The menu is all in Chinese. Now what?

Photo: Cera / Unsplash

Some of the best meals you'll have in China will come from places with no English menu, no English-speaking staff, and a queue out the door at lunchtime. Don't let the menu put you off. Ordering is easier than it looks, and you can sort most of it out before you leave the hotel.

Before you go out

• Download an offline translate pack. Google Translate's camera mode works without a connection once you've downloaded Chinese, and your phone's own camera may translate text too. Do this at home. The translations can be odd ("husband and wife lung slice" is a real dish name), but you'll tell chicken from tofu.
• Set up a payment app. Almost every restaurant takes Alipay or WeChat, and table ordering runs through them.
• Save a few phrases as screenshots, so you can show them when your hands are full.
• If you have an allergy, make a card now, not at the table. More on that below.

At the door

Many places, especially popular ones, have a queue system. You take a number at a machine or scan a code at the entrance; a screen calls your number. If you can't work it out, hold up fingers for the size of your group and the host will usually sort you out. At very busy places, a waiter may ask you to share a table. That's normal.

At the table: three ways to order

1. Scan the code on the table

Many restaurants have a QR code on a sticker or stand. Scan it with Alipay or WeChat, and a menu opens with photos, prices and quantities. Add what you want, send the order, and either pay right away or at the end. The photos make it easier than a paper menu, and you can run the screen through your translate app.

Two snags. Some ordering pages ask you to follow the restaurant's account or enter a phone number. And a few dishes have options, such as spice level or portion size, that pop up in Chinese. If a page gets stuck, wave a waiter over and point.

2. Ask for a paper menu

Scan-to-order isn't compulsory, even if the staff act as if it is. In 2023, China Daily, via Asia News Network, reported that a Shanghai couple in their 80s had been turned away from a chain restaurant because they had no phone to scan the code. After the backlash, the chain apologized and said all its outlets now had printed menus and waiters taking orders the old way. Lawyers quoted in the report said forcing customers to order by phone wasn't lawful.

My take: if the app is fighting you, just ask. 有菜单吗？ (Do you have a menu?) A paper menu with photos and a pointing finger is a perfectly good system.

3. Point

Point at the picture on the wall, at the dish on the next table, or at the busiest tray at the counter. People are usually pleased to see a visitor ordering their local dish. Point at what the table next to you is eating and smile; it has never steered me wrong.

Phrases that do the heavy lifting

A note on "no spicy": in Sichuan or Hunan, a dish built around chilli will still have some heat. Choose dishes that aren't red to begin with. And "vegetarian" can be read loosely: a vegetable dish may be cooked in meat stock or topped with minced pork. If it matters, say so clearly and check.

Allergies: don't rely on a phrase

For a real allergy, a spoken phrase isn't enough. Kitchen staff may not hear it, and peanut oil, sesame and shellfish turn up in places you wouldn't expect. Show it written down, in Chinese, with the consequence spelled out. The phrase cards on the tools page are a start, or ask your hotel front desk to write it for you. Show it when you order, and again when the food arrives if you're unsure.

Paying and leaving

If you ordered by QR, you may have paid already. Otherwise, pay at the counter by scanning their code or showing yours. There's no tip; see cash and tipping. Keep a small note or two for the stall that only takes a personal QR code your card won't pay.

Delivery to your hotel

Food delivery is fast and cheap here, but the main apps are built for Chinese users. Ele.me can be opened from inside Alipay, which helps. You'll need your hotel's address in Chinese and a phone number that receives calls. Many hotels don't let couriers upstairs; they leave orders on a shelf or at reception. Ask the front desk how they handle it. For the full list of apps, see our apps page.

Is it getting easier?

Yes. As foreign visitors have returned, places on the tourist trail have adjusted. In early 2025, a Shanghai soup dumpling restaurant told Jiemian that about a fifth of its recent customers were foreign, mostly from Korea. Places like that are adding English and photo menus. Away from the tourist streets, you'll still be pointing, and that's half the fun.

What if I can't read anything and nobody speaks English?

Go where it's busy at lunchtime, sit down, and point at what the next table is eating. Lunch crowds are the best restaurant review there is.

Sources: Asia News Network / China Daily: mandatory QR code scan at restaurants draws flak (Jun 2023) · The China Project: scan-to-order sweeps across China (2021) · Jiemian: inbound visitors at Chinese New Year 2025

If something here has changed, email me. I re-check every guide and update the date at the top.

Written by David, who lives in China. About me

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