Chongqing Cuisine and Restaurants
Chongqing Cuisine: A Taste of Numbing-Spicy Delights
As one branch of Sichuan cuisine, Chongqing cuisine is spicy as well. But many local people believe that the food there is even spicier and stronger than other Sichuan food. Chongqing food culture is significantly shaped by its rough-and-tumble port past, with the Jianghu cuisine being the real star, injecting new vitality into Sichuan cuisine through innovative, bold cooking methods and distinctive flavors. Downtown Chongqing is full of restaurants, but with locals being adventurous and picky eaters, chefs must constantly innovate to keep their customers.
Chongqing vs Chengdu Food
Both Chengdu and Chongqing food represent Sichuan cuisine, but they differ in cooking styles and flavors. Chongqing’s Szechuan cuisine appears with boldness and more diverse techniques. Expect punchier heat, louder aromas, and a heavy reliance on fiery doubanjiang (fermented chili-bean paste). Whether it’s grilled fish swimming in chilies or bubbling hot pot broth, Chongqing cuisine doesn’t just tingle your tongue—it electrifies it. But Chengdu food tends to be gentler, and you'll get slow-cooked soups, delicate spice blends, and flavors that unfold layer by layer.
>> Recommended 7-day Chongqing & Chengdu Combo Tour
Top Chongqing Food and Restaurants
1. Chongqing Hot Pot
Chongqing is known for the pungent and delicious hot pot, and it can definitely feature Chongqing's cuisine. As one of the most popular Chinese hot pots, Chongqing hot pot enjoys a reputation not only in the country but also around the world. Visitors can find countless hot pot restaurants along all the streets, hence its nickname - Hot Pot City. There are various styles and tastes, such as duck, seafood, beef, and chicken. Apart from that, the western-style hot pot is prepared specially for foreigners.Recommended Chongqing Hot Pot Restaurant
2. Lazi Ji (Chongqing Dry Chili Chicken)
This Chinese food is a must-try dish during your Chongqing food tour. When eating Chongqing spicy chicken, you may be staring at this mountain of dried chilies, thinking where is the chicken. Then you strike gold: those crispy little chicken gems hiding in the pepper abyss. Picking up a piece of chicken and biting into it, your lips tingle from the peppercorns, then your teeth sink into that crunchy-juicy perfection.Recommended Restaurants
3. Shuizhu Yu (Chongqing Boiled Fish Slices)
As a signature Chongqing cuisine, it’s a flavor-packed soup. Tender carp slices are flash-cooked in a fiery red broth, then topped with hot oil poured over peppercorns and herbs, releasing a burst of chili aroma. One spoonful of this Chongqing food delivers heat, fragrance, and the addictive mala tingle that locals call “mouth CPR.”Recommended Restaurants
4. Mao Xue Wang
This famous Chongqing food combines duck blood, tripe, and pork aorta in a fiery mala broth. To taste it, sip the broth first to savor its numbing-spicy kick, then enjoy each ingredient for a rich mix of flavors and textures. Every bite delivers ultimate satisfaction to the palate.
Recommended Restaurants
- Wangjianglou Restaurant: A famous restaurant in Ciqikou that allows you to dine with Jialing River views.
- Shancheng Laotangkou: An old Chongqing restaurant, selling over 226,000 Mao Xue Wang every year.
- Guanyinju Restaurant: Perfect for family gatherings for its tranquil environment.
5. Wanzhou Grilled Fish
Known for its unique charcoal-grilling method and secret sauce, Wanzhou Grilled Fish is also a must-try Chongqing food. They take super fresh fish, give it a flavor bath, then grill it till the skin gets all crispy while the inside stays juicy. One bite and you’ll get why this recipe has stood the test of time.
Recommended Restaurants
6. Chongqing Xiaomian
In Chongqing, locals start their day with Xiaomian, a bowl of springy wheat noodles dancing in addictive mala sauce. The secret of this famous food in Chongqing lies in the toppings: scallions, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and the secret-recipe chili oil. It's not just spicy - it's got layers.
Recommended Restaurants
7.Hot and Sour Noodles
As one of the most popular traditional Chinese rice noodles, Chongqing's street-style hot and sour noodles are refreshingly appetizing, stirring the soul with just one bite. In Chongqing, these noodles epitomize local life. Tasting this Chongqing cuisine, you’ll feel that the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, the crunch of preserved vegetables, and the crispness of soybeans explode on the tongue, finished with green cilantro.
