Eating in Chengdu,Chengdu Travel,Chengdu Travel Guide, Chengdu Adventure Guide, China Travel Guide

Sichuan Cuisine
Sichuan cuisine has developed over the centuries. Its distinctive flavors entice people throughout China and recently in foreign countries.

Hotpot
When people think of Chengdu, they immediately think of hotpot. Introduced from Chongqing, Chengdu hotpot has its own style ranging from simple spicy to moderate, three or four kinds of spices, as well as fish head hotpot, medical herbs hotpot, etc.

Gong Bao Ji Ding (Spicy diced chicken with peanuts): a specialty of Sichuan cuisine, diced chicken, hot pepper and peanuts.

Yu Xiang Rou Si (Fish Flavored Shredded Pork): fish-flavored dish in the unique style of Sichuan cuisine. Ingredients include shredded pork, agarics, bamboo shoot and carrot. The delicious dish has no fish but has the flavor of fish.

Bang Bang Chicken (Bang bang ji) is a traditional local dish that actually originated in Leshan, and was introduced to Chengdu in 1920. To prepare this dish a flaming stick is used to reheat a cooked chicken so that the meat becomes light and flaky. The chicken is served with sesame and soy sauce. This is one of the tastiest cold dishes in Chengdu and less spicy than many others which are popular here.

Spiced chicken with peanuts is one of the special local dishes of Chengdu. This dish , while very spicy, is popular with westerners as the taste is similar to sweet and sour. The name for this dish (Gongbao ji ding) stems from a Sichuan legend about a rich man who always asked his chef to cook this dish for visitors. This man went on to become a top official in Sichuan (A Gongbao) hence, the dish associated with him was named this way! Another way to sample this dish is with pork meat instead of chicken.

Guoba Roupian is a special dish unique to Chengdu. This tasty dish arrives at your table in two separate parts; a golden crust of cooked rice in one bowl and hot sauce in another. The hot sauce is immediately poured on the rice which crackles at the sensation! 　

"Mapo" bean curd is perhaps one of the most typical of Chinese bean curd dishes and is hugely popular throughout the country. Chen Ma Po's Bean Curd Restaurant at No. 197, West Yulong Street serves the most delicious and local one.

The very best place to sample this spicy dish is in Grandma Chen's Bean Curd restaurant. This restaurant was established in 1842 and the owner’s wife, Grandma Chen, who created this dish, had a very marked face. The Chinese word for this is "Ma", and "Po" is the name given to an old woman. Since then, this dish has gained notoriety throughout the nation but maintained its original name. Soft bean curd is served with a very fiery meat sauce and this is a very spicy and hot dish, normally served coated with a thick layer of oil, minced beef and dry chilies.

Fu Qi Fei Pian (Braised Cow Lungs): Actually beef, heart and tongue take the place of lungs. This tasty dish is made with particular condiments using a delicate process. Specializing in this dish, Jingcheng Yuan Restaurant is located at No. 23, Zongfu Road, center of Chengdu.

Chuan Chuan Xiang: also called Ma La Tang, vegetables, sausages, shrimps and anything edible can be threaded onto a bamboo stick and cooked in the hot pot.

Lai Tang Yuan (Lai's Glutinous Rice Ball): the nutritious glutinous rice ball made by Lai (Surname of the maker) is soft and sweet.
With more branches than McDonald's, Lai Tang Yuan is easy to find in Chengdu.

Long Chao Shou (Long Wonton): with thin skin and tender stuffing, the savory snack is popular among locals and tourists. There are several branches in Chengdu:
Chunxi Road Branch: No. 8, South Section of Chunxi Road, Jinjiang District
Huanhua Branch: No. 9-3, Huahua North Road, Qingyang District
Zhixin Branch: No. 1-14, Zhixin North Street, Wuhou District

Jisi Liang Mien is a traditional cold dish from Sichuan, which has become popular all over China recently, especially in the north. Noodles are first cooked and then left to cool. They are then served with either bean sprouts and sauce, or eaten with shreds of chicken meat, pork and ham.

Fuqi feipian is a cold dish unique to Sichuan that was created by an affectionate couple fifty years ago. Literally translated, the name of the dish means "Couples Lungs" but in fact, the dish is not made from lungs but other inner parts. The meat is stewed in soy sauce and then served with chili oil, pepper, sesame and peanut.

