How to Order Food in Restaurants in China

How to Order Food in Restaurants in China

You’ve survived the flight， navigated the subway， and somehow made it to a real Chinese restaurant — not the “General Tso’s Chicken” kind back home， but the real deal. The menu lands on your table. It’s entirely in Chinese. There are no pictures. The waiter is staring at you.

Don’t panic. You’ve got this. Here’s everything you need to know to order food in China like a pro (or at least like someone who won’t accidentally order a plate of pig ears when they wanted fried rice).

Step 1： Reading the Menu (菜单 cài dān /tseye-dan/)

The moment you sit down， a pot of tea appears — free， refillable， and absolutely not optional. Then comes the menu (菜单， cài dān /tseye-dan/). This is where the adventure begins.

Lucky You： Menus with Pictures

If your menu has photos， congratulations — you’ve hit the jackpot. Just point at whatever looks delicious and say：

一份 (Yí Fèn /ee-fnn/) — “One portion， please.”

In northern China， you might hear it as 一份儿 (yī fènr /ee-frrh/). Either works. If you spot someone at the next table eating something incredible， you can point at their food too — though fair warning， this is considered slightly bizarre even by the most patient of locals. Use sparingly.

The English Menu Illusion

Some restaurants — especially in big cities or tourist areas — offer English menus. Amazing! Except… sometimes the translations are creative. Think “Husband and Wife Lung Slices” (a perfectly delicious Sichuan dish， we promise) or “Steamed Crap” (that’s carp， almost certainly). Enjoy the Chinglish. Take photos. Order anyway — the food is usually great.

Note： Even with an English menu， staff may not speak English. You’ll still be pointing and saying yī fèn like everyone else.

Menus without Pictures： Your Survival Cheat Sheet

No pictures， no English? No problem. Here are the dishes most popular with Western visitors — screenshot this before you go.

Note： Pronunciation guides below are American English approximations. Not perfect， but close enough to get you fed.

Step 2： Ordering Verbally

Can’t find what you want on the cheat sheet above? Try asking directly. The magic phrase is：

有没有 (Yǒu Méi Yǒu /yoh-may-yoh/) — “Do you have…?”

Say the food name (in Chinese， ideally)， follow it with yǒu méi yǒu， and wait. If they have it： 有 (yǒu) — yes! If not： 没有 (méi yǒu) — nope.

Customizing Your Order

Chinese food can be intensely spicy， salty， or MSG-laden — all wonderful things in moderation. Here’s how to adjust：

Pro tip： If you say bú yào là and the dish still arrives spicy， the universe is testing you. Accept it gracefully.

Step 3： How Many Dishes to Order

The Rule of Thumb

A good rule： order one more dish than the number of people at the table. Three people? Four dishes， plus rice. This follows the Chinese tradition of always having a little more than enough — generosity is hospitality here.

⚠️ Numbers That Will Haunt Your Dinner

Here’s a cultural nugget that could save you from an awkward dinner： avoid ordering 4 dishes. In Chinese， the number 4 (四， sì) sounds almost identical to the word for death (死， sǐ). Not exactly the vibe you want over a hot pot.

In the Canton (Guangdong) region， 7 dishes is also a no-go — it’s associated with funeral meals. Outside of special occasions， most locals won’t bat an eye， and as a foreigner you’re entirely forgiven either way. But now you know.

Stick to 3， 5， or 6 dishes and you’ll be fine — and probably very full.

A Few Tips on What to Order

• Soup (汤， tāng /tung/) is often served alongside or at the start of the meal — though this varies by region (Cantonese diners swear by pre-meal soup； northerners are more likely to finish with it). Either way， it’s worth ordering.
• Sweet desserts aren’t a big Chinese dining tradition， but caramelized banana/apple and steamed buns with condensed milk are widely available and delightful.
• Mix it up： aim for a variety of proteins and vegetables across the table.

Step 4： Ordering Dumplings Like a Local

Chinese dumplings (饺子， jiǎozi /jyaoww-dzrr/) deserve their own section — and honestly， their own religion. If rice is China’s daily staple， dumplings are its soul food： eaten at New Year’s， eaten after a breakup， eaten at 2am for no reason at all. Many Western visitors consistently rank them among their favorite foods in China， and once you’ve had a freshly steamed tray， you’ll understand why some restaurants serve only dumplings. It is a completely valid business model.

How many to order? About 20–30 for a meal， 40 if you skipped breakfast.

Dumplings are ordered by the plate or portion (盘 pán or 份 fèn)， typically 10 or 20 pieces at a time. Order by saying：

一盘 (yī pán /ee-pan/) or 一份 (yī fèn /ee-fnn/) + your choice of filling

Step 5： Ordering Steak (Yes， Really)

Feeling carnivorous and slightly homesick? Major Chinese cities have plenty of steak restaurants — usually with English menus， though English-speaking staff remain a rare and precious commodity. Point at what you want and specify your doneness. Fair warning： ordering rare steak in China takes a certain kind of confidence. The waiter will look at you. You will hold eye contact. Respect will be exchanged.

Step 6： Fast Food in China

Need a break from culinary adventure? China has you covered. McDonald’s and KFC are everywhere — though the menus have local twists (spicy chicken sandwiches， taro pies， rice boxes). There are also homegrown chains with bold Chinese flavors that are absolutely worth trying.

Ordering is easy： just point at the illuminated display above the counter. But if you want to actually say something：

One heads-up： milkshakes can be surprisingly hard to find in southern China — a tragedy we acknowledge but cannot solve.

Want Someone to Handle All of This for You?

Still feeling like the menu is judging you? Fair. That’s exactly what we’re here for.

Let us take care of the ordering. You just focus on eating.

Source & reference