Live Your Best Lives
Snacks and hotpot are the most famous delicacies in Lijiang. Chicken bean jelly, Naxi grilled fish, baba, and Dongba barbecue are the most popular snacks. Hotpot is represented by cured pork ribs hotpot, potato chicken hotpot, black goat hotpot, mushroom hotpot, and yak beef hotpot.
In Lijiang Old Town, snacks are concentrated near Dashiqiao, Zhongyi Market, and Sifang Street. In the new town, delicious food is mainly concentrated in Huadu Commercial City on Qixing Street, as well as Xiangshan Market, Huama Street, and Jinkai Plaza.
Chickpea jelly is a signature dish of Lijiang Old Town. Chickpeas are a legume unique to Lijiang, grown at high altitudes and yielding very little. Chickpea jelly made from chickpeas is called chickpea jelly. Chickpea jelly can be enjoyed hot or cold. In the summer, it's often served cold. Sliced jelly and tossed with a variety of condiments creates a vibrant, fragrant, and refreshing dish that is both refreshing and appetizing. In the winter, pan-fried jelly slices are golden brown on both sides and topped with various condiments to suit different tastes, creating a delicious and flavorful dish. Adding it to the local braised baba (baba) creates a delicious accompaniment and is a popular local dish. Chickpea jelly sold at street stalls typically costs 3-4 yuan per bowl, but it's more expensive in restaurants.
Recommended restaurant: No. 88 Snack Bar
Cured pork ribs hotpot is an indispensable main dish in the third layer of the famous Naxi cuisine "Three Layers of Water" (rere jiao zhong), and is usually only served when there are guests or during the Chinese New Year. However, nowadays, you can enjoy it anytime you want.
Recommended restaurant: There are cured pork ribs restaurants everywhere, but the most authentic and affordable one is Xincheng Xiangshan Market. There are many cured pork ribs restaurants in the market, and the more famous one is Yang Jie Alili.
Wild mushrooms grow at altitudes of approximately 2,000-4,000 meters. The Lijiang Plateau is home to a wide variety of wild mushrooms. June and July are generally the peak season for wild mushrooms. Wild mushrooms are delicious and highly nutritious, making them a must-try when visiting Lijiang. Many wild mushrooms can be combined with black-bone chicken in soups or prepared in wild mushroom hotpots, which are available at many restaurants in Lijiang.
Recommended restaurants: Dongbagu Wild Mushrooms on Huama Street in Xincheng, and Mushroom Palace on Xueshan Middle Road in Xincheng
Lijiang salmon is made with local rainbow trout, known for its firm texture, few bones, and delicious flavor. It's a delicacy found in Lijiang, with prices typically ranging from 38 to 100 yuan per jin (approximately 500 grams). "Lijiang Salmon" signs are common on the streets of Lijiang, constantly urging you to indulge. In addition to the numerous salmon restaurants in Lijiang Old Town, several on Huama Street offer unique salmon dishes, each with its own distinct flavors and at significantly more affordable prices than Old Town restaurants.
Recommended restaurants: Stone Pot Fishing Restaurant, Dreamer Salmon Restaurant
Naxi grilled fish is prepared by first opening the fish's belly and removing the internal organs. The fish is then marinated with salt, peppercorns, and five-spice powder, then slowly grilled in an iron pan. Once the flavors have absorbed, the fish is deep-fried in oil, creating a delicious dish. The fish is savory, with crispy skin and tender meat.
Recommended restaurants: Amayi Naxi Cuisine, Tiantianxian, Zifeiyu
Rice sausage, known as "mabu" in the Naxi language, is a unique delicacy in Lijiang. It's made by steaming rice or glutinous rice, mixing it with fresh pig blood, egg white, and various spices. This is then stuffed into cleaned pig intestines, sealed, and steamed. It can be sliced and pan-fried or steamed, a unique way to enjoy it in Lijiang. With its rustic, glossy color, rich aroma, and high nutritional value, rice sausage is an excellent choice for nourishing blood and qi. This dish is available in many small restaurants in Lijiang Old Town.
Lijiang baba is a unique snack of the Naxi ethnic group with a long history, even mentioned in the Ming Dynasty's "Xu Xiake's Travel Notes." Lijiang baba comes in two varieties, sweet and savory, allowing you to choose according to your taste. Golden in color, fragrant, and crispy, it's especially delicious when paired with butter tea. Along Sifang Street in the ancient city, you'll find numerous shops specializing in Lijiang baba, selling them for 4-5 yuan each. They're both delicious and affordable. Near the Mufu Courtyard, there's a small shop specializing in Lijiang baba, renowned for its delicious flavors and popular with locals.
Water lily (Sphynx japonica) is a wild vegetable that grows in the lakes of Lijiang. Stir-fried, it has a smooth, fragrant flavor. The flowers, pristine white, bloom on the surface of the water, while the plant itself is submerged, drifting with the current. This dish can be found in nearly every restaurant in Lijiang.
