Choose your first bite
- Choose a bowl, a shared dish or a small bite to suit this meal.
- Open the food examples for the Chinese name and a closer look.
- Show the name when ordering, and ask about any ingredients you avoid.
Compare two local dishes
Dongpo pork is a rich, slow-cooked pork preparation. The cut and cooking style matter more than the short translated name. Open the dish to understand its texture and ingredients before adding it to a shared order. Longjing shrimp offers a different texture: peeled shrimp briefly cooked with local green tea. Try a piece on its own to notice the tea aroma. Some preparations use cooking wine, and coatings or cooking fats can differ, so ask about the version being served.
Make tea a separate choice
West Lake Longjing is a green tea, served here as a prepared drink rather than a packaged retail product. A cup of tea is a different choice from a sweet soft drink. Check whether the menu describes the tea itself, a blend or another drink using its name; ingredients follow the actual preparation.
A crisp breakfast or street snack
Cong bao hui wraps a fried dough stick and scallion in a thin wheat wrapper, then presses it flat on a griddle. Choose sweet wheat sauce, chili sauce or no sauce. Some versions use egg to seal the wrapper, so ask before treating it as a vegan choice.
Zui ji (wine-soaked chicken) · 醉鸡
Cooked chicken served cool after soaking in huangjiu. This Zhejiang version uses scallion and ginger for poaching, then salt and yellow wine for the chicken, without a wine-lees sauce.
Contains chicken and alcohol. The wine is added after cooking, so do not assume the alcohol has cooked away. Choose another dish if avoiding alcohol; pieces may contain bones.
Hangzhou xiaolongbao · 杭州小笼包
Some shops signed “Hangzhou xiaolongbao” serve Shengzhou-style buns; the sign alone does not establish a single recipe.
Dingsheng rice cake · 定胜糕
A pink Hangzhou steamed rice cake with sweet red-bean paste inside. Its waisted shape resembles a small ingot.
The filling may be hot. Check the bean paste ingredients if avoiding animal fats.
Wushan flaky pastry · 吴山酥油饼
A sweet Hangzhou fried wheat pastry with many thin layers. The pictured tower-shaped version is finished with sugar, sweet osmanthus and rose petals.
Contains wheat and peanut oil. Ask about the fat and toppings if you have dietary restrictions.
Before you order
- Check fillings, broth and sauces as well as the main ingredient.
- Ask about the serving size before ordering several dishes.
Phrases to show at the table
这里面有什么食材？
What is in this?
可以少放一点辣椒吗？
Can you make this less spicy?
这个含饮料吗？
Is a drink included?
这个是甜的还是咸的？
Is this sweet or savoury?
Turn curiosity into a shortlist.
Pick one food you are curious about and keep its Chinese name with your notes. Use the questions above when you compare it with a restaurant menu.
Explore the food
