3 Best Restaurants in Wuhan, Eastern China

This ultra-popular Hangzhou chain packs in locals who flock here for homestyle Zhejiang cuisine at unbeatable prices. Good food at low cost means long waits, but the queue system is orderly and you can wander around the mall. If you're a group of 10 or more, you can call and book a semi-private room. The long menu is a mostly Zhejiang regional fare with a few dishes from other parts of China like mapo doufu (cubed soft tofu in chili oil). Must-orders include the clay pot roast chicken marinated in green tea leaves, piquant sautéed long beans with peppercorns, and spicy cauliflower stir-fried with garlic and tiny pieces of Jinhua ham (for which Zhejiang is known). Cool your burning tongue with winter melon juice and finish the meal with a plate of green tea pastry, the slightly flaky outside covered in sesame seeds and giving way to a sweet green tea paste within.

This outpost of Grandma's Home (外婆家) is not to be confused with Grandma's Kitchen, one floor up.

Hot pot is an ultra-popular meal in East and Southeast Asia (where it's generally known as steamboat). Although locals in China eat it year round, it's best in winter, not the sweltering summers that much of the country sees. A metal pot of broth–either mild or spicy–sits at the center of the table and, while it simmers, you add whatever ingredients you've ordered. Hai Di Lao is a well-known country-side chain with fairly good service and a picture menu, but hot pot ingredients don't vary much– there's thinly sliced meats (usually beef and mutton), meat dumplings, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, wide, flat noodles, and sometimes seafood. There are a handful of dipping sauces available, including a spicy chili sauce and the more mild, sweet peanut sauce.

Hot pot is really not a good option for vegetarians unless there is specifically vegetarian broth; otherwise, assume it has meat it in.

There's no more authentic Chinese experience than fighting your way through crowds to tuck into delicious and inexpensive street food. Scores of stalls and pint-size restaurants line this street and even in winter the place is super popular with domestic tourists, young couples walking hand-in-hand, and a mixed group of locals. On offer are spicy noodles (available in broth or dry), barbecued oysters and crayfish, steamed buns filled with meat and vegetables (baozi), beef and lamb kebabs, and soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), their skins dyed purple, green, and orange from vegetable juices. It's chaotic here and you will smell the dumpsters as you walk past, but it's a fun, truly local experience with good eats to boot–and for a pittance.

Bring tissues or wet wipes.