Kunming Food Guide

What to eat, where to find it, and how to order like a local

🥢 Must-Try Dishes

Crossing-the-Bridge Rice NoodlesCrossing-the-Bridge Noodles

Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles are Yunnan’s most famous dish. A large bowl of piping-hot chicken broth is served with plates of raw ingredients (sliced meat, quail eggs, vegetables, and rice noodles) that you blanch yourself right at the table. The broth is incredibly flavorful.

30–80 yuan per set

Where to Eat

Downtown (市区)→Jianxin Garden (long-established restaurant) (建新园)

Starting at 30–50 yuan per set. Add the raw meat first, then the vegetables, and finally the rice noodles.

Ordering Tips: Add the raw meat slices and quail eggs first, followed by the vegetables, and finally the rice noodles. The soup is very hot—be careful not to burn your hands.

🍽️ Restaurants

Steamed Chicken in a Clay PotSteam Pot Chicken

Steamed Chicken in a Steam Pot is a cooking method unique to Yunnan—it’s steamed in a specially designed steam pot, where steam rises through a central pipe and condenses into broth without adding a single drop of water. The chicken is tender and succulent, and the broth is clear and rich.

50–80 yuan per person

Where to Eat

Downtown (市区)→Fuzhao Lou (福照楼)

A time-honored Kunming restaurant specializing in steamed chicken in a steam pot.