Chengdu Food & Cuisine | Best Restaurants in Chengdu 2024
Wherever is a Chinese restaurant in your country, there must be dishes like Mopo Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken, both of them belong to Sichuan Food. However, most of the Sichuan food has been localized. Where to eat the most authentic Sichuan food? As the capital city of Sichuan province, Chengdu gathers most of Sichuan Food with its features. The hot and spicy food is like the passion of the city, and the essence of Chengdu Food is the dried red peppers, peppercorns, which are the hot spirit that triggers your appetite and seduces your heart and mind. Once you get to try the food in Chengdu, you will love it.
We categorize Top 26 Chengdu Food and Snacks into the following five types with more detailed info about the introduction of the Chengdu Cuisine, recommended restaurants and their locations. You can also follow our travel expert Riley, who has lived in Chengdu for 8 years to find the most popular local snacks and places to eat in Chengdu!
• Chinese: 火锅 • Pinyin: huǒ guō
• Recommended Restaurant: XiaoLongKan (Chunxi) 小龙坎(春熙路店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 110/pp • Opening Time: 10:00-22:00
• Location: No. 15, Zhonglieci East Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区忠烈祠东街15号
Chengdu Hot Pot is one of the most representative dishes in Sichuan and the cuisine you shall never miss during your stay in Chengdu. With thousands of hot pot restaurants opening, you can discover your own favored dishes from fine dinings in restaurants of fancy hotels and yummy street food along the old lanes. The boiled dishes with broth bubbling give off the irresistible fragrance.>>Chengdu Hot Pot & To 10 Recommended Restaurants
• Chinese: 冒菜 • Pinyin: mào cài
• Recommended Restaurant: FuRongShuXia 芙蓉树下(总店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 30/pp • Opening Time: 10:00-22:00
• Location: No. 15, Zhonglieci East Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区忠烈祠东街15号
Maocai is a kind of mini hot pot, usually cooked and served for a single person. The waiter will help you cook all the dishes you ordered and there is no seasoning bowl. Some people also comment on Maocai, “Hot pot is maocai for a group of people, and maocai is hot pot for a person.”
• Chinese: 串串香 • Pinyin: chuàn chuàn xiāng
• Recommended Restaurant: MaoJiaoHuoLa (KuiXinLou) 冒椒火辣(奎星楼街)
• Average
Cost: CNY 80/pp • Opening Time: 11:30-14:00; 17:00-22:00
• Location: #33 kuixinglou street, Qingyang District, Chengdu 成都市青羊区奎星楼街33号
Chuanchuan is another sibling of Hot pot, and chuanchuan means skewers in Chinese. The dining form is the same as that of hot pot, except that the ingredients are all strung on the bamboo sticks, and put into the hot pot. It brings more fun while eating and Chuanchuan has become one of the representatives of Sichuan flavor.
• Chinese: 钵钵鸡 • Pinyin: bō bō jī
• Recommended Restaurant: Yepopo Boboji 叶婆婆钵钵鸡(建设路店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 30/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-21:30
• Location: 1-19 Jianshe lane, Chenghua District, Chengdu 成都市成华区建设巷1号附19号
During the hot summer, Chengdu people also prefer to eat fresh cold dishes. The Boboji is very refreshing. They usually use chicken and other ingredients strung on the bamboo sticks to cook in the broth, and put them in the special refreshing spicy soup to cool down before eating.
• Chinese: 冷锅鱼 • Pinyin: lěng guō yú
• Recommended Restaurant: SanZhiEr (Yulin) 三只耳冷锅鱼(玉林店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 70/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-22:30
• Location: 26 Fangcao street, hi-tech Zone, Chengdu 成都市高新区芳草街26号
Fish Cold Pot was created by Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty. The fish slices will be cooked in a hot pot together with some other vegetables. After all the dishes are cooked, they can be eaten. The dishes don't need to be heated anymore, so it's also called cold pot fish. Pay attention to fish bones while eating
• Chinese: 豆花火锅 • Pinyin: dòu huā huǒ guō
• Recommended Restaurant: LuZhouSuanCaiDouHua Hot Pot 泸州酸菜豆花火锅
• Average
Cost: CNY 60/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-22:30
• Location: No.8-4 Gonghe village, xiaobeimenwai, Wangjiang campus, Sichuan University, Chengdu 成都市川大望江校区小北门外共和村8号附4号
For those who like hot pot but can't bear the spicy, the tofu hot pot is undoubtedly a good choice. The hot pot broth is light and boiled with tofu. You can add side dishes to the pot while eating. Have a cup of fresh soymilk and the tofu hot pot is very mild and nutritious.
