Must-see restaurants in China

  • City Shop

    Shanghai

    In the basement floor of the Shanghai Centre, this supermarket is the place to get all those imported goodies you just can’t find anywhere else. It also…

  • Pure & Whole

    Shanghai

    If you're needing something green and leafy that's not glistening in oil, this 100% vegetarian restaurant has all your superfoods covered. There's plenty…

  • Silent Holy Stones

    Shangri-la

    Long a favourite spot for local Tibetans, this relaxed and welcoming place specialises in yak-meat hotpots (from ¥148). Great mómo (馍馍, Tibetan dumplings)…

  • This Old Place Cafe

    Guangxi

    Located at This Old Place Hostel is this pretty cafe serving up delicious baguettes and wood-fire pizzas, alongside a choice of local Guangxi fare. If the…

  • Wù Yuán

    Qingdao

    This upmarket cafe-restaurant isn't quite on No 3 Beach, but it sure is close. The coffee is excellent, as is the Western food (sirloin steaks, lamb chops…

  • Shíjì Jiānbing Guǒzi

    Tianjin

    On a lively crossroads lined with small restaurants, fruit stalls and snack shops, this typical hole-in-the-wall takeaway joint specialises in Tianjin's…

  • Poke Poke

    Shanghai

    Nab one of only six stools here to enjoy express bowls of Hawaiian-style goodness. Choose from raw tuna, scallops, salmon and prawn, accompanied by…

  • Dàfāng Sùcàiguǎn

    Xiamen

    This popular vegetarian restaurant attracts nearly as many devotees as nearby Nanputuo Temple. The tasty soy-based meals are lavishly named and presented…

  • Fújí Cài

    Yunnan

    Local delicacies, including the herbal stew qìguō (汽锅; ¥38) and a wide range of Chinese dishes served in a renovated courtyard home make this one of the…

  • Dayang Coconut Chicken Soup

    Guangzhou

    Cooking chicken soup in a coconut with its own sweet coconut water is as delicious as it sounds. Then add superfood goji berries, bamboo and stewed…

  • Chu Family Coffee

    Fujian

    A little delight is found in this garden cafe where cats roam and an award-winning barista brews his magic. The Western desserts don’t skimp on the cream…

  • Xiao Cai Cafe

    Shangri-la

    Built into a hundred-year-old wooden building rebuilt in original form after the 2014 fire, this small cafe just off the main square is one of the…

  • Thai Restaurant

    Xishuangbanna Region

    If you’re not making the trek overland to Southeast Asia, get your Thai fix at this ever-reliable open-air restaurant. It’s not the most upmarket Thai…

  • URBN Restaurant

    Shanghai

    Inside the eco-chic Urbn, this fashionable, laid-back restaurant is a good spot for a relaxed meal. Expect quality items such as beef tacos, New England…

  • Wagas

    Shanghai

    Excellent sandwiches and cakes, and you can hang out here for hours with your tablet and no one will shoo you away. Need we say more? Wagas is the best…

  • Pomelo Thai

    Shanghai

    Reasonably priced Thai inside the Shanghai Centre, serving a good pork krapow (spicy minced pork with Thai basil and egg with rice). The full-sized tom…

  • Bakery No 88

    Dali

    Spread across two floors and with a small garden, this popular, smoke-free haven of tranquillity has excellent sandwiches, pastas and soups, all prepared…

  • Bottega

    Beijing

    A party restaurant with hipster decor and a menu of wood-fired pizza (a bit doughy), pasta, salads, meaty mains and cocktails. Bandana-toting chefs work…

  • Dumpling Yuan

    Hong Kong

    Without exception, everybody in this simple restaurant with booths and plastic chairs is noshing on one thing: bowls piled with heavenly bundles of…

  • Element Fresh

    Shanghai

    A good choice for breakfast (granola, smoked salmon and egg bagel, breakfast burritos etc), plus salads, Asian plates, sandwiches, grilled meats and…

