15 Dining Experiences in China That Earn the Early Start

1.Old Beijing Dinner Tour

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

Meet near Beixinqiao Station at 7 p.m. for a three-hour walking dinner through Old Beijing’s hutongs. Guides such as Garth, Kelly, and Shan lead small groups to family-run restaurants for hotpot, dumplings, sauced meats, street food, local beer, and rice wine. The tour ends near Zhangzizhong Road Metro.

“We did this tour in early July and I can say it was one of the absolute highlights of our travel to China. Our guide Kelly made sure we spend a perfect night out in some of Beijing's Hutongs. Not only did she provide perfect organisation and a fun trip around the back alleys of a fascinating neighborhood, but offered an awesome mix of interesting history, fascinating food knowledge and great anecdotes. The places she took us were all more than worth the visit and hard to impossible to find without local knowledge. And the food couldn't have been any better. If you do one guided tour in Beijing go…”

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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 Shanghai by private car, riverboat, and restaurant table. Your guide, often Caroline, Queena, Kalvin, Kiki, or Xin, handles transport, cruise tickets, menu translation, and dinner ordering. The boat passes the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, World Financial Center, and Shanghai Tower before a halal Xinjiang meal in Pudong.

“I had an absolutely wonderful time on this river cruise! The scenery was breathtaking, but what made the experience truly special was our guide, Caroline. She was knowledgeable, engaging, and had a great sense of humor that made the entire tour enjoyable from start to finish. Caroline shared great insights along the way, answered every question with patience, and made sure everyone felt comfortable and included. Thanks to her, the trip felt both relaxing and enriching. Highly recommend this tour—and if you’re lucky enough to get Caroline as your guide, you’re in for a treat!”

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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 private car, night cruise, and Xinjiang-style dinner. Your English-speaking guide, such as Caroline, Queena, Snow, or Kelvin, handles transport, explains the Bund and Pudong skyline, helps choose halal dishes, and returns you to your hotel or another city location.

“Queena was a fantastic tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and energetic. Very friendly and accommodating. I recommend her to anyone. I will book her again. The boat trip was fantastic. Shanghai is a very beautiful city. The night scene is a must see, with VIP style transport. The restaurant had a beautiful view of Shanghai. The food was fresh and tasty. Queena is a delightful person to have dinner with.”

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4.Tang Dynasty Show Ticket w/ Transfer or Dinner

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

Spend an evening at Xi’an’s Tang Dynasty Palace with a polished dance production, English captions, and optional dinner. Choose dumplings, a local Chinese meal, or show-only entry. Hotel pickup and return are available within central Xi’an, with helpful online support and drivers such as Zhang assisting with theater seating and transport.

“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 an evening with Tang Dynasty music, dance, elaborate costumes, lights, and a live Chinese orchestra in Xi’an. Choose a show-only ticket, a dumpling banquet, or a royal dinner. The performance runs about an hour, with English story screens to help you follow the action. Arrive early, especially if you are eating before the 7:30 p.m. show.

“A wonderful experience and a great show that took us for an hour at the heart of the Tang dynasty. Music, dancers, organisers, hosts, venue, everything was top. We booked the show + dumpling dinner and the food was great and plentiful. If you'll be in Xi'an, book this show, it's a must!”

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

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

Ride from your downtown Shanghai hotel to a 60-minute Huangpu River cruise with VIP seating and a private guide. See the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower, and Pudong skyline at night. Add dinner at a classy local restaurant before or after the boat trip. Guides may include Cassie, Sunny, Michael, or Annie.

“What an enjoyable tour of Shanghai’s spectacular and iconic river views! We learned a lot about Shanghai’s history and Chinese culture in general from our excellent tour guide Michael, who was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The dinRead more”

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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 among Wuzhen’s canals and Xitang’s lantern-lit lanes. Your guide, often Caroline, helps with local food, photos, history, and pacing. You get lunch, dinner, entrance fees, a Wuzhen boat ride, bottled water, and private round-trip transport in a 9 to 10 hour outing.

“Jerry very helpful and kind, two water town is good for day trip from Shanghai, the food is good …….”

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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 with an English-speaking guide such as Cassie, Michael, Lucy, or Sunny, combining a 50-minute Huangpu River cruise in the VIP area with a local restaurant dinner. Private downtown pickup and drop-off, drinks, and help choosing dishes are included. Dinner is on land, not on the boat.

