natasavujicic
- Jul 17, 2023
- 7 min read

Hangzhou Flavors

Updated: Feb 6

I am not good in taking photos of the food, as some of my friends like to point out (I am taking about you Doris), so these photos, I downloaded from: https://www.douguo.com), https://www.zhihu.com and https://www.xiachufang.com

Traditional food of Hangzhou, also known as Hang Bang Cai (杭帮菜), is part of Zhe cuisine (浙菜), one of 8 great cuisines of China. It is mild in flavor, sometimes even a bit sweet, not spicy and highlights the original taste of the ingredients. Thanks to more than thousand years of recorded history, Hangzhou cuisine today includes around 500 dishes. The most common dishes include fish, seafood and vegetables.

One of the first things you may notice, especially in South of China, is that most seafood restaurants are furnished with aquariums. This way you can choose your own meal. Preparation of fish and seafood does not usually include fragrant spices. That is partially in order to preserve the original flavor and partially to make it evident that the fish/seafood is fresh, the quality valued above all other qualities when it comes to food in this part of China.

When it comes to Hang Bang Cai flavors, I would suggest starting your journey from Hangzhou Cuisine Museum (中国杭帮菜博物馆). Read more here.

If you are not that interested in history, cooking methods and the varieties of Hang Bang Cai, you can skip the museum and head straight to one of the restaurants or one of the popular tourist areas in search for food stalls (Hefang street - 河坊街, West Lake - 西湖, Grand Canal - 大运河 and Hangzhou Downtown all make good choice). However you decide to go about it, do make sure to try some of the local dishes listed below (in order of my personal preference).

1. Dong Po Pork

Dong Po Pork (东坡肉), braised pork belly is a cube of succulent, aromatic pork cooked in rice wine and soy sauce until it is tender enough to melt in your mouth. It is Hangzhou signature dish, which means you can find it in restaurants all around Hangzhou. However, some restaurants prepare it better than others, so here is the list of the best among the best:

Hangzhou The New Hotel – 1913, Bei Shan Street 58 (杭州新新饭店-1913餐厅, address 北山街58号),
Lou Wai Lou at West Lake, Gu Shan Road 30 (楼外楼-西湖景区孤山路店, address西湖风景名胜区北山街孤山路30号),
Hangzhou Restaurant, Yan’An Road 205 (杭州酒家 – 延安路店, address 延安路205号1-3楼),
Zhi Wei Guan at Hu Bin, Ren He Road 83 (知味观 - 湖滨店, address 仁和路83号一楼).

There is a gourmet version of this dish - Jin Pai Kou Rou 金牌扣肉, a pyramid of razor-thin pork slices filled with bamboo shoots. This dish owns its popularity not only to the taste, but also to the exquisite knife work during preparation. You can find it in:

Yue Xuen in Hangzhou Park Hyatt, Qian Jiang Road 1366 (杭柏悦酒店-悦轩中餐, address钱江路1366号杭州柏悦酒店37层),
Hubin 28 in Grand Hyatt, Hu Bin Road 18 (杭州君悦酒店，湖滨28中餐厅, address 湖滨路 28 号).

This dish is available only if you preorder, so make sure to call in advance, it will be well worth it.

2. West Lake Beef Soup

West Lake Beef Soup (西湖牛肉羹/西湖牛肉汤) is a dish loved and often prepared prepared at home not only in Hangzhou, but all around China. Versions of the similar soup can be found in Guangdong (广东), Fujian (福建) and other provinces. It can include ingredients available throughout the year, according to one’s preferences, even without meat. Traditional version includes thick potato starch base with eggs, mushrooms, coriander and beef. It is nutritious, deliciously salty and comforting. The following two restaurants specialize in the dish, (but it is available in many other restaurants as well):

Yi Lu Chi, Nan Shan Road 176 (一路吃-新杭州杭帮菜-南上路店, address 南山路176-5号),
Park Villa, Yu Gu Road 61 (朴墅 - 青芝坞店, address 玉古路61 – 1号).

3. Beggar's Chicken

Beggar's Chicken (叫花鸡) is another signature dish available in restaurants all around Hangzhou. The whole chicken is rubbed with soy sauce and rice wine, stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, or some combination of these, depending on the recipe. It is then wrapped in lotus leaves and coated in clay before being roasted for hours. The result is tender chicken meat and delicious stuffing. It is usually served with a hammer on the side, so you can break the outer layer of clay to reveal the meat. This dish, in my personal opinion tastes like roasted chicken, it is not particularly exciting, but it is a safe choice. Among the best-known restaurants serving this dish are:

Lou Wai Lou at West Lake, Gu Shan Road 30 (楼外楼-西湖景区孤山路店, address 西湖风景名胜区北山街孤山路30号),
Hangzhou Restaurant, Yan’An Road 205 (杭州酒家 – 延安路店, address 延安路205号1-3楼)
Yi Lu Chi, Nan Shan Road 176 (一路吃-新杭州杭帮菜-南上路店, address 南山路176-5号),
Grandma’s Kitchen, Nan Shan Road 147(外婆家-西湖天地涌金店, address 南山路147号西湖天地2A号楼).

