Chinese Food: Hotpot, Street Food, and Ordering

Read a Real Lesson

Ordering Food

Lv 1
。

Xiaoming looks at the menu.

小明
。?

Hello. What is this?

服务员
。

These are dumplings.

小明
?

Are these my dumplings?

服务员
。。

Yes. These are your dumplings.

Keep Learning in Bubblegum

More Level 1 Lessons (9)

Learn Mandarin Chinese Easily With Bubblegum

Bubblegum

For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Mandarin Chinese. You learn from Mandarin Chinese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes the lessons.

Get Bubblegum ↓

  • The Pinyin course teaches pinyin from the first letter.
  • Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
  • Read and listen to news and stories in Mandarin Chinese about things you care about.
  • Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
  • Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading. You can also export them to Anki.
  • Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
  • Your own Chinese books and articles can't become lessons. Send Poppy a photo of a page, and she explains what it says, line by line.
  • A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
  • Regenerative Review™
  • Teaches Pinyin
  • Traditional characters
  • Zhuyin

Mobile

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I order food at a night market stall?

You can ask about available food options and order a delicious meal by using simple phrases practiced in night market and street food lessons.

Can I learn how to read restaurant menus in Chinese?

Yes, specific lessons guide you through reading Beijing restaurant menus so you can easily find and identify your favorite local dishes.

How do business dinners differ from casual ordering?

Business dinner lessons focus on how to politely order food and host clients in a professional setting, whereas other lessons cover casual restaurant visits and street food.

Explore More Mandarin Chinese Guides