I'm much more interested in knowing what's hot and popular in the local eatery scene. As the old saying goes, while in Rome, do what Romans do. I'd like to experience as much local food culture as possible. Are there any Zagat Guide types of restaurant rating/listing for local places in and around Kunming?
The best listings are probably found on dianping.com, though the site is all in Chinese. They have restaurant listings for every Chinese city, along with user reviews.
GoKunming has the best English listings, with user reviews, but it will likely miss a lot of new or random local restaurants.
Thanks Xiefei!
And no I'm not kidding Geezer! I lived in Hanoi for over 4 years and the local expats created a listing like Zagat Guide for local expats to better experience the city. It's possible! and it never hurts to ask...
I'd love a guide, too! If we're talking local i'll nominate best Across the Bridge Noodles that I've come across. Not sure of the restaurant's actual name but it's something like Mengzi Across the Bridge Noodles, on Xi Ba Road (西坝路)a few metres from the corner of Xin Wen Nan Road(新闻南路)。
Try the 12 RMB Claypot Across the Bridge Noodles(沙锅过桥米线)Sha Guo Guo Qiao Mi Xian。
If there's better i'd love to know. I'm always on the search for great local food.
Sweet! Can't wait to try the spots you mentioned above, pushingest! i will be in Kunming next week, right before the Dragon Year. Do you think the places will be open for business as usual? or do businesses shut down for weeks during the Chinese New Year?
Your best bet is just wander around some alley and buy the street food cooked in sewer oil 地沟油。 Most of the expensive places here with the obligatory Lazy Suzanne in the center of the table serve the same stuff for 10x the price. The staple here is rice noodles, under cooked potatoes and rice. Cross the Bridge Noodles is a bowel of, well, noodles. Noodle soup basically. The culinary height of Kunming.
