Guilin travel guide - where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Guilin, Guangxi, China. Famous for the Li River, karst peaks and the Longji Rice Terraces.
Guilin cooking is Guangxi cooking at its most approachable: sour, spicy and savory, built on rice noodles, river fish, taro and preserved vegetables. Guilin rice noodles (mi fen) are served in a pork-bone and spice broth or dry with braised toppings (lu cai fen), with horse-meat noodles as a local variation. In Yangshuo the signature is beer fish, a river fish stewed with beer, tomato and chili. Other regional dishes are Lipu taro with braised pork, stuffed Li River snails, stuffed bitter melon and tofu, bamboo-tube rice in the Longji terraces, and oil tea, the savory pounded-tea soup of the local Yao and Dong communities. Osmanthus appears in cakes, honey, ice cream and the famous sanhua (three flowers) rice liquor, which together with fermented tofu and chili sauce makes up the Guilin Three Treasures.
Must-try dishes
Iconic dishes that define Guilin.
Guilin Rice Noodles (mi fen)
Springy rice noodles in a pork-bone broth or dry with braised pork, beef, horse meat, pickles and peanuts
Where to try: Lao Dongjiang, Youyixuan, Luanle Rice Noodles
Price: ¥9-30 (~$1.30-4)
Braised-Topping Noodles (lu cai fen)
Noodles topped with meats and offal braised in a spiced stock; the Lao Dongjiang signature
Where to try: Lao Dongjiang Rice Noodles (Longyin Road head store)
Price: About ¥9 (~$1.30)
Horse-Meat Rice Noodles
Thin-sliced horse meat over rice noodles, a Guilin local variation
Where to try: Youyixuan Rice Noodles (Yiren Road)
Price: Roughly ¥10-20 (~$1.50-3)
Beer Fish (pi jiu yu)
River fish stewed with beer, tomato, chili and ginger; sold by weight
Where to try: West Street, Yangshuo (Fire Ox, Chef Master, Sister Xie); A Gan in Guilin
Price: ¥80-120 (~$12-18) per jin (500 g)
Lipu Taro with Braised Pork (Lipu yu tou kou rou)
Soft, starchy Lipu taro layered with fatty braised pork
Where to try: A Gan Restaurant, Chunji Roast Goose
Price: Mid-range dish
Stuffed Li River Snails and Stuffed Vegetables
Pork-stuffed river snails, bitter melon, tofu and eggplant
Where to try: Xiao Nanguo (Wenming Road), Chunji Roast Goose
Price: ¥20-50 (~$3-7) per portion
Oil Tea (you cha)
Savory pounded tea soup with peanuts, puffed rice and herbs, a Yao and Dong tradition
Where to try: Guo Ji Oil Tea (Xinyi Road)
Price: ¥30-50 (~$4-7) per set
Bamboo-Tube Rice and Chicken
Sticky rice or chicken steamed in fresh bamboo over a fire
Where to try: Daohuaxiang (Ping'an), Quanjing Lou (Jinkeng), Longji Rice Terraces
Price: ¥20-30 (~$3-4) per portion
Osmanthus Cake
Soft cake of rice flour and osmanthus flowers, usually bought as a gift
Where to try: Osmanthus Fragrance (Laozihao), Jinshunchang near Zhengyang Bell Tower
Price: Gift boxes
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Yangshuo Beer Fish
Bamboo
Guilin Home Cooking And Hot Pot
Guilin Rice Noodles
Li River Fish Cooking
Western Cafe
Food tours & tastings in Guilin
Eat your way through Guilin with a guide.
Browse food experiences in GuilinWe may earn a commission from bookings made through these links.
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Rice noodles by the bowl
Street-side shops sell a bowl of Guilin rice noodles for around $1
Find it at: Everywhere in central Guilin
Suan ye (tart fruit with chili salt)
Sour fruit dipped in chili salt, a common night-market snack at about ¥5 (~$0.75)
Find it at: Night markets such as Shijiayuan and Qixing Road
Steamed buns and local snacks
Buns, bamboo trinkets and snacks sold underground
Find it at: Cross Street Underground Passage
Shangshui food alley snacks
Compact alley of snack counters, tea shops and small restaurants beside Zhengyang Street
Find it at: Shangshui Street, Zhengyang Pedestrian Street
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Heishan Morning Market
Morning wet market near LianDa Plaza; busiest 06:00-10:00
Hours: Daily 05:00-11:00
Xishan Market
Local morning market beside Xishan Park, best before 10:00
Lequn Market
Fresh seasonal snacks and produce at Lequn and Taiping roads
Hours: Daily 06:00-20:00
Shijiayuan Night Market and Food Street
Evening food street at 142 Shijiayuan Road, Qixing District
Hours: Daily 18:00-02:00
Tiexi Night Market
Local night market at Tiexi Third Lane, Xiangshan District
Hours: Daily 18:00-02:00
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Rice noodle shops open early (Lao Dongjiang opens at 06:00) and are a standard breakfast; order at the counter, pay on the spot
Beer fish is priced by weight (¥80-120, ~$12-18 per jin); agree the fish weight before cooking and ask for the total price
Download Meituan or Dianping to check opening hours and queue status; Amap (Gaode) shows restaurants on its map even without an English interface
Most restaurants close their kitchens by 22:00; night markets and food streets run until 02:00
Zhengyang Pedestrian Street restaurants have picture menus; elsewhere point at neighboring tables or use a translation app
Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate; cash is accepted in most places but small shops may not give change easily
- Vegetarian
- Limited but workable. Pure Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant in Yangshuo and Luanle Rice Noodles in Guilin both list vegetarian dishes; Kali Mirch offers Indian vegetarian cooking. Many broths are pork-based, so ask for no meat (wo chi su).
- Halal
- Limited. Kali Mirch serves Indian mutton and tandoori dishes; confirm halal status directly.
- Gluten free
- Rice noodles are naturally wheat-free, but soy sauce and dumplings contain wheat; plain rice noodle dishes are the safest choice.
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | ¥10-40 (~$1.50-6) per meal | A bowl of Guilin rice noodles (¥9-30) at Lao Dongjiang or Luanle |
| Mid-range | ¥60-120 (~$9-18) per person | Beer fish, Lipu taro and stuffed dishes at A Gan, Chunji Roast Goose and West Street restaurants |
| Upscale | ¥200-300 (~$30-44) per person | Hotel dining at Shang Palace in the Shangri-La and the Li River Waterfall Hotel restaurant |