China Food Tours
Recipient of TripAdvisor's Travelers Choice Award for Best Foodie Experience in the World.
China's #1 Food Tour.
“You will hear it for yourself, and surely it will fill you with wonder,” wrote Marco Polo of his travels along with the Silk Road into the heart of a four-thousand-year-old culture. Often regarded as one of the first European explorers to bring back tales (and noodles) from the far-east, the Silk Road connected Cleopatra’s Egypt to China a thousand years before Polo was even born.
One in seven people on earth call China home, many of whom can tell and trace hundreds of stories about their community’s food heritage. That history runs deep here. Come and see the flavors merchants like Polo risked lives and years over and the stories they’ve left behind.
China's #1 Food Tour.
“You will hear it for yourself, and surely it will fill you with wonder,” wrote Marco Polo of his travels along with the Silk Road into the heart of a four-thousand-year-old culture. Often regarded as one of the first European explorers to bring back tales (and noodles) from the far-east, the Silk Road connected Cleopatra’s Egypt to China a thousand years before Polo was even born.
One in seven people on earth call China home, many of whom can tell and trace hundreds of stories about their community’s food heritage. That history runs deep here. Come and see the flavors merchants like Polo risked lives and years over and the stories they’ve left behind.
Our Locations:
Get 10% off if you book multiple tours online!
Why People Choose Us:
By sharing the living history of cuisine by the hands that make it, we're changing the way people think about food and its role in the universe.
Experiences Led by Locals.
Only guides from each city can give you a true taste of the area in food and culture, all trained by our founders to ensure a perfect experience. We also work with the community through local producers and partners to ensure you’re getting a real local taste of what each community can do.
Get Fed, Leave Full.
We are not a tasting tour, if you leave hungry or thirsty, we aren’t doing our jobs. Most of our tours feature unlimited food and drinks (beer too!) The best part? You won’t have to worry about what to order or how to communicate with the owners at each stop. Everything we eat is tried and tested, plus you’ll see how it’s made and learn about the families who make it.
Craft Beer & Beverages Included.
The local culinary scene in every city is defined by food and drinks, so we make sure you experience it all! Our evening tours include (unlimited) alcoholic beverages along the way, and at least one stop to sink a glass (or few) of locally produced craft beer. All your bases are covered with us.
Off the Beaten Path.
We visit local neighborhoods where real locals live and eat. You aren’t going to find any other tourists here, or run into other tour groups. Our restaurants are local legends, family-owned and often specialize in only one dish, which means the quality is high and the flavor is even better. These places wouldn’t survive without regulars, that’s how you know it’s good.
#1 Food Experience in the World
TripAdvisor's Travelers Choice Awards ranked our Xian Evening Food Tour as the best food experience in the World!
"The Best Dumplings I've Had"
Our guide started us off at a Buddhist temple with an adjacent vegetarian restaurant, then walked us through the former Jewish Ghetto, where 20,000 refugees lived during World War II. Winding our way through the nongtangs (old-fashioned alleyways) passing humble apartment blocks with European-style balconies, where I found the sheng jian bao of my dreams in a small storefront. They were fluffy on top, crunchy on the bottom and filled with savory, fatty juice.
"One of the Best Things to do in Xian"
In addition to trying some of the best eats in the neighborhood, you'll also have the chance to learn about the history of this community and get to meet some of the people who make the best biang biang noodles (so named for the loud way they slam onto the table) and Eight Treasures congee, which was a staple of travelers along the Silk Road thanks to its easy-to-haul ingredients like nuts, spices and seeds.
Get Hungry for Adventure.
A third of our customers were referred by a previous guest. Were you one of them?!
“We absolutely loved our food tour led be the amazing Jessie! THE highlight of our China trip. Before meeting her, we had walked down the main “strip” of the Muslim quarter and it felt very geared towards tourism which Jessie confirmed upon meeting. Instead of spending time there, we visited four out of the way spots that were each gems in their own right. The trip was managed so effectively that each stop was a perfect length with multiple (plentiful) food choices. The tuk tuks are branded and were a fun way to easily get around between the stops. We took our young children and loved experiencing the best Xi’an has to offer with the best tour guide.”
Erin C
December 2019
“First of all – take this tour, you won’t be sorry. The food we had on this tour was my favorite of our entire trip. Although there are foods you may have tried before, like soup dumplings, the flavors on the past foods you may have tried are no where near the flavors that you’ll find on this tour. The foods are unique and delicious. The tuktuk and unlimited beer was a fun addition to the out of this world food. I also can’t rave enough about our tour guide Jessie. She was my favorite tour guide from our trip. So knowledgeable, so insightful, and she had an amazing spirit/energy. She also pointed out spots in Xian that connected to her upbringing there which really added an amazing personal touch to our tour. Wish I could do another tour with Jessie! And seriously, I’m still dreaming of the amazing food we tried.”
Jill
December 2019
“The knowledge of the guide, the chatty and fun atmosphere in the group and of course the memorable dishes made this a one of a kind experience. I liked it so much that I ended up booking the Beijing Breakfast Tour and Flavors of China tour as well. You can tell the stops are selected with care and are definitely not commercial or touristy. Some of the best places were located in the deepest corners of the hutongs and are impossible to find on your own. We had amazing noodles, very tasty bbq dishes, pancakes of dreams a fried bun that was so good I still talk about it.”
Claudia
April 2020
“The food was amazing and our guide did a phenomenal job explaining dishes as well as catering to my own personal seafood allergy. She even went above and beyond by providing her WeChat in case we had any other questions during the rest of our visit, which we did. Lost Plate would definitely be my first contact when visiting Beijing again. I really cant say enough good things about our experience.”
Mike E.
May 2019
“Lost Plate never disappoints! I made sure to book the Shanghai tours (I did both the breakfast and the dinner tours) after having such a great experience with Lost Plate in Beijing. Hard to cover this much food on your own especially when traveling solo. It’s also a great way to connect with a local and other travelers. Wen was our guide and was wonderful! Knowledgeable, fun and engaging. Wen went above and beyond to give us a great tour and even sent me restaurant recommendations for the rest of my stay.”
Rde88
January 2020
“After arriving in shanghai on 7am flight with zero sleep we very nearly skipped this tour. Sooo glad we didn’t! Absolutely the best tour we had in 6 weeks traveling. Delightful and knowledgeable guide, Daphne took us to tiny tucked away restaurants that only a local would know as well as providing great historical background and current overview of the local area. Highly recommend this tour, in fact this is unmissable if you visit Shanghai.”
Lizspill
October 2019
“Three weeks in China and South East Asia and we were not able to replicate the deliciousness of the food we enjoyed on this tour. From street stalls, a “climb-through-the-window-to-enjoy-the-best-dumplings-in-the-world” home visit to a high street noodles bar. The tour was worth every penny, as we would have never found half of these amazing eateries. The tuk-tuks were an experience and the end of the evening brewery expedition was the perfect way to end off. Our guide was excellent and the booking procedure and communication was top-class. We even received a pamphlet with recommended restaurants, addresses and what to order at the end of the evening.”
Annie B
January 2020
“In and out of tuk-tuks, in and out of the most intriguing food establishments I wouldn’t be able to find even if I was totally lost. The best was the in-home dining – in through the living room and out through the back window. All the food we tried was marvelous, the company of fellow adventurers was super, and our guide Linxi was delightful. This was my second Lost Plate tour (after Xian) and I look forward to collecting the beer coozies from all the rest!”
The KCB
November 2019