Wuhan Dining -- Hubei Cuisine

With the rich fresh water resources, Hubei has a flourishing fishing industry and the local cuisine, known as "E Cuisine", is one of the noted Ten Cuisines in China. Its fresh water fish dishes are well known and dominate 80% of the menus at the restaurants in Wuhan. Different from either sweet Cantonese food or hot spicy Sichuan cuisine, Hubei cuisine features lightly spiced flavoring and strong tastes, delicious soups and delicate fish dishes.

Read more about Hubei Food – Cuisine of Hubei in Central China

Wuhan Cuisine is also known for its unique methods of preparing delicacies from land and sea, freshwater fish and soup.
Famous dishes include Steamed Wuchang Fish, Mianyang Three Steamed Dishes, Xiaotaoyuan Soup, Wangji Chicken Soup, Hongshan Vegetable Bolts, Dongpo Pork and others.

With a history of over 1,700 years, Steamed Wuchang Fish is a typical food in Wuhan. This freshwater fish, when steamed together with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and chicken soup, keeps both the original fresh taste of the fish and the nutrients. China's Chairman Mao Zedong in his poem "Swimming" writes: "I have just drunk the waters of Changsha. And come to eat the fish of Wuchang." Actually, the so-called "Wuchang Fish" is not the lake fish from the present Wuchang, but those fished from the waters in E Country, because in ancient times, the name Wuchang referred to all the area of the present E Country.

These are kinds of restorative soups cooked over a low heat which preserves both the fresh taste and the nutrients. The most famous include Chicken Soup, Spareribs Soup, and Duck Soup. The best place to taste it is the Xiaotaoyuan Restaurant at 64 Lanling Lu in Hankou.

The three steamed dishes refer to steamed fish, pork, and meatballs or shrimp balls. People of Mianyang (now Xiantao City in Hubei Province) keep the traditional way of steamed dishes from the old days. Nowadays, chefs have tailored the ingredients, cooking methods, and techniques for the local people's taste.

A kind of red vegetable grown in Hongshan District in Wuchang is a speciality of the city. It is crisp and tender with a refreshing flavor. A famous dish called Hongshan Bolts fried with Smoked Pork (Cai4 Tai2 Chao3 La4 Rou4) can be found on every menu in any restaurant. The carefully chosen vegetables are those grown right around the area near Baotong Temple in Hongshan, which are considered to be the most crisp and tender. The bolts and smoked pork are cut into three-centimeter (1.86-mile) long pieces and stir-fried. The finished dish should be fresh and tender.

In most of the restaurants you can find the above specialties on the menu. The well-known chain restaurants in the city include Little Blue Whale (Xiao Lan Jing), Wuhan San Wu, Yan Yang Tian, Hubei San Wu, and Fu Sheng. They all have branches established throughout the city. We provide address details for travelers below.

Kanglong Taizi Restaurant
Address: No. 226, Yanjiang Dadao, Hankou
First Branch: No. 735, Jianshe Dadao, Hankou
Second Branch: No. 1, Tiyuguan Lu (Stadium Road) near Hongshan Square, Wuchang

San Wu Chun Restaurant
First Branch: No. 5, Xinhua Lu
Second Branch: No. 69-71, Huangxiaohe Lu, Jiang'an District
Third Branch: No. 338, Zhongshan Lu, Wuchang District
(* Wuchang refers to the town and Wuchang District refers to one of the administrative districts in Wuhan.)

Fu Sheng Restaurant
Add: No. 1 Er Yao Lu, Hankou
First Branch: No. 105, Guanshan Yilu, Hongshan District

San Wu Restaurants
First Branch: 1st Floor, Jinmao Building at No. 8, Jianghan Beilu
Second Branch: No. 120, Dongxihu Dadao, Dongxihu District
Third Branch: No.1 Wanjiawan Erjie, Hanyang District
Fourth Branch: No. 101, Yingwu Dadao, Hanyang
Fifth Branch: No. 3, Shuiguohu Henglu, Wuchang District

Xiao Lan Jing (Little Blue Whale)
First Branch: No. 185, Qiaokou Lu, Hankou
Second Branch: No. 1, Taibei Lu, Hankou
Third Branch: No. 95, Xianggang Lu
Fourth Branch: No. 186, Lanjiang Lu, Hanyang
Fifth Branch: No. 151, Luoshi Lu, Hongshan District
Sixth Branch: No. 211, Zhongshan Lu, Wuchang
Seventh Branch: No. 1554, Heping Dadao, Qingshan District

Yanyang Tian Restauran
First Branch: No. 588, Jiefang Dadao, Hankou
Second Branch: No. 2613, Jiefang Dadao, Hankou
Third Branch: Wuhuan Apartment, Wuzhigou, Dongxihu
Fourth Branch: No. 299, Luoyu Lu, Hongshan in Wuchang
Fifth Branch: No. 268, Pengliuyang Lu, Wuchang