20 Best Places to Eat in China: The Ultimate Culinary & Dining Guide

China is home to one of the world's most diverse culinary landscapes, defined by its famous regional traditions spanning Sichuan spice, Cantonese dim sum, Peking duck, and vibrant street food markets across every province.

Must-Try Traditional Dishes

When traveling across China, make sure to taste these iconic regional specialties:

Peking Duck: Crispy roasted duck served with thin pancakes, scallions, sweet bean sauce, and cucumber.
Dim Sum: Steamed dumplings, buns, and small savory plates paired with fragrant Chinese tea.
Mapo Tofu: Soft tofu set in a fiery, aromatic chili oil sauce packed with Sichuan peppercorns.
Xiao Long Bao: Delicately wrapped Shanghai soup dumplings filled with savory broth and pork.
Biangbiang Noodles: Thick, hand-pulled Shaanxi noodles tossed with garlic, chili oil, and fresh herbs.

20 Best Places to Eat in China

1. Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant

Cuisine: Imperial Roast Peking Duck
Location: Qianmen, Beijing
Must-Try Dish: Traditional Wood-Roasted Peking Duck
About the Place: Established in 1864, Quanjude is Beijing's most famous roasted duck house, roasting ducks inside open fruitwood ovens for crispy skin and tender meat.
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2. Chen Mapo Tofu

Cuisine: Authentic Sichuan Cuisine
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Must-Try Dish: Traditional Sichuan Mapo Tofu
About the Place: Operating since 1862, this legendary eatery claims to be the original creator of Mapo Tofu, serving fiery, mouth-numbing Sichuan classics.
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3. Din Tai Fung (Shanghai Flagship)

Cuisine: Taiwanese & Jiangnan Dumplings
Location: Xintiandi, Shanghai
Must-Try Dish: Pork & Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao
About the Place: Famous worldwide for incredible precision, Din Tai Fung serves hot, perfectly pleated steamed soup dumplings inside a sleek modern setting.
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4. Guangzhou Restaurant

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum & Roast Meats
Location: Liwan District, Guangzhou
Must-Try Dish: Steamed Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) & Char Siu
About the Place: Crowned as the "First House of Lingnan Taste," this historic tea house serves exquisite Cantonese dim sum surrounded by courtyard garden decor.
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5. Tim Ho Wan

Cuisine: Affordable Michelin-Starred Dim Sum
Location: Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Must-Try Dish: Baked BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)
About the Place: Renowned as one of the world's most accessible Michelin-starred eateries, serving crispy, sweet, and savory baked char siu buns fresh to order.
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6. Shaanxi First Noodle

Cuisine: Shaanxi Noodle Specialty
Location: Muslim Quarter, Xi'an
Must-Try Dish: Hand-Pulled Biangbiang Noodles & Roujiamo (Chinese Burger)
About the Place: Located in the heart of Xi'an's energetic Muslim Quarter, master chefs hand-pull belt-thick wheat noodles served hot with garlic and chili oil.
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7. Lou Wai Lou

Cuisine: Traditional Hangzhou Jiangnan Cuisine
Location: West Lake, Hangzhou
Must-Try Dish: West Lake Vinegar Fish & Longjing Tea Shrimp
About the Place: Perched right along the shores of West Lake since 1848, Lou Wai Lou serves classical delicate dishes favored by historic poets and national leaders.
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8. Da Dong Roast Duck

Cuisine: Modern Chinese & Lean Roast Duck
Location: Chaoyang, Beijing
Must-Try Dish: Chef Da Dong's Crispy Lean Roast Duck
About the Place: Famous for innovating a lighter, crispier, low-fat roasting technique, Da Dong pairs duck with contemporary artful Chinese plating.
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9. Shu Jiu Xiang Hotpot

Cuisine: Sichuan Spicy Hotpot
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Must-Try Dish: Twin-Flavor Spicy Tallow & Herbal Broth Hotpot
About the Place: A premier Sichuan hotpot destination where diners simmer sliced meats, bamboo shoots, and fresh vegetables in bubbling, fragrant chili broth.
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10. Nanxiang Mantou Dian

