UnTour Food Tours

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UnTour Food Tours

China's Top-Ranked Food Tour Operator

Created in 2010 to help newcomers to China discover authentic, delicious local cuisine, UnTour Food Tours offers localized food tours to showcase the best and most authentic eats in Shanghai & Beijing. Thanks to consistently high customer feedback, UnTour Food Tours are rated the #1 food tour in Shanghai and Beijing by the users of the popular online travel community, TripAdvisor. Over the past si

x years, they have explored the city’s best food streets and holes-in-the-wall with more than 10,000 guests.

01/08/2026

Was reminded this week that it never hurts to ask.

While wandering through a Hakka village in rural Fujian, we were invited into a family’s home for a look around. Their covered courtyard seemed like the perfect place for a gathering.

Before leaving, we mentioned that we were a group of 13 and asked if they’d be willing to cook lunch for us the following day. It took them a couple of minutes to realize we were serious.

The next day, we were treated to a memorable meal of locally grown ingredients in their centuries-old home, complete with house-made rice wine.

Such a privilege, and it never would have happened if we hadn’t simply asked.

24/07/2026

Texture is as important in Chinese cuisine as flavor. Sometimes more so. (Looking at you, jellyfish salad!)

炒饼 (chǎobǐng) offers the deeply satisfying chew of an al dente noodle.

Most popular in the Northern Plains of China, where wheat grows more readily than rice, thin strips of flatbread are stir-fried over high heat with bean sprouts, greens, and your choice of protein, from eggs and pork to Chinese sausage. The bread develops smoky, crisp edges while remaining irresistibly springy at the center.

📍 Jing’an Guangtou Fried Flatbread 静安光头炒饼
174 Wanhangdu Rd., Jing’an District, Shanghai
上海市静安区万航渡路174号

📍 NICK RHINO 犀牛尼克西安小酒馆
Room 105, 38 Pingwu Rd., Changning District, Shanghai
上海市长宁区平武路38号105室

15/07/2026

A few more shots from the Chengdu Classics Food Tour.

We’re still dreaming about the “sweet water” noodles (甜水面), ice jelly (冰粉), and “strange flavor” egg pancake (怪味蛋烘糕).

In Chengdu, some of the best dishes are the hardest to translate.

Sweet water noodles are thick, chewy wheat noodles tossed with a sweet-savory sauce. Ice jelly is a refreshing street snack topped with brown sugar syrup, raisins, and fruit. And “strange flavor” is sweet, sour, spicy, numbing, and savory flavors packed into a crisp egg pancake.

Sometimes, it’s better to taste first and ask questions later.

09/07/2026

A favorite stop on the Chengdu Classics Food Tour.

Guokui (锅盔) begins with a sheet of dough that’s smeared with a savory pork or beef filling, then rolled into a pinwheel. It’s then dipped in black sesame seeds, flattened into a disc, pan-fried until golden, and finished in the oven to create a crisp, flaky crust with juicy layers inside.

07/07/2026

Show me you’re in Chengdu without telling me you’re in Chengdu. 🌶️

Seven types of dried chilies. Four varieties of Sichuan peppercorns. Three buckets of doubanjiang. Five kinds of chili flakes. Four styles of pickled peppers. And freshly ground er jing tiao (二荆条) chilies for DIY doubanjiang.

Sichuan cooking isn’t about making food as spicy as possible. It’s about choosing the right combination of chilies, peppercorns, and fermented ingredients to build depth, aroma, color, and that unmistakable málà (麻辣) flavor.

02/07/2026

A few animal-inspired showstopper dishes from Guide Sian’s trip to Henan.

Yuxiang eggplant “dragon” (鱼香茄龙) is a creative take on the classic gingery, sweet, sour and spicy dish with thin slices of eggplant lightly fried, then coated in the glossy sauce.

The stuffed veggie “python” (农家蒸菜蟒) is packed with chopped greens and glass noodles, steamed until tender, and served with a bright chili-garlic dipping sauce.

📍 Bao San Lamb Hot Pot Noodles & BBQ 鲍三·羊肉烩面烧烤（伊河路店）
工人路与伊河路交叉口西行70米路北
North side of Yihe Rd., 70 m west of the intersection with Gongren Rd., Zhongyuan District, Zhengzhou
郑州市中原区工人路与伊河路交叉口西行70米路北

25/06/2026

Did you know that Peking duck isn’t just one of Beijing’s iconic dishes, it’s also surprisingly easy to find at halal restaurants?

Guide Sian paired crisp-skinned roast duck (烤鸭) with a bubbling clay pot of vermicelli (砂锅肉沫粉), featuring minced beef and silky sweet potato starch noodles. She also ordered the real-life version of Kung Pao chicken (宫爆鸡丁), plus a simple stir-fried cabbage (炝炒圆白菜) to balance out the meal.

📍 Ziguangyuan Roast Duck Restaurant (Art Museum Branch) 紫光园烤鸭小馆（美术馆店）
Unit WL1-05, 1F, Building A, Longfu Temple South Block, No. 1 Longfu Temple Front Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing
北京市东城区隆福寺前街1号隆福寺南坊A座1层WL1-05号

18/06/2026

On the hunt again with Guide Sian for awesome regional cuisine in Beijing.

Yunnan’s famous small-pot rice noodles (小锅米线) are cooked one bowl at a time rather than in massive communal pots. This version (焖肉小锅米线) combines braised pork, pickled vegetables, chili oil, and silky rice noodles.

On the side, she added Jianshui tofu (烤建水豆腐), little pillows of tofu with a chili powder dip.

To finish, a modern take on Paoluda (泡鲁达), a dessert with roots in Yunnan’s Dai communities and neighboring Myanmar. This version combines coconut milk, vermicelli, toast points, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a mint spring for a refreshing finish after a spicy meal.

Order: Braised pork small-pot rice noodles (焖肉小锅米线), Jianshui tofu (烤建水豆腐), Paoluda (泡鲁达)

📍 Jiao Yunnan Small-Pot Rice Noodles 娇云南小锅米线
5 Jiaodaokou South Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing
北京市东城区交道口南大街5号

16/06/2026

How do you know if the chefs are really from Sichuan? When you order 微辣 (mild) and this is how it comes.

Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) originated in Chengdu during the Qing Dynasty by a woman whose face was marked by smallpox scars. Locals affectionately called her “Ma Po” (麻婆), meaning “pockmarked old grandma”.

Her tofu, cooked with pork mince, doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste), Sichuan peppercorns and just a “little” chili oil, became so popular that the dish took on her nickname.

We imagine she didn’t care what people called it, as long as they kept lining up for it.

11/06/2026

Street Eats Breakfast, 2 seconds at a time.

Address

Near Drum Tower
Beijing

Website

http://www.untourfoodtours.com/

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