Short answer: The five Chinese dishes not to miss are Peking duck in Beijing, soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) in Shanghai, Sichuan hot pot or mapo tofu in Chengdu, Cantonese dim sum in Guangzhou and a bowl of hand-pulled noodles in Xi’an or Lanzhou. Above all, eat regionally: China’s food changes completely from one province to the next.
There is no single “Chinese food.” China is a continent-sized country, and its cooking is a family of regional cuisines shaped by climate and crops. The wheat-growing north eats noodles, dumplings and steamed buns; the rice-growing south eats rice and rice noodles. Sichuan and Chongqing in the west are famous for chili and the tingling Sichuan peppercorn, Guangdong in the south for fresh, delicate Cantonese cooking, and the Yangtze delta around Shanghai and Hangzhou for sweet, soy-braised dishes. Chengdu was one of the first cities in the world to join UNESCO’s network of Creative Cities of Gastronomy, in 2010. Our China travel guide covers the regions in full.
Tea is the thread that ties it all together. China’s traditional tea processing techniques and the social customs around drinking tea were added to UNESCO’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2022. Festivals shape the menu too: dumplings in the north and sticky rice cakes in the south at Chinese New Year, rice dumplings wrapped in leaves (zongzi) at the Dragon Boat Festival, and mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Northern China: duck, dumplings and noodles
1. Peking duck (Beijing kaoya)
Roast duck with lacquered, crisp skin, carved at the table and wrapped in thin pancakes with scallions, cucumber and sweet bean sauce. It is the signature dish of Beijing and a dish for sharing: a whole duck feeds three or four people with other dishes. Some restaurants serve the remaining duck as a soup or stir-fry afterward. Book ahead at the best-known duck restaurants, especially on weekends.
2. Jiaozi (dumplings)
Boiled dumplings of thin wheat dough filled with pork and cabbage, lamb, egg and chives or other fillings, dipped in black vinegar with garlic or chili oil. In northern China, families make them together for Chinese New Year. Dumpling houses sell them by weight or by the plate, often by the liang (50 grams), and vegetarian fillings such as egg and chive are easy to find.
3. Jianbing (savory crepe)
The great northern street breakfast: a crepe cooked on a hot griddle, spread with egg, sauces and scallions, and folded around a crisp fried cracker. It is made to order in a couple of minutes at stalls near metro stations in the morning. Ask for it without chili (bu yao la) if you prefer.
4. Roujiamo and biangbiang noodles (Xi’an)
Xi’an is a noodle and bread city. Roujiamo is a crisp flatbread stuffed with chopped stewed meat, often called a Chinese burger; in the Muslim Quarter it is made with beef or lamb. Biangbiang noodles are thick, belt-wide hand-pulled noodles topped with chili, garlic and sizzling oil. Also try yangrou paomo, lamb soup into which you tear your own flatbread.
5. Lanzhou beef noodles
Hand-pulled noodles in a clear beef broth with slices of beef, radish, cilantro and chili oil, created by the Hui Muslim community of Lanzhou in the northwest. Noodle shops all over China make them in front of you, and you can choose the thickness of the noodles, from very thin to wide and flat. It is a cheap, filling meal at any hour.
Western China: Sichuan and Chongqing
6. Hot pot (huoguo)
A pot of simmering broth in the middle of the table in which you cook thin slices of meat, fish, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables yourself. Chongqing and Sichuan hot pot is famous for its red broth of chili and Sichuan peppercorn, which is very spicy. Order a split “yuanyang” pot with one spicy and one mild side if you are unsure. It is a social meal, best with a group, in Chengdu or Chongqing.
7. Mapo tofu
Soft tofu in a fiery sauce of chili bean paste, fermented black beans, Sichuan peppercorn and a little minced beef. It is one of the best-known dishes of Sichuan cooking, with the numbing-spicy flavor called mala. A vegetarian version without the meat is common; eat it with plenty of rice.
8. Kung pao chicken (gongbao jiding)
Diced chicken stir-fried with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts in a sweet-sour sauce. The Sichuan original is quite different from versions abroad: smaller pieces, more peppercorn tingle and less sauce. It is a good, moderately spicy dish to order with others.
9. Dan dan noodles and Chengdu street snacks
Chengdu is the home of small eats: dan dan noodles in a spicy sesame and chili oil sauce with minced pork, wontons in red chili oil (hongyou chaoshou), cold noodles and sweet glutinous rice balls. Snack streets and food courts let you try several in one meal. Portions are small, so order a few to share.
Eastern and southern China
10. Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)
Delicate steamed dumplings filled with pork and a spoonful of hot soup, a specialty of Shanghai and the Yangtze delta. Lift one gently into your spoon, bite a small hole, sip the soup, then dip it in black vinegar with ginger. Also try shengjianbao, pan-fried pork buns with crisp bottoms. In autumn, Shanghai feasts on hairy crab.
11. Dongpo pork and West Lake fish (Hangzhou)
Hangzhou cooking is gentle and slightly sweet. Dongpo pork is pork belly braised slowly in rice wine and soy until it melts; West Lake fish in vinegar sauce is a classic of the city’s restaurants. Pair them with a cup of the local Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea, grown in the hills around West Lake.
