Chongqing builds its food on numbing heat, but hot pot is only the beginning. Noodles, river dishes, and street snacks all lead with aroma. Sichuan pepper, chilies, and beef tallow keep flavors vivid across the city's steep streets.
Numbing intensity
Rich beef tallow
Streetwise spirit
01
What to eat in Chongqing
- 01
Chongqing Hot Pot
A rich beef-tallow broth for quick-cooking tripe, duck intestine, and vegetables.
- 02
Chongqing Xiaomian
Noodles layered with chili oil, Sichuan pepper, preserved greens, and peanuts.
- 03
Chili Chicken
Crisp morsels of chicken hidden among a fragrant heap of dried chilies.
- 04
Hot and Sour Noodles
Chewy sweet-potato noodles with vinegar, chili, soybeans, and pickled mustard.
02
Eat like a local
Start hot pot at a moderate heat level; garlic and sesame oil in the dipping bowl help soften the burn.