Top 15 Dining Experiences in China

1.Old Beijing Dinner Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 348 reviews · from $75Our pick

Meet your guide at Beixinqiao Station at 7 p.m. for a three-hour walk through Old Beijing’s hutongs. Guides such as Garth, Kelly, Shan, and Zeben lead small groups to family-run eateries for hotpot, dumplings, sauced meats, jianbing, beer, and rice wine. The tour ends near Zhangzizhong Road Metro.

“I had an amazing time with Garth as my tour guide!! The food was delicious and very interesting. You will not be able to try any of it by yourself and Garth knew a lot about the origins of every food item. I can't recommend this tour any higher. It was truly amazing to spend the night eating and drinking with Garth!”

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2.Shanghai Night River Cruise Tour with Xinjiang Style Dining Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 324 reviews · from $155

Spend about three hours seeing the Bund and Pudong skyline from the Huangpu River, then dine at a local Xinjiang halal restaurant. Your private vehicle, cruise ticket, dinner, drinks, and guide are included. Guides such as Caroline, Queena, Kalvin, and Xin are praised for clear English, local insight, and thoughtful help with ordering.

“Amazing River and Food Tour!! Super recommendable! Queena took care of us from pickup from our hotel to the river cruise and to the dinner! They took us to a really nice restaurant and VIP section of the river cruise. Queena is very knowledgeable and nice. Our best tour ok our first trip to China!”

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3.Night River Cruise Tour with Xinjiang Style Dining

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 210 reviews · 3 hours · from $153

Spend three hours seeing Shanghai by night from the Huangpu River, then sit down to Xinjiang-style halal food in Pudong. A private car, English-speaking guide, cruise ticket, dinner, soft drink or beer, and hotel return are included. Guides such as Caroline, Queena, Snow, and Xin are praised for local insight and personal care.

“Amazing! The hype is real - Caroline the guide is the one you want to request. She is bubbly, fun, energetic and knows a ton about her city. This was an awesome tour — but take my advice and do the night cruise after 6pm! The lights come on for the buildings at 7pm and that’s when you want to be on the water.”

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4.Tang Dynasty Show Ticket w/ Transfer or Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 84 reviews · 1 - 3 hours · from $33

Spend an evening at Xi’an’s Tang Dynasty Palace with a polished dance and music show, English captions, and optional dinner. Choose dumplings, a local Chinese meal, or transport only. A private driver can collect you from a downtown hotel, help with theater entry, and return you afterward. Muslim and vegetarian menus can be arranged.

“Waiters were talking loudly during the show, women who was in charge about seats was bit rude, unfortunately. But was not a problem to receive tickets. Especially Prs Ping support by whatsup was extremely valuable for me as a foreigner.”

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5.Xi’an Tang Dynasty Show Ticket Optional Dumplings or Royal Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 75 reviews · from $37

Spend about an hour watching Tang-era music and dance at Xi’an Tang Dynasty, founded in 1988. Choose a show-only ticket, a dumpling banquet, or a royal dinner. Expect elaborate costumes, live traditional instruments, lights, English story screens, and a theatre restaurant setting at 75 Chang An Bei Lu. Arrive 30 minutes early.

“Good experience for Xian old dynasty culture. The theatre staff was helpful and friendly. Dancers are also elaborately dressed.”

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6.Shanghai Night River Cruise VIP Seating with Private Transfer and Dinner Option

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $139

You’ll cruise the Huangpu River for about 60 minutes from a VIP seating area, with views of the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and Pudong’s brightest towers. A private guide such as Cassie, Sunny, Michael, or Annie handles transport and city context. Add dinner at a local restaurant, not aboard the boat.

“Annie was amazing. Looked after us well to make sure we didn't get lost in crowd. Gave good history of city. Very friendly and highly recommended. Thanks for an amazing experience Annie.”

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7.Wuzhen and Xitang Water Town Private Full Day Trip from Shanghai with Lunch and Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 60 reviews · from $284

Leave Shanghai at 9:30am for a private day exploring Wuzhen and Xitang. Walk old lanes, cross stone bridges, cruise the canals, eat local lunch and dinner, and stay late for Xitang’s lights. Guides such as Caroline, Kimi, Bella, and Jane are noted for flexible pacing, food advice, and help with photos.

“Great experience and guide (Jane). We had booked for 9:30 AM but they suggested we leave a little later to be able to see the village at night when it was lit up and definitely glad we did! Cool shops and the pork at the first restaurant stop was one of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten.”

