Restaurant in Chengdu, China
Michelin-recognised dumplings at street-food prices.
Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) put Dumpling & Drinks in Qingyang District ahead of most of its price-tier competition in Chengdu. At the ¥ tier with easy booking access and a drinks programme built in, it's the practical choice for a late-night meal or a low-friction special occasion when the city's bigger dining rooms have closed.
The common assumption about Dumpling & Drinks on Lanchao Road is that it's a casual daytime stop — a quick bowl and move on. That reading misses the point. With back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, this is a venue that has been formally assessed and cleared as delivering serious quality at a price point that doesn't require planning around. For a special occasion dinner that won't anchor your evening to a reservation window, or for a late-night meal after the city's bigger dining rooms have closed, this is one of the most practical choices in Qingyang District.
Dumpling & Drinks sits at 16 Caotang North Road in the Qingyang District, a part of Chengdu that mixes residential foot traffic with the kind of neighbourhood commerce that keeps kitchens running late. The address puts it within reach of the broader Qingyanggong commercial area, and its physical format — while specific seating counts aren't confirmed , reads as the kind of compact, counter-oriented room that Bib Gourmand spots in Chinese cities typically occupy. Expect close tables, an open or semi-open kitchen, and a room that prioritises throughput over theatre. That's not a criticism. For dumplings eaten at the counter or a small table with drinks, spatial intimacy works in the venue's favour: the room keeps energy up without requiring it to seat a crowd to feel alive.
For a date or a small celebration, the setting asks something of you: arrive with the right expectations. This is not the place for a long, layered meal with tableside service. It is the place for focused eating, a good drink alongside, and the kind of low-friction evening that Chengdu's better informal venues do well. If the occasion calls for formal seating and a printed wine list, Yu Zhi Lan or Xin Rong Ji are the category above. If it calls for something real, late, and properly good, Dumpling & Drinks is the answer.
Michelin's Bib Gourmand designation is awarded to venues offering good cooking at a price the guide considers favourable , in China, that typically means under ¥200 per person, often considerably less. Two consecutive years of recognition (2024 and 2025) signals consistency, not a one-off inspector visit. In a city as dense with dumpling options as Chengdu, that distinction is worth taking seriously. The ¥ price tier confirms this sits at the accessible end of the market: you are not paying for ambience or prestige, you are paying for the dumplings. The Bib Gourmand says those dumplings are worth it.
For context on where this sits in Chengdu's broader eating landscape, the city has produced Michelin-recognised venues across multiple price tiers. The gap between a ¥ Bib Gourmand spot and a ¥¥¥¥ Sichuan fine-dining room like Fu Rong Huang or Fang Xiang Jing is significant , in price, format, and occasion type. Dumpling & Drinks earns its recognition in a different competitive set, and that's where it should be judged.
Chengdu runs late. The city's food culture is genuinely nocturnal in a way that most Chinese cities are not, and the demand for quality eating after 10 PM is real rather than performative. Specific hours for Dumpling & Drinks are not confirmed in available data, but the venue's format , accessible pricing, a drinks component built into the name, a neighbourhood location , positions it as the kind of place that serves the post-theatre, post-bar, or post-everything crowd. If you are working through Chengdu's bar scene and need to eat well without booking ahead or sitting through a multi-course format, this address belongs on your list.
The drinks element is worth noting as a genuine differentiator. Many of Chengdu's dumpling specialists are eat-and-leave operations. A venue that pairs dumplings with a drinks programme is building for a longer sit , which changes the occasion calculus for dates and small group evenings. If you are looking for somewhere to end a night rather than start one, that matters.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is useful to know. Walk-in access at a Bib Gourmand venue in a city the size of Chengdu is not always guaranteed, but the venue's accessible price point and format suggest it handles volume without requiring advance reservation planning. No phone or website data is confirmed, so the most reliable approach is to arrive and assess the wait, or check current booking channels through local platforms such as Dianping at the time of your visit. For first-timers visiting Chengdu, the broader context is available in our full Chengdu restaurants guide, which covers the city's range from street-level to Michelin-starred rooms. See also our Chengdu hotels guide and experiences guide for planning the wider trip.
Comparable dumpling-focused venues in other Chinese cities include Ah Chun Shandong Dumpling in Hong Kong and Baiweiyuan Dumpling in Beijing, both of which operate at a similar accessible tier. For a sense of what Michelin recognition looks like across China's broader fine-dining circuit, see Imperial Treasure in Guangzhou, 102 House in Shanghai, or Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau.
Book Dumpling & Drinks on Lanchao Road if you want a Michelin-recognised meal at a price that won't shape the rest of your evening's budget, particularly later in the night when Chengdu's bigger dining rooms are no longer an option. The ¥ price tier, back-to-back Bib Gourmand awards, and easy booking access make this one of the more defensible decisions in Qingyang District. It is not the right answer for a formal occasion requiring tableside service or a lengthy wine list , for that, move up to Yu Zhi Lan or Hokkien Cuisine. For everything else, it earns the visit.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumpling & Drinks (Lanchao Road) | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | ¥ | — |
| Xin Rong Ji | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Yu Zhi Lan | Michelin 2 Star | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
| Mi Xun Teahouse | Michelin 1 Star | ¥¥ | — |
| Chen Mapo Tofu (Qinghua Road) | ¥ | — | |
| Co- | ¥¥¥¥ | — |
How Dumpling & Drinks (Lanchao Road) stacks up against the competition.
The venue operates at the ¥ price tier, so the spend per head is low regardless of format. The Bib Gourmand designation — awarded in both 2024 and 2025 — confirms Michelin considers the cooking-to-price ratio favourable. At this price point, the question is less 'is it worth it?' and more 'how much do you want to order?'
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which suggests the venue can absorb groups without the lead-time stress of a counter-only omakase. At ¥ pricing, group meals here won't strain a shared bill. For larger parties, arriving early in the evening is a safer bet than turning up late, when Chengdu's nocturnal dining crowd tends to build.
This is a Bib Gourmand spot in the Qingyang District at ¥ pricing — dress casually. There is no indication from the venue's category or price tier that anything other than everyday clothes is appropriate. Leave the formal wear for Yu Zhi Lan.
The venue has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025), which means recognised quality at a price that stays in the ¥ range. Booking difficulty is rated easy, so walk-ins are a realistic option. It sits at 16 Caotang North Road in Qingyang District, a neighbourhood that runs on local foot traffic rather than tourist infrastructure, so expect a genuine Chengdu crowd rather than a curated dining-district atmosphere.
For Sichuan cooking with higher ceremony and spend, Yu Zhi Lan is the step up. Chen Mapo Tofu on Qinghua Road is the reference point for the city's most recognisable dish at a similarly accessible price. Mi Xun Teahouse suits an afternoon rather than a meal. Xin Rong Ji is the right comparison if you want a polished multi-regional Chinese restaurant with a significantly higher price tag. Co- is the option for something with a more contemporary, fusion-leaning format.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
