Start with Beijing roast duck, Chengdu dandan noodles or Chongqing hotpot. Find the Chinese names to look for, where to eat and what to ask when you order.
Ask whether a half duck or a small set is available and what it includes.
Add the fried bean sauce gradually and ask whether it contains pork.
Start with one meat plate and ask about the broth and sesame dip.
Try one piece at a snack shop and compare it with a rice-based sweet.
Order it with rice. Ask about minced meat and stock.
Stir up the seasoning from the bottom before your first bite.
Try the red oil version for sweet, salty and garlicky seasoning.
Look for thick wheat noodles dressed with sweet and spicy sauce.
Choose your broth first and ask which side has less chili.
Ask for less chili and less Sichuan pepper separately.
Try a small bowl and ask about peanuts or meat toppings.
Ask for the total price of the whole fish before ordering.
Toss the noodles before eating. Ask whether dried shrimp are included.
Order the chop and chewy rice cakes together at Xian De Lai.
Share one portion with greens and rice at a Shanghai-style table.
Ask how many buns come in an order and give the filling time to cool.
Ask which fish is used, how it is priced and whether it has fine bones.
Ask whether the kitchen sells it by the piece. Order one to share.
Look for sliced pork, bamboo shoots and preserved greens in the noodle soup.
Confirm the tea’s origin, the price per serving and whether hot water is included.
Choose two toppings and ask if the broth contains peanuts or seafood.
Ask for the dipping sauce on the side.
Order a small plate and try it with and without the sauce.
Try a plain bowl at Huang Zehe or ask to add egg.
Ask whether the restaurant serves a whole bird and can cut it for sharing.
Ask where the oysters came from and whether the price is per oyster.
Ask about the filling, which often includes minced pork.
Check availability and ask about other seafood or pork in the filling.
Ask whether the price is per serving or by weight.
Ask how many dumplings come on a plate before ordering sides.
Try a small clay-pot set at Wan He Chun in Taidong.
Ask about a half chicken if you are sharing with one person.
Ask staff to assemble the bowl and cook the toppings through.
A complete bowl arrives ready to eat. Request no chili before ordering.
Ask how many people one pot serves and whether it contains wild mushrooms.
Choose a filling before paying. Ask about peanuts and sesame.
Choose a province to plan your stops, or open a city guide for restaurant names, Chinese order phrases and a suggested food walk.
Order Beijing roast duck, zhajiangmian, copper-pot lamb and nine traditional snacks and drinks. Find named restaurants, Chinese menu terms and a two-day food plan.
Try Chongqing hotpot, xiaomian, sour-spicy noodles and Wanzhou grilled fish. Find named restaurants, a downtown food walk and Chinese phrases to order.
Try Xiamen shacha noodles, oyster omelette, peanut soup and tusun dong. Find named food stops, a Bashi and Zhongshan Road walk, and Chinese phrases to order.
Plan a Liwan food walk in Guangzhou with three named places for morning tea, Cantonese dishes and milk desserts, plus practical ordering phrases.
Find Guangming squab, Shajing oysters, Hakka stuffed tofu and coconut chicken in Shenzhen, with verified addresses and Chinese phrases for ordering.
Try Wuhan hot dry noodles, doupi and lotus-root soup. Find five food stops in Wuchang and Hankou, a one-day meal plan and Chinese ordering phrases.
Find four Xi’an food stops, order paomo, roujiamo and liangpi in Chinese, and plan a walk from the Bell Tower to the Muslim Quarter and Yongxingfang.
Try Qingdao's spicy clams, mackerel dumplings and pork ribs with rice. Find named food stops, market price tips and Chinese phrases for ordering seafood.
Find Shanghai's scallion oil noodles, pork chop rice cakes and red-braised pork, with verified Huangpu addresses, a food walk and Chinese ordering phrases.
Find Chengdu's mapo tofu, dandan noodles, Zhong dumplings and sweet water noodles, with verified food stops, a first-day plan and Chinese ordering phrases.
Find what to eat in Kunming, from crossing-the-bridge rice noodles and steam-pot chicken to Guandu baba and rose cakes. Get addresses and Chinese ordering phrases.
Try 12 Hangzhou specialties, including Longjing tea, Dongpo pork, West Lake vinegar fish and Pian’erchuan. Find local restaurants, menu names and ordering tips.
Start with wheat. Beijing has noodles to toss with bean sauce, Tianjin wraps breakfast in a crêpe, and Shanxi noodle shops offer several shapes from the same dough.
Mix in the dark bean sauce a spoonful at a time. Ask whether it contains pork.
Look for the breakfast crêpe with egg and a crisp filling. Watch one being folded before you order.
Choose the shaved noodles first, then ask about the broth or topping.
Harbin’s crisp sweet-and-sour pork and smoked sausage make two very different orders. In Shenyang, chicken frames and flatbreads offer a more casual stop.
Order one plate to share and eat it while the coating is still crisp.
Ask if the shop sells a small piece or sliced portion so you can try it alongside other snacks.
Expect small bites of meat around the bones. Point to the preparation you want and check the seasoning.
Compare Shanghai’s soup dumplings with a Huaiyang meal in Huai’an. On the coast, Fuzhou’s fish balls make an easy introduction to another local cooking tradition.
Ask about the filling. Lift a dumpling onto a spoon and let some steam out before sipping the broth.
Try this Huaiyang dish as part of a shared meal. Ask what is in the broth if you avoid meat or fish.
Start with a small bowl and ask about the filling. Some fish balls also contain pork.
Make room for breakfast in Wuhan. In Changsha, try a small street snack before deciding how much chopped chili you want at dinner.
Toss the warm noodles with sesame paste as soon as the bowl arrives. Add a soy milk if you want a drink with breakfast.
Share a slice of the griddled glutinous-rice breakfast and ask what is in the filling.
Try a small order and ask whether the chili topping can come on the side.
Go to Guangzhou for tea and dim sum, Liuzhou for a bowl of rice noodles, and Haikou for a slow tea-and-snack break.
Pair steamed shrimp dumplings with a pot of tea. Ask how many pieces come in each basket before ordering more.
Expect snail-based broth and fermented bamboo shoots. Check the base and toppings if you avoid shellfish or meat.
Choose a tea and one snack first. Take a seat and see what else is coming out of the kitchen.
Chongqing’s hotpot is a long meal around one pot. For a shorter stop, compare a bowl of xiaomian with Guiyang’s vegetable rolls and their dipping sauce.
Ask whether a divided pot is available if your group wants different broths. Order a few plates at a time.
Ask about both chili heat and numbing Sichuan pepper when you order. The two sensations are different.
Wrap the vegetables in the thin pancake and add dipping sauce gradually. Check the sauce ingredients if needed.
Leave time for two different bowls. Xi’an adds torn bread to broth. In Lanzhou, the shape of the hand-pulled noodles is part of the order.
Ask whether you should tear the bread yourself or order it ready to go. The traditional hand-torn version takes time.
Point to the noodle width you want if the shop has a chart. Ask for chili oil on the side if you want to control the heat.
Try a cup as a sweet finish. Check the ingredients if you avoid eggs, dairy or fermented rice.
Learn what to ask at the counter, from noodle width to what goes into the broth.
Read the beginner’s regional food guide
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