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8.Shanghai Night River Cruise VIP Seat with Authentic Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · 3 hours · from $168

Spend three hours seeing Shanghai by night with a private English-speaking guide, downtown hotel transfers, and a 50-minute VIP cruise on the Huangpu River. You’ll see the Bund, Shanghai Tower, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, and colonial riverfront buildings before or after a local restaurant dinner featuring dishes such as soup dumplings, pan-fried buns, and scallion oil noodles.

“Cassie was a wonderful guide! She was very kind, helpful, and knowledgeable. She gave great recommendations for dinner and took plenty of photos for us on the cruise. Grateful to have her as a guide!”

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9.Shanghai Huangpu River Night Cruise with Buffet Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · from $129

Board a two-hour evening cruise from the Bund and watch Shanghai’s colonial waterfront and futuristic Pudong towers light up. Your package includes a buffet dinner, soft drinks, river cruise, and downtown hotel pickup and drop-off. Add a private guide such as Shirley, Sunny, Cassie, Roy, or Jun for history, photos, and help aboard.

“Was amazing! Cassie was super kind and friendly with us, she took us a lot of pics! She explained us everything about shanghai, we recommend this tour a lot, you can see more about Shanghai! Having Cassie was such a blessing!”

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10.Temple of Heaven Private Tour w/Option Show & Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 18 reviews · 2 - 8 hours · from $54

Choose a focused Temple of Heaven visit or pair it with Beijing highlights, an acrobatics show, Peking duck, the Great Wall, or Summer Palace. Your private English or Chinese guide sets the pace, with guides such as Mina, Jay, and Miko praised for clear explanations and thoughtful help. Hotel transfers are optional.

“Absolutely fantastic tour! Mina, our tour guide, made this experience perfect. First, she made it convenient to meet her outside the gate and had all tickets ready for different attractions within the temple of heaven. Her tour was both enjoyable and educational, and at an appropriate pace, showing us the key highlights and responding to all our questions. At the end, she was kind enough to recommend places for food and shopping in Beijing. Overall, it was an excellent experience and would definitely recommend.”

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11.Beijing Hutong Dinner and Beer Walking Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $99

Spend 3.5 hours in Gulou with an English-speaking local guide, possibly Lan, as you sample hot pot, street food, dishes linked to Chairman Mao’s former chef, and craft beer. Walk past Wanning Bridge, Shichahai, the Drum and Bell Towers, and old hutongs. The private group is designed for up to six people.

“Our guide Lan was great, very hospitable and caring. Great food spots, perfect dive into Beijing night life.”

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12.Acrobatic Show with Peking Duck Dinner Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 8 reviews · 4 hours · from $72

Meet an English-speaking guide in your Beijing hotel lobby, travel to Red Theater for a Chinese acrobatics show, then eat Peking duck at a local restaurant. Guides such as Jay, Miko, Lucy, Kevin, and Andy explain the meal and local customs. Transport, dinner, and upgraded seats vary by option.

“Akrobatik Show hätte 6 Sterne verdient Das Restaurant mit Peking Ente allerdings maximal 2 Sterne Guide Miko hat sich mit uns sehr viel Mühe gegeben!”

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13.Qingyu Banquet Experience with Show and Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 6 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $52

Spend 1.5 hours at Chongqing’s Qingyu Banquet, a palace-style dinner show built around Bayu culture. You’ll eat traditional Sichuan dishes, watch music and dance performances, and may add ancient costume styling with professional makeup artists. Dinner is $52 per person, while costume service requires a separate booking.

“I was having a hard time locating the place but the experience was amazing. It felt like I went back in time to dine with the King of China. Would totally do it again. Oh the makeup and hair is soso. Not bad but not that good either.”

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14.Top Michelin Vegetarian Restaurant Reservation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 2 hours · from $7Best value

Reserve a two-hour meal at Jing Zhaoyin, Beijing’s Michelin three-star vegetarian restaurant near Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Yonghe Temple. Chef Gary’s menu uses mushrooms, soy products, vegetables, and grains with little oil, sugar, salt, or fat. Your reservation covers lunch, dinner, or afternoon tea, but the meal itself costs extra.

“Great food, great service, I had a wonderful night! Recommended.”

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15.Beijing Night Tour with Acrobatics Show & PekingDuck Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 5 hours · from $192

You’ll leave your central Beijing hotel around 15:30 for an evening drive, an acrobatics performance, and a traditional Peking Duck dinner. An English- or Chinese-speaking guide and private vehicle handle the transport. The duck is sliced in front of you, adding a small bit of dining theater. Bring your passport, which is needed for ticketing.

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