Ordering guide
What to order at a Chinese restaurant
Chinese cuisine spans eight major regional styles. The best dish at a Sichuan place is not the best dish at a Cantonese one. Here's how to order well.
Must-try Chinese dishes
- Mapo tofu (Sichuan)
- Xiaolongbao (Shanghai soup dumplings)
- Peking duck
- Char siu (Cantonese BBQ pork)
- Kung pao chicken
- Hand-pulled noodles
Frequently asked questions
What should I order at a Chinese restaurant?
Identify the regional style first. At a Sichuan restaurant order mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, or twice-cooked pork. At a Cantonese place go for char siu, dim sum, or steamed fish. At a Shanghai restaurant: xiaolongbao and red-braised pork.
What is the most popular Chinese dish?
Globally, sweet and sour pork, kung pao chicken, mapo tofu, Peking duck and xiaolongbao are the most ordered. In China, the answer changes by region — that's the whole point of Chinese food.
What's the best Chinese dish for someone who doesn't like spicy food?
Cantonese cuisine is largely mild — try char siu, steamed dumplings, sweet and sour pork, lo mein, or any steamed fish. Avoid anything labelled Sichuan, Hunan, or Chongqing unless you want heat.
What's the difference between authentic and Americanised Chinese food?
Americanised Chinese food (General Tso's, crab rangoon, chop suey) was invented in the US and isn't served in China. Authentic dishes include hand-pulled noodles, mapo tofu, xiaolongbao, century egg, and braised whole fish.
What should I order at dim sum?
Start with har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (pork dumplings), char siu bao (BBQ pork buns) and cheung fun (rice noodle rolls). Add an egg tart for dessert. Order in waves — fresh-steamed beats reheated every time.
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