The mechanics first, because they explain everything else. A Chinese meal is a set of shared dishes placed in the middle, plus individual bowls of rice. You order roughly one dish per person plus one, and the table eats from all of it. Nobody gets “their” main.
Reading a menu without Chinese
- 1Use the camera function in your translation app
Google Translate’s offline camera pack or the Alipay translation mini-app. Point at the menu; it overlays English. Accuracy is 80%, which is enough to avoid the offal section.
- 2Look for photographs
Most casual restaurants have picture menus or a QR code that opens one. Pointing is completely normal and not rude.
- 3Learn four characters
鸡 (chicken), 牛 (beef), 猪 (pork), 鱼 (fish). These four cover most of the menu, and 素 (vegetarian) is the fifth worth knowing.
- 4Ask what the table next to you has
Point at a neighbouring dish and say “这个” (this one). It is the most effective ordering method in China and locals do it to each other constantly.
Allergies: say it in writing
Spoken communication through a translation app fails under noise. Type it, or carry a card. The four sentences worth having pre-written in Chinese:
- 我对花生过敏，严重。请确认这道菜里没有花生。 — “I am severely allergic to peanuts. Please confirm this dish has none.”
- 我不吃猪肉。 — “I do not eat pork.”
- 我不吃辣，一点点辣也不行。 — “I cannot eat chilli, not even a little.”
- 我是素食者，不吃肉、不吃鱼、不吃鸡蛋，可以吃蔬菜和豆腐。 — “I am vegetarian: no meat, no fish, no egg; vegetables and tofu are fine.”
Spice, and how to ask
| Chinese | Meaning | Ask for |
|---|---|---|
| 不辣 (bú là) | Not spicy | The default ask if you cannot handle heat |
| 微辣 (wēi là) | Mildly spicy | Still spicy by European standards in Sichuan |
| 中辣 (zhōng là) | Medium | Genuinely hot |
| 特辣 (tè là) | Extra hot | Do not |
| 不要花椒 (bú yào huājiāo) | No Sichuan peppercorn | The numbing agent, not the heat |
In Sichuan and Hunan, “mild” is a relative term. If you want truly no heat, order dishes that are structurally mild: steamed fish, stir-fried greens, egg and tomato, roast duck, dumplings, soups.
The dishes worth knowing
- Gongbao jiding (宫保鸡丁) — chicken, peanuts, dried chilli. Safe bet everywhere, and a good test of a kitchen.
- Mapo doufu (麻婆豆腐) — tofu in chilli-bean sauce. Order it 微辣 unless you are experienced.
- Xiaolongbao (小笼包) — soup dumplings. Bite a hole, drink the soup, then eat. Do not put a whole one in your mouth.
- Peking duck (北京烤鸭) — carved at the table, wrapped in pancakes with scallion and sauce. Order a whole duck for 3–4 people.
- Huo guo (火锅) — hotpot. You cook at the table. Ask for a split pot (鸳鸯锅) with a mild half.
- Yangrou paomo (羊肉泡馍) — Xi’an lamb and torn bread. Tear the bread yourself; that is the ritual.
Paying and tipping
No tipping. Not in restaurants, not in taxis, not at hotels. A service charge appears only in five-star hotels and is stated on the menu. Pay at the counter on the way out in casual places, at the table in mid-range ones; the QR code is either on the table or at the till.
Street food: a working rule
Eat where there is a queue of locals at 12:00. High turnover means fresh ingredients. Avoid anything that has been sitting pre-cooked in the open air, and avoid cut fruit from carts. Everything cooked to order in front of you, at a busy stall, is generally fine — this is the same rule you would apply in Naples or Bangkok.