Chinese Street Food by Region: What to Eat and Where中国各地街头小吃指南
China is the size of Europe, and its street food changes just as much from one region to the next. A breakfast stall in Tianjin and a night market in Taipei have almost nothing in common. Here is a tour of the snacks you will see again and again in Chinese food videos, grouped by where they come from.
The North: wheat, not rice
North China grows wheat, so its street food is built on flatbreads, buns and noodles. Portions are big, flavors are salty and savory, and breakfast is serious business.
Jianbing 煎饼果子 (jiānbing guǒzi)
A thin crepe of mung bean and wheat batter, cooked on a round griddle, topped with an egg, scallions and a crispy fried cracker, then brushed with sweet bean and chili sauce and folded. It is the signature breakfast of Tianjin and is now sold all over the country. Watching a vendor make one in under a minute is one of the most satisfying things on Chinese food YouTube. Find videos of jianbing →
Lamb skewers 羊肉串 (yángròu chuàn)
Originally from the Uyghur cooking of Xinjiang in the far northwest, cumin-and-chili lamb skewers grilled over charcoal are now the default late-night snack across northern China, usually with a cold beer. Find videos of lamb skewers →
The Northwest: Xi'an and Lanzhou
Xi'an was the eastern end of the Silk Road, and its Muslim Quarter is one of the most filmed food streets in China. Further west, Lanzhou gave the country its most famous bowl of noodles.
Roujiamo 肉夹馍 (ròujiāmó)
Often called the "Chinese hamburger": slow-braised, chopped meat stuffed into a crisp flatbread. In Xi'an's Muslim Quarter it is made with beef or lamb. Find videos of roujiamo →
Biangbiang noodles biángbiáng面 (biángbiáng miàn)
Hand-pulled noodles as wide as a belt, topped with chili flakes and garlic and then splashed with smoking-hot oil. The character for biáng is famous for having more than 50 strokes, and most keyboards cannot type it. Find videos of biangbiang noodles →
Lanzhou beef noodles 兰州牛肉面 (Lánzhōu niúròu miàn)
A clear beef broth with hand-pulled noodles, sliced beef, radish, chili oil and coriander. Locals describe a good bowl by its colors: clear soup, white radish, red chili, green herbs and yellow noodles. Watching the noodle puller stretch one lump of dough into hundreds of strands is a video classic. Find videos of lanzhou beef noodles →
Sichuan and Chongqing: numbing and spicy
The southwest is the home of málà (麻辣), the combination of chili heat and the tingling, numbing feeling of Sichuan pepper.
Chongqing noodles 重庆小面 (Chóngqìng xiǎomiàn)
A simple bowl of wheat noodles in a fiery chili-oil sauce, eaten for breakfast. There are said to be thousands of small noodle shops in Chongqing, and every one has its own sauce. Find videos of chongqing noodles →
Chuanchuan 串串香 (chuànchuàn xiāng)
Hot pot on sticks: skewers of meat, tofu and vegetables cooked in a shared pot of spicy broth. You pay by counting the empty sticks at the end. Find videos of chuanchuan →
Hunan: stinky tofu
Stinky tofu 臭豆腐 (chòu dòufu)
Fermented tofu with a smell that hits you from down the street. In Changsha it is fried until black and crisp, then filled with chili sauce. Many people who try it for the first time on camera say it tastes much better than it smells. Find videos of stinky tofu →
Shanghai and the East: dumplings and buns
Shengjian bao 生煎包 (shēngjiān bāo)
Pork buns filled with soup, pan-fried until the bottoms are golden and crunchy, then sprinkled with sesame and scallions. Bite a small hole first and let the steam out, or the hot soup will burn your mouth. Find videos of shengjian bao →
Rice roll 粢饭团 (cífàn tuán)
A Shanghai breakfast of sticky rice wrapped around a fried dough stick (油条, yóutiáo), pickles and pork floss. Find videos of rice roll →
Guangdong and Hong Kong: delicate and fresh
Cantonese cooking values freshness and lighter flavors, and its street food reflects that.
Rice noodle rolls 肠粉 (chángfěn)
Silky sheets of steamed rice batter rolled around shrimp, beef or egg and served with sweet soy sauce. In Guangzhou you can watch them steamed in drawers right on the street. Find videos of rice noodle rolls →
Egg waffles 鸡蛋仔 (jīdàn zǎi)
A Hong Kong favorite: a waffle cooked in a mold full of round bubbles, crisp outside and soft inside, eaten while you walk. Find videos of egg waffles →
Taiwan: the night market
Taiwan's night markets are a world of their own, and they appear in more Chinese-language food videos than almost anywhere else.
Oyster omelette 蚵仔煎 (ô-á-tsian)
Small oysters fried with egg and a starchy batter until chewy, covered in a sweet and savory red sauce. The name is usually said in Taiwanese Hokkien, not Mandarin. Find videos of oyster omelette →
Gua bao 刈包 (guà bāo)
A folded steamed bun filled with braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts and coriander. Find videos of gua bao →
Bubble tea 珍珠奶茶 (zhēnzhū nǎichá)
Milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls, created in Taiwan in the 1980s and now sold all over the world. Find videos of bubble tea →
Watch it being made
Street food is the most watchable kind of Chinese video: fast hands, sizzling oil and very little talking needed. Our random video player often lands on food channels, so it is an easy way to explore.
▶ Watch a random Chinese video
中文小结
北方以面食为主，比如天津的煎饼果子、西安的肉夹馍和兰州牛肉面；四川重庆讲究麻辣；长沙有臭豆腐；上海有生煎包；广东有肠粉；台湾的夜市有蚵仔煎和珍珠奶茶。出门吃小吃，记住“多少钱”“不要辣”“打包”这几句就够用了。
Related: How to learn Chinese by watching videos · A short history of Mandopop