• Chinese: 麻婆豆腐 • Pinyin: má pó dòu fǔ
• Recommended Restaurant: ChenMaPo Tofu (LuoMasShi) 陈麻婆豆腐(骡马市店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 30/pp • Opening Time: 11:30-14:30; 17:30-21:00
• Location: 197 xiyulong street, Qingyang District, Chengdu 成都市青羊区西玉龙街197号
Mapo Tofu, is one of the traditional famous dishes in Sichuan. The main raw materials are Tofu, bean curd, meat foam, pepper and peppercorn. The numb feeling is from peppercorn, and the spicy comes from chili powder. Nowadays, Mapo Tofu has become an international famous dish.
• Chinese: 辣子鸡 • Pinyin: là zǐ jī
• Recommended Restaurant: DaRongHe 大蓉和
• Average
Cost: CNY 60/pp • Opening Time: 11:30-14:30 17:00-21:00
• Location:277 Yipintianxia Street, Jinniu District, Chengdu 成都市金牛区一品天下大街277号
Chicken Cubes with Pepper is a classic Sichuan dish. Chicken is the main ingredient, which is cut into small pieces, and fried with onion, dried pepper, peppercorn, salt, and other materials.
• Chinese: 宫保鸡丁 • Pinyin: gōng bǎo jī dīng
• Recommended Restaurant: HongXing Restaurnat 红杏酒家(明珠店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 100/pp • Opening Time: 11:00--21:30
• Location: No.7-9, section 3, Jianshe North Road, Chenghua District, Chengdu 成都市成华区建设北路三段7-9号
Kung pao chicken is a famous traditional dish both at home and abroad.Kung pao Chicken is a kind of fried tender chicken cubes as the main ingredient, with peanuts, cucumbers, peppers and other ingredients. It is a little salty-sweet, not spicy, with crispy peanuts.
• Chinese: 回锅肉 • Pinyin: huí guō ròu
• Recommended Restaurant: MaWangZi Restaurant 马旺子·川小馆
• Average
Cost: CNY 100/pp • Opening Time: 11:30-14:30; 7:00-20:30
• Location: No.1, dongfurshi street, Dacisi, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区大慈寺东糠市街1号
Twice cooked pork slices, one of the representative dishes of Sichuan traditional dishes, belongs to Sichuan cuisine. The main raw materials are pork, green pepper, garlic sprouts, etc. Almost every household in Sichuan can make it. The two cooked pork is for the pork will be fried twice to remove the extra fat. It has always been regarded as the essential dish of Sichuan cuisine.
• Chinese: 鱼香肉丝 • Pinyin: yú xiāng ròu sī
• Recommended Restaurant: Chengdu Impression 成都映象(宽窄巷子店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 100/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-22:30
• Location: No. 16, zhaixiangzi, Qingyang District, Chengdu 成都市青羊区窄巷子16号成都映象川菜馆
Yuxiang shredded pork (sauteed in spice garlic sauce), is a traditional Sichuan dish, named after the smell like fish dishes. It is brown-red in color, salty, fresh, sour and sweet. The shredded pork is fried with onion, ginger, garlic, lettuce root, tree fungus, etc. The fish flavor is made of seasonings.
• Chinese: 夫妻肺片 • Pinyin: fū qī fèi piàn
• Recommended Restaurant: FuQiFeiPian Restaurant 夫妻肺片(总府路店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 50/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-21:30
• Location: 2 / F, No.23, Zongfu Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区总府路23号2楼
It a famous dish in Chengdu, first cooked by a couple in Chengdu. Generally, beef, Ox’s heart, tongue, tripe are the main ingredients, which are marinated and sliced, and mixed with chili oil, peppercorn powder and other seasonings in the chili oil sauce. It is tender and delicious, spicy and fragrant, very chewy.
