Chinese cuisine

Menus with Chinese options on SeEat. Tap a card to open the visual menu.

Chinese cuisine is not one kitchen but at least eight great regional traditions, from delicate Cantonese steaming to fiery Sichuan málà, hearty northern wheat cooking (noodles, dumplings) and the sweet-savory braises of the east. Shared foundations are wok cooking over high heat, soy sauce, rice and wheat staples, and the balance of texture as much as flavor.

What to order

Peking duck — lacquered roast duck carved tableside, wrapped in thin pancakes
Xiaolongbao — Shanghai soup dumplings filled with pork and hot broth
Mapo tofu — the Sichuan classic of silken tofu in numbing-spicy sauce
Char siu — Cantonese barbecued pork with a sweet lacquered edge
Hand-pulled noodles (lamian) — northern wheat noodles in beef broth or stir-fried

17 menus

Frequently asked questions

What are the main regional Chinese cuisines?

The traditional list names eight: Cantonese, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, and Shandong. Cantonese (dim sum, roasts) and Sichuan (málà heat) are the two most represented on menus abroad.

Why do Chinese menus abroad differ from food in China?

Many overseas standards — General Tso’s chicken, chop suey, fortune cookies — were invented abroad. Restaurants often keep two repertoires; the regional specialties are usually where the kitchen’s identity lives.

How do I order well from a long Chinese menu?

Order for the table: one roast or braise, one stir-fry, one vegetable, one staple. SeEat turns a hundred-item menu into photographed, described dishes with dietary tags, which makes the long menu navigable.