10 Best Restaurants in The Silk Road, China

This place serves great Tibetan, Indian, and Nepali food. The friendly Tibetan waitstaff all hail from Anmo and add to the already-warm atmosphere. On the menu, which is in Tibetan and English, are plump momo (dumplings), a must-order. The restaurant is in Wenmiao Square, a small bar street not far from the Xingwang Hotel.

As one of Xi'an's most famous restaurants, De Fa Chang offers a buffet of Chinese dumplings that will satisfy even the hungriest of travelers. The restaurant can be a bit tricky to find; walk along the front of the building facing Xi Dajie, past the shops selling trinkets and antiques to the end of the row.

For a break from Chinese food, try this authentic Indian restaurant that combines fragrant curries with oven-fresh naan bread. Although the service needs some polishing, the staff are good at handling requests for vegetarian dishes, of which there are also enough on the menu to ensure everyone leaves satisfied.

Like manna from heaven, Jesse Hoffman's café serves proper American fare, like juicy steaks, best washed down with Belgian beer, and pizzas that'll make anyone who's been on the Silk Road for awhile dive in with joy. If you're interested in meeting other foreigners, Elite's is the place to go.

With free Wi-Fi and waitstaff who speak English, this is a great place to hunker down and plan your next steps on the Silk Road. The coffee here is better than at most of Xining's hotels, and the menu appeals to Westerners with panini, pizza, soups, and desserts such as carrot cake with proper cream cheese icing.

Perched atop the 28-story Jianyin Hotel, this slowly revolving restaurant may not serve the finest Asian cuisine, but the food isn't the biggest draw. People come here for the spectacular views of the city, where you can sip a cup of tea while enjoying the scenery or playing cards.

Cool off after a full day of sightseeing on this trellised patio with an ice-cold beer and plate of noodles. In addition to an array of familiar foods, the restaurant can arrange overnight camel rides for Y700 per person, as well as trips to Yadan National Park and other destinations.

Part of a small, family-run chain that operates in destinations along the Silk Road, this popular tourist hangout is far from authentic, but people flock here for the familiar Western fare and rock-solid travel advice. The café is only operational during the summer tourist season, so if you visit in the winter you'll find the area locked up.

Xinhai is surprisingly affordable and offers Cantonese and Sichuan dishes in addition to Lanzhou specialties such as braised beef and hand-pulled noodles. There's a picture menu in Chinese only and one without pictures in English.