Food · 7 min read
Eating in China: A Guide to Regional Cooking and How to Order
Chinese food is not one cuisine. Knowing which tradition a city belongs to is the difference between a good meal and a great one.
The eight great traditions, and where they are
Cantonese cuisine from Guangdong and Hong Kong is the one most foreigners encounter first, and it is the one that rewards attention: the emphasis on freshness, the clarity of the stock, the range of dim sum. Sichuan cooking from Chengdu is the second, and it is about heat and the numbing peppercorn as much as the chilli.
The others — Shandong, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan and Anhui — each have a distinct centre, and each city belongs more or less to one of them. Hangzhou is Zhejiang, which is the cooking that comes closest to the stereotype of "proper" Chinese food: fresh, delicate, largely seafood-driven.
How to order
The dish sizes are larger than they look. Two people can comfortably share three or four dishes; ordering for four from a two-person table is the most common mistake.
At a good restaurant, ask for a recommendation and let the staff guide you — "有什么推荐" works perfectly, and it is what a local would do. A restaurant with a good reputation will not send you somewhere bad.
Order fish or seafood well done if you are unused to it. The "woyu" preparation is popular but the bones and the texture are unfamiliar to many visitors.
Chopsticks and table manners
Chopsticks are used for everything including the rice bowl. Rest them on the chopstick rest, never stood upright in the bowl, which is a funeral custom. A small spoon is provided for soup.
The host will often order and expect to pay. To reciprocate, offer to pay and be genuinely willing to — if it is accepted, that is a normal and warm outcome, not a loss of face.
Regional highlights by city
Guangzhou and Hong Kong for dim sum and roast meats. Chengdu for the hotpot and the street food around the Wenshu Monastery. Shanghai for the Shanghainese braises and the seafood. Hangzhou for the West Lake fish and the Dongpo pork. Beijing for the Peking duck and the Muslim Quarter lamb. Fujian for the Fujianese seafood and the tea-smoked pork.
And in Xi’an, the roujiamo, the biangbiang noodles and the Shaanxi hand-pulled noodles — the reason the Silk Road starts where it does.
Frequently asked
The questions we get most
Is Chinese food spicy?
Only in parts of the country. Sichuan, Hunan and Yunnan are genuinely hot; Cantonese, Zhejiang and Shandong cooking are not. You can always ask for "不辣" (not spicy) and it will be taken seriously.
How many dishes should I order for two people?
Three or four. The serving sizes are large. Ordering five for two people is a common mistake and usually results in a lot of unfinished food.
Can I use chopsticks for everything?
Yes, including rice. A small spoon is provided for soup. Rest the chopsticks on the holder rather than standing them upright in the rice bowl, which is a funeral custom in China.
Should I tip in Chinese restaurants?
No. Service is included and tipping is not expected. Offering to pay is normal when someone else has ordered.
What is the best way to find a good local restaurant?
Ask the hotel concierge for a specific restaurant name rather than for "a good place nearby". Hotels in China know which kitchens are working this month, and the answer will be specific enough to write down.