The menu is not the hard part. The assumptions are.
Read menus through Chinese characters, photos and a direct question to the kitchen—not a translation app alone. Official food-labelling and online-catering rules were checked on 1 November 2026; a kitchen's actual ingredients and cross-contact controls remain your direct confirmation.
- What was checked
- The dated official and publisher references named in this guide's source section. Each reference explains the specific rule or instruction it supports.
- Known limits
- Prices, opening hours, availability and individual account or document eligibility are not live guarantees. Provider conditions and your actual route, passport, device and circumstances can change the answer.
Beijing
Beijing's everyday food is breakfast-led: sesame flatbread, fried dough sticks, jianbing and soy milk around the hutong ring. Roast duck is a sit-down event with a fixed sequence, not a quick lunch.
- Breakfast
- Jianbing, youtiao with soy milk, baozi; most stalls finish by mid-morning.
- Sit-down
- Roast duck needs a reservation at popular houses; noodles with soybean paste are the everyday alternative.
- Neighbourhood
- The hutong lanes north of the Drum Tower hold small shops rather than destination restaurants.
Shanghai
Shanghai cooking leans sweet and soy-forward, and portion sizes in old-town shops are small enough that two people can order three items. Breakfast is a separate genre: congee, soy milk and fried dough.
- Breakfast
- Rice rolls, soy milk, scallion pancakes; shops open early and sell out.
- Everyday
- Noodle shops with pork cutlet or eel; small plates of braised dishes.
- Sweetness
- Braised dishes are genuinely sweet. Ask for 'shǎo táng' if that is not what you want.
Chengdu
Chengdu's heat is built on Sichuan pepper as much as chilli. A dish described as 'má là' is numbing and hot at once, and the numbness is what many visitors misread as an allergic reaction.
- Hotpot
- Choose a divided pot; the mild side is still flavoured, not plain water.
- Snacks
- Dan dan noodles, dumplings in chilli oil, cold noodles; all portioned small.
- Tea house
- Sitting for an hour with tea is normal and is not a table you must keep ordering at.
Chongqing
Chongqing hotpot is a social format: one boiling pot, a dipping sauce you assemble yourself, and ingredients ordered by plate. The oil is the point, and it is not soup.
- Ordering
- Tick items on a paper sheet; plates arrive raw and you cook them yourself.
- Dipping
- Sesame oil, garlic and coriander cool the food. Ask for no chilli in the sauce if needed.
- Afterwards
- Clothes keep the smell. Plan a change of top or a laundry bag.
These city food suggestions are grouped by place and dining style, not ranked or presented as a live opening-hours list. Venues close, move and change ownership.
| People | A normal first order | Add later |
|---|---|---|
| Two | One vegetable, one protein, two bowls of rice | One more dish if still hungry |
| Three or four | Two vegetables, two proteins, rice or noodles | One dish per extra person |
| Hotpot | Order by plate, not by person; start with six to eight plates | Add plates as the pot empties |
Two dishes, then decide
Start with one vegetable, one protein and rice for two people. Portions are designed for sharing, and adding a dish mid-meal is normal.
Ask for the price of weight-priced dishes
Seafood and some hotpot items are priced by weight. Point at the tank, ask the price per unit and confirm before it is cooked.
Tea and the cover charge
Some restaurants charge for tea, tissues or a seat cover. It is legal and small; check the bill line rather than argue about it at the table.
Payment at the table or at the counter
Many places expect you to scan a code on the table and pay before leaving. Ask 'kě yǐ sǎo mǎ ma' rather than assuming a card terminal exists.
Three separate words
'Là' is chilli heat, 'má' is peppercorn numbness, 'yóu' in 'hóng yóu' is chilli oil. Saying only 'bù là' can leave the oil and the pepper in place.
Ask which dishes are mild by default
'Nǎ jǐ dào cài shì bù là de' gets a list instead of a negotiation. It is faster than asking a kitchen to rewrite a recipe.
