23 editor picks across China.
23 street food worth the trip across China, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All China guides.
Huguosi Snacks' founding shop at 93 Huguosi Street in Beijing, open since 1956, sells over 100 halal snacks, from douzhi and jiaoquan to lüdagun and pea cake.
OrderDouzhi (fermented mung bean drink) with jiaoquan, lüdagun and pea flour cake
TipThe shop opens at 05:30, so go early for breakfast; douzhi is an acquired taste, and the 2025 city-walk guide says to pair it with jiaoquan.
Yin San Douzhi on Dongxiaoshi Street in Beijing opens at 05:30 and closes at midday, serving douzhi with braised meatballs and miancha in a ten-table shop.
OrderDouzhi with jiaoquan and braised meatballs
TipIt opens only for half a day, so come early; customers queue to the door, carry their food to a seat and often share tables with strangers.
Hong Yu Fang Guotie, a Shanghai name since 2009 now in a mall basement on Xizang South Road, pleats its guotie to order and fries them in a cast iron pan.
OrderPan-fried pork guotie
TipThey stop handing out queue tickets at 13:30, so arrive well before then to eat.
Yaoji Chaogan on Gulou East Street in Beijing, opened in 1989, serves chaogan, a thick pork liver and intestine stew, with steamed buns and zhajiangmian.
OrderChaogan, a thick pork liver and intestine stew, with pork and scallion buns
TipThe shop opens at 06:00 for breakfast; the stew is seasoned with garlic, vinegar and soy, and Ctrip lists luzhu and baodu beside it.
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 late-night Beijing snacks
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.
Fahai Temple Fried Cake King at 204 Moshikou Street in Shijingshan, Beijing, fries crisp rice cakes with a hot red bean paste filling from 06:30 to 15:00.
OrderFahai Temple-style fried rice cakes with red bean paste
TipThe shop closes at 15:00, so go in the morning; the cakes use red beans simmered slowly into a fine paste and are fried to a golden crust.
Chen Ji Luzhu Xiaochang on Langfang Ertiao in Beijing, near Qianmen, sells luzhu, flatbread stewed with pork intestines and lung, until 20:00.
OrderLuzhu huoshao, flatbread stewed with pork intestines, lungs and tofu
TipCtrip lists a bowl with one base and two flatbreads, plus cold-dish sets; the shop closes at 20:00, so go for lunch or an early dinner.
A Da Scallion Pancakes near the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, famous since a BBC feature, reopened here in April 2025 with handmade cong you bing.
OrderHandmade scallion pancake
TipExpect a wait of 30 minutes to two hours; A Da and his son still cook every pancake to order.
Nailao Wei's main store on Guang'anmen Inner Street in Beijing, founded in 1888, sells nailao, a smooth fermented milk curd with a faint rice wine aroma.
OrderNailao, Beijing fermented milk curd with a faint rice wine aroma
TipAsk for the palace-style nailao; Ctrip also lists almond jelly, fried milk and double-skin milk, and the unit is Room 107 at No. 202.
Shi Cheng Ji on Dongsi Liutiao in Beijing is a hutong shaobing shop selling baked sesame flatbread layered with house-ground sesame paste, 06:30 to 19:00.
OrderShaobing, baked sesame flatbread layered with sesame paste
TipIt closes at 19:00 and opens at 06:30, so it works as a breakfast stop; the Beijinger lists it among old Beijing snacks in its 2025 rundown.
Gongmenkou Mantou Pu, the founder store at 1 Xiangchang Road in Beijing, sells sticky bean buns, red-bean rolls and steamed buns from 07:00 to 19:00.
OrderSticky bean buns, red-bean rolls and sesame-paste sugar rolls
TipCtrip lists sticky bean buns, red-bean rolls and sesame-paste sugar rolls as favourites, and the shop closes at 19:00.
Kingichi Ramen near People's Square in Shanghai serves just five kinds of ramen, led by a rich tonkotsu, from one bar counter, plus Iberico pork cutlets.
