When traveling in Changsha, you must remember to taste the local cuisine, after all, the first thing to enjoy when going to a city is the local food, the only way to play more enjoyable, want to know what are the more recommended food in Changsha?
In a random interview with ten travelers in Changsha, roughly ten people came here for the food - and one of them probably came twice for it. It's no exaggeration to say that there's no telling how many culinary masters lurk in the backroom here.
From centuries-old restaurants to popular eateries to hidden food stalls, Changsha is a culinary treasure trove that can't catch fire without a few tricks up its sleeve. The competition between restaurateurs and chefs has also benefited gourmets from all walks of life. Do you only know about Netflix restaurants? Then you're losing out.
Whether you're looking for an elegant environment, authentic homemade flavors, or want to go deeper into the city and eat like a local, you can have a great time here. Reputable Hunan restaurants have a number of outlets, and we recommend either the main one or the better-located ones. Some of the home-cooked food or snack bars are one of a kind, so if you happen to be in the neighborhood, you might want to get a taste of the locals.
Changsha people often start their day with a bowl of vermicelli, a noodle-like flat noodle that is unique to Changsha, while the rest of Hunan is dominated by a round noodle that resembles rice noodles. The flat noodles are soft and flavorful, while the round ones are smooth, so try them both. The beef noodles are generally spicy, and the steamed egg noodles with meatloaf have a slightly peppery flavor, but are perfectly acceptable to those who don't eat spicy food.
The signboard of Jinshi Beef Vermicelli is commonly seen on the street, which emphasizes the use of all kinds of ingredients and medicinal herbs to simmer the beef bone soup base, and the beef is fully brined, so you can taste how different it is from the other vermicelli stores. Liuyang Steamed Vegetables is another traditional Hunan cuisine, in the steaming process can maximize the original flavor and nutrition of the food, each portion is small and inexpensive, can be more with a few kinds. The Liuyang Steamed Vegetable House in Changsha is not a large-scale, encountered when the fast food to taste.
Stroll through the snack street"Eat less, eat more" is particularly practical in Changsha, for no other reason than that if you eat nothing at all during the meal time, then the many snack streets will make you regret it. These snack streets usually enter the climax at midnight, three or four o'clock in the morning before closing stalls, the overall taste is heavy, health is not guaranteed. Do not overeat late at night and remember to cherish your stomach when you satisfy your appetite.
The most famous snack street is Pozi Street, this old street has a hundred years of history, when Changsha is the birthplace of commercial civilization. During the Republic of China period, there were a lot of stores, and nowadays, in the T-zone formed by it and Sanwang Street, there is a concentration of old and familiar brands in Changsha: Yang Yuxing, which is famous for its noodles; Xiangqun, which is famous for its pot dumplings and meat; Shuangyanlou, which is famous for its wontons; and of course, Huogong Palace, which is the distribution center for snacks. The city is also a popular tourist destination for young people on weekends and holidays, so try the old Changsha sausage and meat sausage from Dongguashan, and then compete with the old Changsha deep-fryers Wenheyou and Huji, who make deep-fried skewers, at 10 p.m. After the stores close, it's a whole other story - all kinds of trolleys lining the streets, a late-night snack fair.
It is also important to mention the locally known Dongguashan and Wenmiaoping. The former has a local eatery legend - Dongguashan meat sausage (the original store) made a fortune by stalls, and hot brine (a free combination of hot mixed vegetables) as the signature Dandan hot brine and the main Xiangxi skewers alliance of the barbecue is worth trying; the latter focus on a variety of refreshing and low-calorie cold dishes, more than a dozen kinds of optional, close to the Changxian County High School, and the student party together! In front of the school in the snack street back to seventeen years old it.
If you want something different, don't miss the Halal Bazaar in front of the mosque next to Heron Stadium every Friday. From 11 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., the not-so-long alley is full of Northwest specialty snacks. Grilled beef and mutton kebabs go without saying, and fragrant naan and baked buns are also very tempting. Local ethnic minorities love to come here to savor the flavors of their hometowns.
Hunan CuisineOld Street Fish Mouth (West Jiefang Road, at the corner of Sanwang Street; RMB 50 per person)
Fish Mouth (RMB 68), which is a must-order for every table, has a fresh, spicy flavor that exercises the tongue's flexibility and the muscles of the mouth, and the Salted Eggplant in Salted Egg Yolk (RMB 28) is salty and sticky and soft enough for the older or those who don't eat spicy food. The waiters are quick on their feet. The two branches at the Pozi Street pagoda and diagonally across from Dufu Jiangge are both good.
De Tian Shun Gaiyi (Renmin West Road) (No. 171, Renmin West Road; 30 yuan per person)
The wide variety of gaiyi ranges from 20 to 46 yuan, and the wakan soup is about 10 yuan, which isn't exactly cheap in Changsha, but it's a good deal, and has a pure Hunan flavor, so those who are afraid of spice should come and challenge themselves with a menu marked with the words "heavy", "spicy" and "hot". "The restaurant is not cheap in Changsha, but the quantity is affordable and the flavor is authentic. Here every meal time are crowded with diners, food in the elevator upstairs, super foreign style. The restaurant is not in the street, but the signage is very eye-catching, take the bus to the Fanxi Lane station, next to Friday Photography.
