Chengdu cooking falls under the province of Sichuan Cuisine, a boldly flavourful, sophisticated school that uses many different techniques and spices to produce mouth-watering delicacies. One of China's Eight Regional Cuisines, Sichuan Cuisine is known for its pungency, spiciness, and unique Sichuan pepper flavour.

In 2011, in recognition of the sophistication of its cuisine, UNESCO declared Chengdu a city of gastronomy, and nothing could be truer – the city boasts an exceptional variety of restaurants for every budget. On almost every street, vendors sell cheap and delicious snacks, including tasty chuanchuan xiang, bamboo skewers overflowing with boiled meat, vegetables, sausages, and shrimp. At popular pedestrian thoroughfares like Jinli and Chunxi Road, food enthusiasts can choose from hundreds of stalls offering finger foods and noodles. Spicy dandan noodles, topped with a small portion of fried minced meat, are a definite must-try!

Chengdu's sit-down eateries provide a countless variety of more complex but equally affordable dishes, such as Sichuan spicy hotpot, known for its fiery pepper flavour, or chaoshou, minced pork dumplings served in a spicy, sweet sauce made with garlic, vinegar, and chili oil.