China 2026: Local Eateries and Hole-in-Walls

Some of the best eats in China have been in casual no-frills joints. Some for the food, others for the experience, and some to sense the history.

1st up, a tiny place that initially seemed located in the middle of nowhere. We had wandered around a bit and hit a couple of dead ends.

Then we spied the sign in the near distance.

Wife had done her homework on this well loved restaurant in an alleyway. I grabbed and squatted on the 1st available open table. While she queued up to put in our order. Teamwork!

SHRMP ROE NOODLE
Fantastic!! Shrimpy goodness!!

WON TON

JOOK with MEATBALL
The reason we’re here. The simplest dishes can be the most difficult to get right. This place does it RIGHT!!

We were not under the delusion that we were unearthing a Hidden Gem. This can be classified as a Hole-in-Wall, one I’d happily eat at again and again.

5 Likes

Cantonese jook is my fave type of rice congee, with its smooth texture, over Teochew-style rice grains in soup, or the Hokkien and Hakka versions which are somewhere in-between.

1 Like

My favorite kind of restaurants hope you find more!