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Chengdu’s Best Restaurants You Can’t Miss in 2026

When people talk about Chengdu, they usually start with pandas and hot pot. But take it from us – that’s only scratching the surface (our founder was born and raised here). Food is the real language of Chengdu. This city lives and breathes flavor, from bubbling hot pot broth layered with depth and spice to humble “fly restaurants” where the chairs might wobble, but the dishes are authentically local.

Here are our personal favorites that capture the essence of Sichuan cuisine…and yes, we’re starting where every true Chengdu local would: hot pot.

Huangcheng Laoma Hotpot 皇城老妈火锅 琴台店

Freshly sliced meat for hotpot
Yuanyang hotpot with sides

Growing up, this was the go-to place our founder’s family. The anticipation of “we’re going to Laoma” started a week in advance. It wasn’t just a restaurant, it was an event. Even today, when there’s something important to celebrate, families still gather here.

The broth is signature Chengdu: bold, fragrant, spicy without being overpowering, and less oily than the beef-fat broths you’ll find in Chongqing. Their Yuanyang Pot (half-spicy, half-mild) is perfect for first-timers and yes, the soup is drinkable (rare for hotpot).

Must try dishes:

  • Laoma Beef (老妈牛肉) – tender, silky slices that practically melt.
  • Sliced Chicken (鲜切鸡片) – delicate and juicy.
  • Mao Du & Thousand-Layer Tripe (毛肚 & 千层肚) – quick dip for that crunchy bite.
  • Goose Intestine (鸭肠) – a Chengdu specialty, crisp and flavorful.

Address: No. 106 Qintai Road, Caotang District

What To Put In Your Didi: 皇城老妈火锅 琴台店

Maps: Google Map (requires VPN in China) or Chinese Map

💡 Pro tip: Go with a group — hotpot is all about sharing, and it’s the best way to try more dishes.

Dongzikou Chen Liangfen 洞子口陈凉粉

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Every Chengdu local has their go-to “fly restaurant,” and this one’s ours. It’s been serving old-school Sichuan flavors for 70+ years that remind us of our childhood (unlike the glossy new stuff). Plates roll out on a cart and you grab whatever you want. Find your own table, snag your own stool, and dig in. When you’re done, the waiter tallies the bill by plate shape.

You can find traces of this spot’s name dating back to the late Qing Dynasty, when a humble man hawked his spicy, silky bowls of cold noodles through this part of town. By the 1930s he opened “Dongzikou Chen Liangfen,” and the dish was so famed it started spreading to other parts of China, sealing its status as a Sichuan classic.

💡 Pro tip: Want to taste Chengdu like a true local? Join our Chengdu 4-day trip and we’ll take you straight to this no-frills legend.

Xujiacai 许家菜

Sliced chicken in sichuan peppercorn sauce
MIchelin Stars
Roast Pigeon with Sichuan Peppercorn
Fresh Organic Vegetables

For a long time, Sichuan food was considered “too rustic” for fine dining. Xujiacai proved everyone wrong. With one Michelin star, it’s one of the the best places in town to see how Sichuan flavors can be refined without losing their soul.

Every dish is carefully balanced, layered, and plated with elegance. It’s where you realize Sichuan pepper can be subtle, not just numbing.

Must try dishes:

  • Five-Flavors Platter (五福临门拼) – one dish, five classic Sichuan taste profiles, topped with caviar.
  • Xujia Chicken Tofu (许家仔鸡豆花) – looks like tofu, but it’s actually chicken crafted into a silky pudding in fragrant broth.
  • Crispy Pigeon with Sichuan Pepper (旦汉源花椒脆皮鸽) – golden crisp skin, juicy meat, kissed with gentle numbing spice.

Address: 6th Floor, Renhe New City Shopping Center, No. 505 West Section of Fucheng Avenue

What To Put In Your Didi: 许家菜·艺创菜(仁和新城店)

Maps: Google Map (requires VPN in China) or Chinese Map

💡 Pro tip: Go for a tasting menu if available — it’s the best way to appreciate the chef’s range of flavors.

