Eating & Drinking In China
Back to all travel tipsTypical dishes
Peking Duck (often sliced up and served with pancakes and plum or garlic sauce)
Dumplings (boiled, steamed or fried - popular fillings include pork, shrimp, beef and vegetables)
Hotpot (cook your own strips of meat, fish and vegetables in a steaming pot of broth - can be as (non) spicy as you want)
The cost of eating & drinking in China
To help you decide on the amount of spending money to budget for, we have outlined below the approximate cost of some meals & drinks in China:
• Cost of lunch in a local restaurant: £2-£3 excluding drinks
• Cost of dinner in a 4 star hotel: £30 excluding drinks
• Cost of a local beer: Tsingtao £1-£2
• Cost of a standard bottle of wine: £15
Recommended restaurants & bars
Choosing the right restaurant to eat at when travelling in China can sometimes be a daunting experience. To assist in making your selection we have compiled a list of restaurant & bar recommendations which have been drawn from our own experiences, and suggestions from previous clients as well as our colleagues in the country. Below we have outlined just a few of our recommended restaurant & bars. A more comprehensive list will be supplied with your travel documentation.
Beijing
• Dadong Peking Duck Restaurant: Featured in Heston Blumenthal's "In Search of Perfection" television series, these are some of Beijing's most upmarket Duck restaurants. Dadong's hallmark bird is a crispy lean duck without the usual high fat content, plus plum (or garlic) sauce, scallions and pancakes. Also carved up is the skin of the duck, served with sugar, an old imperial favourite.
• Haidilao Wangfujing Branch: Highly rated Sichuan Hotpot restaurant chain located on the 8th Floor of the Tianyingtai Department Store in central Wangfujing District. Open until late at night.
Shanghai
• Din Tai Fung: An excellent place to try steamed dumplings and soup. Has several branches dotted around the main tourist areas.
• Shanghai Grandmother Restaurant: Hearty Chinese home cooking at excellent prices in a clean & pleasant environment.
Xi'an
• Xian Restaurant: Based in the Xian Hotel east of the Bell Tower, this longstanding establishment has been serving authentic Shaanxi cuisine since 1929. Their signature dishes are Muslim-influenced Shaanxi cuisine, and versions of Shaanxi street food. The establishment now has a chain of restaurants across the city.
• Muslim Quarter: For the more adventurous there is an abundance of cheap and tasty street food in the Muslim Quarter, where you will find hand-cut wheat noodles, Shaanxi-style flatbread hamburger (rou jia mo) and spicy roast beef and lamb kebabs. The yangrou paomo is also a must-try, consisting of crumbled bread in mutton or beef soup.