Lao Sun Jia

Lao Sun Jia is said to have been founded in Xi'an during the late Qing Guangxu era by the Sun family, building its name on halal beef-and-mutton paomo. It is among the oldest brands in Xi'an's culinary culture and is now a recognized China Time-Honored Brand.

Among Xi'an's many paomo houses, Lao Sun Jia is long regarded by locals and visitors as one of the authentic standards, and its paomo-making craft has entered the national intangible heritage list, carrying the name across the northwest and abroad.

The house attends carefully to meat selection, simmering, broth-making, and the breaking and boiling of the flatbread. Bone broth is cooked for hours, diners tear the dense bread into soybean-sized pieces by hand, and the dish is served in styles distinguished by how much broth remains.

As both a Time-Honored Brand and a national intangible-heritage custodian, Lao Sun Jia keeps an old halal craft alive in daily practice, offering a living window onto the Hui Muslim food culture of the Guanzhong plain.