As a result of hundreds of years of culinary experimentation, Suzhou cuisine has developed a unique flavor and a famed reputation. Each course is individually prepared and the emphasis is on the use of quality ingredients, tender meat, fresh vegetables and care in preparation. The result is a selection of fabulous dishes that are unique in color, aroma, shape and taste. Suzhou cuisine is often sweet to taste and beautifully presented.

The fish and vegetable dishes of the area are well known throughout China and some of the best local dishes to try are; Songshu Guiyu (Mandarin Fish, stewed and fried), Qingtang Yuchi (braised shark's fin in a clear soup), Xiangyou Shanhu (stewed shredded eel) and Xigua Ji (young chicken buried in watermelon rind and steamed). The best places to try for good and authentic Suzhou cuisine are on Gangzhou Lu and around the middle of Renmin Lu.

The snacks in Suzhou are also tasty. Try the bean curd cakes with honey, pine nuts in syrup, melon seeds fried with rose juice and sesame cake with mashed date.

International cuisine has made its way to the city restaurants, largely thanks to the fact that Suzhou is a tourist town. The big hotels do some great western food and there are even a couple of smaller independent restaurants around town branching into the continental cuisine area. KFC and McDonalds are already well established!

Deyuelou Restaurant

Deyuelou Restaurant is located in Guanqian Eunuch Lane, and it is so named with the meaning of "one in the pavilion near water can see the moon first".

Deyuelou Restaurant is primitively simple and elegant from its outside and its inside is both dignified and graceful. It is out-standing among the imitations of ancient buildings in the Eunuch Lane. It has 2 storeys, 7 dining rooms, with 3 on the ground floor and Guanghan, Qiongyao, Yuyu and Hehe box rooms on the second floor. It can accommodate nearly 1000 people to dine simultaneously.

Deyuelou is peculiar in supplying Subang famous dishes and refreshments, such as crystal cabbage, Qianceng salmon, preserved Nantuicai, 3-shrimp bean curd, Yangcheng Crab, abalone soup, water melon baby chick, chick rape-heart, crisp fried fat duck. In particular, Deyue baby chick and Xishi Playing Moon are their unique famous dishes. Banquet refreshments are modeled as Suzhou Gardens scenery spots, expressing the cooks' ingenuity.

Deyuelou Restaurant is well known throughout the country for its shooting movies of "Satisfied or Not" and "Little Deyuelou".

Suzhou Snack Garden

Suzhou Snack Garden, a branch of Deyuelou, is located in Guanqian Eunuch Lane, Suzhou, The front parlor of Suzhou Snack Garden is built in old Suzhou shop patterns and in garden form. Inside, there are ancient trees, cane trellis, ancient well, which brings people back to the environment of Old Suzhou.

Suzhou Snack Garden is the only place today for tasting snack in Suzhou, with a complete snack category. Snacks provided are of tens of kinds, such as Fengzhen Noodle, Fried Jinjiao, osmanthutaro, sugar boiled lotus roots, osmanthus sweet dumplings, osmanhus lotus fruits, fried red glutinous, chick-duck blood soup, fried Chunjuan, fried gold-brick (strong-smelling preserved bean curd), soup Xiaolong, pickled river snail, etc. The snack gardens cooks strictly through traditional processing methods to ensure the snack original and tasty. They are popular with customers.

Food Street-Xueshi Street

Xueshi Street is located in the west of the ancient town in Suzhou. The reform of its streets was finished in '97. Maybe due to the prosperity of the nation and food industry, or maybe due to Suzhou people's love for having fun and fresh food together, with the reform of Xueshi Street, restaurants, bars, Jiaozi houses, hot pot city, seafood restaurants close to each other come out and become very popular in Suzhou.

With low prices, dishes on Xueshi Street are closer to ordinary life. Services in each restaurant are intimate and warm. People dining here feel at home and appear cordial and natural. So, Suzhou people would like to go to Xueshi Street for family dinner and friends get-together. It is "willows that you plant accidentally grow into forest". Xueshi Street has the strong potential to exceed Shiquan Street and Jiayu Street.