Eating Like a Local

A 60-second map of Chinese food

Chinese cuisine splits into eight classic schools plus countless regional styles. The short version: north = wheat (noodles, dumplings, lamb), south = rice (dim sum, seafood), east = sweet and delicate (Shanghai braised dishes), west = fiery spice (Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou).

Wherever you go, the local breakfast market at 7am and the night market at 9pm are the two best food experiences per city.

• Sichuan: numb-and-spicy mapo tofu, hotpot, twice-cooked pork
• Cantonese: dim sum, roast goose, congee — the most refined school
• Shandong: the imperial origin — braised sea cucumber, sweet-sour carp
• Jiangsu: knife skills and clear broths — soup dumplings (xiao long bao)
• Zhejiang: fresh and light — West Lake fish, bamboo shoots
• Fujian: umami broths — Buddha jumps over the wall
• Hunan: pure heat — chopped chilli dishes, stinky tofu
• Anhui: mountain ingredients, stewed and slow

Regional specialities worth hunting

Beyond the classics: Beijing duck and zhajiang noodles; Xi'an's biangbiang noodles and lamb paomo; Chengdu's dandan noodles and chuanchuan; Chongqing's nine-grid hotpot; Hangzhou's Longjing shrimp; Guangzhou's morning tea; Shanghai's shengjianbao and hairy crab in autumn.

Every city in this guide's Places section lists its must-try dishes — treat food as a sightseeing activity, not just fuel.

The safety rules that work

Street food in China is famously good and, with a little judgement, safe. Follow the crowd: a stall with a queue is a stall that turns over fresh stock all day. Watch for high turnover of oil and ingredients, and prefer stalls that cook to order at high heat.

If locals are eating there happily, you're fine. If the stall looks abandoned at 3pm, walk past — it's about turnover, not cleanliness.

• Eat where the queue is — high turnover means fresh food
• Watch it cooked: high-heat, to-order stalls are the safest
• Bottled or boiled water only; tap water is for brushing teeth
• Carry tissues and hand sanitiser — most stalls have no napkins
• Start mild with unfamiliar dairy or shellfish; your gut adapts over days

Spice: the good, the bad, the rescue

Sichuan and Hunan food is genuinely, delightfully hot — and 'not spicy' (bù là) still often arrives mild-to-medium by western standards. Say 'bù yào là' (no chilli) for zero, or 'wēi là' (slightly spicy).

Rescue kit: order a bottle of cold soy milk, plain rice, or a cucumber salad — they cut the heat. Yogurt drinks (like 'Yoyi C') are the local cure for a burning mouth.

The QR menu revolution

Most mid-range restaurants use QR menus: scan the code on the table, order and pay from your phone (Alipay/WeChat), no staff interaction needed. Many apps show English menus or photos — when in doubt, tap a photo that looks good.

At traditional menus, point-and-nod works everywhere; showing a photo of a dish on your phone is the universal workaround.

How Chinese tables work

Dishes are shared, not individual. Order per person: one main dish per person plus one vegetable and one soup for the table is a safe formula. Rice (¥2-5 a bowl) comes at the end of the meal, not the start — it's a filler, not the star.

Don't be surprised if dishes arrive as they're cooked, not in courses. 'Family style' means everyone picks from the centre with their own chopsticks.

Paying and the 'go Dutch' dance

At the end, say 'mǎi dān' (the bill) and the waiter brings it — pay at the table by QR or card. If a Chinese friend is hosting, they will insist on paying; the polite move is to offer once, then graciously accept.

QR payment is instant; cash leaves you waiting for change. For card readers, tap 'card' at the terminal.

Vegetarian and vegan

Being vegetarian is easy; being vegan is hard. 'Sù' means vegetable dishes, but many 'vegetable' dishes contain meat stock or lard. Say 'wǒ chī sù, bù chī ròu, yě bù chī gǔtou' (I'm vegetarian, no meat, no bone broth) and watch their face — if they nod, it's usually fine.

Buddhist temple restaurants (vegetarian by rule) are the safest and often the tastiest bet.

Gluten and allergens

Soy sauce contains wheat, so strict gluten-free is very hard in Chinese cooking. If you have a serious allergy, carry a card in Chinese listing your allergens — show it at every restaurant. Hotels can print one; translation apps render it live.

Peanut oil is common in the south; shellfish is everywhere in coastal cities. Always state allergies before ordering, even with the QR menu.

Halal and religious food

China has a huge halal (qīngzhēn) scene, especially in Beijing, Xi'an, Lanzhou and the northwest. Look for the green halal sign — these restaurants serve lamb, beef and no pork. Xi'an's Muslim Quarter and Beijing's Niujie are world-class food streets.