Bones and pin bones are normal
Whole fish, chicken on the bone and prawns in the shell are standard serving styles. Ask for boneless if you need it, and do not assume a dish is boneless because it is cheap.
Mild is relative to the region
A Chengdu 'mild' is not a Shanghai 'mild'. Order one dish at a time and calibrate before committing to a table full of food.
Numbness is not an allergic reaction — but swelling is.
Sichuan pepper produces a tingling, buzzing sensation on the lips and tongue that fades. Lip or tongue swelling, a tight throat, hives or difficulty breathing is a different event: stop eating, use your own medication if prescribed, and seek emergency care on 120.
Tap water and ice
Tap water is not drunk straight in most of China; bottled or boiled water is the norm, and ice in a drink is a separate decision you can decline.
Food held at room temperature
Buffet and street food that has sat unrefrigerated for hours is the ordinary risk, more than the reputation of the neighbourhood.
A sudden change of diet
Oil, chilli and fibre all rise at once on a first trip. Give yourself two days before judging a restaurant by your stomach.
When to stop eating
Vomiting with fever, blood, or an inability to keep water down is a medical problem. Keep the receipt and go to a hospital rather than waiting it out in a hotel room.
This is not a list of restaurants to avoid.
No guide can certify a kitchen from the outside. WHO's five keys — keep clean, separate raw and cooked, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperatures, use safe water — are the standard to apply to what you can see, and the reason a busy stall with high turnover is often a better bet than a quiet one.
Read the WHO food-safety fact sheetCHINESE HELP CARDS · WRITTEN FOR THESE SITUATIONS
Ask for no chilli, in words a kitchen will act on
Say all three. 'Bù là' alone can be heard as 'a little less chilli', and Sichuan pepper is not chilli at all.
您好，我不吃辣。请不要放辣椒、不要放红油、不要放花椒。如果这道菜本来就有辣，请告诉我哪几道是不辣的，谢谢。State an allergy as a medical fact, not a preference
Name the one ingredient. 'I am allergic to food' is too vague for a kitchen to act on.
重要：我对花生严重过敏，吃到会危及生命。请确认这道菜里没有花生、没有花生油、没有花生酱，炒锅和餐具也不要和含花生的菜共用。如果无法确认，请直接告诉我，我换一道菜。Vegetarian, including the hidden animal fats
Oyster sauce, lard and meat stock appear in dishes that look like plain vegetables.
您好，我吃素。请不要放肉、不要放鱼、不要放蚝油、不要放猪油，也不要用肉汤或鸡汤做底。清炒时蔬可以只用植物油和盐吗？如果不确定，请帮我选两道确定是素的，谢谢。Ask how much to order before adding another dish
Servers will usually tell you to stop. Portions are built for sharing, not for one plate each.
我们两个人，点几个菜比较合适？米饭要两碗。先点这些，如果不够我们再加，谢谢。Split the bill or pay separately
Say it before the bill is printed. Some small restaurants cannot split one order after the fact.
您好，我们分开付。这两道菜算在一起，饮料单独算。可以用支付宝或微信扫码吗？如果没有扫码，我们付现金。Ask for the rest to be packed
Packing leftovers is normal and usually free; a small container fee is also normal.
这几道菜请帮我打包，谢谢。需要另外付餐盒费吗？请把汤汁单独装，路上会洒。Use these cards for common situations at the table. Nothing here is a medical instruction; a severe allergy still needs your own medication and a clinician.