OrderTonkotsu ramen and Iberico pork tonkatsu, served from a single counter
TipOrder the Iberico pork tonkatsu alongside the original tonkotsu; it is the shop's other standout dish.
Xiaohan Shandong Jianbing at 203 Moshikou Street in Shijingshan, Beijing, hand-spreads thin crisp multigrain pancakes at a stall open from 06:00 to 19:00.
OrderA Shandong jianbing, hand-spread with a thin crisp wafer, vegetables and the house sauce.
TipIt sits beside Fahai Temple Fried Cake King, which the district guide also calls a queue shop, so the two make an easy breakfast stop before 19:00.
Auntie Huang Guotie on Wanhangdu Road in Shanghai has pan-fried potstickers since 1997, making its own dough wrappers for a crispy, porky bite.
OrderPork guotie with house-made wrappers
TipRaw, uncooked guotie are sold to go if you would rather fry a batch at home.
Yang's Fry-Dumpling on Huanghe Road in Shanghai fries shengjian in thin unleavened dough with plenty of broth, a style the chain has popularised since 1994.
OrderShengjian pan-fried pork buns
TipJia Jia Tang Bao is also on Huanghe Road for xiaolongbao, so pace yourself between the two queues.
Yatai Ramen is a permanent wooden ramen cart tucked into a quiet lane in Shanghai's Xuhui district, styled after a Fukuoka curbside food stall.
OrderEr-Lang Ramen, a tonkotsu broth with thick egg noodles, bean sprouts and thick-cut chashu
TipGrab a terrace table if the counter seats are full; the cart itself only fits a handful of diners.
Hu's Xinyang-Style Lard Buns on Moshikou Street in Shijingshan, Beijing, sells lard buns filled with beef and scallion or pork belly with dried greens.
OrderXinyang-style lard buns with beef and scallion or pork belly and preserved greens
TipThe district guide calls the buns a breakfast or a snack; Moshikou Street also has Fahai Temple Fried Cake King, so the two make one snack walk.
Changji Haoweixian on Jiuxianqiao South Road in Beijing is a seafood barbecue dapaidang open 17:00 to 03:00, known for garlic grilled oysters and scallops.
OrderGarlic grilled oysters and grilled scallops
TipIt opens at 17:00 and stays open until 03:00, so it suits a late supper; the garlic grilled oysters and scallops are the easy first orders.
Laohuihui Snack Bar on Baiwanzhuang North Street in Beijing is a time-honoured snack shop selling lüdagun, bean-paste shaobing and sugar rolls.
OrderLüdagun, bean-paste shaobing and sugar rolls
TipThe Xicheng guide recommends lüdagun, bean-paste huoshao, sugar huoshao and pea cake; hours split into breakfast, lunch and dinner, so check the clock.
Tuoling Whole Lamb Soup at 33 Moshikou Street in Shijingshan, Beijing, simmers lamb and bone into a milky broth with vermicelli, open from 06:00 to 22:30.
OrderA bowl of lamb soup with vermicelli and chilli oil, plus a shaobing stuffed with braised pork knuckle.
TipAdd a shaobing stuffed with braised pork knuckle, the pairing the district guide describes; the shop opens at 06:00, so it works for an early bowl.
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 with condensed-milk grilled bread
TipCtrip lists a waiting area and paid parking; the kitchen serves until 02:00 on the East Third Ring side of the apartment block.
Liu Ri Du, a grilled beef offal specialist at 209 Jixiangli off Chaoyangmenwai Street in Beijing, sells offal skewers from 11:00 to midnight.
OrderGrilled beef offal skewers
TipIt is a ground-floor shop at 209 Jixiangli, open from 11:00 to midnight; the Beijinger lists it among barbecue and skewer spots in its 2025 rundown.
Shu Cai Ji on Middle Zhejiang Road in Shanghai has fried shengjian and guotie since 1980, and husband-and-wife owners Shu and Cai still run the counter.
OrderShengjian and guotie
TipOrder a plate of caifan, rice fried with bok choy and salted pork, alongside the dumplings.
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