12. Dim sum (yum cha)
The Cantonese ritual of “drinking tea” with small dishes: shrimp dumplings (har gow), pork siu mai, barbecued pork buns, rice noodle rolls, egg tarts and more. Guangzhou teahouses fill from early morning, especially on weekends. Order a few baskets at a time; when you want more tea, leave the teapot lid ajar.
13. Char siu and Cantonese roast meats
Barbecued pork glazed with honey and soy, crisp-skinned roast pork and roast goose, hung in the windows of roast-meat shops in Guangzhou and across the south. Order a plate over rice for a quick, inexpensive lunch, or a mixed platter to share.
14. Crossing-the-bridge noodles (Yunnan)
A specialty of Kunming: a bowl of very hot chicken broth brought to the table with rice noodles, thin slices of meat, quail egg, vegetables and herbs on separate plates, which you add yourself so they cook in the broth. The broth stays scalding under its layer of oil, so let it cool before tasting. Yunnan cooking also features wild mushrooms in the summer rains.
15. Chinese tea
Green tea in Hangzhou, oolong in Fujian, pu’er in Yunnan and jasmine tea in Chengdu’s teahouses. Teahouses are relaxed places to sit for an hour; in Chengdu‘s People’s Park, tea is served in lidded cups with refills of hot water. Restaurants often bring tea to the table automatically, sometimes with a small charge.
Where to eat: Beijing and beyond
In Beijing, eat Peking duck in a long-established duck restaurant and explore the hutong lanes for dumplings, noodles and jianbing. In Xi’an, the lanes of the Muslim Quarter behind the Drum Tower are packed with food stalls, butchers and bakers; the main street, Beiyuanmen, is touristy, while side lanes such as Dapiyuan and Sajinqiao are more local. Chengdu and Chongqing are the places for hot pot and spicy street snacks; in Chongqing, try the old river port of Ciqikou and the lantern-lit Shibati district.
In Shanghai, look for soup dumplings and breakfast stalls in the older neighborhoods, and in Guangzhou, spend a morning on dim sum in a big teahouse in the old western district. Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing share the sweet, refined cooking of the Yangtze delta, while Kunming, Dali and Lijiang add the mushrooms, cheeses and minority dishes of Yunnan.
Food etiquette and tipping
Chinese meals are shared: dishes go in the middle of the table, often on a lazy Susan, and everyone takes a little of each. Order one dish per person plus rice or soup. Do not stand your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, which is associated with funerals, and use the serving spoon or the other end of your chopsticks for shared dishes when it is offered. It is normal for the host to order and pay, and friends may argue cheerfully over the bill.
Tipping is not part of everyday life in mainland China; restaurants and taxis do not expect it, and some upscale restaurants add a service charge instead. Many small places have picture menus or QR codes for ordering and paying by phone. Our tip calculator helps if you tip a private guide, and our phrase cards include Chinese words for ordering, “not spicy” and “thank you.”
Eating on a budget
Eating is where China shines. Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for Beijing and Shanghai put a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about ¥30, and noodle shops, dumpling houses, night markets and food courts cost less still. Western-style coffee is relatively pricey. See how much a trip to China costs for a full daily budget, and find food tours and cooking classes in Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai in our tour finder.
Plan your trip
Use our best time to visit China guide for seasons and festivals, the China itinerary to link Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai, and our top places to visit in China to choose your cities. Our free trip planner can then build a day-by-day plan with food stops, and the Money exchange tool turns yuan into your own currency.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of China?
China has no official national dish. Peking duck is the most famous abroad, and dumplings (jiaozi) are the dish most families would name, especially at Chinese New Year. Rice and noodles are the everyday staples.
Is Chinese food spicy?
It depends on the region. Sichuan, Chongqing and Hunan food is very spicy, while Cantonese, Shanghai and Beijing cooking is mild. Learn the phrase “bu yao la” (no chili) or “wei la” (a little spicy) if you prefer milder food.
What do people eat for breakfast in China?
Breakfast is often eaten out: jianbing crepes, steamed buns (baozi), fried dough sticks (youtiao) with soy milk, rice porridge (congee) and noodle soups. In the south, a dim sum breakfast is a weekend ritual.
Is China good for vegetarians?
Vegetarian food exists but needs care. Tofu, eggplant, green beans, mushrooms and greens are on every menu, and Buddhist vegetarian restaurants near temples serve fully meat-free food. Many vegetable dishes are cooked with meat stock or pork, so learn to say “wo chi su” (I am vegetarian).
How do I order food in China if I don’t speak Chinese?
Look for restaurants with picture menus, point at dishes at other tables, or use a translation app’s camera on the menu. Many places use QR-code ordering on your phone, and our phrase cards cover the key words.
Is food in China different from Chinese food abroad?
Very. Many dishes served abroad, such as fortune cookies or sweet-and-sour dishes in thick sauce, are rare or very different in China. In China you will find far more regional variety, more vegetables and tofu, more cuts of meat and fish served on the bone, and dishes built around texture as well as flavor. Order the local specialty wherever you are, and you will taste a different China in every city.