Huangcheng Laoma Restaurant: an old-fashioned hot pot restaurant, regarded as No. 1 among Chengdu hotpot restaurants. It is situated at No. 20, Qintai Road, Qingyang District, Chengu. A worthy representative of Sichuan culture and diet, Huangcheng Laoma offers hotpot, plus stunning entertainment -–a Changing Face opera performance/shadow play.

Shizilou Restaurant: another old-fashioned hotpot restaurant, offers hotpots with half spicy and half light soup. It has several branches in Chengdu, one located at No. 2, Wannianchang Road, Chenghua District.

Tanyutou Restaurant: near Qingyang Palace at No. 227, Qingyang Zhengjie, Qingyang District, branches all over the country. Its delicious specialty, fish head, differs from that of other restaurants.

Opened in 1958, the Chengdu Restaurant is situated in a traditional Chinese building in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. Famous dishes here include sweet and sour dumplings, crispy-fried fish and marinated squid. There are also some pleasant outdoor tables here, where it can be nice to dine in the spring and summer months.

Daijiangcaotang Restaurant opened in the late 1930s and enjoys great prestige in Sichuan for its featured fish courses, the most famous of which is silver carp with garlic. In 1959, the great contemporary literary giant of China, Guo Moluo, after trying this course, wrote a verse describing his pleasure and satisfaction ! Moreover, this was also the favorite dining venue for the former Chinese vice premier and commander-in-chief, Chen Yi.

Chenpo Tofu Restaurant has a long history, dating back to 1862! The name of the restaurant was used because the wife of the owner has a pockmarked face. Ma in Chinese means pock and Po means a lady. The tofu (bean curd) here tastes spicy and hot and this is now a nationally famous dish!

This restaurant is one of the oldest restaurants in Chengdu and the head chefs here are renowned throughout the province and, despite its fame, the cooks here are continually working hard to improve on old recipes and techniques. In this way, this place, more than anywhere else in Chengdu, has managed to maintain a competitive edge over its rivals. Famous dishes here include crispy-skinned fish with sweet and sour sauce and meats cooked with milk.

Furong Restaurant opened in 1958 and is named after the alias of Chengdu, "the lotus city". Currently the restaurant boasts a collection of some of Chengdu's most competent and experienced chefs. Famous dishes here include furong fish fin, Furong meat slices and stir fried local fresh bamboo shoot.

Nuli Restaurant has an interesting revolutionary history. The former owner, a member of the Chinese communist party, originally opened the restaurant as a cover for his real job! Today however, this place is hugely popular with gourmets (locals and travelers) who come here to sample the famous stir-fried diced chicken with chili sauce and peanuts (gongbao jiding), fish soup and shrimp and pork balls (qingtang sanxian). This charming restaurant was recently renovated and this is a great place to sample some good Sichuan cuisine amidst a pleasant environment.

The house specialties in the Qunli Restaurant include shark fin, stewed sea cucumber and braised abalone. This restaurant catered for Chairman Mao and other leaders of the communist party during the Chengdu Conference in March 1958 and received great praise from them.

Opened in 1931, Rongleyuan Restaurant specialize in preparing banquets. Famous dishes here include: braised bear paw with soy sauce, stewed deer tendons with shallots, stewed shark fin, sweet and hot sea cucumber and duck stuffed with aweto (a kind of Chinese herb). Many of the dishes are foreign to western taste buds but this is certainly a good place to sample them, especially if you are feeling adventurous!

Shaocheng Restaurant is so named because it is located in the Shao Cheng area of the city. The restaurant specialize in stir-fried sliced pork, chicken soup, hulu duck and crispy fish.

Tongrentang Herbal Food Restaurant was opened to meet people's requirement for having tasty food while not ignoring the importance of nourishment and medical benefits of traditional Chinese herbs. Famous dishes here include pear with Sichuan herbs and chicken with herbs.

Weizhiyu Restaurant was originally owned by Liu Junlin, a prominent chef from Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province who specialized in stews. The house specialty here is the plain-looking yet tasty, stewed pork chunks. Nowadays the restaurant serves famous Sichuan dishes too and this is a popular restaurant with local families.