• Chinese: 水煮鱼 • Pinyin: shuǐ zhǔ yú
• Recommended Restaurant: QinShanZhai 钦善斋
• Average
Cost: CNY 100/pp • Opening Time: 11:00-21:00
• Location: 247 Wuhouci Street, Wuhou District, Chengdu 成都市武侯区武侯祠大街247号
Also known as Water boiled fish, it was very popular in Chongqing and Sichuan. It is usually made of fresh carp, bean sprouts, pepper, and other ingredients. "Oily but not greasy, spicy but not too hot, with tender fish slices" commented by many foodies.
• Chinese: 水煮肉片 • Pinyin: shuǐ zhǔ ròu piàn
• Recommended Restaurant: Chengdu Impression 成都映象(宽窄巷子店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 50/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-22:30
• Location: No. 16, Zhai Xiang Zi, Qingyang District, Chengdu 成都市青羊区窄巷子16号成都映象川菜馆
Similar to the boiled fish, Poached pork slices are another local dish, which originated in Sichuan. The Boiled meat is spicy, soft and tender, easy to chew. When eating, the soup is red, fresh and spicy. It's one of the household delicacies.
• Chinese: 担担面 • Pinyin: dān dān miàn
• Recommended Restaurant:HuangChengBa Snack Restaurant 皇城坝小吃(武侯祠店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 50/pp • Opening Time: 09:30-21:30
• Location: No. 259-5, Wuhouci Street, Wuhou District, Chengdu 成都市武侯区武侯祠大街259号附5号
Dandan noodle is a popular and famous snack in Sichuan, always served as dinner or breakfast for Chengdu people. It is red and bright in color, with a strong fragrance of spicy meat sauce. It is the best of Sichuan style pasta.
• Chinese: 甜水面 • Pinyin: tián shuǐ miàn
• Recommended Restaurant: Dongzikou Zhang's Restaurant 洞子口张老二凉粉
• Average
Cost: CNY 20/pp • Opening Time: 08:30-19:00
• Location: Dongzikou, 39 Wenshuyuan Street, Qingyang District, Chengdu成都市青羊区文殊院街39号洞子口
Sweet Noodles is named after its salty-sweet taste. Noodles are very chewy as they are roughly as thick as a chopstick, with the peanut powder and a little pepper powder. It looks brown and tastes slightly sweet, and finally spicy.
• Chinese: 肥肠粉 • Pinyin: féi cháng fěn
• Recommended Restaurant: Bai's Feichangfen Restaurant 白家肥肠粉(青石桥总店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 25/pp • Opening Time: 08:30-22:00
• Location: #35 Chengwu building, Qingshiqiao North Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区青石桥北街成物大厦底35号
Feichangfen is another traditional noodles in Chengdu. The main materials are sweet potato noodles, cooked with pork’s intestines’ broth. The sweet potato noodles are soft and thin, with the unique smell of the intestines. Like durian, some are fond of it and some can not bear the smell.
• Chinese: 红油水饺 • Pinyin: hóng yóu shuǐ jiǎo
• Recommended Restaurant: ZhongShuiJiao 钟水饺(武侯店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 30/pp • Opening Time: 07:00-21:00
• Location: No. 2-2, Wuhouci Street, Wuhou District, Chengdu 成都市武侯区武侯祠大街2号附2号
You can find dumplings in every province of China, and Sichuan people like the spicy. The Dried Dumplings with Chilli Oil have really skins with tender meat inside, soaked in the red oily spicy sauce.
• Chinese: 老麻抄手 • Pinyin: lǎo má chāo shǒu
• Recommended Restaurant: LongChaoShou Restaurant 龙抄手(春熙路总店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 30/pp • Opening Time: 09:00-22:00
• Location: #63 Chengshou street, east side of Zhongshan Square, Chunxi Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区春熙路中山广场东侧城守街63号
Other dumplings in Sichuan are called Chaoshou. The way how the dumplings wrapped is a little different and the skin is thinner than the normal dumplings with a lot of Sichuan peppercorn powder which makes your tongue and mouth feel numb.
