There are plenty of good places for visitors to eat Chinese cuisine and Chaoxian Cuisine and Japanese cuisine in Gansu, especially in the south of town along Mingshan Lu. One block south of the bus station, there are a number of foreigner-oriented places specializing in cheap Western and Chinese dishes with English menus, friendly service and tables on the pavement. Shirley’s is most popular for its apple pie, coffee and ginger tea; their Chinese food isn’t bad either.

A couple of minutes north of the Feitian Hotel, on the same side of the road, you’ll find Charley Johng’s Caf茅, whose menu includes excellent pancakes, banana fritters and chicken curry. The Chinese restaurants farther up Mingshan Lu on the east side of the road from here are more “authentic”, but lack English menus and often serve inferior food.

The most atmospheric place to eat in the evening is the night market located through an imposing gateway off the south side of Dong Dajie, next to the souvenir market. Inside there are fountains, fairy lights and billiard tables, and you can sit on deck chairs and drink babao (also known as “Eight Treasures Tea”), full of delicious dried fruits, or have a full meal. Everything is cooked in front of you 鈥?just point to what you want. On the other side of Dong Dajie is the improbable Manhattans Caf茅, featuring tuna fish and peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches as well as pasta salads, at US prices. The decor is southwest USA-style 鈥?try it if you’re badly homesick. The Dunhuang Binguan has the best of the hotel restaurants, including a not-too-expensive Japanese canteen.