Unlike other street dessert joints, Xianyuxian uses premium quality natural ingredients that are also preservative-free. Hailing from Taiwan, everything at this taro dessert specialist is freshly prepared and made-to-order. There are tons of flavors and types to choose from, but we suggest sticking to the handmade taro balls (芋圆, yuyuan ... Read More
Linjiangmen’s named after a famed hot pot area in Chongqing, and if you can ignore the stained ceilings and cracked tabletops here, this joint in Qibao will surprise you with its authenticity. Start with the medium-spicy yuanyang soup (鸳鸯锅底, RMB38): it’s the key to everything here. The red ... Read More
Eason, a restaurant with one kitchen and three dining rooms set next to each other at different addresses, is our new go-to place for authentic, down to earth cuisine from Guangdong at great prices. A simple plate of steamed chicken (清远走地鸡, qingyuan zhoudiji, RMB38), served with just a bit of ... Read More
This themed restaurant is popular among nostalgic locals and curious laowai. But if the menu, written on a heavy blackboard, leaves you clueless, go for the nongjia zizhi danjiao(农家自制蛋饺, RMB38): no meat lover can turn down these delicious minced pork stuffed egg dumplings cooked in an incredible light soy ... Read More
In the Yangtze valley, it’s traditional for a mother to make xi rice for her bride-to-be daughter on the eve of her wedding. It’s a bibimbap-like soy sauce rice cooked with many types of vegetables and meats. This lanehouse restaurant has taken the ancient tradition to a whole ... Read More
If you’re growing tired of Western weekend brunches, spend a lazy Sunday morning the Cantonese way and sample some delicious dim sum at this upscale restaurant. The dinner menu features mostly seafood (which doesn’t come cheap), but if you’re only here for dim sum, there’s plenty ... Read More
From shabu shabu to Dolar Shop to Mongolian hot pot, you can find hot pot of all types in this city. But anyone looking for the true spirit of hot pot has to check out this authentic Sichuanese place. Owned by celebrity TV director Tao Tao, Spicy House offers traditional ... Read More
The door to this teeny restaurant is so small we passed it every day for almost two years and never realized it led to a restaurant. But step inside and you’ll find that the food in this two-story spot is a pleasant surprise complete with super friendly staff—they ... Read More
Guizhou folks love their dishes sour just like the Sichuanese love their food spicy. So when we dropped into Qian Xiang Ge, we made sure to try the suantang wujiang yu (酸汤乌江鱼, RMB48), one of the province’s most well known dishes. Served in a boiling hotpot, the tomato and ... Read More
Hailing from Fujian, Shaxian Xiaochi joints have spread all across China in the past decade. We used to turn our heads away at the sight of their exceedingly humble décor, but a recent visit on a cold and rainy night has made us fans of this working man’s lunch ... Read More
Some swear that A Niang’s huangyu mian (yellow croaker noodles) are the best in town, but Languifang Jiujia makes an incredibly creamy and delicious version (黄鱼面, RMB40) as well. Unlike A Niang’s soy sauce-based noodle soup, Languifang’s soup is slow-cooked for hours and comes out snow white ... Read More
How Way is the Saizeriya of Sichuan cuisine: affordable, fast, efficient and well adapted to local tastes. Despite the abundance of Sichuan restaurants in Shanghai, there are still long lines at this seven-year-old chain. For those lucky enough to get a table, How Way’s award-winning bullfrog dish (馋嘴牛蛙, chanzui ... Read More
Dongbei food might not be everyone’s favorite, but with hearty portions, fresh ingredients and wide range of dishes, we find it hard to say no to a big, tasty meal from China’s northeast. This neighborhood restaurant covers all sorts of Chinese cuisine, but if you stick to the ... Read More
Tucked away in the hip Jing’an Villas, this tiny, unnamed Shanghainese eatery attracts hundreds of local residents and nearby office workers every day. The sanitary conditions of the place are no better than the train station, but its famous wontons sell out faster than a bullet train. For only ... Read More
After several plates of sunflower seeds, cups of malt tea and almost two hours of aimless of internet browsing at the computer bar in the waiting lounge, we had our number called at this famed fish restaurant. It was worth the wait. The food does not disappoint, and we were ... Read More
With trays of deep fried grasshoppers and bumblebees on the counter, this Yunnanese restaurant proudly flaunts its most “authentic” menu items. Don’t worry if you aren’t feeling adventurous though, as Bao Xiang Chuan is actually more well known for delicious sizzling kebabs, marinated and seasoned with fragrant Yunnanese ... Read More
Originating from Shaanxi province, liangpi (凉皮) is a common noodle-like snack made from wheat or rice flour. Unlike the liangpi you find at street-side noodle stands though, Tianxia Diyi Pi offers authentic ganmianpi (擀面皮) from Qishan, a historic town along the Silk Road. For just RMB7, the generous laoban fills ... Read More
Ten years ago, a girl named A’Ying from Haining opened a little neighborhood clay pot restaurant and now it’s a chain with more than 50 locations all over China. After just one visit, we’ve absolutely fallen in love with the food there. The flavorsome pork in pig ... Read More
This Sichuan spot is designed to look like it’s a heidian (黑点), a bandit inn from ancient China where guests were robbed (or killed) in their sleep. It’s dimly lit, decked out with retro wooden furniture and all the employees speak the Sichuan dialect, giving the whole setup ... Read More
You can’t tell from the modern décor, but Wangsi is a family-owned chain has actually been around since the Qing Dynasty. The restaurant is famous for its beggar’s chicken (RMB128), and for good reason. The entire bird is stuffed and baked while wrapped tight in lotus leaves, which ... Read More
This barbecue spot is always popular with locals and, during peak hours, you’ll have to wait to get a table. Their big, fresh, juicy oysters (RMB10 each) are the star attraction, but we first threw down half a dozen barbecued scallops (RMB6 each), half a dozen barbecued oysters (RMB7 ... Read More
This Tibet-themed restaurant comes complete with ethnic song and dance performances by the waitstaff while you eat, and the service is so hospitable that you’ll feel as if you’ve been invited to a big night out in Lhasa. Kick off your meal with the lamb kebabs (RMB5 each ... Read More
Often found near the northeastern border of China, ethnically (North) Korean Chinese share a lot of the same food and cultural customs as their DPRK brothers. These caught-in-the-middle people are best known for their “Chosen” cold noodles (朝鲜冷面, chaoxian lengmian), and this hole-in-the-wall owned by a rotund, ethnically Korean Ayi ... Read More
This Shanghainese noodle joint, 金刚饮食店 Jingang Yinshi Dian, has enjoyed 20 years of popularity in spite of its humble “hole in the wall” look. Since service is almost non-existent here, the only thing that attracts local residents and foodies from out of town is the signature noodle soup. Handmade from ... Read More
Baoyu (爆鱼) is a popular Shanghainese cold dish that’s often presented as a starter in traditional festival banquets, and this decade-old fried fish shop is widely recognized to have the best baoyu in town. Just pick out a live fish (RMB17 per 500g of midsection and RMB16 per 500g ... Read More