Hangzhou Cuisine

Hangzhou cuisine is currently one of the most popular and fashionable styles of cooking throughout China and especially in neighboring Shanghai. A wealth of "Hangzhou" inspired restaurants have shot up throughout the country and the cuisine from this city has been elevated to a superior status.

Hangzhou cooking is closely related to the local culture and characterized by natural flavor, beautiful presentation and a light and palatable taste. Dishes and pastries which would have once been served on pleasure boats sailing up and down the lake remain the main staple of the Hangzhou diet and recipes here usually contain a great deal of seafood including fish, shrimp, crab and oyster. Any dining experience in Hangzhou should include at least a few of the following local specialties: Beggar's chicken (an entire chicken cooked in a ball of mud), West Lake fish (vinegar coated fish from the lake) and braised pork and stewed shelled shrimp cooked in Longjing tea.

Hangzhou adopted a system of management by designation to ensure that both Chinese and foreign tourist groups can enjoy good restaurant services. The "Yuanhua food Street" and the middle part of the Stadium Road has become a "food street" with comparatively intensive service facilities for food and drinks. The Louwailou Restaurant and some other restaurants have been designated as local-style restaurants, the Haifeng Western Food Service as a western food restaurant, and the Phoenix Muslim Restaurant as a Muslim restaurant. All of them are famous restaurants in Hangzhou, Known for their excellent cooking techniques, good service, and clean surroundings.

Food Street on the Stadium Road

About 1km long, the middle section of the Stadium Road is a flourishing area with the greatest stream of people in the city of Hangzhou. There are 25 different restaurants in this area, with more than 8,500 seats, forming a fairly concentrated "food street" in the city, providing Hangzhou dishes, Guangdong dishes, South Korean cooking, KFC fast food, hotpots, snacks, refreshment and so forth, with various prices suitable for both visitors and local residents.

Food Street of the Yuanhua Plaza

Along the food street of the Yuanhua Plaza, Shangcheng district of Hangzhou, there are 27 restaurants, teahouses and bars, with more than 800 seats. Having business hours as long as 12 hours or more, they primarily provide Hangzhou dishes, Zhejiang dishes, snacks with various flavors, along with Dragon's Well green tea, wines and soft drinks.

Hangzhou River Holiday Village's Yuexiu Show and Banquet Hall

Located on the Qiantang River bank, opposite to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, one of the famous historical sites of Hangzhou, the Hangzhou River Holiday Village's Yuexiu Show and Banquet Hall is a banquet hall with Hangzhou folk decoration, local features and stage shows. With 268 seats in total, the hall provides visitors from all over the world with dishes of rich Hangzhou flavor, such as the West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce, Beggar's chicken, Dragon Well Shrimp Meat, Pot Roast Pork with Dried Turnip, Crispy Spring Pigeon, Tendon Fried with Bamboo Shoots, Stewed Old Duck with Dried Bamboo Shoots. It also provides a colorful night life program consisting of fashion shows, Zhejiang local opera, juggling conjuring tricks, singing and dancing.