The full selection of the MICHELIN Guide Chengdu 2022 has been announced on Jan. 6, 2022, celebrating 1 two MICHELIN Star, 8 one MICHELIN Star and 13 Bib Gourmand restaurants, as well as a special award – the MICHELIN Service Award.
“Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, boasts many advantages and points of interest. One that the MICHELIN Guide is particularly proud to promote is, of course, its gastronomic scene. The inspector team was hugely impressed by the local and diverse culinary landscape. Chengdu offers a myriad of restaurants that are brimming with talent and authenticity while respecting the traditions of this vibrant cuisine. With its abundant flavours, unique preparation, fine techniques, and distinctive ingredients, Sichuan cuisine captivates local and international foodies alike,” states Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the MICHELIN Guide. “We are very proud to add Chengdu to the MICHELIN Guide family and to make the world aware of its gastronomic excellence!
The MICHELIN Guide unveils the first two Star restaurant for Chengdu
The MICHELIN Guide Chengdu 2022 hands out the first two MICHELIN Star accolade for Chengdu to Yu Zhi Lan.
This low-key private dining concept presents various elegant, elaborate, multi- course meals that emphasise the ingredients’ natural flavours. The outstanding culinary skills of the chef are also displayed in every dish. Owner chef Lan Guijun is a local legend who took Sichuanese fare to the level of haute cuisine.
8 Establishments Scoop one Star
8 restaurants are honoured with the one MICHELIN Star distinction for the first time. The diversity and elevated quality of Sichuan cuisine attests to the inclusiveness and vitality of the Chengdu hospitality industry.
Chaimen Hui. Keeping the concept of farm-to-table in mind, the chefs insist on sourcing top-notch, seasonal ingredients from around the world to prepare flavourful dishes boasting great texture and taste. Born and raised in Sichuan, Chef Chen has developed a great fondness for Sichuan cuisine and has been striving to deliver a brand-new image of the cuisine to the gastronomy world. He believes that innovation derives from respecting traditional roots and enjoys dedicating his time to crafting every dish to perfection.
Chengdu Restaurant. The menu, which builds on traditional Cantonese lines, spiced up with Sichuanese touches, has been the main draw of Chengdu Restaurant. Apart from their 18-day pigeon and the signature misua soup, the magnificent interior that features hanging lamps nodding to ancient artefacts and the perforated brass wall, is another highlight that adds to the dining experience.
Fang Xiang Jing. The restaurant serves authentic Sichuanese cuisine. The kitchen team at Fang Xiang Jing re-creates old-time Sichuanese recipes as faithfully as possible, covering classics like fuqi feipian, mapo tofu, and snowflake minced chicken.
Ma's Kitchen. This hugely popular eatery started life as a stall in Meishan in the last century. Customers flock here for the renowned duck blood curd with pork offal and sliced eel, while dan dan noodles and other Sichuan classics are also popular among local gourmets.
Mi Xun Teahouse. Located in a courtyard house steeped in historical charm, Mi Xun Teahouse delivers vegetarian fare featuring handpicked local ingredients. The light, refined and inspired vegetarian dishes, including vegan mapo tofu with chanterelles and spicy hotpot are the draw that attracts many.
Silver Pot. The owner’s trips around the world translate into her quest for quality seafood and other ingredients around the globe. The food is delicately prepared in bespoke Sichuanese style, the roast pigeon smoked with Sichuan pepper leaves, and other cold appetisers are every gourmet’s favourite for good reason.
Song Yun Ze. The restaurant is named after the legendary Sichuanese chef, Songyun Zhang, opened by his protégés, and serves a tailored menu that typically includes over 20 expertly crafted courses. All the dishes are made with top-notch ingredients and underpinned by traditional techniques. The chef always makes sure traditions are respected in the kitchen, while adding a refined touch to his repertoire.
Xu's Cuisine. Sichuanese cooking forms the backbone of the menu, and it is further categorised by styles, such as bean paste based, and home-style dishes. Dishes that entail painstaking preparations can be found here, with ji douhua being their proud signature.
