Hangzhou Dining

"Plan Hangzhou food culture tour? Hangzhou Dining introduces Hangzhou Food and Restaurants including Hangzhou Cuisine, Restaurants in Hangzhou, Hangzhou Snacks, What to Eat in Hangzhou, Where to Eat in Hangzhou, Hangzhou Food Street.

Hangzhou dishes have a long history and they are important parts of Zhejiang cuisine culture. Hangzhou cuisine is one of the three Zhejiang cuisines together with Ningbo cuisine and Shaoxing cuisine. Hangzhou is located in Jiangnan water town, whose climate is mild and wet so that its dishes prefer to fids and shrimp. People there pay attention to authentic taste of food itself and the mixture of northern and southern Chinese cuisine’s taste.

What to Eat in Hangzhou

As a place prosperous in its fertile lands and outstanding talents, there are special and historical stories behind the names of Hangzhou dishes so that you are able to find it interesting to see those names at the first time, such as Braised Dongpo Pork, Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves, West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy, etc. Because of its fresh ingredients, brightness of color and varieties, Hangzhou cuisine is deeply appreciated by guests from home and abroad, which was proved during the period of G20 Summit.

Recommended Hangzhou Dishes

• Braised Dongpo Pork /Dong Po Rou (东坡肉)：Stewed pork with brown sauce.
• Beggar’s Chicken/Jiao Hua Ji（叫化童子鸡）: Tender chicken pickled with many kinds of seasoning and cooked in the special stove.
• Fish Head and Bean Curb Soup (鱼头豆腐): Cooked with chub, bamboo shoots, mushroom and Tofu.
• West Lake Water Shield Soup (西湖莼菜汤): a soup that is cooked with shield brasenia schreberi, chicken breast meat and ham.
• West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy /Xi Hu Cu Yu (西湖醋鱼):Grass carp cooked with sauce and vinegar.
• Wang Taishou Babao Toufu（王太守八宝豆腐）: Stir-fried tender tofu, mushroom, pine nut, melon seed, chicken and ham crumbs in the thick chicken juice.
• Zhan Yuyuan (斩鱼圆): This dish has a literary quotation about First Emperor of Qin. Its main ingredients are grass carp, ham and snake butter.
• Sister Song’s Fish Broth (宋嫂鱼羹): Stewed mandarin fish and weever cooked with sliced, ham, mushroom, bamboo shoots, chicken shoots and other seasonings.
• South Song Crab Stuffed Orang (南宋蟹酿橙): High-quality crab from Chenghu Lake, water chestnut, egg liquid, cooking vine and ginger steamed in the hollow oranges.
• Braised Bamboo Shoots in Wine Sauce (糟烩鞭笋): Stir-fried and braised bamboo shoots.
• Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves /Long Jing Xia Ren (龙井虾仁): Stir-fried peeled prawns with Longjing Tea, eggs, starch and cooking vine.
• Home-made Salted Pork with Spring Bamboo Shoots (南肉春笋): Cooked streaky pork with bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage.
• Stir-Fried Bean Curd Rolls Stuffed with Minced Tenderloin (干炸响铃): Stir-fried pork with Tofu skin.
• Pian Er Chuan(片儿川): Noodles cooked with preserved vegetables, sliced pork and bamboo shoots.

Recommended Hangzhou Snacks & Desserts

• Que Chao Niao Wo (雀巢鸟窝): a fried snack that is made of flour, salted egg yolk, quail eggs.
• DingSheng Cake (南宋定胜糕): It has a long history that traces back to South Dynasty. Outer Southern Song Victory Cake is refined rice and glutinous rice powder. Inside， it's red bean paste and mixed with a small amount of sugar and sweet-scented osmanthus.
• Cat-ear Shaped Pasta (猫耳朵): It is cooked with many kinds of ingredients including flour, shrimp, ham, chicken breast meat, mushroom, dried shellfish, bamboo shoots, green leaves of vegetables, Shaoxing vine, spring onion, ginger, chicken soup and chicken oil.
• Shallot Stuffed Pancake (葱爆桧儿): It’s a traditional snack in Hangzhou. The name is given in Hangzhou dialect way. It is a toasted snack that is made by fried bread stick spring onion and sweet sauce.
• Wushan Hill Crispy Cake(吴山酥油饼): White flour cooked in pan, and add some refined sugar when you eat. It is crisp, layered, golden color, brittle but not broken, oil but not greasy.
• Hangzhou Small Steamed Bun (杭州小笼包): Hangzhou small steamed bun is famous in China. Even in other province, you can buy them, but the taste may be a little different. The main characteristics of small stuffing bun in Hangzhou is thin flour skin and juicy stuffing. It is a traditional snack for breakfast.