Steam pot chicken is a Yunnan specialty. Steam is passed through a nozzle in the center of the pot, gradually cooking the chicken. Because the broth is condensed from the steam, the chicken's flavor is minimally lost during the steaming process, essentially preserving its original flavor.
Recommended restaurants: Uncle He Restaurant, Little Chef's Private Kitchen
Like Lijiang baba, butter tea comes in two flavors: sweet and savory. Butter, eggs, salt, sesame seeds, peanuts, and walnuts are mixed with simmered tea leaves and poured into a thin, wooden tube, where it is repeatedly stirred with a stick. Locals call this "beating butter tea." It's the primary tea-drinking method for many ethnic groups in the Lijiang area and a must-have at the start of their day. For first-time butter tea drinkers, the first sip may seem strange, but if you persist, you'll appreciate its rich flavor and will drink it without being offered.
Lijiang residents love hotpot, and black goat hotpot is a local favorite. Near Jinkai Square on Changshui Road in Lijiang, there's an entire street of black goat hotpot restaurants. A pot costs around 100 yuan, so it's a safe bet to go wherever you see a crowd. The restaurants sell mutton by the pound, offering skin-on black goat, donkey meat, and offal, allowing diners to customize their meal. The skin-on mutton is rich but not greasy, with a nice chewy texture. It's perfect for any season, especially in autumn and winter, when it provides a boost of energy and is a must-try in Lijiang.
This yogurt shop is very popular among locals. The walls of the shop are covered with sticky notes with little feelings written by travellers from all over the country. Anyone who comes to Lijiang will come here to buy a bottle of yogurt to try.
Address: 1-1 Zhenxing Lane, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province
Contact: 13108880616
Average spending per person: 10 yuan
This restaurant is highly praised by diners, and the taste will never disappoint you. The soft potatoes mixed with the aroma of chicken are extremely delicious.
Address: No. 269, Xiangshan East Road, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province
Contact: 13988844775
Average spending per person: 50 yuan
This is a private restaurant with a very welcoming hostess. The black goat hotpot is the specialty of the restaurant. It costs 100 yuan per pot, has a lot of meat and is generous in quantity. It tastes great and is very nutritious.
Address: In the alley next to the Bunun Bell in Dashiqiao, Old Town, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (opposite the Dashiqiao Inn)
Contact: 0888-6624995, 5180439
Average spending per person: 50 yuan
This is a very unique restaurant. The hot pot is made of stone and is cooked with high-pressure steam. The dishes taste great and are very popular with diners. We recommend the salmon, wild mushrooms, water lily, and potato rice.
Address: Sifang Temple Fair, No. 72, Changshui Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (near Zhongyi Market and Yunshuiyao Dian Cuisine Art Museum)
Contact: 0888-5114369
Average spending per person: 80 yuan
This is an authentic Naxi restaurant with a very good reputation. The butter tea, rice noodles and Naxi fried rice are all very good.
Address: No. 88, Xingren Upper Section, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (Gucheng Police Station, Xiaoshiqiao)
Contact: 0888-8888676, 5183111
Average spending per person: 40 yuan
Although the location is not easy to find, the food in the restaurant tastes good, the service is good, the price is moderate, and the value for money is high. Recommended dishes include snake skin, porcini pot, and cured pork ribs.
Address: Xiaoshiqiao, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (near Xiaoshiqiao, Wuyi Street)
Contact: 0888-5309588
Average spending per person: 57 yuan
The meaning of Zifeiyu Restaurant comes from a classic poem by Zhuangzi. The restaurant's Naxi grilled fish, teppanyaki mushrooms, and braised tofu with fish roe have always been recommended by many diners.
Address: No. 57, Wenhua Lane, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province
Contact: 0888-5101898
Average spending per person: 60 yuan
Sifang Street, the heart of Lijiang Old Town, is said to have been built by the Ming Dynasty chieftain Mu in the shape of his seal. Once a crucial hub on the ancient Tea-Horse Road, it attracted merchants from all over the world since the Ming and Qing dynasties, where diverse ethnic cultures converged and flourished, making it the epicenter of Lijiang's economic and cultural exchange. Today, Sifang Street remains the Old Town's bustling hub, a renowned snack street and commercial pedestrian mall. Restaurants on Sifang Street primarily serve local snacks such as small pot rice noodles and clay pot rice. Every morning, many Naxi elders perform Naxi dances here.
Address: Lijiang Ancient Town Center, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province
Transportation: Within walking distance of Lijiang Ancient Town
Zhongyi Market is a large farmers' market near Lijiang Old Town, offering a truly authentic experience of Lijiang life. Here, you can buy the freshest ingredients and enjoy affordable and delicious Lijiang-style snacks.
Address: Junction of Changshui Road and Xianghe Road, Lijiang Old Town
Transportation: Loop bus lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, and 14 are available