Mutton is the favorite of many people in Suzhou, especially when autumn arrives. Here is a map of select mutton restaurants in the city for your reference.
Cangshu Town, Wuzhong District
Among the mutton restaurants that can be seen everywhere in the city, Cangshu Mutton is definitely the best-known one. Butchered alive and cooked to order, the brand mutton best preserves the original flavor of the meat.
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The wooden bucket, made of the fir trees grown in Qionglong Mountain, Cangshu Town, is the secret tool that removes the original smell of mutton and makes it more palatable.
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Cangshu Mutton is either cooked in white soup or brown sauce and the white soup is more popular. Besides, the mutton pudding made of leg meat and brisket is also worth a try.
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Address: Xin Dong Fang Mutton, No. 80 Qionglong Road, Wuzhong District (新东方羊肉店，吴中区穹窿路80号)
Shuangfeng Town, Taicang
In Taicang the root of its mutton noodles can be dated back to the end of Qing Dynasty. The combination of mutton and noodles is a complete win-win.
The noodles are served with red soup, which is the broth from the mutton stock braised with turnips and seasoned with soy sauce and spices. The mutton served as the topping is so tender that it is almost impossible to slice it with a knife. A pair of scissors is handier.
Often the braised mutton in soy sauce is found in Taicang. Unlike the slightly sweet Suzhou cuisine, the mutton here has a slightly salty flavor.
Meng Jia is a mutton noodles restaurant that has a pleasant ambiance and good access. Being something of a traditional food outlet this is a business that is built around delivering good quality traditional dishes in good time. With the owner happy to spend time with customers as well, the feelings are entirely positive.
Address: Shuangfeng Men Jia Mutton, No. 110 Fengbei Road, Taicang City (双凤孟家羊肉馆，太仓市凤北路110号)
Dongshan Town, Wuzhong District
Dongshan area is known to be the birthplace of Huyang (湖羊, a breed of sheep unique to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces), which has been bred in the area for over 800 years. White braised mutton can largely preserve the original flavor of Huyang and it may take up to ten hours to braise a serve of mutton.
There are many roadside mutton stands in Dongshan. Fresh mutton is available at 4am every day and sold out before 10am. If you want to try mutton noodles in the area, you may have to buy mutton and noodles separately. You can buy a serve of white braised mutton first and wrap it up in lotus leaves; then you can order a bowl of plain noodles at somewhere nearby and eat with relish!
Address: Dongshan Ai Ma Tong Mutton, No. 59 Moli Road (东山矮马桶羊肉，莫厘路59号). Do remember to get up early if you don’t want to wait in the line!
Taoyuan Town, Wujiang District
Different from Dongshan, the Huyang sheep is braised in brown sauce in Taoyuan Town, Wujiang District.
Entering A Long Mutton (阿龙羊肉店), the first thing you see must be the super big cooking pot (1.2 meters in diameter). Sheep bones, mutton, tenderloin and spices are put into the pot in order. The cooking pot can braise 180 jin (198 lb) to 350 jin (385 lb) each time.
In Taoyuan, the meat from different parts of the sheep is cut into small pieces and mixed together. The noodles are at their best if you sprinkle some chili powder and garlic leaves before you eat!
Address: A Long Mutton, No. 800 Taohuayuan Avenue, Taoyuan Town, Wujiang District (阿龙羊肉店，吴江区桃源镇桃花源大道800号)