More about Snacks in Hangzhou

Where to Eat in Hangzhou

Restaurants in Hangzhou provide you not only the local Hangzhou dishes (Hangbang Cai), but also other Chinese cuisines, western food and Halal food. You don't have to worry about the dining in Hangzhou wether you are a westerner or a Islam.

The Best Restaurants to Eat Hangzhou Dishes (Hangbang Cai)

• Shan Wai Shan (山外山)
  Add: 8 Yuquan Lu, near Taoyuan Ling 玉泉路8号
  Tel: 0571 -8799 5866
• Kui Yuan Guan (奎元馆)
  Add: 124 Jiefang Lu, near Zhonghe Gaojia 解放路124号
  Tel: 0571 -8702 8626
• Louwailou (Gushan Road Branch) 楼外楼(孤山路店)
  Add: No. 28, Gushan Road, Xihu District 西湖区孤山路28号
  Tel:0571-87969682
• Zhiwei Guang Restaurant (Yang Gong Causeway) 知味观味庄(杨公堤店)
  Add: No. 10-12, Yang Gong Causeway, Xihu District 西湖区杨公堤10-12号
  Tel: 0571-87970568

Read More about The Best Restaurants in Hangzhou

The Best Places to Eat Hangzhou Snacks

Food streets are the best place to have the full collection of local snacks. Hefang Street, Wushan Night Market, Hedong Road Food Street, Bai Jing Fang Lane (百井坊巷)and Shengli River Food Street (胜利河美食街) are among the recommended list. The following snack shops are the top ones to try Hangzhou snacks.

•  Lamb Soup Restaurant (羊汤饭店)
  Add: No. 64, Mid- Zhongshan Road 中山中路64号
  Tel:0571 -8702 7346
• Jiu Zhi Zhai (九芝斋)
  Add: N0. 109, Jiefang Road 解放路109号
  Tel:/
• Xinfeng Snack (Yan'an Road) 新丰小吃(延安店)
  Add: No. 183, Yan'an Road, Shangcheng District 上城区延安路183号
  Tel: 0571-87062579
• Zhiwei Guang Restaurant (Yang Gong Causeway) 知味观味庄(杨公堤店)
  Add: No. 10-12, Yang Gong Causeway, Xihu District 西湖区杨公堤10-12号
  Tel: 0571-87970568

Time-honored Restaurants in Hangzhou

• Kui Yuan Guan (奎元馆)
  Add: 124 Jiefang Lu, near Zhonghe Gaojia 解放路124号
  Tel: 0571 -8702 8626
• Louwailou (Gushan Road Branch) 楼外楼(孤山路店)
  Add: No. 28, Gushan Road, Xihu District 西湖区孤山路28号
  Tel:0571-87969682
• Zhuang Yuan Guan (状元馆)
  Add: No. 85, Hefang Street, Shangcheng District上城区河坊街85号
  Tel:0571-87025796
• Wushan Roast Poultry Shop (Wushan Branch)吴山烤禽店(吴山店)
  Add: No. 62, Wushan Road, Shangcheng District上城区吴山路62号
  Tel:0571-87061944
• Shanwaishan (山外山)
  Add: No. 8, Yuquan Road 玉泉路8号
  Tel: /

