Eating in Wuhan,Wuhan Travel,Wuhan Travel Guide, Wuhan Adventure Guide, China Travel Guide

Wuhan is a paradise for those who live to eat rather than eat to live. Wuhan snacks are famous throughout the country. With the rich fresh water resources, Hubei has a flourishing fishing industry and the local cuisine, known as "E Cuisine", is one of the noted Ten Cuisines in China. Its fresh water fish dishes are well known and dominate 80% of the menus at the restaurants in Wuhan.

Different from either sweet Cantonese food or hot spicy Sichuan cuisine, Hubei cuisine features lightly spiced flavoring and strong tastes, delicious soups and delicate fish dishes.

Wuhan Cuisine is also known for its unique methods of preparing delicacies from land and sea, freshwater fish and soup. Famous dishes include Steamed Wuchang Fish, Mianyang Three Steamed Dishes, Xiaotaoyuan Soup, Wangji Chicken Soup, Hongshan Vegetable Bolts, Dongpo Pork and others.

Famous Local Dishes

Mianyang Three Steamed Dishes

The three steamed dishes refer to steamed fish, pork, and meatballs or shrimp balls. People of Mianyang (now Xiantao City in Hubei Province) keep the traditional way of steamed dishes from the old days. Nowadays, chefs have tailored the ingredients, cooking methods, and techniques for the local people's taste.

Hongshan Vegetable Bolts

A kind of red vegetable grown in Hongshan District in Wuchang is a speciality of Wuhan. It is crisp and tender with a refreshing flavor. A famous dish called Hongshan Bolts fried with Smoked Pork (Cai4 Tai2 Chao3 La4 Rou4) can be found on every menu in any restaurant. The carefully chosen vegetables are those grown right around the area near Baotong Temple in Hongshan, which are considered to be the most crisp and tender. The bolts and smoked pork are cut into three-centimeter (1.86-mile) long pieces and stir-fried. The finished dish should be fresh and tender.

In most of the restaurants you can find the above specialties on the menu. The well-known chain restaurants in the city include Little Blue Whale (Xiao Lan Jing), Wuhan San Wu, Yan Yang Tian, Hubei San Wu, and Fu Sheng. They all have branches established throughout the city. We provide address details for travelers below.

Steamed Wuchang Fish

With a history of over 1,700 years, Steamed Wuchang Fish is a typical food in Wuhan. This freshwater fish, when steamed together with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and chicken soup, keeps both the original fresh taste of the fish and the nutrients. China's Chairman Mao Zedong in his poem "Swimming" writes: "I have just drunk the waters of Changsha. And come to eat the fish of Wuchang." Actually, the so-called "Wuchang Fish" is not the lake fish from the present Wuchang, but those fished from the waters in E Country, because in ancient times, the name Wuchang referred to all the area of the present E Country.

Xiaotaoyuan Soups

These are kinds of restorative soups cooked over a low heat which preserves both the fresh taste and the nutrients. The most famous include Chicken Soup, Spareribs Soup, and Duck Soup. The best place to taste it is the Xiaotaoyuan Restaurant at 64 Lanling Lu in Hankou.

Hubei Cuisine Restaurants

Fu Sheng Restaurant

Website: http://www.fusheng.net

Add: No. 1 Er Yao Lu, Hankou

First Branch: No. 105, Guanshan Yilu, Hongshan District

Kanglong Taizi Restaurant

Address: No. 226, Yanjiang Dadao, Hankou

First Branch: No. 735, Jianshe Dadao, Hankou

Second Branch: No. 1, Tiyuguan Lu (Stadium Road) near Hongshan Square, Wuchang

San Wu Restaurants

Website: http://www.555hotel.com

First Branch: 1st Floor, Jinmao Building at No. 8, Jianghan Beilu

Second Branch: No. 120, Dongxihu Dadao, Dongxihu District

Third Branch: No.1 Wanjiawan Erjie, Hanyang District

Fourth Branch: No. 101, Yingwu Dadao, Hanyang

Fifth Branch: No. 3, Shuiguohu Henglu, Wuchang District

San Wu Chun Restaurant

Website: http://www.samwoo.com.cn

First Branch: No. 5, Xinhua Lu

Second Branch: No. 69-71, Huangxiaohe Lu, Jiang'an District

Third Branch: No. 338, Zhongshan Lu, Wuchang District

(Wuchang refers to the town and Wuchang District refers to one of the administrative districts in Wuhan.)

