Nanjing Dining

Nanjing has a relatively wide selection of local, regional Chinese and foreign foods, often at reasonable prices. Traditional Nanjing cuisine is known as Jiang Su cuisine where emphasis is placed on carefully selecting the right raw ingredients as well as preserving the original taste of food items. Dishes are also typically bright in color with a limited use of seasoning to bring out the true flavor, but there is a heavy use of oil.

Nanjing Cuisine is known for its emphasis on presenting the original flavors of the ingredients used. The characteristics of flavor lie in its mellow taste, neither too salty nor too light, which suits the appetite of everybody. The sumptuous course preserves its natural flavor with fresh and good smell, crisp, soft and tender tastes as its main features.

The fact that Jiang Su Province is surrounded by water allows the local dishes in Nanjing to be closely connected with seafood. Some of the famous dishes are Fengwei (phoenix tail) Shrimps, Chicken Boiled in Clear Soup, Nanjing Steamed duck, marmite vegetables, Jingling Duck, and Eight Delicacies Soup.

With modern highways and railways connecting the city with most major cities throughout the country and Nanjing is becoming a sparkling metropolis akin to Shanghai and Beijing with skyscrapers, luxury hotels, fashion shopping malls, supermarkets and highly-developed economic zones throughout the city. Being historical center and presently a metropolitan city, Nanjing offers easy communication access with the rest of the world. . Following are some useful contact information and telephone numbers in Nanjing.

Nanjing Salted Duck
Nanjing salted duck is a dish with over 400 years of history, and this is one of China's most famous methods of preparing the duck. This duck is one of Nanjing's specialties, as it is rich in flavor yet not too greasy. The salted duck hangs from many city shop windows and the best time to taste Nanjing duck is in August, when the duck is seasoned with Osmanthus flowers and therefore has a delicate flavor. One of the best places to sample this dish is in the Wan Qing Lou Restaurant in the south of the city or at the Qingzhen Hanfuxing Steamed Duck Store.

Qingzhen Hanfuxing Steamed Duck Store
Address: No. 110 Hunan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 8332-6866

Eight Delicacies Soup
The "Eight Delicacies" in this soup are fish, water chestnuts, lotus roots, vines, barley, parsley, arrowroots, and lotus seeds. This is a popular dish especially around the 'Moon Festival' which is generally in mid August of the Gregorian calendar.

Fangpo Gaotuan Dianv
Address: No. 50 Wangfujing Street, Baixia District, Nangjing
Tel: (8625) 8420-4310

Nanjing Steamed Duck

The Nanjing Steamed Duck dish is characterized by its tasty appearance as well as its tender and delicious taste. The cooking process involves steeping, boiling, braising, and baking the duck. Though one can always head to a fancy restaurant, the best places to taste this are the snack bars around the Confucius Temple area of the city.

Fried Spring Onion Pancake

The Fried Spring Onion Pancake is a kind of fried pastry that is filled with shallot, meat and other ingredients and usually covered with a pastry crust. It is also a popular breakfast snack. The best place to taste it is Liu Feng Ju.

Dou Fu Nao (Tofu Pudding)

Made from tofu (bean curd), mushrooms, coriander and chilli, Dou Fu Nao is a great breakfast-time soup dish. The best place to taste it is also at Liu Feng Ju.

Jinling Snacks

Nanjing Confucian Temple is the place of origin of Jinling snacks, which have a long history and a great variety of snacks. Apart from the Confucian Temple area, places of light refreshments and snacks have gradually come into being in a rather compact way, in Xinjiekou, Changle Road, Shanxi Road, Zhongyangmen, etc. There are such well-known snack stores as Liu Feng Ju (for jellied bean curd, green onion pancake), Qin Yuan Chun (Wan Ton), Dumpling Soup, (flour-light refreshments), Lian Hu Sweet Snack Store (cake in Russian style) etc.

Fuzimiao Street (Gongyuan Street)

Most travelers find local delicacies in Nanjing irresistible. Gongyuan Street, also known as Fuzimiao Street by locals, on the northern bank of the famous Qin Huai River is bustling for it is considered as one of China's Four Famed Streets.

Here you can sample various snacks, from the reputed Salted Soup Duck to Chinese dumplings in dozens of restaurants, stalls and shops on the street. The most famous snacks include eggs boiled in tea, fried pancakes, duck blood soups, beef soup, dumplings, and others.

Hunan Road For Dinning & Shopping

Located in the northwestern part of the city in Drum Tower District (Gulou District), this one kilometers long street is one of the most prosperous shopping streets in Nanjing with the famous Shiziqiao Food Street in the middle. The street is always bustling with people and makes for an interesting evening with friends. An annual flavored food festival is held here to attract tourists.

This walking street is filled with dozens of restaurants providing both Chinese and western style foods. The street is divided into three parts. The first part has restaurants providing typical local cuisine, among which Shiwangfu Restaurant is the best. The second part is known as the Chinese Food Street where various cuisines from different parts of China are found. The third part is the area which has food from Japan, Korea, India, Thailand and the west.

Hanfu Street

Hanfu Street, opposite Nanjing Presidential Hall, is the newest food street to be developed in Nanjing and the area has many restaurants run by people from other cities in China. They cover all kinds of food from throughout the country including spicy Sichuan cuisine, ethnic Guizhou food, Northeast China folk dishes, and Shanghai cuisine.

Street snacks are a popular food style originating from the local people, and to get a taste of the real snacks can only be found among street stalls and shops. Wherever you go and whatever food you have, remember to choose freshly cooked dishes for after cooling the flavors change too much.

Fuzimiao Food & Shopping Street (Gongyuan Street)
Address: The location is on the northern bank of the well known Qinhuai River in Nanjing

Hanfu Food Square
Address: Located on the opposite of Nanjing Presidential Hall, Nanjing

Laozhengxi Restaurant
Address: No. 119 Gongyuan Street, Nanjing

Maxiangxing Restaurant
Address: No. 5 Zhongshan Road North, Nanjing

Nanjing Dapaidang (Nanjing Food Court)
Address: No. 2 Shiziqiao Street, Hunan Road, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 8330-5777

Shiziqiao Food Street (Lions Bridge)
Address: This location is within Gulou District in the northwestern part of Nanjing. This is about a 1km long stretch of food stands that locals enjoy snacking on.

Nanjing Dapaidang
Address: No. 2 Shizi Bridge, Hunan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 8330-5777

Jade Jingcai Restaurant
Address: 2/F Tianshi Baisheng Hotel, No. 5 Shizi Bridge, Hunan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 8320-6666

Shi Wei Xian
Address: No. 31 Beijing East Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 5771-1104

Zhang Sheng Ji
Address: No. 54 Zhongshan East Road, Baixia District, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 84721917

Shizifu Dajiu Lou
Address: No. 2 Shizi Bridge, Hulan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing
Tel: (8625) 8330-6777

NOTE: Although this information is correct at the time of our web publication, it is still advised that you call the phone number and confirm the address before going to the venue because some venues may have changed their telephone numbers or address locations.

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