“Sammi was outstanding. We had excellent time. Great guide and representation of China and your company.”

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9.Shanghai Tower: Lunch or Dinner on the 119th Floor

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 45 reviews · 2 hours · from $85

Ride the express elevator to Shanghai Tower’s 118th-floor observation deck, then eat at the 119th-floor cafe above Shanghai. Choose afternoon tea, weekend lunch, or dinner. Your package includes entry to both floors, a set meal, soft drink, and red wine for lunch or dinner. Arrive early for the best window seats.

“Difficult to find the way. Not good information at all. Not included ticket to top floor which was the meaning for the trip. Sorry but this is worst arrangement we ever been involved into. Ticket , QR code did not work. I will claim my money back. Can not reconmend such company as get you’re guide”

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10.Private Guangzhou Food Tour Michelin Restaurant&Local Food Market

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · from $180

Spend 4 to 10 hours with a private English-speaking guide, usually Damon or Candice, tasting Cantonese food and seeing Guangzhou by air-conditioned vehicle. Expect dim sum at Diandude, old neighborhoods, Qingping Market, Huangsha seafood market, modern Huacheng Square, and major sights such as Chen Clan Ancestral Hall and Canton Tower. Food and admission tickets cost extra.

“Excellent tour with Damon, one of the two owners of Guangzhou Tours. A couple run business, they were extremely proactive, reaching to me prior to arrival to ensure a smooth travel experience and meeting. Excellent local knowledge from someone native to the city. For my first experience in Guangzhou and with Cantonese culture and food I couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Give them a call and you won’t me disappointed!”

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11.Skip the Line: Xi’an Tang Dynasty Show Ticket & Dumpling Dinner or Royal Banquet

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 28 reviews · from $37

Spend an evening at Xi’an’s Tang Dynasty Palace, where live music, folk dance, costumes, and ancient court traditions tell a dramatic story. Add a dumpling dinner or choose the Royal Banquet option if offered. The show begins at 7:30 pm, with dinner served from 6 pm. You arrange your own transport to 75 North Chang’an Road.

“The show was unique and tell the story of the life of how dowager was recruited as a concubine rising to a dowager. The setup for main dinner was good but only food was average. I order separately and the deserts n half chicken were more Read more”

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

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

Visit Beijing’s Temple of Heaven with a private English or Chinese guide, then choose from 10 added itineraries. Options include an acrobatics show, Peking duck dinner, Pearl Market, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, or Great Wall. Guides such as Mina, Jay, and Miko tailor the pace and help with tickets and transport.

“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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13.Private Half-Day Tour in Sichuan Culture Show with Hot Pot Dinner in Chengdu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15 reviews · from $100

Start with a social Sichuan hot pot dinner, where your guide helps choose meats, vegetables, seafood, and spicy or mild broth. Then walk or ride to Shufeng Yayun Teahouse for a 90-minute opera show with face-changing, acrobatics, puppetry, music, and comedy. Hotel pickup and return are included.

“What a great night we enjoyed hot pot. The cultural show magical”

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14.Private Shanghai Night River Cruise and Hot Pot Dining Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · from $168

Spend 3 to 4 hours with a private guide and driver, beginning with a one-hour VIP cruise on the Huangpu River. See the Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and more at night, then learn how to order and cook hot pot at a local Pudong restaurant. Guides such as Michael, Kelvin, and Sunny have led this experience.

“We had a very good tour guide, Kelvin with us. He came to our hotel and fetched us and we went into a mini bus as there were 7 of us. Kelvin did all the necessary and we got the VIP floor . Everything was perfect. The hotpot dinner was Read more”

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15.Hot Pot Dining Experience with Hot Spring Bathing or River Cruise in Shanghai

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $135

Choose a one-hour Huangpu River night cruise or a visit to Gokurakuyu hot springs, then join your private guide for a hot pot dinner. Hotel pickup, transport, entrance fees, and return service are included. Guides such as Alana and May are praised for clear English and hands-on help ordering food.

“This tour was absolutely amazing. Our tour guide was May and she went above and beyond and exceeded all of our expectations. She spoke very good English and we could easily understood everything she said. We picked the Hot SpriRead more”

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