  • N’s Kitchen

    Lijiang

    Clamber up the steep stairs for one of the best breakfasts in town, a monster burger a or fine Yunnan coffee from a window seat overlooking the small…

  • Zhanggong Qiao Jie

    Sichuan

    Zhanggong Qiao Jie's small night market is full of seafood restaurants that pull fish and more straight from tanks in front of the restaurant to throw…

  • Baker & Spice

    Shanghai

    Popular artisanal cafe at the Shanghai Centre with wooden tables and a tempting array of fresh pastries, bread, salads and sandwiches – don’t miss the…

  • Qiáo Měishíjiā

    Guangzhou

    The best restaurant on Shamian Island, specialising in Canto fare such as steamed fish, sticky char sui pork, and roast squab, which you pull apart with…

  • Pichaiyuan Food Street

    Qingdao

    Off Zhongshan Lu, an archway with a plaster motif ‘1902’ leads to a vast warren of street-food stalls that buzz with hungry tourists looking for seafood…

  • Kailash

    Shangri-la

    This reliable long-standing restaurant serves up a mix of Tibetan, Indian and Chinese dishes in a Tibetan-teahouse atmosphere. It's down Old Street (老街,…

  • Ai Xin Dangao

    Sichuan

    Your breakfast dreams are answered at this delightful, and unexpected, European-style bakery selling custard tarts, croissants, small pizzas and other…

  • Lántiān Xiǎochī

    Yunnan

    Fantastic, popular place for noodles at any time of day, but especially breakfast. It's also good for Burmese-style salads, Thai fried rice dishes and…

  • Furong Jie

    Shandong

    Heaving with hungry punters in the early evening, this raucous, pedestrianised street-food alley is lined with hole-in-the-wall places to eat servings…

  • Burgers & Pizza

    Sichuan

    This popular, clean, canteen-like place is a surprise in remote little Manigange. Peruse the easy-to-understand picture menu and take your pick from…

  • Motu

    Nanjing

    Down along spruced-up Laomen Dong, New Zealander–owned Motu does a brisk trade in fine burgers and cold beers. Order at the till, take a numbered flag and…

  • Iron Pig BBQ

    Chengdu

    Texas-style barbecue, biscuits a Southern grandma could be proud of and a nice open-air bar facing the street – though you'll immediately forget people…

  • Indian Kitchen

    Beijing

    Indian staff in elegant robes welcome you to Beijing's most stylish and gracious Indian restaurant, the haunt of diplomats, business people and tour…

  • Jade Buddha Temple Vegetarian Restaurant

    Shanghai

    Pull up a seat alongside the monks, nuns and lay worshippers for a vegetarian feast at this Buddhist banquet hall. On the menu are dumplings, noodles,…

  • Lei Garden

    Shanghai

    On the 3rd floor of the IFC Mall, Lei Garden is a classy affair serving good-quality Cantonese; it's perfect for a lunch break during a shopping spree. Be…

  • Gelateria d'Orcia

    Nanjing

    A small cafe serving up yummy Italian-style gelato, made on-site. Friendly, English-speaking service. The salted caramel flavour is especially delicious…

  • Mex & Co

    Shanghai

    Solid build-it-yourself burrito counter, stuffing tortillas with organic ingredients. Choose rice, beans and your protein of choice, or go veggie. Then…

  • Wanda Plaza

    Hubei

    Across the street from the Three Gorges Tourist Centre, this popular mall has a good selection of restaurants on the 3rd and 4th floors, as well as a…

  • Hunter Gatherer

    Shanghai

    Funky casual spot with coloured crates for lampshades. It serves big, farm-fresh bowls like miso salmon with lemon cashew sauce or braised beef curry with…

  • Wenshu Monastery Restaurant

    Chengdu

    This excellent volunteer-staffed vegetarian restaurant and the atmospheric teahouse that surrounds it are on Wenshu Monastery's grounds. There's also a…

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