Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China, a city of over 20 million people famous as the global home of giant panda conservation, the birthplace of fiery Sichuanese cuisine and mala hotpot, and a relaxed teahouse culture that stands in contrast to China's faster-paced coastal metropolises. Landmarks range from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to the historic Kuanzhai Alleys and Jinli Ancient Street beside the Wuhou Shrine.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Chengdu through its food.
Chengdu Classics Food Tour
Includes: Wet market walkthrough with a local guide explaining Sichuan ingredients · Six to eight tastings spanning noodles, skewers, wontons, and a sweet dessert stop · Traditional spirits sampling including local baijiu · Closing family-style restaurant meal to finish the tour · Small-group format with an English-speaking guide
Chengdu Small-Group Cooking Class with Local Wet Market Adventure
Includes: Guided walk through a wet and spice market before cooking begins · Hands-on preparation of multiple Sichuan dishes under chef instruction · Tea tasting included ahead of the cooking session · All ingredients and equipment supplied · Shared meal of the dishes prepared at the end of class
Eat Like a Local: Chengdu Street Food Culture Tour
Includes: Route through Chengdu's hidden back alleys rather than main tourist streets · Multiple street food tastings paired with local myths and food-history commentary · Bilingual host speaking English and Chinese · Bottled water provided throughout the walk · Focus on stalls favored by residents over visitors
Chengdu Half-Day Cooking Class with Local Market Visit
Includes: Local wet market walkthrough led by the chef instructor · Hands-on preparation of multiple classic Sichuan dishes · Professional chef instruction on knife work and wok technique · Closing meal of the dishes the group prepared · Small-group format taught in English
Yulin Road Street Food and Market Half-Day Tour
Includes: Guided walk through Yulin Road's street food stalls in Wuhou District · Local market visit exploring fresh produce and spices · Tastings balance sweet corn pancake and juice with savory noodles and wontons · Closing sit-down Sichuan restaurant meal · English-speaking guide throughout
Kuanzhai Alley Sichuan Cooking Class
Includes: Knife-skills and wok-heat control training led by a chef with Michelin-kitchen experience · Hands-on preparation of classic mala Sichuan dishes · Small-group format in a traditional kitchen near Kuanzhai Alley · All ingredients and equipment supplied · Shared meal of the dishes cooked during class
Heming Teahouse Sichuan Opera and Tea Experience
Includes: Seated experience at Heming Teahouse, one of Chengdu's best-known open-air teahouses · Jasmine tea service included throughout the sitting · Sichuan opera face-changing and fire-spitting performances · Long-spout teapot pouring acrobatics performed tableside · No language barrier, since the performance is visual rather than narrated
Lost Plate Chengdu Evening Food Tour by Tuk-Tuk
Includes: Tuk-tuk transport between four to five local eateries, including a street stall and home restaurant · Ten or more dish tastings spanning stuffed pancakes, mapo tofu, and dan dan noodles · Unlimited local beer and soft drinks throughout the evening · Closing stop at a rooftop bar overlooking Chengdu · English-speaking guide and small-group tuk-tuk format
Sichuan Cuisine Museum Cooking Class and Tour
Includes: Round-trip hotel transfer from Chengdu to Pixian Ancient Town included · Guided tour of the Sichuan Cuisine Museum's history and ingredient exhibits · Hands-on cooking of three classic Sichuan dishes at individual stations · Certificate of Sichuan cuisine completion awarded at the end · Half-day format combining museum visit and cooking class
Jianshe Road Night Market Street Food Walk
Includes: Walk through Jianshe Road, one of Chengdu's oldest and busiest street-food night markets · Tastings of grilled skewers, dan hong gao rice cakes, and roasted sweet potato bread · Stops at student-favorite chuan chuan and barbecue stalls · Popular with students from the nearby University of Electronic Science and Technology of China · English-speaking independent local guide
Chengdu Teahouse Culture Immersion Walk
Includes: Hands-on lesson in gaiwan lidded-bowl tea brewing · Long-spout teapot pouring and ear-cleaning demonstrations at People's Park · Second tea tasting stop at a Kuanzhai Alley teahouse · Comparison of a local public-park teahouse with a tourist-oriented alley teahouse · English-speaking local guide throughout
Jinli Ancient Street Snack Trail
Includes: Guided walk down the Three Kingdoms-themed Jinli pedestrian street · Tastings of lai tangyuan rice balls, sweet water noodles, and Zhong dumplings · Stop at a century-old hammered rice-cake candy stall · Photo stops at Jinli's lantern-lit evening scenery · English-speaking guide covering the street's Three Kingdoms history
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Chengdu's food scene.
Items tours
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Chengdu home with you.
Sichuan Cuisine Museum Cooking Class
Kuanzhai Alley Sichuan Cooking Class
Chengdu Half-Day Cooking Class with Local Market Visit
Chengdu Small-Group Cooking Class with Wet Market Adventure
DIY self-guided food tour
Build your own food crawl through Chengdu.
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Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Spice levels in Chengdu run milder than Chongqing's - ask for wei la (mildly spicy) if the standard mala broth feels overwhelming
Cash is rarely used; most restaurants and street stalls expect payment via WeChat Pay or Alipay, so set these up before arriving
Book popular restaurants and hotpot chains through the Dianping app rather than by phone, especially for weekend dinners
Say 'wo chi su' (I eat vegetarian) at street stalls, since default broths and sauces are usually meat- or lard-based
Split a hotpot into a yuanyang (two-flavor) pot if dining with anyone sensitive to the full-strength mala broth
Visit snack streets like Jinli and Wenshufang in the late afternoon before the dinner rush for shorter queues