Xiao Lan Jing (Little Blue Whale)

Website: http://www.xlj.com.cn

First Branch: No. 185, Qiaokou Lu, Hankou

Second Branch: No. 1, Taibei Lu, Hankou

Third Branch: No. 95, Xianggang Lu

Fourth Branch: No. 186, Lanjiang Lu, Hanyang

Fifth Branch: No. 151, Luoshi Lu, Hongshan District

Sixth Branch: No. 211, Zhongshan Lu, Wuchang

Seventh Branch: No. 1554, Heping Dadao, Qingshan District

Yanyang Tian Restaurant

Website: http://www.yanyangtian.net

First Branch: No. 588, Jiefang Dadao, Hankou

Second Branch: No. 2613, Jiefang Dadao, Hankou

Third Branch: Wuhuan Apartment, Wuzhigou, Dongxihu

Fourth Branch: No. 299, Luoyu Lu, Hongshan in Wuchang

Fifth Branch: No. 268, Pengliuyang Lu, Wuchang

Famous Local Snacks

Hubei boasts various kinds of snacks. Wuhan ranks first in the province in the variety of snacks, such as Laotongcheng Dried Sheet of Mung Bean, Four-season Delicious Tangbao (steamed bun filled with juicy minced meat), Xiaotaoyuan Chicken Broth, and Cailinji Hot Dried Noodles, all of which enjoy a high reputation both at home and abroad. Popular foods for breakfast include rice noodles, steamed bread, jellied bean curd, strong-smelling fermented bean curd, etc.

Hot Dried Noodles (Re Gan Mian)

As a unique food to Wuhan, the hot dried noodles are well prepared with high-quality flour and special seasonings. Golden yellow in color, Cailinji hot dried noodles are tasty, cheap, delicious, aromatic and not greasy.

It is reputed to be one of the five most famous types of noodle in China and the most favorite choice for breakfast by Wuhan people. The chef first cooks the fresh noodles mixed with sesame oil in boiling water. When the noodles have cooked and cooled, it becomes pliable. Then, each time before eating, the noodle will be cooked in the same process again. Finally, dressings including spring onion and sauce will be added. You can try a bowl of Re Gan Mian for one yuan.

Dozens of street vendors and small restaurants in the city sell Re Gan Mian. Among them Cai Lin Ji noodle restaurant located at No. 854, Zhongshan Dadao in Hankou is the best. It is said that they sell 15,000 bowls everyday.

Duck Neck (Yabo)

Duck neck, the kind boiled in a pungently spiced soya sauce broth, is young people's latest food craze, especially popular among those white-collars. Strolling down the streets in Wuhan, almost every ten steps, there will be a takeout window selling duck necks. But if you'd like to get the right taste and have a solid standard to compare future duck necks to, we recommend you skipping all those and go to the chain shop's named Jiujiu Duck Neck.

Four-season Delicious Tangbao (steamed bun filled with juicy minced meat)

Meticulously prepared, such steamed buns are tasty and richly fragrant. If one eats the bun with shredded ginger, vinegar and soy sauce, it will be more delicious and tasty.

Guo Zao - local featured breakfast

Wuhan has been an important trade center since the old days. Thousands of businessmen from all over the country thronged into this city every year, bringing both goods and traditions from their own regions to Wuhan. Therefore folk customs and food flavors in Wuhan are a blending of the northern and southern China styles. Traders who hurry to markets in the morning don't have enough time to prepare breakfast at home and they often buy snacks at street food stalls. It became a custom for local people to call it "Guo Zao" (which simply means to have breakfast). If you have a plan to stay in the city, instead of eating western breakfast at your hotel, following the locals' habit of Guo Zao will give you a chance to learn more about the everyday life of the Chinese. In front of a food stall, you may feel amazed at the skillful performance of vendors. They can tailor the flavor to each customer's taste preference. Of course, most westerners can't express their demands in Chinese. The easiest way is to follow the crowds' choice. Do as a Roman does when in Rome. A Chinese writer said the yo-heave-ho of those vendors is a language art. Hu Bu Xiang is one of the famous breakfast snacks streets.

