If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you probably know by now that I really like Chinese food (我很喜欢中国菜 – wǒ hěn xǐ huān zhōng guó cài). When I first moved there, I missed my good old American food from time to time. The longer I stayed in China, though, the more I fell in love with local food. These days, a plate of dumplings or a bowl of noodles are my comfort food instead of burgers and pizza! In this post, I’ll share with you some of my favorite Chinese dishes.

20 of My Favorite Chinese Dishes

While each region of China has its own specialties, there are plenty of dishes that you can find all over the country. The problem for most lao wai is not being able to understand the menu. You’ll get pictures from time to time and the occasional English menu, but those tend to be confusing Chinglish that doesn’t really tell you what the dish actually is.

Nice Chinglish for a tasty noodle dish.

To make things easier for you, here’s a list of 20 of the most popular Chinese dishes that you can print out and take with you. These dishes are popular for a reason and they’re same of my absolute favorites. Don’t end up eating McDonald’s or KFC because you’re intimidated by the local menu!

Looking at that list, you may be wondering about dishes like “fish-scented pork/eggplant” and the “Three Treasures of Earth.” Don’t let the name throw you off, as the pork & eggplant dishes really do not smell anything like fish. I still don’t understand the name after eating both countless times. It’s actually a bit sweet and spicy and really has nothing to do with fish.

As far as the treasures, they are: potatoes, green pepper, and eggplant. This is one of the best dishes for vegetarians in China. It’s one of my go-to dishes that I’ve eaten all over the country during my travels. The eggs & tomatoes dish is already a solid choice if you don’t eat meat.

For a more detailed look at some of my favorite dishes in China, check out these posts:

• Baozi vs. Jiaozi – Steamed stuffed buns or dumplings? I compare the two classics and weigh the pros and cons of each.
• 10 Different Types of Chinese Noodles – I introduce niu rou la mian and nine other varieties of Chinese noodles in this post.
• Warm Up with Chinese Hot Pot – This post goes into more detail about huo gou, which is probably the best thing to eat on a cold winter day.

Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let my photos do the talking. Here are some photos of my favorite Chinese dishes that I listed above:

Start your day off with a 煎饼.

Donkey meat is awesome. Try a 驴肉火烧 for lunch.

The ubiquitous 宫爆鸡丁.

A classic Chinese veggie dish – 西红柿炒鸡蛋.

There’s nothing like a hot plate of 饺子.

The Sichuan classic dish – 麻婆豆腐.

羊肉串- the perfect snack at a beer festival!

Probably the most fun dining experience around – 火锅.

Videos

Of course, we’ve also got some videos about real Chinese food floating around on our YouTube channel. Here are some of my favorites:

Munch on the amazing donkey meat sandwiches.

Hit up Ghost Street in the capital for some Old Beijing hot pot.

Take a class at Beijing’s Hutong School to learn how to make Chinese dumplings.

Get introduced to 5 different types of Chinese noodles.

I’m sure your mouth is watering after this post and you’ve probably already ordered takeout from your local Chinese restaurant. Before you stuff your face, though, leave a comment below to answer this questions:

你最喜欢吃什么中国菜?
nǐ zuì xǐ huān chī shén me zhōng guó cài
What’s your favorite Chinese food to eat?