16 editor picks across China.
16 late-night worth the trip across China, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All China guides.
Hua's Restaurant, in restored courtyards on Dongzhimen Inner Street in Beijing, serves updated Beijing dishes and crayfish, with dinner running until 02:00.
OrderThe updated Beijing dishes and, in summer, the crayfish served at the Guijie festival.
TipDinner runs 17:00 to 02:00 after a lunch session from 11:00 to 14:00; the Guijie crayfish festival brings the summer crayfish menu.
Guijie, or Ghost Street, runs along Dongzhimen Inner Street in Beijing with over 150 storefronts, mostly restaurants open late, and is known for crayfish.
OrderSpicy crayfish, grilled skewers and hotpot at whichever Guijie house has a table.
TipThe street is busiest from 18:00 to 04:00; in summer 2026 the Guijie Night Carnival and crayfish festival serve crayfish in ten flavours.
Hu Da Restaurant, the Guijie flagship at 233 Dongzhimen Inner Street in Beijing, serves spicy crayfish around the clock and is a landmark of Ghost Street.
OrderCrayfish in garlic or Sichuan-spice flavours, Chongqing-style la zi ji chicken and mala scallops.
TipIt never closes, so a late table is easier than at dinner; the city's crayfish festival serves ten flavours on Ghost Street in summer.
Loushang Hotpot on Nanhui Road in Shanghai simmers a Cantonese yellow broth from fish maw, chicken and abalone, serving live seafood until 04:00.
OrderGolden chicken soup hotpot with live seafood and the claypot rice.
TipLive tanks hold geoduck, conch and king crab, so ask staff to help pick what looks freshest that night.
Beiping San Xiongdi on Dongzhimen Inner Street in Beijing serves old-style instant-boiled lamb in copper pots on Ghost Street, open until 03:00.
OrderHand-cut fresh lamb and the prime top cut, with house sesame sauce, sugared garlic and red willow skewers.
TipThe 03:00 close means a quiet table after the evening rush; Ctrip lists a waiting area and folk performances at the tables.
Erpangjia on Qingnian Road in Beijing stews a whole Qiqihar goose in a big iron pot for sharing, and its kitchen stays open every day until 01:00.
OrderThe whole iron-pot stewed goose, eaten dry first and then with broth and vegetables.
TipEat the goose dry first, then add broth and cook vegetables in it; one goose weighs about seven and a half jin, enough for five or six people.
Jie Bian'er Beef Skewers near Shuangjing in Beijing grills beef skewers over charcoal, with condensed-milk bread and grilled cold noodles, until 02:00.
OrderCharcoal beef skewers, condensed-milk grilled bread and grilled cold noodles.
TipCtrip lists a waiting area and paid parking; the kitchen serves until 02:00 on the East Third Ring side of the apartment block.
Dade Shuanrou near Sanyuanqiao in Beijing boils hand-sliced lamb in a copper hotpot in the old Beijing style, and serves from 10:00 until 02:00 the next day.
OrderHand-sliced fresh lamb in the copper pot, with a fried shaobing (sesame flatbread) on the side.
TipCtrip lists a waiting area, free parking and large tables, which helps for a group meal; the kitchen runs to 02:00, so a late table is realistic.
Sake Ichi Oden on Shaanxi South Road in Shanghai serves chicken soup oden and tsukemen from a warm-wood room that feels like a Tokyo backstreet at night.
OrderChicken soup oden with rice cake fudai and a flavored highball.
TipHighballs start at about ¥30, so it is a cheap late-night stop even without ordering much food.
Yongsheng Beef Noodles in Hongmiao Beili, Beijing, is open round the clock, with braised beef offal noodles, pea and mince noodles and fried crispy pork.
OrderBraised beef offal noodles, pea and mince noodles and fried crispy pork, at any hour.
TipThe shop never closes, so a late bowl is easy; Ctrip lists free parking and baby chairs, and the fried crispy pork is cooked to order.
Changji Haoweixian, a seafood barbecue dapaidang on Jiuxianqiao South Road in Beijing, grills garlic oysters and scallops from 17:00 until 03:00.
OrderGarlic grilled oysters and grilled scallops, then whatever seasonal seafood is on at other price points.
TipIt opens at 17:00 and closes at 03:00, so it suits a late supper; the city portal guide describes the seafood as traditional, down to earth and cheap.
Er Guang Wonton on Huangjiaque Road in Shanghai serves pork wontons in clear broth or dry with sesame sauce, plus a crisp pork chop, from 07:00 until 02:00.
OrderPork and vegetable wontons in broth and the deep-fried pork chop.
TipThe dry wontons dressed in sesame paste or chili oil are worth ordering alongside the soup version.
Kebaba on Jinxian Road in Shanghai builds chicken doner kebabs to order from a tiny street-side stall, staying open past midnight on weekends.
OrderThe Classic chicken doner and the Champion's fries.
TipThe Berliner kebab adds grilled vegetables and feta if you want more than the classic version.
Ding Te Le down an alley off Middle Huaihai Road in Shanghai serves thick yellow croaker noodle soup, congee and five-spice pork chops around the clock.
OrderYellow croaker noodles and the scallion oil noodles.
TipOrder the fried pork chop on the side; it is a house favorite alongside the noodle bowls.
Liu Ri Du, a grilled beef offal specialist at 209 Jixiangli off Chaoyangmenwai Street in Beijing, serves skewers every day from 11:00 until midnight.
OrderGrilled beef offal skewers, the specialty in the shop's name.
TipIt is a ground-floor shop at 209 Jixiangli and it closes at midnight; the Beijinger lists it among barbecue and skewer places in its 2025 rundown.
Yangcheng Meishi near Gongti in Beijing serves Cantonese chicken pot at lunch and dinner, and the evening service runs until 02:00 every night.
OrderThe Cantonese chicken pot, the dish in the restaurant's name, shared at a late table.
TipLunch ends at 14:30 and dinner starts at 17:00 and runs to 02:00, so it suits a late meal; the Beijinger files it under Cantonese in its 2025 rundown.
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