How do I order at a Chinese restaurant with a QR-code menu?

Scan the table's QR code with WeChat or Alipay (it opens a mini-program menu), add dishes to the cart, and pay in the same flow — food arrives at your table with no waiter interaction. If the menu defeats you, screenshot it and run image translation, or wave a waiter over and point at a picture menu.

How do I explain a food allergy in China?

Don't rely on speaking. Show a written card in Chinese stating the allergy and its severity, e.g. 我对花生严重过敏 ('I am severely allergic to peanuts'). Show it to staff, not just the menu, and know that peanut oil and soy sauce appear in many dishes — for severe allergies, stick to simpler dishes and larger restaurants.

Is vegetarian or vegan food easy to find in China?

Easier than the menus suggest. Vegetable and tofu dishes are everywhere, but watch for meat-based broths and lard; the phrase 我吃素 ('I eat vegetarian') plus 不要肉汤 ('no meat broth') covers most cases. Buddhist vegetarian restaurants (素食) near temples are fully plant-based and excellent.

Can foreigners use Meituan or Ele.me food delivery?

Yes, with patience — both work with Alipay/WeChat payment from foreign-card accounts, but the apps are essentially Chinese-only, so you'll be ordering via translated screenshots. For most visitors it's easier to order through your hotel front desk or simply eat out, since restaurants are cheap and everywhere.

Is street food in China safe to eat?

Generally yes at busy stalls with high turnover — heat and crowds are your safety signals. Drink bottled or boiled water (tap water is not for drinking anywhere in China), be gentle with chili and lamb skewers on day one, and carry stomach meds as insurance.

Eating in China Without Chinese: QR Menus, Dietary Needs & Delivery

Food is the best reason to visit China, and the ordering process is the most screen-mediated on earth. Between QR menus, picture menus, and camera translation, you can eat spectacularly without speaking a word — once you know the workflow.

Scan-to-order: how most restaurants now work

At a huge share of urban restaurants, the menu is a QR code taped to the table:

Scan it with WeChat (most common) or Alipay — it opens the restaurant’s mini-program.
Browse with photos, tap dishes into the cart, note the table number is usually embedded (that’s how food finds you).
Pay inside the same flow with your linked foreign card (setup guide). Food simply appears.

The translation catch: the menu is on your phone, so you can’t point your camera at it. Fixes, in order of dignity:

Screenshot the menu pages, then translate the screenshots (Google Translate image mode, or iPhone Photos → select text → Translate).
WeChat: long-press an image in chat → Translate (send the screenshot to yourself or to the “File Transfer” helper).
Some mini-programs now have a 中文/EN toggle — always glance at the top corner first; English menus spread noticeably in 2024–2026 in tourist areas.

If the QR flow defeats you, nobody minds you flagging a waiter (服务员! foo-wu-yuen) and pointing at a picture menu or at the food on the next table. Pointing is a fully accepted ordering method.

A few characters multiply your menu literacy instantly:

Character	Means	Watch for
辣	spicy	微辣 mild / 中辣 medium / 特辣 regret
牛	beef	牛肉面 = beef noodles
猪	pork	default meat if unspecified
鸡 / 鸭	chicken / duck
鱼 / 虾	fish / shrimp	bones and shells often included
羊	lamb	skewers, hotpot
素	vegetarian	素菜 = veggie dishes section
面 / 饭	noodles / rice	the carb axis of every menu
汤	soup	broths are usually meat-based

Portions are made for sharing: order one dish per person plus one, with rice. Solo diners: noodle shops, dumpling houses, and rice-bowl chains are designed for you.

Dietary restrictions: write, don’t say

Pronunciation under pressure fails; showing written Chinese works. Screenshot the lines you need:

Vegetarian: 我吃素，不要肉，不要肉汤。(I’m vegetarian — no meat, no meat broth.)
Vegan: 我不吃肉、蛋、奶制品。(No meat, eggs, or dairy.)
No pork: 我不吃猪肉。 Halal: look for 清真 (qīngzhēn) signage — halal restaurants, especially Lanzhou beef-noodle shops, are nationwide and excellent.
Peanut allergy: 我对花生严重过敏，吃了会有生命危险。请确认菜里没有花生和花生油。(Severe peanut allergy, life-threatening — please confirm no peanuts or peanut oil.)
Gluten-free is genuinely hard (soy sauce contains wheat): 我不能吃麸质、酱油、面食。 Rice dishes and hotpot with clear broth are your friends; pack snacks for train days.

Honest caveat: cross-contamination awareness is improving but inconsistent. For life-threatening allergies, prefer larger restaurants and international hotels, show the card to a manager, and carry your epinephrine — it’s on you, not the kitchen.

Food delivery: the honest take for visitors

Meituan (yellow) and Ele.me (blue) deliver everything, fast and cheap, and payment works via Alipay-linked accounts. But the apps are Chinese-only and address entry expects Chinese formats. JD’s delivery service joined the fray in 2025, changing nothing for tourists. Realistic options:

Order through your hotel front desk — they’ll happily place it; give them a translated screenshot of what you want.
Use Meituan inside Alipay with translated screenshots — workable once you’ve watched it done.
Skip it. Restaurants are open late, cheap, and 50 meters away. Delivery is a resident’s convenience, not a tourist’s necessity.

Drinks, water, and street food

Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in China — bottled water is ¥2 and ubiquitous; hotels provide free bottles and kettles.
“Hot water” (热水) is the default beverage; ask for 冰的 (bing-duh) if you want anything cold.
Bubble tea ordering is its own QR adventure (sweetness/ice levels) — tap through bravely, the worst outcome is a surprise.
Street food: pick busy stalls, watch it cooked hot, and ease in over a couple of days. Lamb skewers (羊肉串), jianbing breakfast crepes, and roasted sweet potatoes are low-risk gateway foods.

You will eat better in China than the QR codes initially suggest — by day three the scan-screenshot-translate-order loop takes 90 seconds and you’ll be ranking regional dumpling styles with strong opinions.