Yi Hua Jia Cai Ya (136 Liu Zheng Jie; RMB 80 per person)
If you can find it on your own with no one to show you the way, you must be a seasoned eater. The restaurant is tucked away in a private room in an alleyway, and the décor is akin to a "fly shop". The food is a bit on the salty side, but it's a good choice for those who can't handle spicy food and want to feel at home. The portion of beef ($48) is a good size, and the dipping sauce with chili pepper is at your disposal. The steamed vegetables are not light, and ignoring the sell-out appearance of the steamed pork ribs with skinny egg and dried mama (NT$38), the combination of meat and egg is screamingly flavorful.
Lao Changsha Lobster House (Hualongchi Store) (Renmin Xi Lu Kou; RMB 70 per person)
From the white-on-black signboard to the store's furnishings and décor, the strong nostalgia for the 1970s and '80s takes you on a journey through the flavors of old Changsha. The store is a hundred years old? No, this store only opened in 2012. Popularity? Indeed, the dozens of tables waiting at the entrance are a deterrent, and the Dufu Jiangge branch (No. 72, Section 2, Xiangjiang Middle Road) is about the same. In fact, the tables turn over pretty quickly, so if you really don't want to wait, ordering takeout is the least of your worries. The signature shrimp tails (RMB 138) are much more enjoyable to eat than the flavored shrimp, and not very spicy. The shrimp are small in the fall and winter months, so why not try the Jiemi Beef Frog (NT$48). The NT$2 lard bibimbap is small and flavorful, and the NT$10-20 vegetarian gazpacho is quite tasty, so it's easy to overeat if you're not careful.
Lu's Restaurant (253 Beizheng Street; RMB 50 per person)
This restaurant near Zhongshan Ting has been open for 20 years, and has been upgraded from a "fly shop" to a clean, fresh, two-story storefront that specializes in affordable home-cooked food. The signage says "only Sha Yazi knows flavor" ("Sha Yazi" means old Changsha locals). Take a look at the menu and you'll see just how good Changsha food can be. The pork stir-fried with garlic and chili pepper (RMB 38) is well-brined, and the sweet potato noodles with pickled cabbage (RMB 26), though too minced, are excellent with rice. Locals may find this place slightly ordinary, but it's hard to complain that the flavors aren't authentic or the prices aren't affordable. Try to come early, as some of the signature dishes are not served at 8:30pm.
Fried food
Among the many snacks that best represent Changsha's local flavor and are most loved by tourists, the dark Changsha stinky tofu immediately comes to mind for many. If you go around the city center, you'll be dazzled by all the "authentic" and "classic" stinky tofu signboards. We recommend the everlasting W___ Stinky Tofu (between 59 and 61 Huangxing South Road; 10 yuan/10 slices), which has remained a small stall with two or three tables for many years, with low prices, traditional flavors, and a good reputation. The fire is just right, the tofu is charred on the outside and tender on the inside, the sauce is simple chopped peppers with soy sauce, a mouthful of ___ down, juicy, even if the original is not hungry will not be able to help but eat a few more slices. The stall is open at 10:00 a.m. and closes when 1,000 slices are sold out. Pozi Street's Wu Dai Stinky Tofu (128 Shang Wei Fang; 10 yuan/8 slices) and Luo Ji Stinky Tofu (at the intersection of Pozi Street and San Wang Street; 10 yuan/6 slices) are also traditional, with deep-fried stinky tofu that's so bulbous and crunchy that the owner pokes it open and dunks it in the chili sauce. Each diner has his or her own ranking of the best and worst stinky tofu compared to others with long lines.
For locals, the sugar-oil panda is by no means inferior to stinky tofu. The glutinous rice dumplings are deep-fried into golden balls in the sugar oil, and when eaten while still hot, with a slight pulling of the threads (beware of the heat), even the most disciplined fitness enthusiasts shouldn't miss the sweet, fragrant and sticky texture. This civilian snack is influenced by the stallholders, the characteristics of each family is very obvious - the entrance to the Lotus Pond food market Liu Ji sugar oil poi (241 North Cai E Road; 1 yuan / 1, 2 to sell) is the most traditional practice, loved by nearby residents; Li Gongmiao sugar oil poi (241 North Cai E Road; 5 yuan / 3, 15 yuan / 10) opens at 1 p.m., the sweet oil poi (241 North Cai E Road; 5 yuan / 3, 15 yuan / 1) is the most traditional way to eat. (No. 241, Cai E North Road; 5 yuan/3, 15 yuan/10) opens at 1 p.m. and is unique for its strong osmanthus aroma. Jinji Sugar Sauce Tuo Tuo (No. 55 College Street; 4 yuan/1 skewer) in Wenmiao Ping looks like a bunch of hollowed-out, crispy sugar gourds, one bite at a time, no pressure. Hexi's Old Man's Sugar Oil Poi (No. 202 South Lu Shan Road; $5/5) is also crunchy and tasty without sticking to your teeth.