The night market that sets up in the lanes around the old town after sunset is one of the great informal food experiences in Xinjiang. Vendors push carts loaded with skewers of lamb, chicken feet, quail eggs, and corn; others set up folding tables beside charcoal grills or enormous woks. The light is dim, the smoke is considerable, and the crowd is a mix of local families, migrant Han workers from elsewhere in China, and travellers who found their way here.
The specialities on offer at night are slightly different from the daytime stalls: you will find more offal (liver, kidney, and lung are all kebabbed), more noodle dishes with fiery sauces, and vendors selling fresh pomegranate juice pressed on the spot. The night market is also where you find mastic-flavoured ice cream (a Turkish-influenced sweet that survives here along the old caravan routes) and fried dough twists dusted with sesame. Eat here at least once — it is better than most of the formal restaurants in town.