Chongqing is one of the best cities to eat in all of China, holding the title of birthplace of mala hot pot. Here, chillies and Sichuan peppercorns (花椒) build a two-dimensional flavour in a single bowl: fiery heat (辣, la) and a numbing tingle on the tongue (麻, ma). Big bowls of morning noodles, fried chicken hiding under a mountain of chillies, and sour-spicy-rich noodles turn up in every corner of the city. You don't need a big budget to eat well all day long.
#1 Chongqing Mala Hot Pot · Chongqing Hot Pot
The king of Chongqing food. Mala hot pot began in the 1920s with dock workers along the Yangtze River who boiled cheap beef offal in a fiery broth. The broth is simmered from beef tallow, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and more than 20 kinds of spice, delivering intense heat (辣) and a numbing tingle (麻) at the same time. Dipping in sesame sauce and oyster sauce takes a lot of the heat down.
- Order the Yuanyang broth (半辣半清) — a split pot with one spicy side and one clear side — if you can't take much heat.
- Beef tripe, liver and brain are the traditional cuts locals love, but the vegetables and tofu are just as good.
- Popular chains with travelers, like Dezhuang (德庄) and Qiaotou (桥头), have English menus.
#2 Xiaomian Noodles · Chongqing Noodles (Xiaomian)
The national breakfast of Chongqing people. Springy wheat noodles in a sauce of chilli oil, garlic, soy sauce, spring onion, pickled vegetables and Sichuan peppercorns. The flavour is intense — spicy, salty, fragrant with hot oil — and very cheap, around 8–15 yuan. You can order it with broth or dry. Some shops have noodles ready from 5:00 AM.
- State your heat level when ordering. If you handle spice well, try the 中辣 (medium) level first.
- Shops beside the market and under apartment blocks are often better than ones in tourist areas.
- If you like dry noodles, order 干拌 (gān bàn) — the sauce is more intense than the broth version.
#3 Laziji Fried Chicken (Chicken Hidden in Chillies) · Laziji (Chongqing Spicy Chicken)
Bone-in chicken pieces marinated in soy sauce, fried crisp until the meat is firm and chewy, then stir-fried with a massive quantity of dried chillies, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns and hot oil. The result is small chicken pieces hidden under a mountain of chillies, and you have to hunt for them with your chopsticks — part of the fun of eating it. You can eat a few of the dried chillies, but don't worry, because most of the heat has already transferred into the oil.
- Breast pieces come out drier — order leg or wing for more juiciness.
- Eat it with white rice or steamed buns to help cut the heat.
- Shops where the red chillies look fresh and smell fragrant are a sign of good quality.
#4 Suanlafen Hot and Sour Sweet Potato Noodles · Suanlafen (Hot and Sour Noodles)
Thick, chewy sweet-potato noodles in a broth that blends sourness from vinegar, heat from chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, saltiness from soy sauce, and fragrance from garlic oil and raw garlic. Topped with crunchy peanuts, pickled vegetables and spring onion. Very cheap at just 10–15 yuan, it's a street food that Chongqing people eat at any time of day.
- Dark brown sweet-potato noodles are the original, authentic kind, with a bouncier texture than ordinary glass noodles.
- Squeeze in extra lime if you like it more sour, or ask for more chilli if you want it hotter.
- Shops in the Ciqikou old town usually have good-quality noodles and are still cheaper than the ones in shopping malls.
#5 Chongqing Grilled Fish (Kaoyu) · Chongqing Grilled Fish (Kaoyu)
Fresh, top-quality fish marinated in spices and grilled until the skin is crisp, then served in an iron tray with hot mala broth in which vegetables, tofu and side ingredients sit submerged around the fish, all over a still-glowing flame. The aroma of hot oil mixed with spices reaches your nose before the dish even gets to the table. The flavour blends the smoky char of grilling with the richness of the mala broth.
- Order a live fish from the tank in the shop for the freshest possible catch.
- State the heat level of the broth before ordering, because the default is medium spicy.
- The flesh near the head and tail is usually more fragrant because it soaks up more of the spiced oil.
#6 Mapo Tofu · Mapo Tofu
A legend of Sichuan-Chongqing food. Soft, silky tofu in a spicy fermented broad-bean sauce (豆瓣酱), stir-fried with minced meat and hot oil, then dusted heavily with ground Sichuan peppercorns. It gives a flavour that blends intense heat (辣) with a numbing tingle (麻) that makes your mouth and tongue feel both the warmth and the buzz. The name 'mapo' refers to the pockmarked face of the grandmother who, by legend, first invented the recipe.
- Eat it with a separate bowl of white rice — the hot, spicy sauce goes very well with rice.
- Ask for 嫩豆腐 (nèn dòufu) tofu for a texture that's soft and melts in the mouth.
- Shops that use real beef tallow have a richer flavour than ones that substitute vegetable oil.
Where to stay in Chongqing for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Chongqing — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chongqing - Nan'an
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Glenview ITC Plaza Chongqing
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Bloom Boutique Hotel Chongqing
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Hilton Chongqing
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Tours, tickets & activities in Chongqing
Day tours, attraction tickets and travel essentials for Chongqing — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Before You Pack
Chongqing food is reasonably priced, and street stalls and food markets are the best places for authentic flavour. We recommend downloading the Alipay app, because most shops don't take cash.