10 Top Foods to Try When Traveling in China

Hairy crab in Xibao.

So you’re traveling to China.  You’re probably wondering, what do people eat in China?  They can’t possibly eat the same items I pick up from my neighborhood Chinese restaurant in those cute little take out boxes.  It is true that many of the foods in China are very different from what we are used to getting at home.  (Though surprisingly, orange chicken is actually an authentic Chinese dish, but so much better in China than that gooey sweet stuff we have at home.)  Through a lot of research, some great food tours in China, and a little bit of happenstance, we ate the following 10 top foods to try when traveling in China. 

Shanghai by Sidecar, an Insiders Experience

Trying out the sidecars before our Shanghai sidecar tour.
We didn't actually drive as it is illegal for foreigners to drive in China.

Sometimes when making travel plans you come across something that you just have to do, even if it means splurging a little.  I found such an experience when I read about touring Shanghai by sidecar with Insiders Experience.  I have always wanted to ride in a sidecar, and exploring Shanghai at night in a vintage sidecar was an experience I did not want to pass up.

We were met for our Shanghai sidecar tour at the Andaz Hotel by Shane Ullman, manager of Insiders Experience, and Michael, one of Insiders Experience’s drivers, each with their beautifully restored sidecars. After admiring the sidecars and donning our helmets we were off.

Street Eats Breakfast Food Tour with UnTour Shanghai

While traveling to China we wanted to try every kind of food possible.  So I was really excited when I stumbled across an article on TimeOut Shanghai about alternative Shanghai tours, which included a write up on culinary tours with UnTour Shanghai.  Looking back I am very thankful we planned food tours in both Beijing and Shanghai, because they introduced us to so many different foods and experiences I don’t think we would have had otherwise. 

UnTour Shanghai offers a variety of Shanghai food tours, including Oodles of Noodles, Street Eats Breakfast, Dumpling Delights, Street Eats Night Markets, Vegetarian Voyage, and Hands-On Dumpling Delights.  The first task was figuring out which of these tours we wanted to try.  We opted for Street Eats Breakfast.  It meant waking up early, but I just knew it was going to be worth it, and it was.