Datong has consistently been nominated as one of the worst cities in China, but what about the street food Datong scene? Well the news is that the scene is somewhat vibrant and the city itself is less shit than I had thought.
Less shit how you ask? Well I will be doing a full Shit City guide at some point, so for now at least will talk about Datong street eats.
What the Datong?
Once a coal capital of northern China, Datong built its identity on smoke, mines, and Mao-era industry. Whole districts were raised for factories that now sit hollow and rusted. The air still smells like it came straight from a furnace. There is no soft edge to Datong. Concrete apartment blocks stretch into the distance. The colour palette is mostly grey with the occasional flicker of rust red or old propaganda paint.
The city tried to fix its image. They rebuilt the city walls and slapped up fake ancient architecture to try and look like Xi’an. It feels like walking through a film set that wrapped ten years ago and never got cleared. There is though some actual history and the renovations while naff have at least enticed tourists here and well we kinda liked it.
Street Food Datong
As a developing town with a working-class backbone, street food vendors are pretty much everywhere. Most of the action can be found either by the train station, or in the old town. One is legit. One is fake. You’ll know which is which after you’ve been to both.
Street Food Datong Railway Station
This is where Datong feels the most real. No fairy lights, no fake dynasties, just long gritty streets, tired restaurants, and people who still point at foreigners. Street food here is straight out of Shanxi. Big bubbling pots of chicken, pork, and duck parts floating around with tofu and cabbage.
Pig trotters, congealed blood, and thick handmade noodles. A guy with a cart was selling fried egg and scallion pancakes soaked in chilli oil that actually slapped. It’s cheap, local, and unapologetically Datong. The smell of garlic, coal smoke and mystery meat kind of hangs in the air, but it’s what keeps the place grounded. This is where locals actually eat and that makes it worth your time.
Where: Datong Railway Station, Pingcheng District
大同站 – 平城区振华街附近
Closest food spots are right across from the station exit on Zhenhua Street (振华街) – especially in the alleys running parallel to the station front, and toward the taxi rank.
Street Food Datong Ancient City
The ancient city is the exact opposite. It’s China’s answer to a theme park without a ticket booth. You’ll find food from every corner of China, but very little that’s actually from Datong. Skewers, xiaolongbao, fake churros, bad French fries, and Korean savoury rice cakes that taste like wet cardboard. There are some decent steamed buns and the odd roujiamo if you’re lucky.
But the big standout here is the number of crap shops where Chinese tourists dress up in Qing dynasty costumes while waving live crabs around. It’s less street food and more food cosplay. A worse epidemic than bird flu ever was to China.
Where: Datong Ancient City (South Gate and Huayan Temple area)
大同古城南门/ 华严寺附近
There are three main food zones:
- Right inside South Gate (南门) – where food stalls line the fake battlements and fill with domestic tourists from 5pm onwards.
- Around Huayan Temple (华严寺) – lots of snack bars and rice cake shops, especially at the side streets like Shanhua Alley (善化巷).
- Along Dongguan Street (东关大街) – supposed to be “local” but mostly mixed regional offerings, including those odd crab places. Best explored in the evening.
5 Must Try Datong Street Food Dishes
- Knife-cut noodles – thick, doughy, and often dumped into a broth with beef or pork.
2. Griddled flatbread with meat – kind of like a Shanxi meat pie, flaky and greasy.
3. Datong cold noodles – served with vinegar, mustard, and shredded vegetables. Spoiler alert, not as good as Xian.
4. Egg and scallion pancake – usually with chilli sauce, found around the station.
5. Tofu skewers – grilled and soaked in cumin and chilli powder, very popular after dark.
Street Drinking in Datong
The nightlife of Datong is very bad with just clubs and some kinda OK “live bars”. Do not follow any recommended joints online as none of them seem to exist. I will delve more into this when I do a guide of the city.
There was though a kind of franchise vendor that was offering a whole heap of draft beers up to three pints a go in plastic containers. Again this will get its own article, sadly what made it so amazing though was just how crap everything else was.