Cuisine: Classical Shanghai Dumpling House
Location: Yu Garden, Shanghai
Must-Try Dish: Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings
About the Place: Located by Yu Garden's Nine-Turn Bridge, lines form daily for piping hot, delicate steamed soup dumplings crafted using century-old methods.
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11. Muslim Quarter Street Food Market

Cuisine: Xi'an Street Food & Halal Delicacies
Location: Downtown Xi'an
Must-Try Dish: Yangrou Paomo (Mutton stew with torn flatbread)
About the Place: A bustling market neighborhood lined with glowing lanterns, smoke-filled grill stalls, and vendors pounding peanut candy and searing mutton skewers.
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12. Lung King Heen

Cuisine: High-End Cantonese Fine Dining
Location: Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong
Must-Try Dish: Steamed Lobster and Scallop Dumplings
About the Place: The first Chinese restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars, serving flawless Cantonese seafood and dim sum with views of Victoria Harbour.
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13. Lost Heaven

Cuisine: Yunnan Tribal Folk Cuisine
Location: The Bund, Shanghai
Must-Try Dish: Yunnan Wild Mushroom Pastes & Burmese-Style Chicken
About the Place: Set inside a dimly lit multi-story venue on The Bund, Lost Heaven serves aromatic, spice-rich dishes inspired by the ethnic minority tribes of Yunnan.
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14. De Yue Lou

Cuisine: Classical Suzhou Jiangnan Gastronomy
Location: Guanqian Street, Suzhou
Must-Try Dish: Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce
About the Place: Operating for over 200 years, De Yue Lou is famous for delicate knife work, fresh waterland fish dishes, and traditional Suzhou garden ambience.
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15. Chunfeng Songyue Lou

Cuisine: Vegetarian Chinese Dim Sum & Buns
Location: Shanghai
Must-Try Dish: Steamed Vegetable & Wild Mushroom Buns
About the Place: Founded in 1910, Shanghai's oldest vegetarian restaurant is famous for soft steamed buns filled with fragrant greens, wild mushrooms, and tofu.
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16. Mak's Noodle

Cuisine: Traditional Hong Kong Wonton Noodles
Location: Central, Hong Kong
Must-Try Dish: Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup
About the Place: Celebrated for bouncy spring-tooth egg noodles and handmade shrimp wontons floating in savory flounder broth, loved by generation of foodies.
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17. Chunxi Road Street Food Stalls

Cuisine: Sichuan Snacking & Street Eats
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Must-Try Dish: Dan Dan Noodles & Zhong Dumplings
About the Place: Chengdu's commercial heart offers vibrant food alleys packed with vendors serving chili-oil dumplings, sweet potato noodles, and roasted skewers.
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18. Panxi Restaurant

Cuisine: Garden-Style Cantonese Dining
Location: Liwan District, Guangzhou
Must-Try Dish: Steamed Dim Sum Baskets & Roasted Suckling Pig
About the Place: Set beside Liwan Lake, China's largest garden restaurant offers dining pavilions, waterfall views, and beautifully crafted dim sum creations.
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19. Guijie (Ghost Street) Food Alley

Cuisine: Late-Night Beijing Street Food & Seafood
Location: Dongcheng District, Beijing
Must-Try Dish: Spicy Crayfish (Mala Xiaolongxia)
About the Place: A 1.5-kilometer street lined with hundreds of glowing red lanterns and late-night seafood houses serving spicy crayfish, hotpot, and barbecue.
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20. Baoyuan Dumpling House

Cuisine: Multi-Colored Handmade Jiaozi
Location: Chaoyang District, Beijing
Must-Try Dish: Multi-Colored Vegetable-Dyed Dumplings
About the Place: Renowned for dough colored using natural fruit and vegetable juices, serving hundreds of creative pork, lamb, and vegetarian dumpling fillings.
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Featured Image

Traditional Chinese Dim Sum Feast