4. Squirrel Fish

Squirrel Fish (松鼠桂鱼) traditionally belongs to Suzhou (苏州) cuisine, it is worth mentioning because it is delicious and available all-around Hangzhou. It has nothing to do with the squirrel, except for the look maybe (it should represent a squirrel with its head bowed and tail raised). This colorful dish is prepared by cutting the fish meat in a particular way so it stays attached to the bone, dipping in batter and deep-frying until crispy. It tastes like sweet and sour fried fish. You can try it in:

Hubin 28 in Grand Hyatt, Hu Bin Road 18 (杭州君悦酒店，湖滨28中餐厅, address 湖滨路 28 号),
Lou Wai Lou, Gu Shan Road 30 (楼外楼-西湖景区孤山路店, address 西湖风景名胜区北山街孤山路30号),
Yue Xuen in Hangzhou Park Hyatt, Qian Jiang Road 1366 (杭柏悦酒店-悦轩中餐, address 钱江路1366号杭州柏悦酒店37层),
Hangzhou The New Hotel – 1913, Bei Shan Street 58 (杭州新新饭店-1913餐厅, address 北山街58号).

Here you can read the article on how come that this dish is linked to the ancient assassin here.

5. West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy

West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy (西湖醋鱼) is carp cooked in sweet and sour sauce and served whole, with head and bones and all. It does not rank high on my list simply because I am not a fan of freshwater fish and because of the way it is served - fish covered in sauce should be carefully cleaned of bones. However, you can try it here:

Lou Wai Lou, Gu Shan Road 30 (楼外楼-西湖景区孤山路店, address 西湖风景名胜区北山街孤山路30号),
Hangzhou Restaurant, Yan’An Road 205 (杭州酒家 – 延安路店, address 延安路205号1-3楼),
Yi Lu Chi, Nan Shan Road 176 (一路吃-新杭州杭帮菜-南上路店, address 南山路176-5号),
Hubin 28 in Grand Hyatt, Hu Bin Road 18 (杭州君悦酒店，湖滨28中餐厅, address 湖滨路 28 号),
Hangzhou The New Hotel – 1913, Bei Shan Street 58 (杭州新新饭店-1913餐厅, address 北山街58号),
Huang Fan'Er, Hefang Street 101-103 (皇饭儿·王润兴酒楼 - address 河坊街101-103号),
Grandma’s Kitchen, Nan Shan Road 147(外婆家-西湖天地涌金店, address 南山路147号西湖天地2A号楼).

6. Shrimps with Longjing Tea

Shrimps with Longjing Tea (龙井虾仁) is, to be completely honest, a dish I am not really fan of, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving it a try. Shrimps soaked in egg whites, cornstarch, and rice wine are fried and then seasoned with tea. Those who like this dish claim that “the fragrant and refreshing green shoots of Longjing tea beautifully complement the delicious white shrimps, giving this authentic dish an exquisite flavor”. Restaurants specialized in preparing it are:

Lou Wai Lou, Gu Shan Road 30 (楼外楼-西湖景区孤山路店, address 西湖风景名胜区北山街孤山路30号),
Hangzhou Restaurant, Yan’An Road 205 (杭州酒家 – 延安路店, address 延安路205号1-3楼),
Yi Lu Chi, Nan Shan Road 176 (一路吃-新杭州杭帮菜-南上路店, address 南山路176-5号),
Hubin 28 in Grand Hyatt, Hu Bin Road 18 (杭州君悦酒店，湖滨28中餐厅, address 湖滨路 28 号),
Hangzhou The New Hotel – 1913, Bei Shan Street 58 (杭州新新饭店-1913餐厅, address 北山街58号),
Huang Fan'Er, Hefang Street 101-103 (皇饭儿·王润兴酒楼 - address 河坊街101-103号).

Here are a few more dishes in case you are really in the mood to further explore the local cuisine: Fish Balls in Light Soup (清汤鱼丸), Fried Eel Slices (炸鳗鱼片), Fried Stuffed Bean Curd Paste (干炸响铃), Fish Head and Bean Curd Soup (豆腐鱼头汤), Fried Pig Intestines and Liver (爆两样) and Sister Song's Fish Broth (宋嫂鱼羹).