Chengdu food, from hotpot to milder local classics

Braised dishes served straight up or finished in a beef-tallow hotpot, in a lively neighbourhood lane.

A neighbourhood hotpot near Chunxi Road, with handmade meat dishes, self-selected plates and a sesame-oil dip.

A long-running skewer hotpot where sweet-garlic beef leads the order; choose the branch and queue early.

Rich maoxuewang alongside delicate chicken ‘tofu’; Taikoo Li for convenience, Meishan for a more spacious meal.

The old house associated with mapo tofu: choose the classic beef version and order plain rice.

Home-style Sichuan claypots led by garlic prawns with vermicelli; check the queue before setting out.

Not a bubbling hotpot, but cooked skewers steeped in chilli or rattan-pepper broth; five shops in one guide.

Yellow liangfen, sweet-water noodles and chilled rice cake make a complete snack meal near Wenshu Monastery.

Small pancakes cooked to order in copper pans; start with cream and pork floss, sweet or savoury.

Flaky Juntun pastries or plain guokui filled with liangfen or beef: five distinct shops in one guide.

Crisp shells and soft centres with sweet-sour chilli sauce; decide on fish mint before it is added.

Mild pork-trotter soup with the chilli kept in a separate dip — a gentler Chengdu supper.

Clear-broth beef takes the lead, with chilli powder optional; five recommendations gathered in one entry.