The strip of Mongolian barbecue and lamb restaurants along Zhongshan Road and the surrounding lanes in the old town is Hohhot's best eating district. The format is consistent: whole lamb or large cuts brought to the table, roasted or boiled with minimal seasoning, served with flatbread and milk tea. The lamb from the nearby grasslands is leaner and more aromatic than what you find in Beijing restaurants — the Mongolian breed grazes on wild herbs and the flavour is noticeably different.
The better restaurants here also do lamb hotpot (涮羊肉) in the northern Chinese style — clear bone broth, thin-sliced lamb, dipped and cooked at the table — which is the right format for a cold evening in Hohhot. Hand-torn noodles (手工拉面) with lamb bone broth are the standard mid-day meal and cost almost nothing. For groups, pre-order a roasted whole lamb (whole animal, 24 hours notice, prices start around 600 yuan) at any of the larger establishments on the street.