Read any Chinese menu, order with confidence.

Thinly sliced beef and beef offal tossed in chili oil and numbing Sichuan peppercorn — boldly seasoned, not for the faint of heart.

Tip:Beef offal in chili oil — for adventurous eaters only.

Cantonese poached chicken served cool with a ginger-scallion dipping sauce. Tender, clean-tasting, and naturally gluten-free.

Tip:Clean and mild — pair with the ginger-scallion dip.

Crispy chicken, crunchy peanuts, and dried chilies tossed in a sweet, sour, and savory glaze — Sichuan's most famous stir-fry.

Tip:Order it with rice — the glossy sauce is made for it.

Silken tofu in a fiery, numbing chili-bean sauce with minced pork. The signature 'mala' dish that defines Sichuan cooking.

Tip:Vegetarians: ask for it without minced pork — say 'bú yào ròu'.

Roast duck with lacquered, crackling skin, carved tableside and wrapped in thin pancakes with scallion and sweet bean sauce.

Tip:A half duck feeds two — pancakes, sauce and scallions come with it.

Cantonese barbecued pork with a sticky, sweet honey-soy glaze, served sliced over rice or noodles.

Tip:Try it over rice for a fast, filling, budget-friendly meal.

Crispy pork chunks tossed in a bright, tangy sweet-and-sour sauce with pineapple and bell pepper.

Tip:Kid-approved and familiar — the safest sweet dish on any menu.

Seasonal leafy greens flash-fried with garlic. Simple, clean, and naturally vegetarian.

Tip:The reliable vegetable order at any restaurant — order one with every meal.

A whole fresh fish steamed with ginger and scallion, finished with hot oil and soy sauce.

Tip:Order it whole — the ginger-scallion version is the mildest.

Shredded pork, wood ear, and scallions in a glossy garlic-chili sauce. Despite the name 'fish-fragrant', there is no fish in it.

Tip:Despite the name, no fish is in it — safe to order.

Pork belly boiled, sliced, then stir-fried again with leeks and chili bean paste — rich, smoky, and deeply savory.

Tip:Rich and smoky — pair it with a vegetable dish.

Pork belly simmered in soy sauce, rock sugar, and star anise until meltingly tender and lacquered. The dish that made 'red-braised' famous.

Tip:Sweet-savory and rich — one portion is plenty for two.

Hangzhou's version of braised pork belly, slow-cooked in Shaoxing wine and soy sauce until it collapses under chopsticks.

Tip:Melt-in-the-mouth pork — order greens to balance the richness.

Crispy pork slices lacquered in a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce. Northeast China's tangy, crunchy crowd-pleaser.

Tip:Crispy sweet-and-sour pork — the Northeast's crowd-pleaser.

Potato, eggplant, and green pepper stir-fried in a savory garlic sauce. A vegetarian favorite from Northeast China.

Tip:The vegetarian's reliable three-vegetable stir-fry.

A bubbling pot of spicy chili-oil broth where you cook raw meat, vegetables, and noodles at the table.

Tip:First time? Order a yuānyāng pot — half spicy, half mild.

Tender fish fillets poached in a fiery pool of chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn, topped with bean sprouts.

Tip:The fish is tender but the oil is fiery — pace yourself with rice.

Poached fish fillets in a tangy, golden broth of pickled mustard greens and chili. The sour kick cuts through the richness.

Tip:The sour broth is gentle — beginners can handle this one.

A fiery Sichuan hot pot of duck blood curd, tripe, and bean sprouts in chili oil. Adventurous and intensely spicy.

Tip:Not for beginners — duck blood and tripe in chili oil.

Wide, silky rice noodles stir-fried over high heat with beef and bean sprouts in soy sauce — all about the smoky 'wok hei' aroma.

Tip:Eat it straight away — the smoky wok aroma fades fast.

Springy wheat noodles under a blanket of chili oil, sesame paste, minced pork, and scallions. Stir before the first bite.

Tip:Stir well before eating — the chili oil settles at the bottom.

Slow-cooked rice porridge with a silky, comforting texture. Order it plain or with century egg and pork.

Tip:Easy on the stomach — locals order it for breakfast or after a heavy night.

Hand-pulled wheat noodles in a rich beef broth with tender braised beef. Lanzhou's famous version.

Tip:Add chili oil to taste — locals do, a little at a time.

