spicy food, so they specially gave us hot sauce for us to add ourselves. The yellow noodles were not small in size. I ate them right away and forgot to take pictures. The noodles were chewy and felt a bit like ramen. The children said it was like eating pasta. The sauce had a bit of soybean sauce and taste. Many of the vegetables here are lettuce, which was also ordered here. It was green, crispy and tender, and not bad. The donkey meat and braised sand were also delicious, with a salty and fresh taste.
When you come to Dunhuang for tourism, you must want to taste the local food. Among the many delicacies, donkey meat and yellow noodles are the most distinctive in the whole Dunhuang. For the trip across Mars, we specially arranged the first Shunzhang Yellow Noodle Restaurant in Dunhuang. 🚉 Transportation strategy: The location is very easy to find. You can take any taxi driver in Dunhuang and know where this restaurant is. It is also very close to the city. 🖼 Restaurant environment: When I first entered the restaurant, I felt that this was a small restaurant, because there were only 4 to 5 tables in the hall on the first floor, but their second floor is very wide, with private rooms and halls. 🍲 Recommended dishes: Donkey meat yellow noodles, this is a must-try when you come to this restaurant or even to Dunhuang. Yellow noodles are actually made of white flour, and they are very chewy. With some small tofu and donkey meat on top, they are still delicious. 🚉 Stir-fried donkey skin, this is the first time I have eaten donkey skin, I didn’t expect it to taste so good, and it is very chewy. This is a very good choice for supplementing collagen. 💰Per capita consumption: Looking at the menu I uploaded, you will know that the per capita consumption of this restaurant is actually not low. This is also a very common feature in the Northwest. The dishes are more expensive and the portions are larger, so if two people come to eat, it is enough to order a portion of donkey meat, donkey skin or donkey intestines, plus a vegetarian dish, and a donkey meat yellow noodle.
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刘红杏·杏皮水店
4.5
/5
17 reviews
Bakeries
From MYR 6.00
Shazhou Market | 410m from downtown
Address: No. 108 Lixin Commercial Building, Yangguan Middle Road
Highlights:
Certified as an Intangible Cultural Heritage food, the hand-brewed apricot peel water is sweet, sour, and refreshing
Verified user reviews
This is the first time I've seen "rock sugar apricot peel water". I bought a cup to try. Overall, it's similar to sour plum soup. The direction is roughly the same, but they are both a bit too sweet. You can't drink too much at one time [囧] If you drink too much, you may need to drink more water
You must drink their sugar-free apricot peel water! 10 yuan a bottle is not cheap, but it is much better than the ones in various restaurants in Dunhuang. I regretted not buying enough on the first day. I went to the restaurant in the afternoon of the second day and found that they only opened at 5 o'clock. We gave up with tears in order to catch the plane. Why don't they open during the day? It's sad. Later, when I arrived in Lanzhou, I could no longer find such delicious and pure apricot peel water. I must drink more!
No.
4
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CHANGLUOHOU·BEEF PATTY WITH ALLIUM MONGOLICUM
5.0
/5
8 reviews
Snacks
From MYR 6.00
Shazhou Market | 499m from downtown
Address: 沙州食驿1号铺
Highlights:
Renowned for freshly made and grilled shallot beef patties with excellent taste
Verified user reviews
I waited in line for a long time before I bought it. It was worth the wait. It was very fragrant and delicious.
Accommodation: I recommend staying near the night market. We ate there every night; there were all sorts of snacks, perfect for solo diners. Dunhuang city is small, so getting around is easy.
DAY: Shazhou Night Market. After arriving in Dunhuang by plane, there's an airport shuttle bus to the city center.
Delicious and famous snacks are concentrated in the central part of the night market. You can search for "Shazhou Food Station" to avoid getting lost.
Highly recommend Changluohou Sha Scallion Beef Pancake! The apricot tea is delicious, sweet and sour (personally, I feel that apricot tea from different shops is pretty much the same, just with different levels of sweetness).
