Food delivery and restaurant apps in China

What you need to know

You can travel comfortably in China without using a food-delivery app.

But two apps can make eating easier:

Dianping

Dianping is useful for restaurant photos, opening hours, menu ideas and local reviews.

The photos are often more useful than the overall rating.

Meituan

Meituan is widely used for restaurant listings, takeaway, food delivery and local services.

For delivery, make sure you select the exact hotel, branch, building or delivery location.

Hotel delivery

Your order may be left at reception, a delivery shelf or a designated pickup area.

Some hotels use service robots to take orders from the lobby to guest floors.

The practical takeaway

Use:

Dianping to decide where to eat.

Use:

Meituan when delivery is genuinely convenient.

Neither is essential for a successful first trip.