Welcome to Chengdu!
Living here for over 20 years, I realise that Sichuan cuisine is far more complex than I thought.
I’ve selected three restaurants that even Chinese tourists don’t know about — they’re the ones the Chengdu locals absolutely love. And a few ordering tips at the end. Hope it helps
🐂 曾牛肉（金沙店）— Beef Specialist
🌶 Spicy dishes recommendation
- 水煮肉片 — Sichuan-style poached beef in chilli broth
- 麻婆豆腐 — Mapo tofu, one of the best mapo in my opinion
- 青椒肉丝 — Pork with green peppers
🥬 Mild option
- 葱爆牛肉 — Stir-fried beef with spring onion
🎯 Consistency 5/5
Family-run, mother, father and son at the counter. They’re genuinely warm people — you’ll feel it the moment you walk in.
📍 A short walk from Jinsha Site Museum. ( Note: Jinsha Site Museum is currently closed for renovation and is expected to reopen in May 2027.) Worth a stroll around the neighbourhood after the meal.
🍜 小院坝三鲜面（西北桥东街店）— Noodle Restaurant
🌶
- 红油水饺 — Chilli oil dumplings
- 牛肉面 — Sichuan beef noodles — considered one of the ancestors of the Taiwan beef noodle
- 干拌素椒炸酱面 – Noodles with minced meat & sauce (dry style) like Dandan noodles
🥬
- 三鲜面 — The house special: noodles with mushroom, bamboo shoots and pork
🎯 5/5
The same elderly gentleman cooks every single day.
📍 The 九里提 Jiuliti neighbourhood nearby has a very old-Chengdu feel — unhurried, longtime locals, the kind of pace that’s hard to find now. Worth wandering after your noodles.
🐔 王鸡婆川菜馆（西二道街总店）— Chicken Speciality Restaurant
🌶
- 椒麻鸡 — Cold chicken with Sichuan peppercorn — the house special, I love this one
- 王拌鸡 — Wang-style mouth-watering chicken (similar flavour profile — order one or the other, not both)
- 炒鸡杂 — Stir-fried chicken giblets
🥬
- 火烤馍 — Toasted flatbread — kind of like a Chinese ciabatta 🇮🇹
- 锅巴肉片 — Crispy rice with pork slices
🎯 3.5/5
I haven’t seen the lady owner at all throughout 2025. She may have retired. The food has become a little saltier. When ordering, it’s worth saying: 麻烦少放点盐，谢谢 (“a little less salt, please, thank you”).
📍 About 700 metres from Kuixinglou Street. Kuanzhai Alley and People’s Park are both within comfortable walking distance. (There’s a waste treatment station nearby, but there’s no smell inside the restaurant.)
It’s perfectly normal to find it hard to get used to local food at the beginning of an intercontinental trip. When I first travelled to Europe, I couldn’t stand coffee or cheese at all — but now, I’m absolutely addicted to both.
So I’ve listed these three restaurants in the order I think foreign friends might find easiest to enjoy.
How to Order Sichuan Food Without Overdoing It
Sichuan food is famous for its spice, but I’d recommend not ordering everything spicy — it can be a bit much for your stomach by the end of the meal.
For two people, I’d suggest one spicy dish, one mild or lightly spiced dish, and one vegetable dish.
For example, my gf and I usually get something like 🌶️ 麻婆豆腐 (or 水煮肉片), plus 葱爆牛肉, plus a 🥬 蔬菜清汤.
Hope you have a wonderfully time in Chengdu.
耍安逸 吃巴适~
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