Guides

Our dish library tells you what a dish is. These guides are the other half: how to actually eat well in a city. What to order first, how to order it, and how to keep the spice at a level you can finish.

Each guide is written to be read start-to-finish before your first meal, then used as a reference at the table.

City guides

• How to Order Food in Chengdu: A Beginner's Guide 麻辣 decoded, the dishes that define the city, a sample order for four, and the phrases that get you fed.

More city and cuisine guides are in progress.

How to use a guide

• Read it before you go out: knowing three dish names and two phrases changes the whole meal.
• Keep it open at the table: every dish name links to its full entry with audio, ingredients, and allergens.
• Show the Chinese: if speaking is hard, just point at the characters. That always works.