8 Best Restaurants in Eastern China, China

Thanks to its bright-red sign and big tower of steamers out front, this little hole-in-the-wall is easy to spot. Although the family who runs it doesn’t speak English, they will happily play charades in an effort to take your order for dishes such as steamed Hangzhou-style xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

Don't opt for this restaurant just for its location down the street from the Nanputo Temple. Come for its house-special rice noodles, mock duck, or sizzling beef with pepper buns. The menu has English descriptions.

To get here, turn right out of the temple's main entrance and continue for about five minutes down Siming Nan Lu until you see a yellow sign on your right.

All day, lines form at the takeout window here, with people eager to order sesame-coated naan bread and plump, well-seasoned, skewered meats. Sit inside for a large picture menu of Western Chinese and Middle Eastern dishes.

This ultra-popular Hangzhou chain packs in locals who flock here for homestyle Zhejiang cuisine at unbeatable prices. Good food at low cost means long waits, but the queue system is orderly and you can wander around the mall. If you're a group of 10 or more, you can call and book a semi-private room. The long menu is a mostly Zhejiang regional fare with a few dishes from other parts of China like mapo doufu (cubed soft tofu in chili oil). Must-orders include the clay pot roast chicken marinated in green tea leaves, piquant sautéed long beans with peppercorns, and spicy cauliflower stir-fried with garlic and tiny pieces of Jinhua ham (for which Zhejiang is known). Cool your burning tongue with winter melon juice and finish the meal with a plate of green tea pastry, the slightly flaky outside covered in sesame seeds and giving way to a sweet green tea paste within.

This outpost of Grandma's Home (外婆家) is not to be confused with Grandma's Kitchen, one floor up.

Trendy Hangzhou locals pack in at all hours for the inventive and exotic creations. The mango or durian pancakes filled with fresh whipped cream are especially yummy.

There's no more authentic Chinese experience than fighting your way through crowds to tuck into delicious and inexpensive street food. Scores of stalls and pint-size restaurants line this street and even in winter the place is super popular with domestic tourists, young couples walking hand-in-hand, and a mixed group of locals. On offer are spicy noodles (available in broth or dry), barbecued oysters and crayfish, steamed buns filled with meat and vegetables (baozi), beef and lamb kebabs, and soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), their skins dyed purple, green, and orange from vegetable juices. It's chaotic here and you will smell the dumpsters as you walk past, but it's a fun, truly local experience with good eats to boot–and for a pittance.

Bring tissues or wet wipes.

Inside the Temple of the Soul's Retreat (Lingyin Si), this restaurant has turned the Buddhist restriction against eating meat into an opportunity to invent a range of delicious vegetarian dishes. Soy replaces chicken and beef, meaning your meal is as benevolent to your health as to the animal world.

The spinach dumplings and mock-meat dishes served at this vegetarian restaurant are as nourishing as they are delicious. Ordering is a breeze, thanks to an English-language picture menu.