Iconic dishes · Hangzhou
Dongpo Pork
东坡肉 — The Song-dynasty poet-governor’s dish: belly pork braised in Shaoxing wine and soy until the fat turns to warm silk, served in a small lidded pot.
Dongpo pork is the definitive Jiangnan braise — "fat but not greasy" is the phrase every menu repeats, and the good versions earn it: the pork is blanched, caramelised, then simmered hours in wine so the collagen dissolves into the sauce. It arrives in individual pots, often over steamed bread to soak the reduction.
It is the signature of Hangzhou’s classic restaurants (Jin Sha at the Four Seasons does a refined version with a Michelin star) and a standard of benbang Shanghainese cooking. It pairs with Longjing tea rather than beer — the point is the clean sweetness, not heaviness.
Where to eat it
- Jin Sha at Four Seasons Hangzhou (Michelin star)
- Zhi Wei Guan and West Lake-area Hangzhou restaurants
- Lao Zhengxing in Shanghai for the benbang version
Named tables that do it well
- Taian Table — Michelin 3 Stars
- Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet — Michelin 3 Stars
- Fu He Hui — Michelin 2 Stars
- Canton 8 (Huangpu) — Michelin 2 Stars
Routes that eat their way here
More dishes to know
- Wenchang Chicken & Hainan Chicken Rice (文昌鸡/海南鸡饭)
- Guo Bao Rou (Sweet-Sour Crispy Pork) (锅包肉)
- Xiaolongbao (小笼包)
- Shengjianbao (生煎包)
- West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce (西湖醋鱼)
- Longjing Tea Shrimp (龙井虾仁)