13 Bib Gourmand Restaurants
The restaurants selected in the Bib Gourmand list, offering good quality and good value, are marked by the symbol of the lip-licking Michelin Tire man (Bibendum) in the guide. The first Chengdu Bib Gourmand restaurants feature a wide range of foods, from pastry, local specialties, to Sichuan stir-fries, as well as local tea culture, at RMB 300 per head or less, collectively telling a vivid story of the heart-warming city life in Chengdu.
Chanyue Vegetarian. Sichuan-style vegetarian dishes form the backbone of the set menu, which changes every 15 days to reflect the 24 solar terms in the Chinese calendar. Customers can also enjoy a variety of vegan dishes, cunningly disguised as meat and fish.
Chen Mapo Tofu (Qinghua Road). Word has it that this century-old restaurant is the true source of the infamous mapo tofu. Apart from this signature, zhong dumplings and lotus leaf-wrapped steamed pork in spiced rice flour are also popular among gourmets.
Dumpling & Drinks. The dumplings at this eatery are freshly made daily in the open kitchen, and a total of six varieties are served each day. Those filled with pork and mushrooms, or beef and Chinese celery are the highlights.
Feng Qi Wu. The restaurant is known for its competitively priced, authentically local Sichuan food including braised fish in spicy bean sauce. Every private room has a dedicated tea-making area attended by a tea master to provide a table-side tea service.
Fu Rong Huang. The experienced kitchen team specialises in traditional Sichuan dishes, many of which are painstaking to prepare, such as the signature snowflake minced chicken. The Sichuan sweet twice-cooked shaobai also fares well.
Lao Chengdu San Yang Mian. Local gourmets flock here for the noodles. Soup and tossed noodles are divided into 3 categories, with blanched noodles tossed in spicy meat sauce with diced string beans being the most popular item. Those in the known will round it out with a bowl of tofu dessert with red bean soup.
Mind. Serving just four types of noodles, along with a few sides during the day and a menu of home-style dishes at dinner, this small restaurant encourages diners to slow down and mindfully savour their clean, simple flavours. Also look for the hawker carts where steamed rice cakes with a red bean filling are made.
Ming Ting Xiao Guan. This compact eatery is always jam-packed with diners yearning for its traditional Sichuanese fare. Signature dishes include the silky smooth douhua and novel items like the durian spring roll.
Mo Xiao Guan. Noodles and wontons are either served in soup or tossed in a sauce in the restaurant. Pork bone noodle soup is a favourite for a good reason, as the broth is simmered for six hours, giving it deep rich flavours.
Organization South. This restaurant is known not just for its famous Sichuanese wok-fried dishes, cold appetisers, and seasonal offerings.
Ting Yuan 399. The river fish dish with soft juicy flesh and a crispy chew is the draw that attracts many. Plump swamp eels from inland rivers are poached in a flavourful broth loaded with spices and herbs and are drizzled with sizzling hot oil when served at the table.
Yu Jiu Xiang. This simple neighbourhood eatery has been serving traditional Chengdu cooking since 2014. Signature items include blanched pork belly dressed in garlic sauce and spicy fried chicken with chilies, which come in generous portions enough for a few to share.
Zhuan Zhuan Hui (Lianhua South Road). This flagship of the chain has earned a solid fandom among locals with no-frills, home-style Sichuanese cooking that is frugally priced. Expect the dishes to have a more tamed heat that caters to the palate of most, while remaining aromatic and tasty. The homely atmosphere is also a plus.
The 2022 Michelin Service Award
As MICHELIN Guide inspectors dine at and observe restaurants, they keep an eye on service professionals to unearth talents that are worthy of the MICHELIN Service Award.
The Michelin Service Award for 2022 goes to Ms. LEI Min from Young Art · Yong Ya He Xian (Tongzilin East Road), which also made its appearance in the first MICHELIN Guide Chengdu. The young, energetic lady is attentive to detail with good product knowledge and flexibility in accommodating diners’ needs. She is always passionate and hardworking with good interaction and serving pace.
In total, 50 restaurants were selected for the MICHELIN Guide Chengdu 2022 including:
1 two MICHELIN Star restaurant
8 one MICHELIN Star restaurants
13 Bib Gourmand restaurants
28 recommended restaurants (formerly MICHELIN Plate)
For the complete list of the first edition of the MICHELIN Guide Chengdu (MICHELIN Guide Chengdu 2022), please click here.
