Guilin's food isn't as famous as its scenery, but it hides a surprising amount of deliciousness. Guilin rice noodles are the breakfast locals have eaten since the Qin dynasty, and the secret-recipe lu shui broth that every shop simmers for hours is the soul of the city. Guangxi cooking leans on freshness, a gentle sourness and a tingling heat you won't find anywhere else in China. Once you're here, don't miss what might be the best breakfast of your life.
#1 Guilin Rice Noodles (Guilin Mifen) · Guilin Rice Noodles
The most iconic dish in Guilin, with a history of more than 2,100 years, created during the Qin dynasty to feed soldiers in the southern climate. The soft, slippery rice noodles are eaten with lu shui broth (a spiced broth simmered overnight), and every shop has its own secret recipe. The standard toppings are crispy pork, peanuts, pickled vegetables and chili oil, served dry (tossed) or wet (in soup). It is registered as a national cultural heritage of China.
- Order it 'gan' (dry), meaning the noodles are tossed with the lu shui broth and toppings without much soup — the traditional way locals prefer.
- A bowl runs 8-15 yuan, very cheap, and good shops usually open from 6am and sell out before noon.
- Long-running shops 30-50 years old often use a broth simmered with pork bones and more than 20 kinds of spices.
#2 Yangshuo Beer Fish · Yangshuo Beer Fish
Yangshuo's signature dish, famous enough to rank among the 10 classic dishes of Guangxi. It's made with fresh carp from the Li River, fried crisp first, then braised in beer with tomato, chili, ginger, garlic and fermented tofu. The beer pulls out the muddy smell and adds a malty aroma to the fish, leaving the skin crisp and the flesh tender. The sauce is thick and well-rounded with a slight sweetness, good with plain rice or used as a dip for fresh vegetables.
- Order your fish from the tank at the shop to be sure it's fresh; pick one around 600-800 grams for two people.
- The well-known shops on West Street tend to be pricier — try ducking into a side lane or going to the riverside spots on the Yulong River that locals favor.
- It comes out spicier if the shop uses fresh young chilies; say so if you can't take the heat.
#3 Lipu Taro Braised Pork · Lipu Taro Braised Pork
An auspicious Guilin dish once presented to the imperial court in the Qing dynasty. It's made from top-grade pork belly layered with big pieces of Lipu taro (a special taro variety from Lipu county, gently sweet and dense in texture), steamed in fermented soybean sauce and palm sugar until the pork melts in your mouth and the taro soaks up the flavor of the pork until soft and fragrant. It has been a banquet dish for weddings and festivals in northern Guangxi for hundreds of years.
- Ask whether the shop uses real Lipu taro — the genuine kind shows a purple marbling when cut across, unlike ordinary taro.
- This dish has to steam for more than 2 hours, so good shops make it ahead; don't order it if the shop still has to start cooking.
- Eat it with plain rice and blanched green vegetables to cut the richness of the pork belly.
#4 Oil Tea (You Cha) · Gongcheng Oil Tea
A traditional drink of the Yao people in Guilin with a history of more than a thousand years. It's made by frying tea leaves and ginger in pork fat, then boiling them with water into a strong, dark tea, drunk with crispy puffed rice, peanuts, spring onion and pickled radish in small dishes. The flavor is bitter, smoky, lightly salty and warming. People in Guilin believe it drives off the winter cold and helps digestion — a taste experience unlike anywhere else in the world.
- It may taste bitter the first time; drinking it with the puffed rice makes the flavor much easier to take.
- The second cup tastes better than the first as you get used to it; locals often drink 3-5 cups in a morning.
- Traditional oil tea differs from the scaled-down version sold to tourists — look for a shop with the grinding stone and the original pan.
#5 Stuffed River Snails (Niang Tian Luo) · Stuffed River Snails
A popular Guilin street food you won't forget once you've had it. The freshwater snail meat is taken out and chopped with pork, sawtooth coriander, ginger, garlic and spices, then stuffed back into the original shells before being grilled or steamed. Served hot with a sweet chili dipping sauce, it's spicy and fragrant — you suck the meat out of the shell like mussels back in Thailand, but the flavor is much more intense. It's a dish travelers often come across in the night markets.
- Use a toothpick or skewer to pry the meat from the shell the way locals do, and don't hesitate to suck loudly — that's acceptable manners in China.
- It's 3-5 yuan a skewer; order 5-10 skewers as a snack while you wander the night market.
- Avoid stalls where the snails look bland or have no aroma; choose one that grills them fresh for each customer.
#6 Snail Noodles (Guilin-Style Luosifen) · Guilin-Style Snail Noodles
A Guangxi dish going global, in its Guilin version. It differs from the more famous Liuzhou luosifen in that Guilin-style snail broth is richer and less spicy, using Guilin rice noodles instead of round rice vermicelli. The broth is simmered from freshwater snails, fish and spices, with a distinctive aroma worth trying at least once. It's topped with pickled mustard greens, long beans, crispy fried tofu and chili oil.
- If it's your first time, order it 'mild' first — the smell and flavor of the snails are fairly strong for the uninitiated.
- A good noodle shop simmers the snail broth fresh every morning rather than using instant soup from a packet.
- Compare it with plain Guilin rice noodles to feel the difference between the city's two signature dishes.
Where to stay in Guilin for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Guilin — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
Li River Resort Yangshuo
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Yangshuo Tea Cozy
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Yangshuo Sugar House
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Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
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Tours, tickets & activities in Guilin
Day tours, attraction tickets and travel essentials for Guilin — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Before You Pack
Guilin's best food is usually in the old shops down narrow lanes where locals queue from early morning. If you walk past a place packed with locals over their bowls, noodles and rising steam, that's the one to go into — no need to wait for a review to point the way.