Hangzhou for foodies
Wade's Bar & Grill (Wulin branch) is a late-night steak-and-bar hybrid on Wulin Road that keeps its kitchen open past midnight. Five of the picks for foodies in Hangzhou stay open past 21:00, so evenings run late.
Hangzhou for foodies, in numbers
- Picks on this page
- 12 places across 1 lists, led by Wade's Bar & Grill (Wulin branch), Restaurante Hangzhou (杭州酒家), Brewgang Kitchen & Craft Beer (上乘精酿餐吧)
- Posted hours
- 6 picks post hours earliest 10:00, latest 01:00; 0 open by 09:00, 5 past 21:00
Questions foodies ask about Hangzhou
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Food culture
Hangzhou runs on Zhe cuisine (浙菜), one of China's Eight Great Traditions. The style is lighter and sweeter than Sichuan or Cantonese cooking, built around West Lake freshwater fish, Longjing tea leaves, and spring bamboo. Dongpo Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, and Longjing Shrimp define the canon. Lunch starts at 11:30, dinner by 6.
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Where locals go
The Hangzhou that locals know runs along a different map: Baoshi Mountain and Baochu Pagoda before 7am, Shengli River food street in Gongshu after dark, the Grand Canal at Xiaohe Street on weeknights, and weekend drives to Meijiawu or Manjuelong for tea lunches. On workdays, Hangzhou Library in Qianjiang New City and Qingteng Tea House on Nanshan Road are the places they choose over any cafe.
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Best time to visit
Go between mid-October and late November: by then Golden Week (1 to 7 October) has cleared out of West Lake, daytime highs settle near 20°C, and the plane trees along Nanshan Road turn gold. April is a close second because the Longjing tea harvest is under way then. Skip June's plum rains and the 35°C heat of July.
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Cultural etiquette
Hangzhou runs on tea, not small talk. When offered Longjing, receive the cup in both palms and double-tap the table with two fingers as thanks. Never plant chopsticks upright in rice. Tipping is absent from Chinese dining culture. Buddhist temples like Lingyin enforce covered shoulders and knees, and monks should not be photographed without permission.
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What to avoid
Skip West Lake during National Day week (1 to 7 October), the ¥40 escalator ride up the rebuilt Leifeng Pagoda, the "practise English" tea-house invitation on Hubin Road, roadside Longjing tea at ¥100 a bag, and West Lake vinegar fish at Lou Wai Lou. Take Metro Line 1 from Xiaoshan Airport, not a tout's car.
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Curated for foodies
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