The night hums in Nanjing like a half-remembered
melody; familiar, chaotic, irresistible.
Skewers sizzle on open flames, sending curls of cumin- laced smoke into the air. The clang of frying woks punctuates the dusk like percussion, each metallic hit followed by the rhythmic chop-chop-chop of spring onions, garlic and coriander on worn wooden boards.
Vendors shout out their specials with gusto of auctioneers; from stinky tofu to BBQ, with ice cream and milk tea thrown in for those with a sweet tooth. Their calls mingle with the low thrum of “外卖” (take out; delivery) scooters weaving through foot traffic. The neon signage just adds to the pulse of it all.
I’d argue that for any city in China, its true soundtrack is not found in concert halls or stadiums, but in the clatter of ladles and other cooking utensils and the chatter and bark of food names and prices called out over rickety food carts. Nanjing is no exception to speaking in sizzles and steam. Look down any late-night alley (or if you’re lucky on a random street corner when the sun sets) and you’re sure to find the steam rising from bamboo baskets or the smoky perfume of grilled meat skewers. Here, on the street, Nanjing feeds both body and soul.
Look on the multitude of recommendations on Little Red Book and you’ll find a list of places downtown to satisfy your hunger.
Ke Xiang (科巷), Cha Nan Jie (茶南大街), Alley 378 (三七八巷), Laomendong (老东门) and Hongmiao Jie (红庙街) are all great places to wander down and eat a variety of Nanjing delicacies but for convenience’s sake (or at least where my e-bike could take me without being drained of battery) I explored and personally recommend (PR) three “美食街” in the south of the city. My top picks:
Lele Jie (乐乐街; closest metro: Nanjing South Railway
Station, Exit 6). PR: Try the “烤苕皮”; a Chongqing street food delicacy; and “炸串”
Tuolejia (托乐嘉; see cover photo; closest metro: Cuiping Shan, Exit 3). PR: Try the “爆肚粉” or “肉夹馍”!
Nanjing Yiwu (南京义乌; closest metro: Longmian Avenue, Exit 2). PR: There’s far too much choice at the Nanjing Yiwu Food Street! You can practically travel to all four corners of China along this food street (although street is definitely the wrong word to describe it, more like food maze!). Al-Jannat also opened their new restaurant here, so it’s worth the visit if you also fancy some Indian food.
Street food in Nanjing isn’t just about convenience. To eat on the street in Nanjing is to become part of a shared, if fleeting, intimacy.
The stranger beside you also queues for spicy duck neck or their “羊肉串”. If you’re tough enough to brave the cold, there’s something almost ethereal about the steam rising in the winter air, and for a moment, everything feels simpler.
Some call it informal, even chaotic and dare I say even “unclean”. But others know; street food is where the city’s heart beats loudest.
In a world of apps and algorithms, where tastes are curated and meals can arrive without human interaction, Nanjing’s street food vendors offer something raw, immediate, and deeply human.
