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The Best Restaurants to Eat in Chengdu

Written by Ruru Zhou Updated Apr. 9, 2021

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in western China, is home to food that is popular the world over for its bold, spicy flavors. However, Chengdu has a lot more to offer than just Sichuan pepper.

Chengdu is a world-class city, offering foreign foods, Sichuan specialties, Buddhist-style vegetarianism, as well as Islamic Halal options.

Chengdu Flavors

Sichuan’s widely-varied features have resulted in an equally wide array of different foods. The province’s fertile basin is the rice and vegetable basket, where the cash crops come from. The forested mountains provide mushrooms, fungus, and herbs.

The many borders of Sichuan have provided it with spices as well. Bordering both northwest and southwest China, as well as Tibet and many of China’s central provinces, Sichuan has acquired the tastes of many different lands. With Xinjiang to the North, there is the Turkic Arab/Muslim influence, so Halal food is prevalent; with Tibet to the West, Buddhist temples proliferate the plateau and many vegan/vegetarian restaurants can be found in Chengdu as well; finally, as the capital of the province, and one of China’s most important cities, Chengdu has also accrued a large population from other countries, so there are Indian, Thai, Western, and more options.

The lemony, spicy, numbing sensation (ma in Chinese) is the famous effect of Sichuan’s peppercorns. Other popular spices in the region include star anise, salt (from local salt wells), garlic, chili oil, ginger, and doubanjiang (a broad bean chili paste).

The heavily-spiced, bold flavors of Sichuan cuisine are reflected in its capital Chengdu, where diners can find the best of what Sichuan has to offer.

Hot Pot

Perhaps no dish is as famous in Sichuan-or all of China for that matter- than hot pot. Hot pot is a self-cooked meal consisting of 2 separate broths cooked by a burner on the table. One of the broths is a spicy, red one, full of the “ma” flavor (Sichuan pepper), while the other is a more mild, white broth. Diners cook their meals in these broths, taking them out with chopsticks and dipping them in various sauces for more flavor. The sauces are a made-to-order type thing, usually composed of about 5 ingredients but selected from an array of over 20. The hot pot dipping sauces include chili oils, chili flakes, crushed peanuts, sesame oil, green onions, diced garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and more.

Some restaurants to sample the best of Chengdu’s hot pot are as follows:

Shu DaXia Hot Pot

AKA. Xi Yu Long, this hotpot restaurant is a great taste of the city, located within walking distance of the city center. This place gets busy, so it’s best to make a reservation, or go during less busy times (like weekday afternoons).

Shu JiuXiang Hotpot

For a taste of classic hotpot in a traditional Chengdunese restaurant setting, look no further. Shu JiuXiang is less busy than Shu Daxia, so don’t expect to have to wait for a table during the 9-5 working hours, but it does get busy on the weekends.

The area around these 2 hotpot restaurants are loaded with good places to have China’s most famous style of dish. Walk around the Yulin neighborhood and Jiusheng temple- you are bound to find something that suits you.

Sichuan Specialties

From Dan Dan Noodles to Husband and Wife Lung Pieces (yes, really), Chengdu of course has plenty of native Sichuan food available. It’s up to you to try what you like. You could eat noodles every meal for a week in Sichuan and not have the same dish twice. Sichuan’s noodles range from refreshing Liang Mian (cold noodles) to warming, sour and spicy Suan La Fen (sweet potato noodles served with pickled vegetables). Other local delicacies include stinky tofu, flat bread sandwiches, and spring rolls.

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Locations:

Noodles are a street food in Chengdu- available cheaply and everywhere. Rather than a list of over-priced touristy restaurants, here are some of the best places to get noodles of all kinds, available from many vendors.

Huaxing Street

This is the place for fried egg and noodle soup. Huaxing St. has more to offer than egg noodles though, it’s one of Chengdu’s most popular food streets.

Getting There:

Head to Tianfu Square Metro Station (天府广场站) and walk east on Zongfu Road. Soon the Huaxing road will be all around you.

Jinli Ancient Street

For traditional Sichuan and Chengdunese food, visitors can do no better than Jinli street. The street is touristic, and can get busy at times, but it’s a perfect place for finding a wide variety of local cuisines.

Getting There:

The second-best way to get there is to stop at Huaxiba Metro Station ( 华西坝) and walk west for about 20 minutes. That will take you to the Wuhuo Temple (成都武侯祠博物馆) area, which will in turn put you at Jinli Pedestrian Street.

Western Food

The large population of foreign professionals that have emigrated to China since the early 2000s economic boom have brought some slices of home with them. Chengdu has a few foreign bars and restaurants, for a visitor whose feeling a bit homesick, or who maybe just wants a break from Sichuan spice.

Kathmandu

For great Indian, Western, Tibetan, and Nepali food, great service, and value for your money, Kathmandu is the place to be in Chengdu.

Shamrock

For an Irish pub experience in Chengdu, Shamrock is the place. There is a wide selection of Western food, pool tables, and occasional live music.

Vegetarian

Chengdu’s Buddhist culture dates back to its spread from Tibet centuries ago. To this day there are still functioning Buddhist monasteries within the city and a strong tradition of Buddhism. The Buddhist principle of non-violence is reflected in the diet of a practitioner, and Chengdunese restaurants are happy to serve.

All of the foreign restaurants (including the aforementioned Kathmandu and Shamrock) in Chengdu are also vegetarian/vegan friendly, and have meat/animal-free options. Almost every hot pot restaurant is also vegetarian friendly, as diners can select whatever they want to eat, including vegetarian/vegan food only.

Zaozishu Vegetarian Restaurant

With great value for your money, as well as a 100% vegetarian menu, Zaozishu is one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Chengdu.

Yu Su Ge Vegan Cafeteria

For an amazing Vegan/Vegetarian buffet that’s cheap and full of Sichuan specialties, Yu Su Ge is the place to be.

Halal Restaurants

Western China borders central Asia. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of India are closer to some parts of Sichuan than other parts of China. Additionally, the northern provinces bordering Sichuan- Gansu and Xinjiang are largely Islamic-the Uighurs, and they have a much different diet than the Han Chinese, and even natively speak a Turkic language. Chengdu’s nexus in western China, bordering so many different places and cultures has resulted in a large Muslim population, which means Halal food. Lanzhou, Xinjiang, and Yunnan-style halal food proliferate in Chengdu.

Chengdu Tianfanglou Restaurant

Located right at the 1st floor of Huangcheng Mosque in the center of Chengdu, this restaurant is conveniently located in the center of the city and specializes in Sichuan-flavored Islamic cuisines.

Yue Xiang Cun Restaurant

Popular on account of its old-style Muslim dishes and authenticity, this restaurant has a history of over 60 years.

Dining at Chengdu Restaurants with China Travel

Chengdu, one of UNESCO’s Creative Cities for gastronomy, there are bunch of restaurants in every streets and back alleys, it is hard to design what type of food should try for the first-time travelers. China Travel offers you a knowledgeable English-speaking guide to transform your food ideas into stunning experiences. Just book a private Chengdu food tour with us!

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