The Top 10 Hangzhou Foods 

1. Sweet and Sour West Lake Fish (西湖醋鱼)


Sweet and sour West Lake fish is the most famous food in Hangzhou. The fish used in the dish is from West Lake. The fish tastes tender and fresh. The sweet and sour sauce poured on the steamed fish makes it even more appetizing.


2. Dongpo Pork (东坡肉)


Dongpo Pork
Dongpo pork is a very popular food among tourists and locals alike. The creation of the dish is related to a famous poet, Su Dongpo, so the dish was named after him.


It is cooked by braising finely-skinned, thin pieces of streaky bacon with the famous Shaoxing wine in a sealed pot for hours. When the dish is ready, the bacon is moist and red. It smells sweet with the fragrance of rice wine. The pork is fat and soft but not greasy and tastes very delicious.


3. Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea (龙井虾仁)


Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea
Fried shrimps with Longjing tea is a traditional food in Hangzhou. Stir-fry fresh river shrimps with Longjing tea, tea leaves, and rice wine. The fresh fragrances of Longjing tea and the shrimps blend together. The combination of jade-white shrimps and green tea leaves looks exquisite. The dish tastes fragrant and light.


4. Aunt Song Fish Broth (宋嫂鱼羹)


This dish was created in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279). It is a famous traditional food of Hangzhou. It is made of fish with ham silk, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and chicken soup. It tastes fresh and smooth, like crab meat.


5. Beggars’ Chicken (叫花鸡)


Beggars’ Chicken
Beggars’ chicken is cooked in a special way that was created by a beggar. The special cooking process involves wrapping the chicken in lotus leaves, covering it with mud, and then roasting it over a fire. When the mud is baked dry, it is cracked and the clay is broken off and removed. The aroma of lotus leaves and chicken are mixed together. The chicken is crispy on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside.


6. Tofu with Eight Delicious (八宝豆腐)


Tofu with Eight Delicious is a popular and special snack in Hangzhou. In this dish, tofu is the main ingredient, which is cooked with eight other ingredients: egg white, lotus seeds, lilies, sea cucumber, chicken, ham, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and other vegetables. The dish is rich in nutrition. It is good for a person’s health and skin.


7. Stewed Fish Head with Tofu in Casserole (砂锅鱼头豆腐)


Stewed fish head with tofu in casserole is a popular food in Hangzhou, especially in winter. The flavor of the fish head blends with the flavor of the tofu in the soup. Drinking hot soup and eating the tasty tofu and fish will warm your stomach.




There are many fish recipes in Hangzhou. Fish balls is one of them. Chop the fish finely so that it is virtually a puree, roll it into balls by hand, and boil the balls in the soup. The tender fish balls taste wonderful with the delicious soup.8. Fish Balls (鱼丸)


9. Stewed Bamboo Shoots (糟烩鞭笋)


It is a delicious vegetarian dish. Bamboo shoots are the main ingredient. When cooking the dish, a kind of wine made by fermented wheat and glutinous rice is added to it to make the dish more delicious. It has a rich fragrance.


10. Osmanthus and Chestnut Soup (桂花栗子羹)


This is a dessert. Osmanthus is not only a flower but can also be cooked as an ingredient in food. The combination of soft chestnuts with fragrant osmanthus makes you feel refreshed.