Halal Food Restaurants in Hangzhou

• Phoenix Mosque Restaurant
  Cuisine: Local Hangzhou Muslim Cuisine
  Add: No. 223, Zhongshan Road, Hangzhou
  Tel: 0571-87169678 
  Nearby Mosque: Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque
  Payment Accepted: Cash 
  Hours: 11:00 to 21:00
• Dongyishun Restaurant
  Cuisine: Local Hangzhou Muslim Cuisine
  Add:  No. 288, Zhongshan Road, Hangzhou
  Tel: 0571-87880073 
  Nearby Mosque: /
  Payment Accepted: Cash & Credit Card
  Hours: 11:00 to 21:00
• Northwest Family Restaurant
  Cuisine: Northwest China Muslim Cuisine & Xinjiang Uyghur Cuisine
  Add: No. 22, Youdian Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou
  Tel: 0571-87922218
  Nearby Mosque: /
  Payment Accepted: Cash 
  Hours: 11:00 to 21:00
• M2-Tiba Restauarant
  Cuisine:Arabic Cuisine
  Add: No. 16, Zheda Road, Hangzhou
  Tel: 0571-87012951 Cell Phone: 18667159223
  Nearby Mosque: /
  Payment Accepted: Cash 
  Hours: 11:00 to 21:00

Food Streets in Hangzhou

Guangfu Road Food Street (光复路特色小吃街)

It is Known fortraditional Hangzhou snacks -- including lesser-seen delicacies such as rabbit’s head and mock turtle soup -- and a bustling outdoor atmosphere. All sorts of greasy snacks, meaty dishes and sweet treats can be found in more than 50 stalls on both sides of Guangfu Lu, a little lane just off the touristy Hefang Lu. It’s the best option for lone travelers or visitors who aren’t in Hangzhou long enough to make a round of the city’s popular eateries. You can sample smaller individual portions of traditional favorites along the street, such as beggar’s chicken and Dongpo pork for a fifth of the price that restaurants charge.

Dadou Road Food Street (大兜路美食街)

Located west of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (京杭大运河) and east of the shopping district, Dadou Lu Food Street (大兜路美食街) is a neat, open street clustered with antique buildings.  Zhejiang and Jiangsu cuisine that are especially popular with the young crowds. The street has a mix of popular and affordable restaurants, as well as more upscale dining rooms.

Add: Dadou Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 拱墅区大兜路
Getting there: Take bus No. 36, 76, 151, k151, 251, 348, 516, 816, k816 to Cangji Xincun (仓基新村)

Shengli River Food Street (胜利河美食街)

Shengli River Food Street (胜利河美食街) has become one of popular food streets in the past few years. Every day from 17:00 to 02:00 night snacks are available and after having dined and wined you may also wish to visit the café renovated from a granary built in the Qing Dynasty. The street is best known for local Hangzhou cuisines.

Add: Shengli Meishi Jie, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 拱墅区胜利河美食街
Getting there: Take bus No. 26, 33, k33, 57, 58, 78, 82, 338区间, k209, k338 to Tongxin Shichang (通信市场)

Bai Jing Fang Lane (百井坊巷)

Located in downtown, the street has a large collection of snacks at one end and a good supply of characteristic fashion shops at the other. 

Add: Bai Jing Fang Lane, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou 下城区百井坊巷
Getting there: Take bus No. 13, 188, 216, 801, 991, k13, k92, k105, k201, k219, k517区间, k900, y8, 观光8 to Ting'an Xincun (延安新村)

Hedong Road Food Street (河东路美食街)

He Dong Road Food Street is famous for offering late-night food. It is quite busy at nights, especially in summer. Barbecued fish and shrimps are the most delicious gourmet at the street. Small lobster, salted beef, seafood, Sichuan-style snack, Hunan food is also famous. Besides, this food street is the perfect place to try all of Zhejiang Province's specialty dishes, especially the Wenzhou-style seafood. The restaurants on the street are quite affordable and the seafood will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

Add: Hedong Roadu, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou 下城区河东路
Getting there: Take bus No. 44, 45, 46, 57, 58, 67, 218, 316, k38, k44 to Zhaohui Sanqu (朝晖三区)

Gaoyin Food Street (高银街)

Gaoyin Food Street a typical street full of restaurants and you have your choice to select your choice of local dishes for dinner or lunch there. With Sichuan, Shandong, Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang cuisines, vegetarian dishes, seafood, snacks Gaoyin Street does, indeed, offer a large variety of delicacies. 

Add: Gaoyin Street, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou 上城区高银街
Getting there: Take bus No. 8, 60, 208, 216, 404, k195 to Gaoyin Jie Dongkou (高银街东口)

Read More about Top Food Streets in Hangzhou

Edited by Brittany Tian/田春燕