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Just quietly, we think the secret might be out and we’re going to tell you where to eat in Pingyao.
This place oozes charm and deserves at least a two-night stay to give you enough time to see the sights and enjoy some incredible, yet affordable food too.
Whether you’d like to explore ancient temples, get lost in alleyways, or take yourself on a food walk through the many pop-up shops, hole-in-the-wall noodle joints or sip tea in a café all day, it’s totally up to you.
This is the kind of place to unwind just a little, and take in all that old-world Chinese charm.
Pingyao is famous for beef which is served in many ways here. Most commonly it is stewed for hours with some aromatics and spices to add taste. You’ll find slabs of cooked beef being sold all over town. You can eat it sliced on its own, accompanied by noodles, or even beef jerky.
You’ll find that the beef sold outside the city walls is almost half the price as inside the walls.
A good restaurant to try Pingyao beef is Tianyuankui Bar.
Once you exit the city walls, Pingyao is actually much bigger than you might expect. If you’re after some great food for the right price, you should leave the old town behind and head outside the walls to find some tasty nosh.
Keep your eye out for places where the locals are dining, it’s generally a good indication that the food is good. Most small restaurants have pictures and prices on the wall, so you can easily just point at what you’d like.
Alternatively, take a look at what everyone else is eating in the restaurant and then point at it and order the same dish. It can be difficult at times with the language to search for where to eat in Pingyao, but that’s why we’re sharing our tips with you.
Many places to eat local baozi and dumplings are located along Wenmiao St, just before you get to the Confucious Temple. The cost is around 10 RMB for a basket full of baozi (steamed buns) or dumplings.
It’s best to get there before 08:30 for the freshest food.
Located outside the city walls – between Shuncheng Rd & Xiaxiguan St. You’ll find Shunlie’er Noodles shop near the very popular and also very tasty ‘Dico’s’ fast food place. I discovered this place by chance as I watched many locals stopping by with friends to enjoy the selection of noodles.
Of course, I tried a few dishes here and decided they must belong on this list of where to eat in Pingyao.
There are many different varieties of noodles to choose from, however, they were fresh and chewy, and delicious.
Most dishes cost between 8 -12 RMB, a total bargain! These are big portions, you’ll leave very happy.
Located in an alleyway off Xiaxiguan St & Shuncheng Rd (no name available for this street). The location is near to ‘Go Believe Fast Food’, it’s a tiny shop, seats only 12 people at one time. It looks like a very clean little hawker-style shop.
They cook only 6 different noodle dishes, with the beef noodle dish their most popular dish which costs 12 RMB. This was delicious.
82 Nan Dajie – Located inside the Old Town.
Main dishes from RMB 20
A welcoming little restaurant with a tasty menu. This includes all the local favourites and is conveniently listed in English.
(池池咖啡馆, Chíchí Kāfēiguǎn 9 Chenghuangmiao Jie, 城隍庙街9号
Open 09:00 – 23:00
Ok, this place isn’t where to eat in Pingyao, but it’s all about where to find the best coffee. And you’ve found it right here. A cosy little café that we discovered, by chance. We returned a few times for our daily dose of caffeine.
Come here for the best espresso, flat white, latte, or hit of caffeine that you’ve been craving.
We stopped in here a few times, easily the best coffee available in Pingyao. Great wifi too.
Pingyao is much easier on the budget than the main cities and places listed on most standard itineraries. You can find a comfortable, well-located room here for a great price.
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We’re always looking for traditional style accommodation when we travel and we found a wonderful place to stay. Pingyao Hongjingyuan Guesthouse was located just inside the old city walls.
We reserved our room here on Booking.com and paid $15 total per night, which is a great price for such a fantastic location.
This traditional courtyard home (now converted into a guesthouse) included our own private room, TV, bathroom with a hot shower, fantastic wifi connection, and a kettle.
Pingyao Hongjingyuan Guesthouse was such good value, very quiet to get a good sleep and it was really clean.
Budget Option Accommodation – Pingyao Jiaxin Guesthouse -Located in the Ancient City of Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This property offers dorm beds for $4 or twin/doubles from $13 per night.
Mid-Range Accommodation – Pingyao Deyunshe Inn -Located in Pingyao, 400m from Pingyao City Wall, this hotel has everything you need for a comfortable stay in Pingyao.
Top-Range Accommodation – Water Hotel, Pingyao – Excellent location in the centre of Pingyao Old City. Rooms are very clean, modern, and elegant with a Chinese traditional style. Complimentary pick-up and drop-off from train station offered.
As I mentioned before, the Old Town is located inside the city walls, this is the perfect place to just wander around and explore.
Some streets are much busier than others with restaurants and streetside vendors selling food, snacks, and all sorts of goodies.
The inner streets are all pedestrianized, so no cars or scooters are allowed. The Old Town is only 1.6km between each exit wall, so I’d recommend walking around.
On the outside, you can walk along the perimeter of the outer city walls, complete with a moat and all.
Once you are on the outer parts of the Old Town, you’ll find long blue golf carts with drivers that charge 10 RMB for a short ride for mainly the older crowd (or the lazy ones).
Of course, it’s free to walk the streets in Pingyao. You can discover charming alleyways and courtyards at your leisure. If you wish to see any of the 18 or so buildings and temples considered historically important, you must pay an entry fee of RMB 150 to climb the city walls to do so.
Your ticket is valid for 3 days, so you can choose how you spend your time visiting these sites.
If a Full Day Private Day Tour of Pingyao is more your style, this tour is recommended to cover the highlights of this fascinating city.
The old town really comes to life in the evenings with an almost romantic glow from endless red-lantern-hung lanes and alleyways you’ll see as you stroll along.
After you’ve eaten dinner at one of the places I’ve recommended below, I’d recommend you can go to find some live music. In the old town, we passed many bars/cocktail bars that had live music playing in each one.
Many of the bars are quite large, so it’s perfect to go and enjoy a drink.
Would you be interested in discovering more about Ancient China? Compare tours available on Tourradar.
We hope you enjoyed this post on where to eat in Pingyao. Check out our helpful post about how to avoid these 6 common tourist scams in China.
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3 Comments. Leave new
Going to Pingyao next month (March, 2019). Thanks for the tips on where to eat. We will stay a couple of nights, so we will go search for these restaurants that you recommend.
Great! Hope you guys have a good time in Pingyao. The food, especially the beef noodles are delicious.
Great article! We were planning to go to Pingyao this year, I guess we would have to postpone for another six months at least. Really liked reading the guide – an informative walkthrough.
Thanks for sharing with us