Hello Chengdu🌶️ Eat like a local
🪧 Show-to-local cards（不要辣 / 我吃素 …）🍽️ First time eating in China? Start here
- 📱Many restaurants use QR ordering: scan the table code to order and pay. If you cannot, ask the staff to order for you and pay at the counter.
- 🔥Spice words: 不辣 bù là (none), 微辣 wēi là (mild), 中辣 zhōng là (medium), 特辣 tè là (very hot). Also numbing: 麻 má — say 少麻 shǎo má if you want less.
- 🥣Hotpot dip: sesame oil + garlic + a little oyster sauce is the classic, and it cuts the heat. Cook meat until fully done.
- 🍵The table tea or tissues may be charged. Tipping is not expected.
- 🥜Allergies: show the allergy card (peanut, shellfish, etc.). Kung Pao chicken contains peanuts.
- ⏰Popular places queue at 18:00–20:00; take a ticket from the machine or use the shop's mini-program.
What to eat — old brands & famous chains
🍲 Hotpot
The must-do. Order a half-mild 'yuanyang' pot if you are not sure.
🍢 Skewers & cold pot
Cheap, casual, easy to share. You are charged by the sticks counted at the end.
🥘 Classic Sichuan dishes
Sit-down restaurants with big menus. Good for groups and first-timers.
🥟 Old-brand noodles & dumplings
Chengdu's famous snack houses. Quick, cheap, many are not spicy.
🍵 Tea & dessert
Rest stops between sights.
📍 By area
🙋 By need
- ●Long Chaoshou clear-soup wontons, Lai Tangyuan, Han buns, Huaxing fried-egg noodles — all not spicy.
- ●Hotpot: order a 'yuanyang' pot (half spicy, half clear) or 'qīngtāng' (clear soup).
- ●Say 'bù yào là' (不要辣) or 'wēi là' (微辣, slightly spicy). Show the card on the Cards page.
- ●Wenshu Monastery vegetarian restaurant is the safest choice.
- ●Many 'vegetable' dishes use pork or meat broth — say 'wǒ chī sù' (我吃素) and show the card.
- ●Look for the sign 清真 (qīngzhēn). Muslim noodle/lamb shops (often Lanzhou-style) are common near the city centre.
- ●Check on a map app before you go; do not rely on a menu description alone.
- ●Noodles, dumplings, small-portion Sichuan dishes and cold-pot skewers are fine solo.
- ●Hotpot is easier in a group; some chains offer single-person pots.
- ●Large chains (Meizhou Dongpo, Da Ronghe, hotpot chains) usually have picture menus or QR ordering.
- ●Point at photos, use a translation app, or ask staff to recommend 'bù là de' (不辣的, not-spicy ones).
🕘 A sample eating day
- 08:00 Breakfast: steamed buns (Han Baozi) or sweet-water noodles + soy milk.
- 12:00 Lunch: dandan noodles or Long Chaoshou wontons; Chen Mapo Tofu with rice.
- 15:30 Snack/tea: Heming Teahouse or Lai Tangyuan.
- 19:00 Dinner: hotpot at a famous chain, half-mild pot.
- 22:00 Late: skewers or cold pot in Yulin.
📖 Dish glossary
Spice: 🟢 0 · 🌶️ 1 · 🌶️🌶️ 2 · 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3
How we chose these
Names come from classic Chengdu food lists on Trip.com, Xiaohongshu and travel guides; mostly old brands and well-known chains, plus a few local shops from Xiaohongshu notes (marked unverified). Restaurants move, close and change prices — confirm opening hours and location in Amap or Dianping, and use the 'Money & prices' page to convert the yuan.
Read more (third-party, not official)
Trip.com — Chengdu food guide ↗Nomado — What to eat in Chengdu ↗Into Travel China — Top 10 must-try Chengdu delicacies ↗➡️ What to do next
Was this page helpful?
We collect usage data (pages, approximate location, device) to improve this guide. Privacy details