Beijing & the North (鲁菜 / 京菜)
- Peking duck — Siji Minfu (affordable) or Dadong (refined). Pancakes, scallion, sweet bean sauce, repeat.
- Jianbing — savory breakfast crepe with crispy cracker inside. Any street cart.
- Old Beijing zhajiangmian — thick noodles, soybean paste, julienned cucumber.
- Lamb hot pot — copper-pot, clear broth, dipped in sesame sauce. Donglaishun is the original.
Sichuan (川菜)
The most exciting cuisine in China for adventurous eaters. Mala = numbing (Sichuan peppercorn) + spicy (chili). Order:
- Mapo tofu — silken tofu in chili-bean sauce with minced pork.
- Shuizhu yu — fish poached in chili oil. Looks scarier than it is.
- Dan dan mian — noodles with chili, peanut, and pork.
- Hot pot — the social meal. Order half-spicy / half-mild for survival.
- Gong bao ji ding — kung pao chicken, the original. Peanuts, dried chili, vinegar.
Cantonese (粤菜)
The cuisine your hometown's "Chinese restaurant" comes from, done properly. Subtle, ingredient-driven, less spice.
- Dim sum — har gow, siu mai, char siu bao, cheung fun. Best at brunch with tea.
- Char siu — roast pork over rice. The benchmark dish.
- Steamed fish — whole, with ginger and scallion, soy poured over at the table.
- Clay-pot rice — burnt rice on the bottom is the prize.
Shanghainese & Jiangsu (本帮菜 / 苏菜)
- Xiaolongbao — soup dumplings. Din Tai Fung (Taiwanese chain, very good) or Jia Jia Tang Bao (local, $).
- Shengjianbao — pan-fried soup dumplings with crispy bottom.
- Hongshao rou — red-braised pork belly, sweet and rich.
- Lion's head meatballs — fist-sized pork meatballs in clear broth.
Xinjiang & the Northwest
- Lamb skewers — cumin, chili, charcoal. Found in every city now.
- Hand-pulled noodles (la mian) and biang biang noodles from Xi'an.
- Da pan ji — "big plate chicken" with potatoes and pulled noodles.
How to order when nobody speaks English
- Point at other tables' food. Universal language.
- Use Apple Translate or Baidu Translate's camera mode on the menu. Picture menus are common.
- Two dishes per person, plus rice. Family-style — everything is shared.
- Tea is free at most restaurants. Ask for "cha" (茶).
Eat where
Use Dianping (China's Yelp) or just walk into anywhere full of locals on a weekday lunch. Hotel restaurants are usually mediocre and 3× the price. For specifics, see the Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu guides.