Leshan Fresh Zhiwei Bobo Chicken
乐山鲜知味钵钵鸡 草堂北路店

Tons of skewers in soup
People eating on the street outside restaurant

This place feels less like a restaurant and more like a party. Crowded tables with stools spilling onto the sidewalk, and everyone dipping skewers into bowls of chili oil. It’s messy, noisy, and absolutely worth it.

Here, skewers of meat and vegetables are soaked in spicy red oil, bursting with chili and Sichuan peppercorn. Pair it with rice or cooling desserts and you’ll understand why locals line up at mealtimes.

Must try dishes:

  • Red-Oil Bobo Chicken (红油钵钵鸡) – chicken skewers, duck gizzards, and chicken feet with numbing heat.
  • Chicken-Soup Rice (鸡汤烫饭) – hearty and soothing, the perfect chili counterbalance.
  • Ice Jelly (冰粉) – sweet, tangy, cooling — essential after spicy skewers.

Address: No. 16, Building 18, North Caotang Road

What To Put In Your Didi: 乐山鲜知味钵钵鸡(草堂北路店)

Maps: Google Map (requires VPN in China) or Chinese Map

💡 Pro tip: Grab popular skewers like potato slices and duck gizzards early — they run out fast.

Old Chengdu Noodle Shop
拜居奇味面

Locals sitting on the sidewalk with their noodles
Bowl of noodles
Locals eating noodles from stools

This noodle shop has been around for almost 30 years, and sitting outside on a tiny stool with a steaming bowl in hand is one of those “only in Chengdu” experiences. When the indoor seats fill up (there’s only a few so they always do) regulars just line the sidewalk. Everyone gets a low stool to sit on and a taller stool to place their bowl, creating a scene of diners perched along the street, slurping noodles shoulder to shoulder.

The bowls are big, the flavors are bold, and the whole experience feels like time travel to an older, slower Chengdu.

 

Must try dishes:

  • Twice-Cooked Pork Noodles (回锅肉面) – generous slices of pork belly, smoky and savory.
  • Braised Eel Noodles (红烧鳝鱼面) – tender eel with garlic punch, rich and flavorful.

Address: No. 8, Unit 15, West Xiaojihe 1st Alley

What To Put In Your Didi: 拜居奇味面(肖家河店)

Maps: Google Map (requires VPN in China) or Chinese Map

💡 Pro tip: Don’t rush — half the fun is soaking in the street-side atmosphere while you eat.

Sichuan-style Wontons 抄手

Chengdu pancake maker
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This is THE chaoshou wonton spot to visit in Chengdu. The kind of place every local knows and loves. They’ve been hand-folding these Sichuan-style wontons for generations, and each one tastes like home.

Fun fact: dumplings don’t have “arms,” but chaoshou do. In Sichuan, we call wontons chaoshou because the way they’re wrapped looks like someone crossing their arms across their chest. Back in the day, people would line up on the street for a hot bowl, naturally crossing their arms while they waited. The shape and the gesture became one, and the name stuck.

💡 Pro tip: Try all five flavors, from mild to fiery, and find out which one wins your heart or burns your tongue first. It’s so good we made this family-run spot a must-stop on our Chengdu Evening Food Tour.

Our Chengdu Food Tours:

Chengdu Evening Food Tour by Tuktuk

$69 USD

30% of all restaurants in China serve Sichuan cuisine, making it the most popular cuisine in China. This tuk-tuk tour includes food, beer, and soft drinks where you’ll try at least 10 dishes across 4+ stops, plus one local bar.
6:30pm Daily

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3.5 Hours

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Tuktuk Tour
Learn More
Book Now

Chengdu Full-day Panda, Teahouse & Evening Food Tour

$175 USD

Meet Chengdu’s most famous residents at the world-renowned Giant Panda Base, taste authentic Sichuan dishes at a local’s favorite “fly restaurant,” sip tea in a traditional teahouse, and explore the city’s culinary streets with our top-rated evening tuktuk food tour.
7:30am Daily

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Full-day Tour
Learn More
Book Now

Discover Chengdu’s Flavors, Culture and Pandas

From $795 USD

As the backbone of Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu has been an UNESCO City of Gastronomy for over a decade. From local street food to roundtable hotpots, and giant pandas to cliff-side Buddha carvings, come experience why Chengdu and Sichuan cuisine are so famous around the globe.
4 days, 3 nights
Learn More
Book Now

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