Practical guide to dining in Xi'an without Chinese language skills.
Practical guide to dining in Xi'an without Chinese language skills. Picture ordering, key phrases, QR codes, and allergy communication.
You don't need to speak Chinese to eat well in Xi'an! This guide covers practical strategies for ordering food, communicating preferences, and navigating restaurants without language skills.
Use a combination of pointing, photos, translation apps, and key Chinese phrases. Most restaurant staff are patient with foreign customers.
The simplest approach - just point at what you want!
Many restaurants use QR codes for ordering:
QR code menus often have photos of each dish. This is the most foreigner-friendly ordering method!
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我对...过敏 | Wǒ duì...guòmǐn | I'm allergic to... |
| 不要...因为过敏 | Bù yào...yīnwèi guòmǐn | No...because I'm allergic |
| 不含花生 | Bù hán huāshēng | No peanuts |
| 不含海鲜 | Bù hán hǎixiān | No seafood |
| 不含麸质 | Bù hán fūzhì | No gluten |
Point at pictures on menus, use Meituan with translation, learn key phrases like zhe ge, use Baidu Translate camera. Many tourist-area restaurants have English or picture menus.
Most stalls do not have menus - you point at what you want. Key dishes: roujiamo, biangbiang noodles, yangrou paomo.
Meituan and Ele.me are the main apps. Sherpa's delivers from international restaurants with an English interface.
Download Baidu Translate or Google Translate. Both have camera translation. Baidu Translate works without VPN in China.
In tourist areas, basic English works. In local restaurants, English is rare. Having translation apps ready is essential.