Breakfast Across China

Fermented soybean paste with diced pork over noodles, served with cucumber and bean sprouts

Fermented mung bean sour soup + deep-fried dough rings, soul of old Beijing

Korean-style buckwheat noodles in freezing beef broth with pickled radish and boiled egg

Minced pork with pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts, mala perfection

Alkaline noodles with chili, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and crushed peanuts

Hand-pulled noodles in rich seafood broth with shrimp, clams, and scallops

Dalian-style chilled wheat noodles with shredded cucumber, sesame paste, and chili oil

Translucent wrapper revealing fresh whole shrimp, king of the four great dim sum

Paper-thin rice noodle rolls drizzled with soy sauce

Taro and pork belly slices steamed to melting perfection

Water chestnut starch jelly, translucent, refreshingly sweet and crisp

Stewed beef shank over rice noodles in a rich broth—Huaxi's claim to noodle fame

Pig intestine and blood curd rice noodles in spicy chili oil—bold, funky, and beloved

Russian-style large bread, tangy, soft, and fluffy

Scallion and fried dough stick rolled in a spring pancake and pressed-grilled

Noodle soup with pickled greens, bamboo shoots, and shredded pork—the Hangzhou noodle

Hohhot-style shaomai with paper-thin wrappers, generously filled with mutton and scallion

Hand-twisted dough spirals deep-fried to golden crispness, a Jinan breakfast staple

Jianshui purple pottery steam pot chicken, pure original flavor

Thousand-layer flaky steamed buns with ham and sugar filling

Clear broth, white radish, red chili, green cilantro, yellow noodles—from extra-thin to thick

Wheat-starch jelly sheets + sesame paste + chili oil

Hand-pleated Tibetan dumplings filled with yak meat and onion, served with spicy chili chutney

Crispy bone-in pork chop stuffed into a warm, crusty pineapple bun — Macau's favorite handheld

Thick rice noodles in a spicy-savory broth — the breakfast that wakes up Jiangxi

Small clay pots of nourishing soup slow-steamed with pork, lotus root, and Chinese herbs

Beef potstickers with a golden crispy bottom

Duck fat kneaded into dough, layer upon layer of crispiness

Old friend rice noodles with garlic, fermented black beans, pickled bamboo shoots—sour-spicy Nanning soul food

Springy rice noodles with braised beef, pickled long beans, and fried peanuts

Plump mussels steamed open in Qingdao's own beer with ginger and scallion

Whole sea bream pan-fried to crisp-golden skin with just salt and pepper

Chewy sea intestine ribbons over wheat noodles in a savory seafood broth

Hand-chopped mackerel filling in thin-skinned dumplings, a Qingdao seaside tradition

Nanxiang-style soup dumplings, thin skin, rich broth, 18 pleats

Golden crispy bottom, juicy pork filling with rich broth inside

Scallion oil simmered until dark then poured over noodles—simplest yet deepest

Crispy flatbread layered with smoked pork, a rustic Manchu classic

Home of oysters for a thousand years, Shajing fresh oysters, plump and succulent

Hand-pulled wheat noodles in rich bone broth with wood ear and dried tofu strips

Imperial tribute hollow noodles from Gaocheng, sun-dried and hand-stretched—delicate and silky

Suzhou-style pan-fried buns, thin skin, crispy bottom, rich juices

Soup dumplings filled with crab roe and crab meat, an autumn-only delicacy

Braised beef + beef bone broth + hand-pulled noodles, Taipei's pride

Oysters + sweet potato starch batter + egg + greens

Hand-shaved noodles cut directly from a dough block into boiling water — Shanxi's noodle art

Thumb-sized dough curls shaped like cat ears, stir-fried or in soup

A rich vegetable and noodle breakfast soup thickened with sorghum flour — Taiyuan's morning bowl

18-pleat steamed buns with half-leavened dough and juicy filling

Mung bean crepe + egg + fried dough stick + fermented sauce

Mung bean jelly sheets cut into strips, served with savory gravy and chili oil

Sesame paste tossed with alkaline noodles, the taste of a Wuhan morning

Egg skin wrapped around glutinous rice, diced pork, and mushrooms, golden on both sides

Steamed Wuchang bream, you've drunk the waters of the Yangtze

Rice batter fried into rings, crispy outside, soft inside

Tandoor-baked lamb-filled buns, crispy skin, fragrant meat

Tandoor-baked flatbread with sesame, can be stored for months

Shacha paste and peanut sauce broth served with seafood and tofu

Fresh oysters + sweet potato starch + egg + sweet chili sauce

Braised chopped meat stuffed in a baiji bun—ancestor of the Chinese hamburger

Wheat-starch cold noodles + cucumber strips + sesame paste + chili oil

Belt-wide noodles doused in sizzling chili oil, one noodle per bowl

Shrimp wontons + bamboo-pressed noodles + dried flounder broth

Wheat-starch cold noodles with chili oil, vinegar, and cucumber shreds — a Xibei street essential

Thick hand-pulled noodles tossed with lamb, peppers, and onions over blistering heat

Steamed glutinous rice cake studded with Ningxia's famed goji berries, lightly sweet

Henan-style thick noodles braised with pork belly, soybean sprouts, and celery—rich and comforting

Peppery beef bone broth with tofu skin, gluten, and wood ear mushrooms—Zhengzhou's morning essential