| Character | Meaning | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 鸡 | chicken | Appears in dish names far more often than beef or pork. |
| 牛 | beef | 'Niú ròu' is beef; 'niú nǎi' is milk — same character, different food. |
| 猪 | pork | Pork is the default meat in most everyday cooking, including many vegetable dishes. |
| 鱼 | fish | Also appears in 'yú' meaning fish sauce or fish-flavoured cooking. |
| 虾 | shrimp or prawn | A common allergen and often hidden in fried rice and dumplings. |
| 辣 | spicy, chilli | One character can mean a whole dish is built on chilli oil. |
| 麻 | numbing, Sichuan pepper | Not heat but a tingling sensation. Common in Sichuan and Chongqing cooking. |
| 素 | vegetarian, plain | The single most useful character for a vegetarian, and the one most often contradicted by the ingredients. |
| 汤 | soup, stock | 'Tāng miàn' is noodle soup; the broth may be meat-based. |
| 饭 | rice, a meal | 'Mǐ fàn' is plain rice; 'chǎo fàn' is fried rice and usually contains egg. |
| 面 | noodles, flour | Also the character for wheat flour, which matters if you avoid gluten. |
| 烤 | roasted, grilled | 'Kǎo' dishes are usually cooked over heat, not stewed; skewers are 'kǎo chuàn'. |
Can I drink the tap water?
Most households and restaurants boil or buy water. Ask for 'kāi shuǐ' (boiled water) or bottled water, and treat ice in drinks as optional rather than automatic.
Do I need to tip?
No. Tipping is not expected in restaurants, and leaving coins on the table can cause confusion. Service charges are rare and would appear on the bill.
Why is the menu priced per 100 grams?
Seafood, some hotpot items and a few meat dishes are sold by weight. Confirm the unit and the total before cooking, and ask to see the scale reading.
Is a reservation necessary?
For popular roast-duck houses, celebrity restaurants and weekend hotpot, yes. Ordinary noodle shops and neighbourhood kitchens do not take reservations at all.
Can I eat at a hotel restaurant instead?
Yes, and it is often the easiest first meal: printed menus, English-speaking staff and predictable spice levels. It is also the most expensive option per dish.
What if I have a serious allergy?
A restaurant menu has no legal allergen declaration in China, and a kitchen cannot guarantee a wok is free of traces. Use the Chinese card, ask the kitchen directly, and carry your own medication.
How do I handle a dispute over the bill?
Ask for the itemised bill first. If it cannot be resolved, the 12315 platform records a consumer complaint; it is not an emergency line and will not send someone to your table.
Official and publisher references used in this guide
These are external references. They are not live availability, price, approval or service guarantees, and each date marks the point after which a rule may have changed.
GB 7718-2025: pre-packaged food labelling standard, published with 50 related standards
The standard that makes eight categories of allergenic substances mandatory on pre-packaged food labels, and the same standard whose scope is pre-packaged food only. Restaurant dishes, made-to-order food and loose goods are outside it, which is exactly why a menu carries no legal allergen declaration.
Order No. 123: food-safety responsibilities of online catering operators
The current rule for delivery platforms and the kitchens selling through them: platform identity checks at least every six months, shop name matching the physical signboard, licence and storefront displayed, a ‘no dine-in’ marker where applicable, tamper-evident packaging, and order records kept for three years.
Food safety: five keys and the burden of foodborne illness
General food-safety principles that travel with you regardless of country. It is not a judgment about any specific restaurant in China and cannot certify that a particular dish is safe for you.
12315: consumer complaint and report channel
The official route for a consumer dispute over a meal, a delivery order or a purchase. It records a complaint; it does not order a refund, send an inspector to your table, or act as an emergency line.
Common emergency numbers: 110, 119, 120, 122
Police 110, fire 119, ambulance 120, traffic accident 122. These are the numbers to keep on a phone lock screen; they are not a translation service and do not replace the local emergency instructions at a site.
Updates and corrections
The dates above apply only to the checks described here. Recheck current prices, opening hours, availability and account or document eligibility with the responsible provider before you rely on them. When an official rule changes, the affected guidance and its review date should be updated. To report a specific change, email support@slowchinaguide.com with the place, date and current source.
Send a correctionWhat this guide does and does not do
This guide turns practical questions and dated references into steps you can follow. It is not a booking service, a live price list or a substitute for a clinician, a lawyer or the staff responsible for your actual situation.
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