Food & Restaurants
Practical restaurant and food guides for first-time visitors to China.
Food belongs in your first-72-hours setup too. A good meal can rescue a rough arrival day. A confusing menu, hidden price, allergy issue, or failed QR order can make it worse.
Food and restaurant questions
- How do I order food in a Chinese restaurant if I cannot read the menu?
- How do vegetarians order food in China?
- How do you handle food allergies in Chinese restaurants?
- What restaurant phrases should I save before going out?
- Should I eat only at restaurants with posted prices in China?
- How do I avoid being overcharged by small vendors?
First meal rule
For your first meal after landing, choose reliability over adventure: visible prices, clear photos, simple ordering, working payment, and a place close to your hotel. Save the tiny local adventure for later, once your phone, payment, and translation setup are working.
Before the kitchen starts cooking
Check restaurant price units and extra charges, especially tea, tableware, private rooms, market-price seafood and prices per 500 grams.
Choose the right food app
- Use Xiaohongshu, Dianping and Amap for different parts of restaurant research.
- Compare Meituan and Ele.me before setting up delivery.
When the ordering system or the food needs changing
- What should I do when the table QR menu will not work?
- How do I ask for no spice, no cilantro, less oil or no ice?