Must-Try Foods in Guilin
Guilin's cuisine reflects Guangxi's subtropical landscape — fresh river fish, mountain herbs, and rice in countless forms. These six dishes define the region's flavor. Each comes with current prices and the best place to try it.
1. Guilin Rice Noodles (桂林米粉 — Mifen)
What is it? Guilin's breakfast of champions. Round rice noodles served in a rich, slow-simmered beef bone broth with pickled long beans, roasted peanuts, thinly sliced pork, and a spoonful of chili. The ritual is part of the experience — you add your own garnishes from bowls on the counter: pickled bamboo shoots, crushed garlic, vinegar, chili paste. Locals eat it standing up at street-side shops in under 10 minutes. It's cheap, fast, and deeply satisfying.
💰 Price: ¥8-15 ($1.10-2.10)
📍 Where to eat: "Chongshan Mifen" (崇善米粉) near Zhengyang Pedestrian Street is the most famous. Any hole-in-the-wall shop with locals lining up at 7 AM is guaranteed to be good. Look for steam rising from giant pots.
2. Yangshuo Beer Fish (阳朔啤酒鱼)
What is it? This is THE dish of Yangshuo — you'll see signs for it on every street. Fresh-caught Li River grass carp is cooked whole in a clay pot with locally brewed beer, tomatoes, green peppers, scallions, and plenty of garlic. The beer tenderizes the fish and creates a savory, slightly sweet broth that you'll want to spoon over rice. The fish itself is delicate and falls apart at the touch of chopsticks. It's always served tableside in a sizzling pot.
💰 Price: ¥68-128 ($9.50-18) — serves two people generously
📍 Where to eat: "Master Xie's Beer Fish" (谢大姐啤酒鱼) on West Street is the institution. Multiple branches. "Liu Sanjie Beer Fish" is also excellent. Avoid the pushy touts — a good beer fish restaurant doesn't need a hawker out front.
💡 Tip: The fish is priced by weight (per jin / 500g). Confirm the weight before they cook it, especially at tourist-oriented places.
3. Lipu Taro & Pork Belly (荔浦芋扣肉)
What is it? Lipu, a town near Guilin, grows China's most famous taro — large, starchy, and wonderfully fragrant. In this dish, thick slices of taro are layered with fatty pork belly and steamed for hours until both become meltingly tender. The taro absorbs the rendered pork fat, becoming creamy and rich while the pork turns soft enough to cut with the edge of a spoon. It's served inverted onto a plate so the layers are visible. Savory, slightly sweet, and deeply comforting.
💰 Price: ¥48-68 ($6.70-9.50) — a shareable dish
📍 Where to eat: "Guilin Renjia" (桂林人家) and traditional Guilin restaurants. Best ordered at sit-down dinner spots, not street stalls. Ask if the taro is local Lipu taro — it makes all the difference.
4. Guilin Chili Sauce (桂林辣椒酱)
What is it? Guilin's famous chili paste isn't just a condiment — it's one of the "Three Treasures of Guilin" (alongside fermented bean curd and Sanhua wine). Made from fresh local red chilies, garlic, and fermented soybeans, it has a deep, complex heat that's more aromatic than fiery. Locals stir it into rice noodles, dab it onto grilled fish, and mix it into dipping sauces. Every family has their own recipe, and no two jars taste exactly the same.
💰 Price: ¥15-30 ($2-4.20) per jar — makes an excellent souvenir
📍 Where to buy: "Guilin Sanhua Wine & Chili Shop" near Zhengyang Street. Also sold at the Guilin night market and most supermarkets. Get the one in a glass jar with a red label — it's the traditional brand. Bring a jar home; it keeps for months.
5. Oil Tea (油茶 — Youcha)
What is it? Oil tea is the traditional drink of Guangxi's Yao and Zhuang ethnic minorities. Despite the name, it's more like a savory soup than tea. Green tea leaves are fried in oil with ginger and garlic, then pounded with a wooden mallet and boiled into a strong, aromatic broth. It's served in bowls with puffed rice, peanuts, and chopped scallions floating on top. The taste is earthy, slightly bitter, and deeply warming — an acquired taste, but one that travelers who love it REALLY love it.
💰 Price: ¥10-20 ($1.40-2.80) per bowl
📍 Where to try: Most authentic in the Longji Rice Terrace villages, where Yao women prepare it fresh. In Yangshuo, look for "Yao Village Oil Tea" (瑶寨油茶) near West Street. In Guilin city, morning markets sometimes have oil tea stalls.
6. Stuffed River Snails (田螺酿)
What is it? A Yangshuo specialty that sounds strange but tastes incredible. Large river snails are removed from their shells, minced with pork, garlic, and herbs, then stuffed back into the shell with extra filling on top. They're braised in a soy-ginger broth until the snail meat is tender and the pork filling has absorbed all the flavors. You use a toothpick to pull out the mixed snail-pork stuffing. Savory, garlicky, and unlike anything you've eaten before.
💰 Price: ¥25-45 ($3.50-6.30) for a plate of 8-10 snails
📍 Where to eat: Small family-run restaurants in Yangshuo's old town alleyways. "Auntie Li's Kitchen" (李阿姨厨房) off Guihua Road is excellent. Also available at most beer fish restaurants as a starter. Go early — they often sell out by 8 PM.
Day 1: Guilin City
9:00 AM: Elephant Trunk Hill (1 hour). Free entry now!
11:00 AM: Reed Flute Cave (1.5 hours).
1:00 PM: Lunch — Guilin rice noodles at a local shop.
3:00 PM: Diecai Mountain hike (2 hours).
6:00 PM: Evening walk along the Li River.
8:00 PM: Dinner at Nanxiang Steamed Dumpling.
Day 2: Li River Cruise to Yangshuo
8:30 AM: Board Li River cruise at Zhujiang Port.
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Cruise through karst scenery. Photographer's paradise!
1:00 PM: Lunch on boat (if luxury class).
2:00 PM: Arrive Yangshuo. Check in hotel.
4:00 PM: West Street, get bike rental.
6:00 PM: Cycle to sunset spot near Moon Hill.
8:00 PM: Dinner — Beer Fish in West Street.
Day 3: Yangshuo Countryside
8:00 AM: Full day cycling loop.
10:00 AM: Yulong River bamboo raft (optional).
12:00 PM: Lunch at countryside restaurant.
2:00 PM: Moon Hill, visit terrace cafe.
4:00 PM: Return to Yangshuo.
7:00 PM: Liu Sanjie Cormorant Fishing Show.
9:00 PM: West Street nightlife.
Day 4: Longji Rice Terraces (Day Trip)
6:00 AM: Early bus from Guilin to Longji (2 hours).
9:00 AM: Arrive Ping'an Village. Start hiking.
11:00 AM: Zhuang ethnic minority cultural experience.
1:00 PM: Lunch at local Zhuang restaurant.
3:00 PM: Return hike, explore other villages.
5:00 PM: Return bus to Guilin.
8:00 PM: Final dinner — Osmanthus Duck if available.
