Zhizhu Photo:Jin Yingying
Suchunzhai Photo: Lyu Weiyi
Qingchunli Photo: Zhu Jingning
Delicacies
By Jin Yingying
Hangzhou boasts numerous vegetarian restaurants run for a long time. Let's experience the city's unique culinary culture by exploring some of the vegetarian-friendly spots!
Vegetarian restaurants
Suchunzhai
Suchunzhai is a hundred-year-old restaurant that was rebuilt in the Jingci Temple. The menu includes delicious dishes like Qinglüheze made by Chayote, dried bean curd, towel gourd in sauce, and noodles with mushrooms, celery, cabbage, carrots, and other ingredients. This is where you can enjoy free refills on the noodles.
Average cost: 69 yuan per person
Opening hours: 11:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00
Address: 50 meters east of the main entrance of the Jingci Temple, Nanshan Road
Zhizhu
Zhizhu is a super popular restaurant close to the Lingyin Temple. Even on weekdays you can see people lining up and filling the small courtyard in front of the entrance.
Zhizhu is known for its noodles. Mixed mushrooms and meat sauce with peanut crumbs and cucumber shreds is a must-try, while the hot bowl of handmade spinach noodles with various types of mushrooms is also on the most popular list. Paired with fried rice, it's fresh and flavory.
The vegetarian filling of the pan-fried dumplings is made of eight different types of mushrooms. The crispy skin is sprinkled with white sesame seeds, which is incredibly yummy.
Average cost: 58 yuan per person
Opening hours: 07:00-20:00
Address: # 69, Tianzhu Road
Qingchunli
The much-loved black truffle fried rice is grainy and chewy with a rich texture. Bashu douyi is a dish of sweet-and-spicy broad bean flaps, sprinkled with crushed peanuts. Quinoa pepper tofu is known as a vegetarian version of mapo tofu and the tofu is soft and soaked in red chili oil.
Thai Tom Yum Gong soup, another dish that is well received by netizens, has a strong lemon aroma. The side dishes are some radish cubes and mushrooms.
Average cost: 93 yuan per person
Opening hours: 11:00-22:00
Address: NL103, Kerry Center
Temples with vegan snacks
Some temples in the city also provide tasty and authentic vegetarian food.
Jingci Temple
It is particularly known for its "Top Three Snacks of Old Hangzhou", which are steamed veggie buns, roast veggie goose, and Buddha's Delight stew. The temple sells each day over 2,000 pieces of roast veggie goose, a soybean snack.
Xiangji Temple
Vegetarian noodles are its signature dishes, with over 1,600 bowls being sold daily. Another hit is the imitation meat dish that cannot be missed.