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A taste of Chongqing

Huashi Wanza Mian

花市豌杂面

A tiny, scruffy noodle counter in Yuzhong that is one of the standard answers to 'where do I eat Chongqing xiaomian'. It hangs a sign claiming a place in the city's top five noodle shops, and it earns it with yellow alkaline noodles under stewed yellow peas and minced-pork sauce. Breakfast here is a seven-in-the-morning affair; by mid-afternoon the good stuff is gone.

¥14–20 per person≈ US$2.09Yuzhong district, 77 Qingnian Road (there is also a Minsheng Road shop). Metro station not confirmed. Open roughly 07:00-20:00.
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Why come here

A place worth making time for

Long-standing fixture of Chongqing xiaomian rankings and listed in both Ctrip's and China Southern's city food guides; no award confirmed from a primary source.

The house favourites

What to order

Point at the Chinese. Staff will understand it even where the menu has no English at all.

  • Two-liang dry-tossed pea and pork-sauce noodles (二两干溜豌杂面)
  • Chongqing xiaomian in soup (重庆小面)
  • Added fried egg (煎蛋)

What it actually tastes like

Order by weight: 二两 (two liang) is the standard portion, 三两 for a big appetite. 干溜 means no soup, so the sauce coats the noodles. The seasoning is chilli oil, 花椒, preserved vegetable and often crushed peanut and sesame - numbing as well as hot, even at low chilli settings. Say 微辣少麻 if you want it dialled down.

Allergens in this kitchen

gluten/wheatsoysesamepeanut

This is the kitchen, not one dish. Woks, fryers, blanching water and utensils are shared in almost every Chinese restaurant, so for a serious allergy treat the whole premises as the unit rather than ordering around it.

Get to know the menu

Local specialities to try here

Chongqing small noodles 重庆小面Hot, numbing, garlicky and savoury, with a slick of fragrant chilli oilPea and minced pork noodles 豌杂面Starchy and comforting under the chilli, with a salty meat gravy