DAY: Mogao Grottoes → Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake
Transportation: You can take a bus to Mogao Grottoes. The city center-Mogao Grottoes-airport-train station loop (see Figure 2) costs only 5 yuan. It's located opposite the Silk Road Yiyuan Hotel. There's no direct bus from Mogao Grottoes to Mingsha Mountain. You can return to the city center for lunch and then take a taxi to and from Mingsha Mountain (only about ten yuan).
Go to Mogao Grottoes early! Even on weekdays, it's still very crowded. There are queues to enter, queues to watch movies, and queues for guided tours at Mogao Grottoes. I never expected visiting the Mogao Grottoes to be so incredibly tiring. After the guided tour and a quick look at other grottoes, I was completely exhausted. Also, arriving too late means missing the reservation time for special grottoes (11 AM - 2 PM).
Crescent Lake is a must-see; the vast reed beds are especially beautiful.
The distances between attractions on the West and East routes are quite long, so I recommend joining a tour group or hiring a car.
DAY Dunhuang West Route: Silk Road Heritage City (man-made attraction, optional) → Western Thousand Buddha Caves → Yangguan Pass → Yumenguan Pass → Yadan Devil City → Stargazing
We departed at 8 AM and didn't return to the hotel until after 10 PM. Early to rise and late to fall, we saw the sunrise, sunset, and starry sky in one day. (Sunrise is around 8 AM in autumn.)
Pay attention to the weather; choose a sunny day to go. You can see a perfect sunset at Yadan Devil City, and a sky full of stars at night. There are free high-powered telescopes available, and you can even see Saturn's rings.
DAY: Dunhuang East Route: Western Jin Dynasty Mural Tomb → Suoyang City (optional) → Yulin Caves → Sculptures along the way.
Compared to the West Route, the East Route is much easier. We still depart at 8 am and arrived at the hotel around 7 pm.
When visiting Yulin Caves, be sure to see the special caves!! The regular caves are somewhat average.
I booked a day tour for both the East and West routes through the app, Tianyou Travel Agency. There was no mandatory spending, and you could choose to visit each attraction or not. The experience was quite good, with no hidden traps.
No.
5
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SHENGJI
5.0
/5
1 reviews
Fast Food
From MYR 11.00
Shazhou Market | 673m from downtown
Address: Wenchang South Road 10 Huancheng East Road (west of Dunhuang Hotel)
Highlights:
Diners flock here for the superb donkey meat xiaolongbao
Verified user reviews
【Location】West of Silk Road Yiyuan Hotel.
【Service】In the morning before the silence, many shops were closed. I couldn't find a place to buy breakfast. I finally saw this one open. The steamer at the door was still steaming. I scanned the venue code and came in. There was no dine-in service. The cashier sister was very enthusiastic and immediately introduced which ones didn't need to wait. People came to ask one after another. Some needed to wait for a few minutes. She explained them one by one.
【Taste】I quickly asked for a basket of mushroom meat buns, no need to wait, and finally the second basket. I asked for soy milk.
Unexpectedly, one basket was not enough to eat, so it was good to take the remaining basket away.
Next time, I will try the donkey meat stuffing.
No.
6
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敦煌味苑餐厅
5.0
/5
2 reviews
Northwest China Cuisine
From MYR 21.00
Shazhou Market | 808m from downtown
Address: Next to Carnival Boutique Hotel, No. 756 Mingshan North Road, Shazhou Town
Highlights:
Top-searched donkey meat yellow noodles, a Chinese food list favorite
Verified user reviews
A husband-and-wife shop with a nice environment, clean and sanitary, and good taste.
No.
7
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Lixiuhuayangroufen Soup
4.3
/5
11 reviews
Snacks
From MYR 13.00
Shazhou Market | 472m from downtown
Address: No. 6 Xinjian Road, Shazhou Town
Highlights:
The signature mutton noodle soup has a clear, rich broth and always draws a crowd
Verified user reviews
In winter, eating a bowl of steaming, fragrant mutton soup can drive away the cold, warm the body, and make you feel refreshed. Whether you are a wanderer returning home or a tourist from afar, if you have a bowl of mutton soup when you set foot on the land of Dunhuang, it will become an unforgettable taste of the journey.
