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A little preparation. A much better adventure.Independent travel advice · Made for China

A taste of Hangzhou

Guiyu (Xihu)

桂语山房(西湖)

A sleek, low-lit dining room standing in an osmanthus forest on Manjuelong Road, one of the prettiest corners of the West Lake hills and spectacular when the osmanthus flowers in autumn. The kitchen's signature move is tea-smoking, and there is a tableside tea service that is genuinely theatrical rather than decorative. Book a terrace table in good weather.

¥500–900 per person≈ US$74MICHELIN 1 star 2026Xihu district, 2-1 Manjuelong Road, in the hills south of West Lake

Why come here

A place worth making time for

MICHELIN one star 2026 (MICHELIN Guide Shanghai, Jiangsu & Zhejiang 2026, Hangzhou selection).

The house favourites

What to order

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

  • Tea-smoked crispy-skin chicken (茶熏脆皮鸡)
  • River fish with dried bamboo shoots (笋干河鱼)
  • Longjing tea shrimp (龙井虾仁)

What it actually tastes like

Smoke and tea bitterness run through the menu, which can read as medicinal if you are not expecting it. Freshwater fish arrive whole with bones left in, dishes are sweet rather than salty, and there is essentially no chilli, so diners arriving from Sichuan or Hunan will find it mild to the point of blandness.

Allergens in this kitchen

fishshellfishsoygluten/wheatsesametree nuts

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