Chongqing is not only a beautiful mountain city boasting wonderful landscapes, but also the no. 1 China tour destination for food lovers. As an essential branch of Sichuan cuisine, Chongqing food also features spicy, numbing flavor, and tourists can enjoy a wonderful food tour in Chongqing as there is a great variety of local dishes and snacks to choose from, such as hot pot, Chongqing noodles, and spicy wontons. Here we list the top 10 foods to eat in Chongqing. Each of them will impress you with its distinctive flavor and taste.
Chongqing Hot Pot
If you can’t decide what to eat for your first meal in Chongqing, just go to a hot pot restaurant. This traditional Chongqing food has won itself the title of the “No. 1 Cultural Symbol of Chongqing” because its representative spicy and pungent flavor.
The soul of Chongqing Hot Pot lies in the fiery-red soup stock full of chili peppers and numbing peppercorns. Diners can boil whatever meat and vegetables they like in the thick broth. It is recommended tourists have a try of the tripe, duck blood, duck intestines, and ox aorta, all of which are local people’s favorite side dishes to go with the hot pot.
If you can’t handle spicy food, the double-flavor hot pot is a perfect choice for you. This kind of pot is divided into two sections, with one side filled with spicy broth and the other side light flavored soup stock like clear broth, tomato-flavor soup and mushroom soup.
Famous Chongqing Hot Pot restaurants: Chongqing Liuyishou Hot Pot (JieFang Bei), DaDui ZhangLao Hotpot (BeiCheng TianJie), Zhaoer Hot Pot (Chongqing Head Restaurant), Ma Qin Hot Pot (Three Gorges Square Branch)
Chongqing Noodles (Chongqing Xiao Mian)
One of the most famous foods in China, Xiao Mian is a characteristic staple in Chongqing, with both a great look and rich flavor. The chewy, thin noodles are often served in thick bone soup and topped with bright red chili oil, green vegetables, fried peanuts and chopped green onions, offering a strong taste mixing spiciness with fresh, numb and salty flavors.
Chongqing Xiao Mian is an indispensable dish on local people’s Chinese breakfast menu. Every morning, restaurants and roadside stalls serving the noodles are packed with diners of all ages. The spicy and hot flavor of Xiao Mian will awaken people’s taste buds instantly and cheer them up for the coming of the new day.
Where to eat Chongqing Noodles: Dao Maa Daan – Chongqing Noodles. Chongqing Noodle Restaurant, Pangmei Noodle Restaurant
Chongqing Hot and Sour Glass Noodles (Chongqing Suan La Fen)
Hot and Sour Glass Noodles is a kind of traditional Chongqing food that can be easily found at roadside booths and stalls. As its name indicates, the sour and spicy flavor created by chili oil and vinegar is the greatest characteristic of the dish and brings about a strong impact on the palates. The glassy noodles, featuring a chewy and elastic texture, are made of sweet potato powder and can well absorb the rich flavor of the soup stock. Fried peanuts and Sichuan pickles are two important toppings of Chongqing Suan La Fen, adding a crunchy taste to this dish.
Where to eat: 莱得快Laidekuai Chongqing Hot and Sour Glass Noodles
Spicy Wontons in Chili Oil (Hongyou Chaoshou)
Chaoshou is another name for wonton in Sichuan and Chongqing. It is a kind of bite-sized dumpling but with a thinner skin and juicy pork stuffing. In Chongqing, this kind of food is often served in a bowl of steaming soup stock with red chili oil (“Hongyou” in Chinese) floating on the top. Besides Hongyou Chaoshou, wontons with clear soup, garlic sauce or sesame paste can also be found in Chongqing, which cater to the taste of tourists who prefer a light flavor.
Where to Eat: 张鲜鲜Zhang Xianxian, 蓉李记Rongliji
Chongqing-Style Boiled Blood Curd (Chongqing Mao Xue Wang)
Mao Xue Wang is a traditional Chongqing cuisine originating from Ciqikou Ancient Town in the 1940s. “Mao” in Chongqing dialect means “the simplest”, which implies that the cooking of this dish involves the easiest technique – boiling, but it creates the strong and rich flavor that makes diners want more.
