Hangzhou cooks sweeter and lighter than the rest of China — Zhejiang cuisine leans on lake fish, freshwater shrimp, rice wine and sugar rather than chilli. Three days here run from 6am wet markets to Longjing tea terraces and the late-night grills of Shengli River.
Hangzhou's most central wet market, open roughly 05:30–19:00 on Zhongshan Zhong Lu. Tanks of live river shrimp and eels, stalls of pickled bamboo shoots, dried Jinhua ham, and mountains of the spring greens Zhejiang cooking depends on. Cash and WeChat Pay only.
Founded 1867 and Hangzhou's most famous noodle shop. The dish to order is pian er chuan (片儿川) — noodles with pork, pickled mustard greens and bamboo shoots, about ¥28 — or the shrimp-and-eel noodles at ¥98. Order at the counter, take a numbered ticket.
A Hangzhou institution since 1912 and the local benchmark for xiaolongbao and niurou fentiao (beef and sweet-potato noodle soup). Steamer baskets run ¥12–18, wontons ¥10. Fluorescent-lit, permanently busy, entirely local — a canteen rather than a restaurant.
An 1874 Qing Dynasty pharmacy with carved wooden halls, still dispensing herbal tonics and medicinal teas alongside its museum. Tasting counters pour chrysanthemum, luo han guo and eight-treasure teas; museum entry ¥10, open until 17:30.
The source village of Xihu Longjing (West Lake Dragon Well) green tea, 20 minutes west of the lake in the hills. Family tea houses along the single lane brew by the pot for ¥50–150; pre-Qingming spring leaf sells for ¥2,000+ per 500g. Picking season is late March to April.
Open since 1848 on the Gushan islet shore, this is the reference kitchen for Zhejiang classics: Dongpo pork belly braised in Shaoxing wine (¥68), Longjing shrimp stir-fried with tea leaves (¥188) and beggar's chicken baked in clay and lotus leaf (¥268).
Free state museum set among working tea terraces, covering Chinese tea history, processing and the six tea categories. The on-site tea house runs tastings and gongfu brewing demonstrations for ¥60–120; open 09:00–17:00, closed Mondays.
The chain that made modern Hangzhou home cooking famous, and still absurd value: tea-smoked duck, Grandma's braised pork and green bean noodles mostly ¥15–45 a dish. Pair with warm Shaoxing huangjiu rice wine, served by the small carafe.
The morning eating strip below Wushan hill, running roughly 06:00–10:30. Stalls fry cong you bing scallion pancakes (¥5), ladle sweet fermented-rice tangyuan (¥8), and steam you tiao with hot soy milk (¥6) — the standard Hangzhou breakfast for a century.
Established 1913 and best known for its takeaway window: cat's-ear pasta, crab-roe xiaolongbao and glutinous rice cakes sold by the box from ¥15. The upstairs dining room does the full Zhejiang banquet menu, with soup dumplings at ¥38 a basket.
Behind the main Qinghe Fang shopping run, the side lanes sell dingsheng cake, osmanthus-sugar lotus root, stinky tofu (¥10) and hand-pulled dragon's beard candy. Vendors work 10:00–21:00; the sugar-figure blowers here are a Song Dynasty craft.
Hangzhou's real night-eating quarter, a canal-side strip 4km north of the lake with 80-plus restaurants and grill stalls running past midnight. Crayfish by the kilo in summer, chuan'r skewers, cold beer and Zhejiang seafood, mostly ¥60–120 a head.