How to Order Food in China

Updated October 28, 2026

Most meals are easy once you separate three jobs: understand the menu, communicate dietary limits, and keep a payment fallback. A QR code is only one ordering channel; staff can usually help with a printed menu or manual order when registration, a Chinese phone number, or an international card blocks the mini-program.

The QR-Menu Flow

1. Scan the code fixed to your table, not a poster near the entrance. The table number may already be attached to the order.
2. Open the restaurant page in WeChat or Alipay. If prompted, allow the mini-program to use the table code.
3. Check the quantity beside each dish. Shared dishes may default to one plate; drinks or skewers may be sold per item.
4. Choose required options such as size, spice level, temperature, or add-ons.
5. Review the table number and total before submitting.
6. Pay in the mini-program, at the cashier, or after the meal according to the restaurant's flow.

If the page requires a mainland phone number, fails passport verification, or offers no usable payment method, show staff: 我没有中国手机号，可以人工点餐吗？ (“I do not have a Chinese phone number. Can I order with staff?”). Do not keep creating accounts at the table.

When There Is No English Menu

Photograph one menu section at a time and use image translation. Dish photos and the Chinese cooking method are often more reliable than a literal translated name. Confirm the main ingredient, cooking method, price unit and portion before ordering.

Useful questions:

For a first shared meal, order roughly one dish per person plus rice, then add more. Hotpot, seafood sold by weight, whole fish and large regional platters need a separate portion check.

Allergy and Dietary Cards

Do not rely on the word “vegetarian” alone when an allergy is serious. Save a card that names the ingredient, explains cross-contact, and asks staff to refuse the order if safety cannot be confirmed.

The Chinese diet card generator builds a bilingual card from your allergies, diet type, meats you avoid, hidden ingredients such as meat stock, lard and oyster sauce, and spice level. Save it as an image or show it full screen to staff.

Start from a ready-made card and adjust it:

• Severe nut allergy or shellfish and fish allergy
• Strict vegan or vegetarian, eggs and dairy OK
• Halal, no pork or gluten-free

Offline backup: severe allergy template

我对________严重过敏。不能吃，也不能使用含有它的酱料、汤底或食用油。请避免共用锅具和交叉接触。如果不能保证，请告诉我。
I have a severe allergy to ________. I cannot eat it or sauces, soup bases, or oils containing it. Please avoid shared cookware and cross-contact. If this cannot be guaranteed, please tell me.

Show the card before ordering. In hotpot, buffets and small kitchens, shared stock, oil, utensils and preparation surfaces may make strict avoidance impossible. For medical-risk allergies, choose a place where a manager can explain the kitchen process and keep your emergency medication with you.

Spice, Rice, Water and Cutlery

• 不辣 / 微辣 / 中辣 / 特辣 means no chili / mild / medium / very spicy, but regional baselines differ. Say 不要花椒 separately if numbing Sichuan pepper is a problem, or add both to a no-spice card.
• Rice may be ordered separately and may arrive after shared dishes unless you ask for it.
• Ask 有瓶装水吗？ for bottled water. Tea, hot water or tableware may carry a small charge; check the menu.
• A sealed tableware set is not necessarily free. Staff can remove it if you do not want it.

Paying and Tipping

Set up Alipay and a backup payment path before a meal. A foreign card linked to a wallet can work at a merchant QR code but fail on a personal transfer code, so carry a second wallet, a physical card and small RMB cash. The government's payment guidance confirms that RMB cash remains a valid payment option.

Tipping is not normally expected in mainland Chinese restaurants. A mandatory service charge at a hotel or high-end restaurant is different; it should appear on the bill.

Delivery Apps

Food-delivery apps are harder than eating in person. They may require a mainland number, a precise Chinese address, a local login flow and a supported wallet. If delivery is essential, ask the hotel whether reception can help and confirm that the property accepts deliveries. Do not send a courier to a vague English hotel name.

Choose What to Eat

Use the China food-city chooser for regional styles, the night-market guide for stall strategy, and the vegetarian guide when avoiding meat and stock. For a bookable food experience, check Trip.com first and use only a clearly described product with dietary support.