Laotongcheng Dried Sheet of Mung Bean

Golden yellow in color, this snack has a thin skin and delicious stuffing, refreshing but not greasy.

Mian Wo (Fried Pie)

It is a kind of fried pie with a little salty taste, usually eaten with soybean milk or porridge for breakfast.

San Xian Dou Pi (Fried Bean Sheets)

Ingredients including bean curd sheets, meat, eggs and smashed shrimps are made into fillings. The chef uses skins made of bean and rice flour to wrap those ingredients and fry in oil. Eggs are often added to bring a crisp cover. Chairman Mao praised it each time he ate. The king of this snack is Tong Cheng Restaurant at Dazhi Crossing of Zhongshan Dadao in Hankou.

Si Ji Mei Dumplings (Season's Dumplings)

Named after the Si Ji Mei Restaurant near the crossing of Hanjiang Lu, these dumplings are the taste of Wuhan.

Xiaotaoyuan Chicken Broth

This chicken broth, prepared with high cooking skills, is clear, tasty and not greasy, much more delicious than the chicken broth cooked by ordinary folks.

Other snacks include Aunt Xu's Spicy Rice Noodle, Fried Lotus-Root Ball (Zha Ou Yuan) and Fried Stinky tofu (Smelly tofu). No words can describe the taste of those delicious foods. The only way is to try them yourself at the following places.

Recommended snack streets: the four main snack streets are Ji Qing night street, Hu Bu Xiang, Qiaokou Lu and Jingwu Lu.

The Ji Qing Jie night street is located in the central part of old city area in Hankou with the famous Lao Tong Cheng Restaurant at its crossing. Wuhan people simply say that if you come to Ji Qing Jie, you will know what Wuhan is, and anyone who didn't go there is the same as the one who has never been to Wuhan.

In the evening, hundreds of dai pai dong (street-side stands) come out on the street and provide popular snacks and flavored food at cheap prices. Peppery fried snails, fresh steamed lobsters and crabs, spicy shrimp balls, tasty beef soups and Chinese dumplings, all these will feed you well. And you mustn't miss Jiu Jiu's duck necks. Chi Li, a popular, modern woman writer wrote a novel entitled Life Show which tells a love story of a charming lady who sells duck necks in this street. Now the novel has become a best-seller, thousands of people come to find the original heroine and of course they will not miss the delicious duck necks.

Wuhan people like to order several of the best-known dishes and some bottles of beers and spend their evening time with friends here. For travelers, another exciting thing is the lively folk music performed by folk musicians at your table. The musicians often carry their instruments and a piece of board on which the tune names are written. You can simply choose one of them (for all are popular classical Chinese music) at 10 or 15 RMB and then enjoy the delicious food when listening to a graceful flute tune.

It is a lively place where locals spend their leisure time, and it has become an indispensable part of the everyday life for Wuhan people.The night street becomes lively around nine to ten pm and will last late into the night.

Located in Zhonghua Lu Street in the town of Wuchang, the 150-meter (490-feet) long Hu Bu Xiang was an ancient street with a 400-year history. Today, the age-old street has become one of the famous breakfast streets in Wuhan. Over 30 kinds of breakfast snacks can be found here. Get up early in the morning and come here to follow local people's habit of Guo Zao.

Tip: Take Bus No. 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 43, 515, 521, 529, 530, 576, 578, 539, 717, 514, 542, 554, 573, 607, 804 and get off at Zhonghua Lu stop.

The other two snack streets are Qiaokou, located on Qiaokou Lu in Wuhan's Qiao Kou District, and Jingwu Road near a long-distance bus station, which is famous for dozens of shops selling the renowned Jingwu Duck Necks.

