Certain areas of Chengdu bleep loud on the tourist radar: Jinli Street, Wuhou Temple, People's Park, Tianfu Square and Wenshu Temple are just some of the many well-known destinations. However, there's a new area in northwestern Chengdu called Jinniu ... Read More>>

Although Chengdu is known for its own unique and deliciously spicy Sichuanese flavors, the city has much more to offer than just its signature Chinese dishes. This international city boasts a global palate that includes Japanese and Korean favorites like ... Read More>>

Let's play a little China trivia. Category: Food and Drinks. Level: Ridiculously Easy. Question: Most famous Chinese beverage? Thirty seconds on the clock. Go! Tea, the national drink par excellence, has it all: a long and interesting history, amazing and ... Read More>>

Living expenses in Chengdu are very reasonable – tasty hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Chengdu saturate the city, from shockingly cheap noodle shops to very affordable dumpling houses. Moreover, there's no shortage of inexpensive Sichuan cuisine spots in ... Read More>>

What can you say about China’s beers? Beer experts across the globe have never been quick to compliment Chinese produced beer. To lay it out plainly, even the best beers in China still have a light flavour and are mediocre, at best. Let’s put this way: If ... Read More>>

I am under the firm conviction that if you put most of the flavours of Sichuan cuisine on a sheet of computer paper, it would still be good. Don’t question it. I’ve tried. Anyway, there are times for any Chengdu expat when you just need a good Western ... Read More>>

It wasn’t until 2009, my second stint in China, that I discovered the awesome thing known as all-you-can-eat buffets in Chengdu, Sichuan. What I stumbled upon was a Thai Barbeque in my home city of Chengdu that offered an all-you-can-eat and drink deal for ... Read More>>

There are many words and images that come to mind when you think of Chengdu: spicy Sichuan food, terrible weather and bad traffic, an abundance of sexy girls, ease and comfort in lifestyle, mahjong, teahouses galore and clubs, clubs and more ... Read More>>

Sichuan is home to some of the spiciest Chinese cuisine, including the famously spicy Sichuan hotpot. Eating hotpot in Chengdu is mandatory for those visiting the city. For those living here, anything short of loving it is sin. There are tons of great ... Read More>>

Like most other Western foods in Chengdu, or China for that matter, many vegetarian restaurants never seem to get it quite right. However, there are a few that are surprisingly good, even if their menus overly emphasise tofu-based dishes. That’s fine, if ... Read More>>

Pizzas are a staple for many Western travellers, and Chengdu has a lot of expats looking for pizzas. Pizza is a little taste of home, a link to sanity and the “real world.” So the question arises: where can one get a good pizza in Chengdu? Read More>>

When you live in a city with a reputation for idleness and a love of leisure, it’s not hard to find an excuse to relax or a teahouse in which to do so. But there are some times when a game of mahjong and a bag of sunflower seeds just don’t do the trick; ... Read More>>

Think you can’t find grainy Dijon mustard or a 6-pack of Corona just because you’re living in the middle of Southwest China? Think again! Chengdu is getting increasingly foreigner-friendly and when it comes to the imported staples expats miss so dearly, ... Read More>>

My favourite part of Chengdu cuisine has always been the snacks. There is such a diversity of taste, type and texture in all these delicious xiaochi, one could spend their whole life enjoying Chengdu snacks and it would not be a wasted life. Below is an ... Read More>>

Some of the questions that any foreigner in Chengdu for any length of time will be asked a thousand times each are, “Do you like Sichuan food?”, “Have you tried hot pot?”, and “Can you handle spicy food?” I certainly hope that your answer to all three ... Read More>>

If you've lived in Chengdu for any length of time, you've probably acclimated yourself to the local flavours. If you're like me, you may even be at the point where any time you travel away from Sichuan, you find yourself craving a bit of ma laon your ... Read More>>

In the ten years since I first came to Chengdu, there have been many attempts at establishing the international food front. Numerous aspiring entrepreneurs have tried to open restaurants in Chengdu, only to see them dwindle and disappear. Recently, however, ... Read More>>

Can you believe there was ever a time when people felt that strongly against coffee? Luckily, in Chengdu, coffee is becoming more and more commonplace. Cafes are becoming a regular hangout, especially when they have free WiFi so people can show off their ... Read More>>

This year has heralded an El Nino of a summer in Chengdu, with the sun only popping out for moments (which is normal) between sandwiches of summer showers (not so normal.) Still, we all know that the reason Chengdu girls are the most beautiful in the world ... Read More>>

Luckily for the locals of Chengdu, we seldom have to drink alone; but like Li Bai of old, we certainly enjoy getting our drink on under the canopy of the night sky, cloud covered though it may be. So let’s all raise our glass to the moon, even if we can’t ... Read More>>

One of the best things about the summer is wrapping your tongue around a golden, crunchy cone, filled with an explosion of different flavours, some fruity, others chocolatey, while some perhaps more on the nutty side. As the sun glares down and the heat ... Read More>>

Barbequing is one of the most simple, yet delicious cooking methods out there. No matter where you go in China, you’re bound to find a small vendor grilling lamb on skewers in a busy street, or little shop windows emitting the mouth-watering scent of ... Read More>>