Vegan
Chinese
Chinese name 大兴善寺素香斋, address 雁塔区兴善西街55号大兴善寺内. Temple restaurant. After entering by the main gate on south of the temple, turn half right to the big building perpendicular to the second gate, few steps up through a door, you will find the restaurant. Open Mon-Sun 10:30am-8:00pm.
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Last update on 22 Oct 2024 by thesunrisedreamers
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Added by luana on 16 Aug 2009
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37 Reviews
First Review by flamekat
JoStac30
Points +685
EXi-lent! - Edit
No problem sitting down in the early evening, huge menu, excellent food and well priced for vegan food in China. Fake meat here is excellent, Kung Pao chicken is fantastic.
Read moreGuest
jonathankess
Points +88
Slightly upscale, delicious temple restaurant - Edit
It was worth waiting ~20 minutes to be seated. The restaurant has many options to choose from. I can highly recommend the vegan Kong Pao chicken, and the fried eggplant side dish.
Read moreGuest
xMagali
Points +56
Great food, atmosphere a little less - Edit
We went here when the temple was closed, but the guard let us in no problem. The food was really nice, portion size was quite large. Inside it was cold and the staff seemed a bit disinterested. Would go here for the food not the atmosphere, but maybe it's different when the temple is open.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-03-27
Guest
skuxx
Points +17
Goated - Edit
This place is really good, wish i’d found it before my last day in Xi’an!
Read moreWas worried it would be hard to find but it was pretty simple, someone below described how to get there I think the second gate and then there’s signs saying vegetarian restaurant.
The food was super good, I accidentally ordered two meals (and rice) thinking the portion sizes would be smaller but it was worth it to get to taste them both.
Staff were really friendly and spoke a little bit of english.
Definitely recommend going here if you’re vegetarian/vegan and staying in Xi’an! The area around it is really cool to have a look around as well.
Pros: Delicious , Well priced , Fully vege
Guest
luikn
Points +1094
perfect - Edit
Just what I wanted and needed.
Read moreFood was delicious, and often simple, which I appreciated. Not oily at all, if that matters to you.
I had dumplings, noodle soup, a cold mock-meat serving, and some veggies (aubergine).
It was just so yummy.
The noodle soup is cheap: 15 yuan.
I wished I had such a restaurant near back home.
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-27
Pros: delicious, variety
Cons: pricier than average, but ok
Guest
thesunrisedreamers
Points +2169
Super tasty dishes - Edit
A lovely vegan temple restaurant :)
Read moreWe ordered the sweet n sour 'vegan pork' and the stewed tofu & mushrooms which was kinda like a spicy hot pot! We also ordered 2 rices and the walnut bao's. You need to try the walnut bao's! We had them for the first time in Shanghai and didn't think we'd see them again! They're sweet in the middle, so perfect for desert with a walnutty creamy filling.
You can order on your phone with WeChat/AliPay and the prices are good! Our meal came to 120 yuan (£13)
We ate here twice on our trip and ordered the spicy pepper noodles, plum ribs, Shanghainese bran and the almond pudding dessert! really good also ☺️
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-23
Pros: all vegan
Guest
andreawe
Points +647
Temple restaurant with flavourful food - Edit
If the temple is closed, you can enter through the gate on the right side, just give a sign to the guard there.
Read moreWe had shanghai style smoked fish which came with a thick sauce and was rather sweet, not really smokey – but very nice. Mock meat with sweet plums which added a lot of flavour to the dish. And we also got a green spinach-like dish which was seasoned with sichuan pepper. All in all good flavours and textures!
Guest
RobynHattersley
Points +186
Great vegan food in a beautiful temple - Edit
Loved the food here so many great options. The highlights for me were the duck, spicy pork and mushroom soup! If the temple is closed you can still get in, you need to wave to a security guard who will let you in.
Read morePros: Great options, Beautiful location , Peaceful atmosphere
Cons: Confusing to get in when temple is closed
Guest
LauraR2912
Points +620
Good vegan food - Edit
There's a gate at the temple which was closed when I arrived with opening times from 0800-1700.
Read moreAman sitting near the gate will let you in if you tell him you're going to the restaurant.
Menu in Chinese but with photos.
Had the ma po tofu which was a large portion for one person but really tasty.
Guest
LiZe_92
Points +470
Nice temple restaurant - Edit
We had a nice dinner here with dumplings, soup, vegetables and mock duck. The food came so fast, was tasty and nice atmosphere there.
Read moreGuest
Ursulal
Points +260
Amazing food - Edit
Wonderful food for a great price. Try the vegan duck and tofu pudding, they are incredible. the restaurant is inside the temple.
Read morePros: Different options , Location, Cheap
diegosanantropologo
hey! could u tell me how much did u spend in USD?
Read moreUrsulal
It was less than $10 :)
Read moreGuest
senliangai
Points +453
delightful - Edit
the restaurant is inside the temple, we ended up going couple of times as there aren't many vegan places in Xian, the food was delicious, during summer they sell a herbal plum drink that's served icy cold ( a rarity in China)
Read morePros: location, price
Guest
driggon
Points +493
Very nice, lots of mock meat - Edit
I'm not a big fan of mock meats but the menu is so large that everyone can find something. The food was quite salty but very nice, and prices are good for a sit-down place (20-40 per dish + negligible amount of money for rice). I loved the dessert which looks like green disks with sesame crust!
Read morePros: lots of vegan options, also without mock meats, lovely dessert
Cons: mostly mock-meats
Guest
Eike
Points +198
Nice vegan restaurant - Edit
Although this place was a bit hard to find (it's actually inside the temple complex), once there, I thought it was worth it. The interior might appear a bit basic, but the food was delicious and very affordable.