• Chinese: 伤心凉粉 • Pinyin: shāng xīn liáng fěn
• Recommended Restaurant: Dongzikou Zhang's Restaurant 洞子口张老二凉粉
• Average
Cost: CNY 25/pp • Opening Time: 08:30-19:00
• Location: Dongzikou, 39 Wenshuyuan street, Qingyang District, Chengdu成都市青羊区文殊院街39号洞子口
It's also called Heartbroken Jelly Noodles. It's one of the local Hakka snacks in Sichuan. There are two explanations why it was named: One is the cold jelly noodles made by Hakka people living in Luodai town who are badly sad missing their hometown; the other is that the cold jelly noodles are very spicy to make the people cry while eating.
• Chinese: 糖油果子 • Pinyin: táng yóu guǒ zǐ
• Recommended Restaurant: ChaiMen Restaurant 柴门饭儿(太古里店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 100/pp • Opening Time: 11:30-15:30; 17:00-21:00
• Location: 1243b, floor 1, Yuanyang Taigu Sicily, No. 8, Zhongshan street, Chengdu 成都市中纱帽街8号成都远洋太古里西里1层1243B
Sweet Sticky Rice Ball is a famous traditional snack in Chengdu. It is featured with bright yellow color, crispy crust and sticky inside. It is sweet and delicious. It is made of glutinous rice, brown sugar and sesame. The glutinous rice flour is fried in the oil and then coated with white sesame and put on with bamboo sticks.
• Chinese: 蛋烘糕 • Pinyin: dàn hōng gāo
• Recommended Restaurant: He's DanHongGao 贺记蛋烘糕
• Average
Cost: CNY 15/pp • Opening Time: 11:00-13:00 ; 15:00-20:00
• Location: Inside the South Gate of No.12 College Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu 成都市武侯区大学路12号大院南门内
Chengdu Pancake, a famous traditional snack in Chengdu, palm-sized, first cooked since the Qing Dynasty. Mixed eggs and fermented flour with the proper amount of brown sugar, and fry them in a small pan, with fillings added in, such as different jams, meat floss, potato shreds, sour cowpea, etc.
• Chinese: 凉糕 • Pinyin: dàn hōng gāo
• Recommended Restaurant: HuangChengBa Snack Restaurant 皇城坝小吃(武侯祠店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 40/pp • Opening Time: 09:30-21:30
• Location: No. 259-5, Wuhouci Street, Wuhou District, Chengdu 成都市武侯区武侯祠大街259号附5号
Cold Rice Pudding is a common delicacy in summer in Chengdu. It is made of rice into a pudding shape in light yellow color. When eating, people always add on some brown sugar sauce, and it tastes sweet and elastic.
• Chinese: 冰粉 • Pinyin: bīng fěn
• Recommended Restaurant: TianXinXianSheng 甜心闲生传统手工冰粉(太古里店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 20/pp • Opening Time: 12:00-22:30
• Location: No. 65, Xiadong Street section, dongdajie Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu (opposite to Ping'an financial center) 成都市锦江区东大街下东大街段65号(平安金融中心斜对面)
The Ice Jelly is very popular in Chengdu’s Restaurants. It's a perfect match to relieve the spicy when eating hot pot. Grinding Peanuts, sesame, raisins, hawthorn slices, rice wine and ice, fruit, as well as the brown sugar juice will be atop the jelly when eating. It tastes sweet, cool and delicious.
• Chinese: 美蛙火锅 • Pinyin: měi wā huǒ guō
• Recommended Restaurant: LuHeMen Frog Hot Pot 禄合門美蛙火锅(太古里店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 110/pp • Opening Time: 11:00-22:00
• Location: No.2, Floor 1, Building 1, No.1, Tianxianqiao North Road, Jinjiang District, Chengdu 成都市锦江区天仙桥北路1号1栋1层2号
Besides the common ingredients in Chengdu Hot Pot, Chengdu people also like to eat the artificially feeding frogs in the hot pot. The meat of frogs is delicate and there is no fat. This kind of hot pot is also popular among the locals.