[Taste] "Mutton noodle soup" is very good, and it can be regarded as a special breakfast in the northwest. Especially in winter, mutton is very warm. It is relatively cold here in winter. The mutton is very tender, and there are vermicelli inside. The mutton smell is combined with onions and pepper. "Big pancake" is very good with mutton. The pancake must be eaten hot. The skin is crispy and the inside is very soft. It is a good match with mutton soup. "Mutton offal soup" is the same as mutton soup. The mutton is replaced with mutton offal. The mutton offal is also rich, with fat belly, intestines, and lungs. [Mint] Environment:
A small shop
[Service bell] Service:
More enthusiastic
No.
8
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李广记杏皮茶
4.5
/5
27 reviews
Bakeries
From MYR 8.00
Shazhou Market | 514m from downtown
Address: 91 Commercial Street
Highlights:
Must-try local cuisine, the sweet and sour apricot tea is very refreshing
Verified user reviews
🍭🍭I accidentally saw Li Guangji Apricot Peel Tea at the Shazhou Night Market in Dunhuang. I saw a lot of people queuing up, so I went to join in the fun. The line to pay was quite fast. It took about 5 minutes to get the line, and I waited about 20 minutes to get the tea.
🍭🍭Their apricot peel tea mainly has three flavors: original, white peach oolong, and peach blossom overflow. I feel that white peach oolong and apricot peel tea are also quite a match, but I still tried the original flavor for the first time.
🍭🍭The taste of apricot peel tea is a bit like black plum juice, but it tastes fresher and not as sweet as black plum juice, and you can really taste the taste of apricots.
🍭🍭The packaging of theirs is also very good! The bottle design is convenient to carry and beautiful, and you can see a few apricots at the bottom of the bottle.
🍭🍭The price is 15 yuan per bottle, which is much more expensive than the 2.3 yuan in the market, but it tastes good, and you get what you pay for!
Satisfied, unique flavor, thirst-quenching and sweet, praise
No.
9
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Dajijianglvrouhuang Noodle House
3.7
/5
237 reviews
Snacks
From MYR 41.00
Shazhou Market | 467m from downtown
Address: West side of Tianrun International Hotel
Highlights:
Awarded the "Famous Gansu Snack" title, the braised donkey meat is rich and tempting
100+ recent views
Verified user reviews
Came here on July 18, 2014.
This restaurant is a very famous old brand in Dunhuang, and it is the same as other old brands in other places: famous, popular, slow serving, and poor service.
In an ancient city in the northwest like Dunhuang, the environment of this restaurant is already quite good; the food is actually not bad, the donkey meat in sauce is very fragrant and tender.
When I came to Dunhuang for a trip, I went straight to Mogao Grottoes after getting off the plane. I chose this place for my first meal after I came out of Dunhuang. It was recommended by the local driver. The dining environment is not bad. There is a lot of customers. I almost had to wait for a table at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Fortunately, the waiting time was very short. The most important thing is of course to eat donkey meat yellow noodles, which cost more than ten yuan a plate. I cut three taels of donkey meat, fried a donkey plate intestine, and drank a glass of apricot peel water. This is a typical Dunhuang meal.
No.
10
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益和居·驴肉黄面(鸣山北路店)
5.0
/5
6 reviews
Snacks
From MYR 27.00
Shazhou Market | 334m from downtown
Address: 鸣山北路338号（敦煌特色小吃街内）
Highlights:
Foodies make a special trip for the rich and hearty lamb stir fried with wide noodles
Verified user reviews
The best meal I had in Dunhuang. The owner and his family were very welcoming. We only ordered a Huyang braised pancake and the owner gave us a cold alfalfa dish. It was delicious.
Recommended dishes include donkey meat noodles, cold alfalfa salad, and mutton stewed pancakes.
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