Noodles & staples · Guangxi
Guilin Rice Noodles
桂林米粉 — Guilin runs on this: soft rice noodles in a pork-and-spice broth, with braised beef or crispy pork, pickled beans and chili — eaten standing up, before eight…
The local canon is "xian fen" (先粉) — the morning bowl of broth-soaked noodles with marinated beef, pickled long beans, peanuts and a spoon of chili. The broth is the family secret, simmered with pork bone, spices and dried citrus peel; the noodles are pressed fresh daily.
Guilin treats the bowl the way other cities treat coffee — a two-dollar daily anchor with queues at dawn, eaten standing at formica counters. Yangshuo does the same with a tourist-facing twist. Ask for "san xian" (three-fresh) if you want the full topping set.
Where to eat it
- Guilin old-town morning counters
- Yangshuo West Street noodle shops (tourist-grade but honest)
Routes that eat their way here
More dishes to know
- Luosifen (River Snail Rice Noodles) (螺蛳粉)
- Sha Cha Noodles (沙茶面)
- Dumplings (饺子)
- Yangshuo Beer Fish (阳朔啤酒鱼)
- Zhajiang Noodles (炸酱面)
- Dan Dan Noodles (担担面)