Read moreGuest
yehadut
Points +2089
Food looked good but tasted blah - Edit
The place was a little tricky to find. It directly faces an entrance to the temple. It will help to look at the photo of the front entrance and walk along the alley alongside the temple looking for it.
Read moreThe portions were big and the food was attractive, but the taste was blah. I took most of it home and didn't bother to eat it. The service was quick... maybe suspiciously so.
The place didn't look fancy or particularly pretty. It was very small, just a couple of tables. The server spoke English, not great but well enough.
There's no restroom in the restaurant, but there is one in the shopping area inside the temple.
Overall I was very disappointed. The temple is really pretty, though.
Guest
Vegangirl7777
Points +571
Delicious - Edit
I went there twice and it was really tasty, cheap and fast.
Read moreIt seems like the name of the place has changed, not the same as on the description?
Also, they made me pay the toilet paper which is weird...
Staff do not speak English at all
Cons: The place is hard to find
Guest
DaunYorke
Points +60
Great Food at a beautiful temple in Xi’an - Edit
I have been here several times. At times they have a menu with vegan choices or at other times they serve noodles only. My experiences have all been positive. Every time I have been, there is a lovely young woman who serves who is learning English. I have never had a problem with communication. The vegan chicken is really good and vegetables are fresh and tasty. The restaurant is modest and clean. The temple is stunning with a massive prayer wheel at the centre. The gardens are beautiful in spring. You can spend hours walking around the temple and meditating.
Read morePros: great food, great venue
Guest
brtknr
Points +225
tasty noodles, gorgeous setting, disinterested staff - Edit
The woman who served us was less than friendly and it was partly due to her attitude that we ended up only ordering two bowls of noodles as we felt under a lot of pressure and like it was annoying her when we took time to look through the menu. However the two bowls of fresh noodles with chilli and Bok Choi were actually very tasty and made a great cheap lunch. The 4 stars is also because the monastery is really really beautiful and definitely worth visiting, and we would never have discovered it if not coming to the restaurant.
Read moreGuest
TarunKrishna
Points +186
what can go wrong in a temple?? - Edit
Food was delicious and was served very fast.
Read moreNo english, but pictures in the menu... worth to spend some extra time at the temple itself. Beautiful location and the Buddha in the temple will ensure the food to be tastier :)
Pros: great food
Cons: opening times are a bit flexible. so dont come 10
Guest
GeertK
Points +69
Great food! - Edit
Friendly staff, hardly speaks English, but with Google translate we managed to order a great meal. Spicy green beans are recommended. Expect to get your food in random order, as with all Chinese restaurants.
Read moreNothing to complain here!
Guest
phillipguy
Points +108
Horrible Service - Edit
I am sadden to say that I received horrible service. I even speak pretty good Chinese. I would think being connected to a Buddhist temple that the service would be good. I was wrong. Everyone was very tired and seemed to hate work at 11:10am on a Friday. They also stopped me from taking pictures and wouldn't allow me to explain that I was taking them for their benefit to put on HappyCow. I believe I will try to come here one more time to give them a chance but I'm very unhappy now. I haven't even gotten my food yet and I'm leaving this review because I'm very unhappy.
Read morePros: vegan
Cons: bad service
Guest
Bigna
Points +35
Extremly unfriendly - Edit
We arrived there around 13.30 o'clock and there were some people eating. Somehow we were not welcome at all abd had to wait 15 min for the waitress to bring the menu. We ordered 3 dishes, got two of them, finished them and waited for half an hour. then the waitress came and we payed. But we had to pay for all 3 dishes, even though we only received two of them and the waitress knew. Extremly unfriendly, not very cheap. But food was ok.
Read moreGuest
Mimoli
Points +289
Busy restaurant - Edit
Our food was good. A bit oily but I guess that's the Chinese way. English menu available but staff doesn't speak English.
Read morePros: The temple is very nice
Guest
AMing
Points +21
Get that Xi'an Flavour - Edit
One of the best known vegetarian restaurants in the city right inside the temple grounds. Don't worry there's no entrance fee to get through the gate haha.
Read moreThe food is very Xi'an style, by which I mean its got the spicy Muslim inspired flavour to it. It was pretty good. I really liked the Broccoli dish. Its a little place. And I'm pretty sure they don't speak English but the menu has pictures and it's definitely vegetarian 100%.
Pros: Good Food, Easy Find, Quiet and Serene next to the buddhist temple
Cons: Small place, little bit older
Guest
Fredh
Points +95
Delicious and affordable vegan restaurant - Edit
We had our hostel call and ask them whether it's vegan, and we showed our vegan passport - it's all vegan! :)
Read moreVery delicious and cheap restaurant with a welcoming atmosphere. Offers really great Chinese food, with different kinds of mock meat and yummy vegetables. The staff is very friendly. Most don't speak English, except for one young waitress.
Pros: Cheap, friendly staff
Cons: No English menu
Guest
psiphi75
Points +258
Great food - Edit
We visited this place 3 times while in Xi'an and we were there only 3 days. This is the best Chinese food I have ever had. Food was excellent and simple. Fresh vegetables are used for cooking. There is a small selection of items compared to a typical Chinese restaurant, but still a good selection. The staff do not speak English but are very friendly. The meal is very cheap too.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Saturday November 17, 2012
Pros: great healthy food, friendly staff
Cons: a bit cold in winter, unless you by the heate
Guest
audili
Points +38
Veg or not? - Edit
we walked in, but there was nobody speaking english and also no english menue was available. it was just chinese and without pictures. so we asked them with our chinese phrasebook, if they have vegetarian meals? and the answer was NO! the location was sure the right one, because we recognized it from the photos and also asked two people about the address and name, but the facility was different - maybe the owner changed?
Read moreGuest
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