Recommended Restaurants
8. Tofu Pudding Rice (Douhua Fan)
It is one of the traditional Chongqing cuisines. The tofu pudding is silky with a delicate texture, perfectly paired with a bowl of steamed rice. Unlike northern China's savory or sweet tofu puddings, this Chongqing food emphasizes mala spice and umami richness. The dipping sauce typically combines chili oil, Sichuan pepper powder, soy sauce, garlic paste, cilantro, scallions, sesame, and over a dozen other seasonings, making it mouth-watering.
Recommended Restaurants
9. Red-Oil Wontons
These aren’t your average wontons—Chongqing’s wontons wrap juicy, meat-packed fillings in paper-thin skins, served in a savory, flavorful broth. When these wontons hit the bowl, that chili oil hits you first. Paired with green vegetables, this classic Chongqing food delivers robust aromatic heat without any harshness, striking the perfect balance of fragrance and spice!
Recommended Restaurants
10. Mountain City Small Glutinous Rice Balls
This is the so-called sweet ambassador of Chongqing food. It features glutinous rice flour wrappers enveloping fillings like sesame or red bean paste. When cooked, the exterior becomes silky smooth while the broth turns delicately fragrant.
Recommended Restaurants
Best Chongqing Food Streets
1. Bayi Road Food Street
This is an extremely popular food street in downtown Chongqing and a must-visit culinary hot spot for tourists. It offers a wide variety of Chongqing cuisine, including hot and sour noodles, mountain city glutinous rice balls, wontons, braised pork trotters, pan-fried buns, spiced duck, and more.
Address: No. 181, Bayi Road, Jiefangbei Business District, Yuzhong District, Chongqing
Business hours: 8:00-23:002. Guanyinqiao Food Street
It gathers various Chongqing foods such as Dingjiapo potatoes, Shancheng glutinous rice balls, and Bobochicken, alongside many viral food stalls. The street has both indoor (air-conditioned) and outdoor sections, ensuring comfortable dining even in summer heat or winter chill.
Address: Guanyinqiao Pedestrian Street, Jiangbei District, Chongqing
Business hours: 10:30-23:003. Hongyadong Bayu Folk Food Street
Strolling along this quaint, old-style street in Hongya Cave, you can find hundreds of tasty Chongqing cuisines, such as Chen Cold Noodles, Fuling Lard Glutinous Rice Wine, Tikan Tofu Pudding, Jiucun Grilled Brain, and more—each bursting with authentic Chongqing flavors. The night view of Hongya Cave is also a major highlight—never miss it during your Chongqing tours!
Address: No. 88, Jialingjiang Binjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing (4th Floor of Hongya Cave)
Business hours: 9:00-23:004. Ciqikou Food Street
Ciqikou Ancient Town’s food street attracts countless tourists with its authentic riverside port culture and Bayu folk charm. Wander this Ming Dynasty-era snack alley where every stall tells a story, and you'll get the opportunity to taste a wide range of traditional Chongqing food and snacks. These include Cat’s Ear Noodles, Ancient Town Chicken Gizzards, Zhang Fei Beef, Salted Peanuts, Spicy Tofu Sheets, Hand-Pulled Candy, and more.
Address: Ciqikou Ancient Town, Shapingba District, Chongqing
Business hours: 24 hours5. Nanbin Road Food Street
Nanbin Road runs right next to the Yangtze River and is famous for its awesome night views and delicious Chongqing cuisine. You can eat spicy Sichuan dishes—especially hot pot—while looking at the glittering city lights across the water. It’s packed with restaurants that locals and tourists both love.
Address: Dongyuan 1891, Nanbin Road, Nan'an District, Chongqing
Business hours: 10:00-22:00>> Recommended 1-Day Classic Chongqing Tour
Chongqing Halal Food and Restaurants
Looking for Halal food in Chongqing? Jiaochangkou is a great place to go. It’s a bustling block where halal-certified Chongqing restaurants cluster together, serving everything from Xinjiang’s cumin lamb skewers to Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, one of the most popular Chinese dishes. Besides, it’s tourist-friendly, with just 10-15 minuets walk to Hongya Cave, Liberation Monument, and Shibati.Where to Eat
Western and Southeast Asian Restaurants in Chongqing
Besides hot pot, Chongqing spicy food, and other Chongqing Chinese food, the city has many high-end and romantic Western and Southeast Asian restaurants. Whether it's an elegant riverside venue with Yangtze views or a stylish rooftop bistro hidden among skyscrapers, you can always find one that suits your taste.Where to Eat
>> Best China Tour Packages with Chongqing