Eight bowls in Hebei is four meat, four vegetarian eight dishes, four meat are: braised square meat, fried crispy pork, pork elbow, meatballs. Four vegetarian are: fried tofu, seaweed, vermicelli and various seasonal vegetables in random combinations. Hebei's eight bowls are also very elaborate, especially the meat dishes must be boiled with a special recipe before steaming. In addition, Hebei's eight bowls are more demanding in terms of knife work. There is also a halal version of the Eight Big Bowls, although nowadays they are also meat-based. However, in the early days of the Halal Eight Bowls, due to limited supplies and the hospitality of the Hui compatriots, there were branded noodles in order not to waste them. The Halal Eight Bowls actually only have three meat dishes: beef stew, stewed minced pork and meatballs. Halal eight bowls is more flexible, to eight bowls as a limit, sometimes on the repeated dishes, such as two bowls of beef stew to guests.

The eight bowls is a famous banquet in Chinese cuisine, there are many divisions according to the thickness and geographical differences. However, eight bowls of food, no matter how to change, the only constant is the meal, pay attention to each table sitting eight guests, each table eight dishes, loaded with food eight bowls to be arranged in an octagonal shape.