• Chinese: 麻辣兔头 • Pinyin: má là tù tóu
• Recommended Restaurant:ShuangLiu Lao Ma Rabbit Head Restaurant 双流老妈兔头(文殊院店)
• Average
Cost: CNY 50/pp • Opening Time: 10:30-22:30
• Location: 22 Jinsi Street, Qingyang District, Chengdu 成都市青羊区金丝街22号
Chengdu people like to eat rabbit meat, so there are a lot of rabbit heads left. Therefore, people with new ideas by cooked with all kinds of spicy seasonings to create this scary and delicious snacks.
Chinese Food Culture
Nourished by the five thousand years’ history and multiple nations and regions in the vast land, China’s food culture is more than what words can describe. Rooted in traditional Chinese philosophy, like Yin-Yang and Five Element and Confucianism, Chinese cuisine is beyond the food itself but an artwork of the creative minds. Under the guidance of Traditional Chinese Medicine, most of the Chinese cuisines are healthy and nutritious, pursuing to maintain people’s health, and even help the patients get healed.
Are you wondering about Chinese cooking process? Is that hard? around 100 cooking techniques have been formed over the development of Chinese food culture. The diverse cooking techniques show the wisdom of Chinese people and also help a lot on the sustainable development and reformation of the Chinese cuisines.
To enjoy the authentic Chinese flavour in a right way, Chinese dining etiquette plays a rather important role in Chinese food culture. Getting to know the Chinese etiquette will not only show one’s good self-cultivation and manners, but also help your understand the culture deeply and avoid making taboos accidentally to behave offensively to your Chinese host.
♦ Useful Link Related to Chengdu Food: Sichuan Food | Chengdu Hot Pot | Cooking Class in Chengdu | Sichuan Cuisine Museum
Best Chengdu Tour Packages for 2024/2025
Many travelers come to Chengdu for Giant Pandas. Besides the panda, there are many other must-sees, like Jinli Old Street, Wenshu Temple, Renmin Park and Jinsha Site Museum. You can add more fun and leisure experience into your trip, like enjoy a cup of tea in local traditional tea house and watch Sichuan opera in Shufengyayun Opera House. It’s better to spend 2 to 3 days in Chengdu. Based in China, China Discovery guarantees you the local way to explore authentic Chengdu.
To travel out of Chengdu, you can take side trips to the World Heritage Sites - Leshan Giant Buddha & Mount Emei for 2 days, Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng for 1-2 days, Jiuzhaigou Valley & Huanglong Valley for 3 days. You can feel free to contact our professional travel consultants to customize your own itineraries which would perfectly suit for your likes and requirements.
This tour will help you accomplish your panda dream, also take you to dig beneath the modern surface of Chengdu to reach the best part of the city’s history and culture, with the most highlighting sights covered in a leisure trip. It is the best trip for the first-timers.
Chengdu is UNESCO City of Gastronomy. This 2 days tour specially designed for you to enjoy the best food experience in Chengdu while without missing the best tourist attractions in the city. It is a rare chance to see, enjoy and cook authentic Sichuan cuisine.
A great tour of a visual feast to explore two magnificent World Heritage Sites around Chengdu - Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei in a leisure way, also visit the adorable Giant Pandas in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
This 3 days Chengdu tour is meticulously designed for families with the very young. All the itineraries are planned to offer you a quality time with your kids and you will learn and experience together.
Modern and ancient; bustling and pacific; crowded and isolated - Chengdu is one of its kind. In this tour, you will explore all of them, from the cute Giant Panda to the Jinli Old Street to Sichuan tea culture.
This is the best tour of Sichuan's BESTS, strongly recommended for the first-timers, best deal for normal travelers, families with kids, seniors and couples. Stunning scenery, treasured culture, turbulent history.
Experience a real Chengdu, including the Giant Panda,Wuhou Temple, Jinli Street, most importantly extend your tour to Sanxingdui Museum to explore the unlocked mystery.
Visit Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to see adult giant pandas, baby pandas and red pandas in the morning, experience local food culture and learn to cook some typical Sichuan cuisine dishes personally in Sichuan Cuisine Museum.
