Restaurants in Central Yúnnán
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Yúnnán Café and Bar
Run by a friendly couple, this not too big, not too small space is a great place to wind things down at night or start things up in the morning. The Western and Chinese stick-to-your ribs breakfasts are terrific. The Tibetan breakfasts will have you set for the long bus rides to Kūnmíng and beyond.
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Yùquánzhāi Vegetarian Restaurant
Popular with locals, monks and expats, head here for dishes that look and taste like meat but aren't. We like the Endless Buddha Force (assorted veggies and tofu), but all the dishes here are worth sampling.
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Tibet Café
Richly decorated and set up with imposing wooden tables, this café has terrific atmosphere and a great choice of Tibetan, Western and Chinese dishes. It also consistently attracts some of the more experienced travellers in town, so is a good place to eavesdrop or just ask around about what's new.
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Hotpot Restaurant
An absolute madhouse at peak mealtimes, this restaurant will take the very aggressive or the very brave to muscle their way though the throngs and eventually get fed. Nonetheless, with all the slick restaurant and eateries all over Kūnmíng these days, this is a breath of fresh air.
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Salvador's
Kūnmíng today is absolutely chock-a-block with Western-style cafes. Most are perfectly fine, but there's a reason why this one is always filled. Outstanding coffee and a menu ranging from stick-to-your-ribs breakfast through more solid sustenance - even nod-worthy burritos.
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Ma Ma Fu's 2
This branch of the legendary Lìjiāng café is right around the corner east of the Camellia Hotel (and there's a third branch now, north of Kunming Cloudland Youth Hostel). Chinese dishes are by far the best, but most people order Western fare like pizza and apple pie.
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Wei's Pizzeria
The granddaddy of Kūnmíng's Western-style cafes, down an alley off Tuodong Lu, Wei's has been a sanctuary for many a traveller for good reason: capacious interiors warmed by a wood-fired pizza oven, frosted beer steins, and outstanding food (Western and Chinese).
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Brothers Jiang
A local fave, this simple place has such good across-the-bridge noodles that there are now several branches throughout the city, most of which are filled to capacity at mealtimes. Pay upfront first at the cash register and make sure you get the instructions on the eating process!
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Bamboo Café
If the Dálǐ street throngs are getting to you, there's no better place for a break than this dark, cosy restaurant. Meals like bai fish are a great introduction to the local cuisine and the English menu will give you a window to other local specialities.
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Zhènxīng Fàndiàn
A good introduction to Kūnmíng fare, especially for guòqiáo mǐxiàn, and handy for late-night eats. Pay upfront at the desk where the grumpy middle-aged ladies sit.
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Marley's Café
Marley's has always been a cornerstone of the town; now away from the Huguo Lu throngs, it's airier and more relaxing. Well-done food, great service, helpful advice. Check out the Bai banquet on Sunday nights (reserve early).
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White Pagoda Dai Restaurant
Dai cuisine moves north here, with a slew of fish dishes and, of course, standards like pineapple sticky rice and spicy fish wrapped in bamboo shoots, all in a Bǎnnà-themed environment of bamboo and thatching.
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1910 La Gare du Sud
Ensconced cosily in a neocolonial building, this place has luscious Yúnnán specialities done up in a classy but relaxed atmosphere. There's an English menu if you ask for it.
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Yī Rán Táng
An altruistic, Buddhist-inspired, all-vegetarian buffet where you pay Y5 for a bowl of rice and whatever dishes the cooks have come up with on the day.
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Tower Café
Comfortable, professionally run, three-storey place with a roof terrace that serves up solid Western comfort food and a selection of tasty Thai dishes. There's a good range of foreign beer and wine too.
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Tángcháo Yīpǐn
Descend the stairs to this cosy courtyard restaurant for its very tasty array of just about every local dish you can think of. Get here early in the evening, before the most popular have been snapped up by eager locals. No English is spoken, but the picture menu will guide you. It's across the road from the Ganesh restaurant-bar; look for the red lanterns.
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Sweet Tooth
- Dàlǐ, China
- Restaurants › Cafe
Owned and run by a culinary arts graduate, the homemade ice cream and desserts here are simply inspiring. There's also fine coffee and proper English tea. As an added bonus, the cafe benefits local deaf culture.
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Salvador's
Always busy with travellers and foreign students, Salvador's is now a Kūnmíng staple. With a Mexican/Mediterranean food theme, as well as solid breakfasts, good coffee and a decent range of teas, it caters for all hours of the day. In the evening you can hang around the bar and watch as Kūnmíng's beautiful people parade along Wenhua Xiang.
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Jim's Peace
- Dàlǐ, China
- Restaurants › Café
The Tibetan banquet (Y35; minimum four people) here is not to be missed, but there's also a wide range of Western and Chinese dishes on offer, including breakfasts.
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Hóng Dòu Yuán
An old-school Chinese eaterie, with cigarette butts on the floor, a duck-your-head stairway and plastic-film-covered tables, this is a real locals hang-out on cosmopolitan Wenlin Jie. The food is excellent and will draw you back. Try regional specialities like the táozá rǔbǐng (fried goat's cheese and Yúnnán ham) and liáng bái ròu (peppery, tangy beef). Picture menu.
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Déhóng Ruǎnjiā Dǎiwèi Yuán
Inside The Loft complex, this fine place serves up authentic, sour and spicy Dai cuisine in a laid-back atmosphere. Try the fantastic barbecued fish, and accompany it with a few glasses of the rice wine stored in giant vats awaiting your attention. There's a small outside area and a picture menu.
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Cāng Ěr Chūn
Surrounded by cookie-cutter Western-style eateries, this small, two-storey place is a local favourite. A great place for classic Bai dishes like Grandma's potato (lǎo nǎi yángyù) and Yunnan staples like táozá rǔbǐng. There's a limited English menu, but you can also point at anything that takes your fancy.
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Café de Jack
A capacious but cosy retreat with soft booth seating, a fireplace and splendid rooftop patio – this is now a Dàlǐ institution. Not all the dishes are equally good, but the lasagne and chocolate cake are standouts. Also has a limited but decent selection of Bai dishes.
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Box Bar
Cute cubbyhole of a restaurant run by two Italians whose big, sloppy pizzas are deservedly popular. Also has homemade lasagne and gelato. It's good for coffee or cocktails too.
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1910 La Gare du Sud
Offering Yúnnán specialities in a pleasant neocolonial-style atmosphere, this place is now a fave with both expats – it's the kind of place foreign students take their parents when they come to visit – and cashed-up locals. It's hidden down an alley off Chongshan Lu, south of Jinbi Lu.
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