Steamed rice wok-fried with egg, scallion, and a touch of soy sauce — a simple staple.

Tip:The universal backup dish — it never disappoints.

Thick wheat noodles topped with salty fermented soybean paste, minced pork, and shredded cucumber.

Tip:Mix everything before eating — the paste sits at the bottom.

Glass noodles coated in a spicy soy sauce with minced pork 'ants' clinging to the strands. A playful Sichuan classic.

Tip:Fun name, mild heat — the glass noodles are the star.

Yunnan's famous rice noodle soup — hot chicken broth with raw slices of meat and vegetables added at the table to cook.

Tip:You cook the raw slices in the broth yourself — fun to watch.

Rice noodles in broth with beef, pickled beans, and peanuts. Guilin's signature street breakfast, usually under a dollar.

Tip:A cheap, filling breakfast — try the dry-mixed style too.

The 'gold standard' fried rice with shrimp, ham, egg, and peas, each grain separate and golden. Hails from Yangzhou.

Tip:Great for sharing — the 'gold standard' fried rice.

Delicate pork-and-shrimp dumplings floating in a light, clear chicken broth — a comforting, gentle choice.

Tip:Light and gentle — a good first meal after a long flight.

A peppery, vinegary soup with tofu, mushroom, and egg ribbons — hot from white pepper, sour from vinegar.

Tip:Start with a small spoonful — the heat builds.

Steamed soup dumplings with thin skins holding hot, savory pork broth. Bite a small hole, sip the soup, then eat the rest.

Tip:Bite a hole, sip the hot broth, then dip in black vinegar with ginger.

Flaky, pan-fried flatbread layered with chopped scallions. Crisp outside, chewy inside.

Tip:Best hot off the griddle — the ultimate street snack.

Braised pork stuffed into a crispy flatbread, often called China's answer to the hamburger.

Tip:Eat it standing at the stall, just like a local.

The king of dim sum — whole shrimp wrapped in a translucent rice-flour skin. A good har gow is glossy, plump, and barely holding together.

Tip:The dim sum benchmark — order a basket to share.

Open-topped pork-and-shrimp dumplings with yellow wheat wrappers, steamed until juicy. A dim sum cart staple.

Tip:A dim sum cart staple — juicy pork and shrimp.

Fluffy steamed buns filled with sweet, sticky barbecue pork. The white bun splits open to reveal a glossy red center.

Tip:Sweet barbecue pork buns — kids love these.

Shanghai's pan-fried pork buns with a golden, crispy bottom and a burst of hot broth inside. Bite carefully.

Tip:Bite carefully — there is hot broth inside.

Xinjiang-style lamb kebabs dusted with cumin and chili, charred over open flames. Halal-friendly street food found across China.

Tip:Halal-friendly — order by the stick, usually ¥5-12 each.

Glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed, with sweet or savory fillings — the Dragon Boat Festival classic.

Tip:Seasonal — usually only around Dragon Boat Festival (June).

A buttery pastry shell holding silky egg custard with a caramelized top. Hong Kong's answer to the Portuguese pastel de nata.

Tip:Order fresh from the oven — the custard should be warm.

Soft rice balls in a sweet, lightly fermented rice soup, scented with osmanthus. A gentle, comforting dessert.

Tip:A gentle sweet dessert soup — mild and comforting.

A sweet rice porridge studded with beans, dates, and lotus seeds. Eaten as dessert, breakfast, or a festive treat.

Tip:Sweet porridge with beans and dates — breakfast or dessert.

Chilled mango purée with sago pearls and coconut milk. Hong Kong's signature sweet-shop dessert.

Tip:A chilled mango dessert — Hong Kong's sweet-shop icon.

Sweet milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls, served hot or iced. Taiwan's most famous drink, now on every Chinese street corner.

Tip:Say 'shǎo táng' for less sugar.

Freshly ground soybean milk, served sweet or savory. A breakfast staple often paired with fried dough sticks.

Tip:Try it savory (xián) with fried dough sticks.

A sweet-tart chilled drink made from smoked plums. Beijing's classic summer refresher.

Tip:The classic summer cooler — sweet-tart and ice-cold.

A cooling herbal infusion popular in Guangdong. Often drunk to balance the heat of fried and spicy food.

Tip:Slightly bitter — a good digestif after a heavy meal.