Xibo: A Xinjiang Food Feast, Exploring Ethnic Cuisine

Xibo is a smart casual Xinjiang restaurant in Shanghai. It is a long-standing favorite that serves a fantastically colorful range of ethnic Xinjiang dishes. Highly recommended!

About Xibo

Established in 2009, Xibo is so named for the Xibonese people, an ethnic minority from northwest Xinjiang. Founder/operator Atina Kuo is Xibonese, and hails from Chabuchaer, Xinjiang, the home of the ethnic minority.

Atina Kuo

Over the years, Atina has made countless journeys to her home region to discover and source ingredients. Dried fruits from Kashgar and Turpan, yellow carrots from Changji, wild bachu mushrooms from the Huyang Forest in Bachu county, desert scallions from the Gobi Desert, and even dried long beans and peppers from her father’s family garden in Chabuchaer all have a place on the menu. Of course, there's also high quality grass-fed lamb and beef.

Origin of ingredients

There are some truly fascinating stories behind those ingredients, and the effort put into sourcing them is beyond admirable. There’s some info in the menu about the regions and the history of the Xibonese people. Spend time reading that.

Ethnic Xinjiang Dishes

It is a large menu. And for the most part, the portions are large too. You could enjoy a one/two person meal with a rack of fried lamb chops, a veg side, and pilaf to share, but truthfully, the best way to explore Xibo is with a big group.

Here is what’s on the menu:

Marinated Allium Mongolicum (¥28) – Fresh desert chives from the Gobi Desert in a Xibei-style sauce of vinegar and chili. Crunchy, refreshingly cool, and floral.

Xinjiang Hui-Style Chicken Salad (¥45) - A cold salad of shredded chicken with crunchy bell peppers, white onion, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Xibonese Susskind Stew (¥88) - A heaving pot of tomato-based stew with tender chunks of beef, sun-dried peppers and cow-peas, carrots, beans, Chinese cabbage, and potatoes. These beans are from Atina's family garden! And the chilies are phenomenal. The dried chilies when rehydrated, are sweet with a tinge of spice and the consistency of a more pliable sun-dried tomato. Must-order.

Scallion Wild Bachu Mushrooms (¥118) - Saddle-shaped mushrooms from the Huyang Forest. Delicate texture, light earthy flavor. Fantastic.

Baked Xinjiang Hash Browns (¥48) dusted with cumin. Because, why not.

Affectionately known to English speakers as Big Plate Chicken (大盘鸡 dapanji). It's available with bones (¥88/medium, 128/large) or boneless (¥98 or ¥148). Delicious. The noodles are made fresh in house, too. The serving doesn't nearly have enough noodles, best to order additional for ¥10.

And a whole lotta lamb!

If you love eating lamb, this is the perfect place to dine. Lamb: stewed, roasted, whole, skewered, in spring rolls, and more! (FYI: The whole roasted lamb is ¥2,288 for small or ¥2,588 for medium; pre-order three days in advance.)

Here are some lamb dishes:

If you can't rally enough bodies for a whole lamb, the Slow-Roasted Lamb Leg (¥328) is your next best option. This photo doesn't do this beauty justice.

Juicy lamb that you can carve off the bone, served with cumin salt, black pepper sauce, and chili powder. It's so friggin' good. I can't EVEN. And, excellent value for money. The quality is impeccable, and the signature "musky" flavor of lamb is very faint.

Plenty of charcoal grilled skewers. It's mostly lamb and beef cuts, thick chunks of meat and even tripe and intestine. They're dusted in cumin salt and red chili powder. Skewers range from ¥10 to ¥22 per stick.

Lamb Tripe with Homemade Mianfeizi (¥42) - If you're into exploring, you can try the Mianfeizi, a traditional Uyghur food of braised lamb lungs stuffed with dough. It has a soft and smooth pillowy texture like tofu. This version is with tripe, doused in a spicy sesame dressing.

Wok-Fried Lamb Ribs (¥108) - Lamb ribs, fried and dusted with chili and cumin powder, served on a bed of fried potatoes. Fantastic.

Xinjiang Style Braised Lamb (¥88) over with naan bread (¥18/a la carte). Lamb in a tomato-based stew over freshly baked naan.

Be sure to get the Tajiks Brown Pilaf (¥68), stir-fried with Xinjiang yellow carrots, onions, blackcurrants, chickpeas, and seasoned with cumin. Topped with a cutlet of lamb, of course. The rice isn't cooked with soy sauce—it gets its color from slow cooking with caramelized vegetables. Yum. It's a great Eleme lunch order, too.

Desserts

Xibo Confetti (¥45) - A pumpkin dessert with sabayon, Yili homemade urum, and crispy biscuit. (Pumpkin is a popular food for the Xibonese.)

Xibo Homemade Wild Artemisia Sorbet (¥48) - Artemisia is similar to tarragon. It's a mildly bitter, earthy herb that is said to have quite a few health benefits. After a heavy meal, I could do with some cleasing sorbet. It comes served with two shooters of lemon-basil drink.

If you like Basque Cheesecake, you must try the Camel Milk Basque Cheesecake (¥258/5-inch). In comparison, it has a subtle honey flavor, and it's certainly cheesy. Served on a crumbly cookie base.

To Drink

As for drinks, there’s Sinkiang black beer (¥28), cocktails (from ¥48), and a great wine selection; by the glass from ¥55, bottles from ¥228.

The wines you should be ordering are the ones from award-winning winery Puchang in Turpan; Beichun, a jammy red wine (¥348) and Rkatsiteli, an Italian-style riesling (¥348/bottle).

Signature cocktails from ¥48

Not imbibing in alcohol? There’s the Urum Milk Tea (¥58/2-4 people). The milk tea is available as sweet or savory (salted) and is served with urum, a dairy product that's made from skimming the top off boiled milk. It's chewy, milky, and usually consumed along with the tea.

Xibonese homemade Urum with freshly brewed milk tea (¥58/medium, for 2-4 people or ¥72/large for 4-6 people).

Locations

There are currently three locations of Xibo in Shanghai; one on Changshu Lu, one in Fengsheng Li, and another in Yangpu.

Changshu Lu has a gorgeous sun room, kept warm in the winter by powerful heaters and is breezy during the mild weather months. It also has a beautiful terrace.

Xibo, Changshu Lu (Photos by Dave Marco)

The Fengsheng Li space (on Maoming Lu) is located on the second floor of the mall block. It has a spacious private room for 14, which is perfect for those “whole lamb roast” dinners.

Xibo, Maoming Lu (Photos provided)

It’s elevated Xinjiang food in a smart, chic environment.

There's also no pork used at Xibo. It's not certified halal because they serve alcohol. Also, Xibo is available via delivery!

There's so much to explore at Xibo. If you haven't been yet, it's 100% worth trying. Plus, it's inexpensive.

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Xibo Restaurant & Bar (Xibo 锡伯 • 新疆)
Click here for the listing.