Food and Restaurants

Lijiang cuisine is a blend of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. Charming hole-in-the street outlets offer delicious baba anytime of the day. Best eaten in the mornings, this thick flatbread of wheat, served plain or stuffed with vegetables, meat, lard, extracted ham cubes or condiments such as sugar mixed with pure mountain water, cooked on flat frying pan with slow fire is a Lijiang specialty. For local fare, a "Naxi sandwich" will have go at cheese, tomato slices between baba slices. For the more adventurous, deep-fried grasshoppers, dragonflies and other insects are also offered. Gulp them downwith a selection of wine.

Zhuabiao rou is a traditional Mosuo preserved pork. A whole pig is de-boned then stuffed with salt and spices, it's then shaped into a pipa the nair-dried. Because of its unique shape, it's also called pipa rou. If you haven't had enough pork, Lijiang is also known for its three-river ham. For those who want something stronger than tea to wash down all that meat, cellar wine fits the bill. Butter tea is a common drink in the area and a favorite of the ethnic Naxi and Tibetans. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tea is made from tea plants grown high on the mountain, approximately 3,000m high.

The Cuiwen sectionof XinhuaJie is a popular bar street. Wandering singers will serenade you for RMB10 a song. The night market outside the old town on Xin Da Jie is great for barbeque and beer. Enjoy rice noodles, rice casseroles and friedrice with ham at the Square Street Snack Street. Yangren Jie hosts loads of bars and is located on the border of Xinyi Street and the new town.