Best Halal Food in Tianjin: Hui Muslim Snacks, Seafood and Local Restaurants

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Tianjin halal food map gathers Hui Muslim snacks, seafood, beef dishes, local restaurants, and food stops across the city, keeping the names, locations, dishes, and photos from the Chinese source.

Last time we looked at halal food in Beijing. This time we are going a bit further to Tianjin to see what is good to eat. Tianjin is not far at all. It takes half an hour from the South Railway Station, about the same time as taking the subway from Niujie to Guomao.

8275 Temptation New-Style Cuisine

My first stop in Tianjin was a halal restaurant featuring new-style cuisine. New-style means they take traditional dishes and innovate them. Even the names of the dishes are unique, giving someone like me who is used to traditional halal food a fresh experience.

There is a plaque on the wall with the Shahada written in Arabic, so I knew it was a halal restaurant.

The style is clearly not the traditional West Asian or Middle Eastern look of most halal restaurants. It feels more like a trendy cafe.

Let’s look at the food:

The yogurt comes in a lightbulb. It is thick and tastes quite good. Next to it is a Japanese soda with a light flavor.

This is not ice cream. It is a salmon salad served in an egg roll cone. It tastes delicious and the cone is crispy. I admire the chef’s creativity.

This is stir-fried duck slices in bean sauce, but the menu calls it Childhood Taste Stir-fried Duck. Maybe the highlight is the sour plum powder on top. It is different from my childhood memories, as this duck is very sweet. My childhood memory of duck is roast duck, but that is understandable since I am not from Tianjin.

I don’t remember the name of this scallop dish, but you can’t go wrong eating seafood in Tianjin.

This big pot of seafood is called Seafood Castle. It is named a castle to show that the dish is big and has everything. Under the crabs are large shrimp, and there are also small squid, fish tofu, and other sides. It costs 138 yuan, and two people will be full after one plate.

8275 Temptation New-Style Cuisine address: 05-06, 1st Floor, North Building, Nanshi Hotel Street (next to Yangguofu Malatang).

Dashunzhai Liu Family Sesame Flatbread (shaobing)

This is a very famous and authentic Tianjin lamb soup shop. The storefront is small, but people line up every morning to drink the lamb soup.

A bowl of lamb soup with sesame paste and chili oil makes my mouth water before I even take a sip.

Sesame flatbread with cooked meat is their signature. I can easily eat two in one sitting. The beef is stewed until very tender and does not get stuck in your teeth. It sells out every day, and you must eat the flatbread fresh out of the oven.

The owner’s family are authentic Hui Muslims from Tianjin. The shop is smoke-free and alcohol-free, the ladies wear headscarves, and they close every Friday for Jumu’ah. I like that.

Dashunzhai Liu Family Sesame Flatbread address: 5 Binguan Road (near Tonglou Hotel).

Halal Yuan Restaurant

A traditional halal restaurant with Tianjin flavors.

The environment has been newly renovated and is very spacious.

The tableware is quite pretty.

Steamed dumplings (shaomai) are not necessarily a Tianjin specialty, but the ones in Tianjin are truly delicious. I ordered the beef and green onion filling, and four were not enough for me.

Stir-fried gluten with shrimp is an appetizing dish that helps with digestion.

I like sole fish soup (longli yu tang) and other saltwater fish because they have few bones and are nutritious. However, Tianjin cuisine is noticeably salty. For a healthier diet, I think it is better to use less salt.

Location: Block B, 3rd Floor, Xinpeng Joy City, Hongqiao District.

Halal seafood food stall.

This is a very popular seafood food stall. Even though it is in an out-of-the-way location, it is always full of customers.

The red and green colors look bright and appetizing.

Everything is fresh, and because so many people eat here, the stock turns over quickly.

A platter of edamame and peanuts (maohua pin) is a must-have appetizer at any food stall.

Boiled octopus (baizhuo bazhua) has a fresh and tender texture.

Smashed cucumber (pai huanggua) is my go-to dish.

Boiled sea snails (baizhuo hualuo) are best prepared this way to bring out their natural flavor.

A food stall wouldn’t be complete without barbecue, and their lamb skewers (yangrou chuan) are very flavorful.

Spicy crab (xiangla xie) is a great way to satisfy a craving.

It is not easy to find halal crayfish (xiaolongxia), but many places in Tianjin sell them.

Halal seafood food stall address: Near the intersection of Jieyuan West Road and Lintong Road.

Hongqishun flagship store.

Hongqishun is a famous, long-standing brand in Tianjin with many branches.

This is the flagship store.

Check the menu on the wall to order; they mainly serve local Tianjin dishes.

They had a promotion on roast duck, and I was curious about the taste of Tianjin-style roast duck, so I ordered one.

The pancake wraps (juanbing) come in three colors, but they all taste about the same.

The roast duck is decent; it is roasted with fruitwood, and the skin is crispy.

As someone from the capital, roast duck isn’t what I would recommend most. What really surprised me were the pastries from the Hongqishun takeout window. The egg tarts (dan ta) and egg yolk pastries (danhuang su) were so delicious they were out of this world. I bought some to take home, and it is no exaggeration to say I would take the intercity train just to buy a box of Hongqishun pastries.

Hongqishun flagship store address: 120 Dazhigu Middle Road.