Chinese street food

The street-food landscape

Mainland China's street-food scene is uneven by city — some cities run extensive late-night night markets (Xi'an, Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha), others have largely formalised street food into mall food courts (Beijing's Wangfujing snack street is partly a tourist set, partly a working market). The richest scenes are typically in central and southwestern cities.

Breakfast street food

• Jianbing (煎饼) — savoury crepe with egg, hoisin, chilli paste, scallion, sometimes pork floss; ¥6–¥12.
• Baozi (包子) — steamed buns; pork, beef, vegetable; ¥3–¥6 each.
• Youtiao (油条) — fried dough sticks, often paired with hot soy milk (豆浆).
• Lanzhou beef noodles (拉面) — breakfast staple in many cities; ¥10–¥18.
• Cong you bing (葱油饼) — scallion pancake.
• Sticky rice ball (糍饭团) — Shanghai breakfast; ¥6–¥10.

Daytime / lunch

• Liangpi (凉皮) — cold wheat noodles in chilli-vinegar dressing; Xi'an speciality, common everywhere.
• Cold noodles, Korean style (冷面) — the Dongbei version.
• Rice noodles (米粉) — hot or cold; Hunan and Guangxi specialities.

Evening night markets

• Lamb skewers (羊肉串) with cumin and chilli — universal.
• Stinky tofu (臭豆腐) — pungent fermented tofu, deep-fried; Changsha-style is dark and most fermented.
• Char-grilled squid on a stick.
• Sliced fruit on sticks (糖葫芦 in winter, fresh fruit in summer).
• Roasted sweet potato in the cold months — a cart with a metal drum, roasted on the spot for ¥10.
• Egg tarts (Macau and HK style) freshly baked at street stalls.
• Bing tang hu lu (冰糖葫芦) — candied fruit on a skewer; winter only.

Cities for street food

• Xi'an Muslim Quarter — for evening lamb-and-bread.
• Chengdu — Jinli Street, Kuanzhai Alley, Yulin Road.
• Chongqing — Hongyadong, Bayi Square.
• Changsha — Pozi Street.
• Shanghai — slipped: most original street-vendor districts have been formalised. Wujiang Road and the Yu Garden bazaar are tourist-heavy versions.
• Wuhan — Hubu Alley breakfast street.
• Guangzhou — Liwan Plaza area, Beijing Road night stalls.

Hygiene

Stick to busy stalls with high turnover; the standing customers are doing your due diligence for you. Cooked-on-the-spot items (skewers, jianbing) are safer than items sitting out. Avoid raw vegetables on outdoor stalls; carry hand sanitiser. Most experienced China travellers have at least one mild stomach episode in their first week — the body adjusts.