Actually, Mao Xue Wang is like a “small-sized hot pot”, with duck blood curd as well as some side dishes such as tripe, ox aorta, lunch meat, bean sprouts and celery boiled together in the thick, spicy stock broth. All the food will fully absorb the thick aroma of the soup, and the rich, fiery flavor makes Mao Xue Wang a perfect dish to go with rice.
Where to eat: Chen Xiang (Chuang Hui Shou Zuo Store)
Best Chongqing tour packages with local food tasting:
- 1 Day Chongqing City Tour
- 4 Days Chengdu & Chongqing Highlights Tour
- 5 Days Chongqing Yangtze River Cruise Tour with Wulong
Chongqing Chicken with Chilies (Chongqing La Zi Ji)
For natives, La Zi Ji is one of their favorite Chinese foods in Chongqing to go with wine, due to its unique spicy flavor and the tender texture of the chicken. To make the perfect La Zi ji, the chicken dices need to be deep fried first to be crispy on the outside but tender on the inside, then stir fry the meat with sliced chili peppers and seasonings to get the fiery flavor. When La Zi Ji is served, the golden color of the chicken dice and the fiery red of chili peppers will definitely make you hungry, let alone its spicy, numbing taste.
Where to eat: Chicken with Chilies
Chongqing Grilled Fish (Chongqing Kaoyu)
Chongqing Grilled Fish is a traditional Chongqing food starting from the Wanzhou District of the city. The dish well combines the spicy, fiery flavor of Chongqing Hot Pot with the smoky taste of the outdoor barbecue. Chongqing Grilled Fish also has a particular cooking process, as the fish needs to go through three phases, namely preserving, grilling, and stewing, so that it can get a crispy crust, juicy texture, and spicy, thick flavor.
Where to eat: Traditional Wanzhou Roasted Fish, Chong Qing Grilled Fish Bugis
Chicken Hotpot Stew (Ji Gong Bao)
Ji Gong Bao is a classical Chongqing cuisine famous for its fresh and tender meat and strong-flavored sauce. The chicken needs to be preserved and pan-fried first. Then simmer the chicken dices with spices, bean paste, soy sauce, and sugar as well as other side dishes, like potatoes, ham, and mushroom, until the meat is properly cooked and the soup thick and rich. The Chicken Pot is often served with rice. The thick sauce of Ji Gong Bao and rice really makes a perfect match.
Where to eat: YuXinChuanCai
Tofu Pudding with Rice (Douhua Fan)
Douhua Fan is a popular homemade Chongqing food, consisting of a bowl of tofu pudding, a bowl of rice, and a dish of spicy dipping sauce. The rich proteins and appetizing flavor make Douhua Fan one of the best cuisines to eat on hot summer days. Pick up one piece of tofu pudding, let it be fully coated with the specially-made sauce, and then eat the tofu together with the fragrant rice. The tender and smooth tofu pudding will create a magic combination with the spicy sauce and the chewy rice.
Where to eat: Zhang DouHua
Glutinous Rice Balls in Mountain City (Shancheng Tangyuan)
Tangyuan is a traditional dessert in Chongqing with over 800 years of history. These bite-sized round balls are made of glutinous rice flour with different kinds of fillings such as black sesame, red bean paste, peanuts, and date paste. Put one rice ball into your mouth, and you will feel the sticky wrapper melting on your tongue and the sweet filling flowing to every corner of your mouth, which will give you a refreshing taste after enjoying other spicy, hot Chongqing foods.
Where to eat: Shan Chen Tian XiangYu Dao Guan, Douji Shancheng Tangyuan Milk Tea (Bayi Road)
Related reading: Top 15 Things to Do in Chongqing
Recommended China Yangtze Cruise Tours with Chongqing
