What to Eat in China: A Region-by-Region Food Guide

Chinese cuisine is not one cuisine — it is eight major culinary traditions, dozens of regional styles, and thousands of years of culinary evolution. Eating your way across China is one of the great pleasures of travel on Earth. This guide tells you exactly what to eat, city by city.

China's Eight Culinary Traditions

Must-Eat Dishes by City

🏯 Beijing

• Peking Duck (北京烤鸭) — The city's most iconic dish. Crispy lacquered skin, sliced tableside, wrapped in thin pancakes with spring onion and hoisin. Go to Quanjude (traditional) or Da Dong (modern).
• Zhajiangmian (炸酱面) — Thick wheat noodles topped with fermented soybean paste, minced pork, and shredded vegetables. A Beijing breakfast and lunch staple for centuries.
• Jianbing (煎饼) — Beijing's beloved street breakfast: a thin egg crepe with crispy wonton, chilli sauce, and spring onion. Find it from roadside carts before 10am.
• Lamb Skewers (羊肉串) — Spiced lamb on a skewer, grilled over charcoal. Originally from Xinjiang, now found everywhere. Best in the Wangfujing night market.

🗿 Xi'an

• Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍) — Often called China's oldest burger. Slow-braised spiced pork or lamb in a crispy flatbread. A must in the Muslim Quarter (Huimin Street).
• Biang Biang Noodles (油泼面) — Belt-wide hand-pulled noodles in chilli oil and vinegar. Named after the sound they make when slapped on the table making them.
• Yangrou Paomo (羊肉泡馍) — Crumbled flatbread soaked in rich mutton broth. A warming, substantial meal for cold days.

🐼 Chengdu — China's Food Capital

• Sichuan Hotpot (火锅) — A communal feast: raw ingredients cooked at the table in a bubbling, fiery, numbing broth. The mala (numbing-spicy) sensation from Sichuan peppercorns is unforgettable and addictive.
• Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) — Silken tofu in a fierce sauce of chilli bean paste, ground pork, and Sichuan peppercorn. Deceptively simple and extraordinary.
• Dan Dan Noodles (担担面) — Thin noodles in a sesame and chilli sauce with minced pork and preserved vegetables. Street food perfection.

🌆 Shanghai

• Xiaolongbao (小笼包) — Soup dumplings: delicate parcels of pork with a pocket of molten broth inside. Bite a small hole, sip the soup, then eat. Din Tai Fung and Jia Jia Tang Bao are famous spots.
• Shengjianbao (生煎包) — Pan-fried pork buns with crispy bottoms. Rich, juicy, and dangerously good. Find them at street stalls throughout the city.
• Hairy Crab (大闸蟹) — Seasonal delicacy (September–November). Sweet, rich roe eaten with Shaoxing vinegar and ginger. A Shanghai autumn tradition.

🌿 Guilin

• Guilin Rice Noodles (桂林米粉) — The city's soul food. Silky rice noodles in a slow-simmered bone broth with various toppings (peanuts, pickled vegetables, chilli oil). Every shop has a secret recipe refined over generations.
• Beer Fish (啤酒鱼) — Fresh Li River fish braised in local beer with tomatoes and chilli. Best eaten at a riverside restaurant in Yangshuo at sunset.

How to Order Food Without Speaking Mandarin

• The point method — Point at what other diners are eating. Works in virtually every restaurant in China.
• Picture menus — Many restaurants have photo menus. If you don't see one, ask: "有图片菜单吗?" (Yǒu túpiàn càidān ma?)
• Camera translation — Google Translate's camera function translates Chinese menus in real time. Download the offline Chinese pack before you go.
• Dietary restriction cards — Print or screenshot these in Chinese before you travel: "我吃素" (I am vegetarian) / "我对花生过敏" (I am allergic to peanuts) / "我不吃辣" (I don't eat spicy food).