Restaurant in Hangzhou, China
Authentic Hangzhou cooking, rare value, book ahead.
Xin Liu He has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2025 and has been cooking traditional Hangzhou food since 1987. At ¥¥ pricing, it delivers river fish cookery — including Huadiao wine shrimps and steamed eel with Chinese ham — that the ¥¥¥ competitors in the city rarely match on authenticity. Ask servers about daily specials; the best dishes are not always on the printed menu.
Xin Liu He is one of Hangzhou's most reliable addresses for traditional Hangzhou cooking at a price point that makes every other option in the city feel overpriced by comparison. Holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025) and operating continuously since 1987, this is not a trendy newcomer riding a regional food wave. If you want to understand what Hangzhou cuisine actually tastes like — river fish cooked with precision, fermented and braised flavours, wine-based aromatics — book here before you consider the ¥¥¥ or ¥¥¥¥ alternatives.
The most common mistake visitors make is assuming that a Bib Gourmand at ¥¥ pricing means a casual, simplified menu. At Xin Liu He, the Michelin recognition is specifically for quality at accessible prices, not for brevity or shortcuts. The kitchen has been refining the same core dishes for nearly four decades, and the head chef's focus on river fish is the clearest reason to be here.
The standout preparations documented by Michelin inspectors include river shrimps cooked in Huadiao wine , producing a combination of briny-sweet meat, runny roe, and pronounced aromatic depth from the wine , and steamed river eel with Chinese ham, a dish that requires good timing to catch, as availability depends on the day's catch. The home-brewed bayberry wine is the recommended pairing for the eel, and it is worth ordering specifically for that combination rather than as an afterthought.
Servers carry knowledge of what is available that day, so asking about daily specials is not optional courtesy , it is the practical way to eat well here. The kitchen's leading work often does not appear on a fixed printed menu.
The PEA-R-08 angle is directly relevant here: at a restaurant of this type and price range in Hangzhou, the counter or table-adjacent experience means you are close to the service flow in a way that matters. Asking servers about daily specials is not an upsell tactic , it reflects the kitchen's market-driven approach. Dishes like the river eel are contingent on supply, which means the most rewarding meals happen when you treat the server as a guide rather than an order-taker. If you have been once and defaulted to the printed menu, the return visit should start with the question: what came in today?
If you have already had the river shrimps in Huadiao wine, the steamed river eel with Chinese ham is the next target , but only if it appears on the daily specials. The bayberry wine pairing is specific and worth requesting even if you do not typically drink with fish. Beyond that, the framing of Hangzhou cuisine as a light, delicate tradition undersells what this kitchen does with fermented and wine-based flavours. Come expecting depth, not just subtlety.
For broader context on eating in Hangzhou, see our full Hangzhou restaurants guide. If you are building a longer itinerary, our full Hangzhou hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest.
Other Hangzhou addresses worth considering alongside Xin Liu He include 1913, Hang's Delicacy (Xihu), Fu Yuan Ju (Shangcheng), Bao Zhong Bao Shi Fu, and Datou Yingshi Xiaoguan.
If you are travelling across China and want regional comparison points, Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) in Beijing, 102 House in Shanghai, and Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu each represent their respective regional traditions at comparable or higher price tiers. For fine Chinese cooking further afield, Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau, Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou, Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing, and Tien Hsiang Lo , Hang Zhou in Taipei are the reference points worth knowing. For a completely different benchmark in seafood technique, Le Bernardin in New York City shows what a maximalist approach to fish cookery looks like at the other end of the price spectrum.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xin Liu He | Hang Zhou | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Since 1987, diners have been flocking here for authentic traditional Hangzhou food. The head chef excels at preparing river fish, such as river shrimps in Huadiao wine, a feast of runny roe, briny-sweet meat and mesmerising aromas. With a bit of luck, you will get to savour the tender oily flesh of steamed river eel with Chinese ham – best enjoyed with their home-brewed bayberry wine. Ask the servers about the daily specials. | Easy | — |
| Xin Rong Ji | Taizhou Cuisine, Taizhou | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| 28 Hubin Road | Zhejiang | Unknown | — | |
| Ru Yuan | Zhejiang | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| L'éclat 19 | French Contemporary | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Song | Ningbo | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Xin Liu He measures up.
Groups are workable here, but the format rewards smaller parties better. Xin Liu He's strength is daily specials and river fish dishes that rotate, so a table of 2–4 lets you order across the menu without committing too many dishes to a single direction. For larger groups, ask servers directly about availability since booking practices are not publicly confirmed.
Yes, if the occasion calls for regional significance rather than formal ceremony. A 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand and nearly four decades of operation give this place real standing in Hangzhou, and dishes like steamed river eel with Chinese ham and home-brewed bayberry wine create a memorable meal. It is not a white-tablecloth setting, so manage expectations on atmosphere and focus on the food.
Xin Liu He is a traditional Hangzhou restaurant, not a bar-format venue. There is no documented bar or counter seating for solo dining in the way a Japanese omakase counter would offer. If you are dining alone, a standard table is the likely format.
At ¥¥ pricing with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, yes — this is one of the stronger value cases in Hangzhou. The Bib Gourmand designation specifically recognises good cooking at accessible prices, and dishes like river shrimps in Huadiao wine represent cooking that would cost considerably more in Shanghai or Beijing for equivalent quality. Order the daily specials and the bayberry wine to get full value.
Manageable, but not optimised for it. The menu's strength lies in sharing multiple dishes to cover the daily specials, which is harder to do solo. That said, at ¥¥ pricing, ordering two or three dishes alone remains affordable, and the river fish preparations are compelling enough to justify the visit regardless of party size.
For Hangzhou cuisine at a higher price point with more formal presentation, Xin Rong Ji and 28 Hubin Road are the obvious comparisons. Ru Yuan offers a quieter, garden-adjacent setting. If you want a more contemporary take on the region, Song is worth considering. Xin Liu He sits apart from all of them on value: ¥¥ pricing with Bib Gourmand recognition since 1987 is a rare combination in this city.
There is no documented tasting menu format at Xin Liu He. The approach here is ordering from the menu with guidance from servers, particularly the daily specials. Ask about the river fish options and seasonal availability when you arrive — that is effectively how you build the best meal here.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