Recommended Restaurants

For your reference, the following are the restaurants rated most popular by the locals:

Best World Restaurant

Style: Major dishes are Cantonese style, such as seafood, and so on. For three people may cost ca. Yn600.

Opening: 11:00-21:00

Reservation Tel: 85733333

Address: 705 Jianshe Ave

Mr. Xie Restaurant

Style: A place to taste some Taiwanese food and some countryside dishes of Hubei.

Ca. Yn180 for three people.

Opening: 11:00-21:00

Reservation tel: 85813580

Address: 910 Jiefang Ave. Hankou

Reservation tel: 88918818

Address: 249 Pengliuyang Road

Wuhan Kanglong Taizi Restaurant

Style: typical Hubei dishes but now mixed with some Sichuanese food

For three may cost ca. Yn240.

Opening: 10:30-22:30

Address: 1 Tiyuguan Road, Wuhan

Reservation Tel: 82717778

For western food lovers, the following western restaurants are good choices:

Brazil Barbecue Restaurant

This is the only place in Wuhan to taste an authentic Brazilian barbecue. More than twenty kinds of barbecue cooked by Brazilian chefs and 40 types of Brazilian food and sweets are available. The smiling waiter holding the meat to be barbecued in front of you will politely tailor the meat to your specific demand.

First Branch: No. 109, Xianggang Lu, JiangŻan District, Hankou

Second Branch: No. 155, Yanjiang Dadao, Hankou

Over twenty kinds of pizza and many variations of western style salads, soups, sweets, drinks and beer are all available in buffet style

Address: Fuyuan Supermarket at No. 257, Jianghan Lu

Hua Yang Nian Hua

Another famous restaurant in simple and unsophisticated decoration brings back the nature of nature to visitors. Both western and Chinese style food are provided.

Address: 3rd floor, Xin Minzhong Leyuan at No. 608, Zhongshan Dadao

Getting there: Take Bus No.801, 1, 707, 727, 516 and 2

Italian Restaurant

A romantic Italian style restaurant provides two Saint Valentine's Day Specials with Italian wine, pop music and a graceful atmosphere. It's an ideal place for young lovers to tell the story of love.

Add: No. 61-69, Xianggang Lu, Hankou

Mark Jim Restaurant

Food Style: Western & Chinese

The restaurant provides both the western style beefsteak and chicken steak; seafood like shrimp, salmon, scallop and crab and Chinese cuisines in the styles of Sichuan, Hunan, Cantonese and Hubei.

Location: No. 54, Xianggang Lu

Opening hours: 11:30 - 14:00 Buffet Dinner, 14:00 - 17:00 Afternoon Tea, 17:30 - 21:00 Buffet Dinner, 21:30 - 24:00 Night Tea

Roman Holiday Restaurant

Food Style: Western & Chinese

Location: No. 11, Sanyang Lu, Jianghan District

Wan Ke Lai Beefsteak Chains

Wan Ke Lai (means Ten thousands Visitor's Choice) is the most famous chained beefsteak restaurant in Wuhan. There are four branches in the three towns in Wuhan.

Add: No. 37 at the Jianghan Walking Street

Getting there: Take Bus No. 24, 503, 1, 707 and 727 and get off at Jianghan Lu stop

Opening hours: 9:00 - 23:00

Add: No. 145 at Jianghan Walking Street

Getting there: Take Bus No. 24, 503, 1, 707 and 727 and get off at Jianghan Lu stop

Opening hours: 9:00 - 23:00

Yellow Crane Tower Branch

Add: No. 324 at Jiefang Lu, Wuchang

Getting there: Take Bus No. 1, 64 and 10 and get off at Yellow Crane Tower stop

Opening hours: 9:00 - 23:00

Add: No. 687 at Longyang Dadao, Hanyang (near the Carrefour Supermarket)

Getting there: Take Bus No. 208, 716, 705, 720, 585, 103 and 537 and get off at Wangjiawan stop

Opening hours: 9:00 - 23:00