This classic, bustling restaurant is a personal favorite of mine in Chengdu’s popular Yulin neighborhood. I highly recommend this place for its authentic, well-prepared, traditional Sichuan dishes that are both not too oily and very affordable. The restaurant’s atmosphere is a typical Chinese scene as the wait staff hustles about and Chinese men sip on (or throw back) baijiu at circular tables. We always go here as a group, so we can order as wide a selection of our favorite dishes as possible. One dish with a unique twist here is the twice-cooked pork (回锅肉） served with mini pocket pitas on the side. Stuffing the little pitas with the pork, and often with other tasty dishes such as sweet and sour pork (糖醋里脊）, seems somewhat like an unexpected Middle Eastern influence on a Chinese meal, but we love it nonetheless. A spicy salad with wasabi sauce, called the tiger salad (老虎才), is an excellent starter. The Kung Pao chicken is another reliable choice as well (宫包鸡丁）. Try not to be too surprised at the low price of the meal.  Most dishes are between 8-20 RMB and sharing an array of choices with a group should only cost about 10-15 RMB per person.

Directions: The restaurant is just off Renmin Nanlu on Yulin Dongjie. Head west on Yulin Dongjie from Renmin Nanlu and the restaurant is number 18, storefront #16, on the right (north) side. Printing out the name of the restaurant is recommended, because there are a few restaurants before it on the same side of the road.  The turn onto Yulin Dongjie from Renmin Nanlu is just south of Village BBQ across from Carol’s.

Why Salvador’s did not survive in Dali remains a mystery to this author. Salvador’s was first opened in Dali (hence the name) a few years back and didn’t seem to find its niche.  The cafe moved to Kunming a little over 2 years ago, and since then has found tremendous success.  The owners of this fine establishment know that the two most important things a café is supposed to get right is coffee and dessert.  However, they don’t just get it right, they’ve got these two areas down pat.  In fact, Salvador’s provides it’s customers with excellent coffees, hot chocolates, and shakes. They also produce their own ice cream in-house, which I feel is some of the very best in China.  Yet Salvador’s does not stop there – they also offer many enticing options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Tasty and filling sandwiches and bagel melts are available for around 20 RMB or less (they also bake all of their own breads and bagels.)  Salvador’s Tex-Mex options are also very edible, a true rarity in China.  This author dares you to try and finish a burrito (20 – 26 RMB) at Salvador’s.  They also make their own salsa (which happens to actually taste like salsa).  What’s more they do their customers a great service in offering Beer Lao, ironically the best beer in China, currently only offered in Yunnan Province at a handful of places.  Best of all, their prices are extremely reasonable.  The author cannot think of anything on the menu off the top of his head that even touches 40 RMB, and he dines at the café quite frequently.  Sadly, Salvador’s closes its doors around 11:30 PM (last call at 11). Therefore it’s a great place to hangout with your friends for after-dinner drinks or pre-party before moving on, instead of also being one of the better bars in town.
 
P.S.  Did anybody order wi-fi?  Customers also get to enjoy the use of free wi-fi internet while at Salvador’s.
 
Directions:  76 Wenhua Xiang.  Located near Yunnan University, almost next to the bakery on the corner of Wenhua Xiang and Wenlin Jie.

Find it on the map
 
Salvador’s Website

This Ye Chun offers similar fare to the other Ye Chun across the street.  They share the same name, both have a long history in Yangzhou, and as far as we know, are both equally famous for their dim sum.  Steamed buns (baozi, 包子), thin tofu noodles in broth (tanggansi, 烫干丝), and giant soup dumplings (汤包) are a few dishes that are known to be extra delicious at Ye Chun.
 
The dim sum is served in set platters that cost 30, 40 or 50 Yuan per person. There is no English menu.


Inside is a series of large tables that seat ten.  Groups of less than ten share tables with each other. It could be a great chance to practice Chinese!
 

Pictured above are steamed buns (top right), large beef dumplings (bottom left) and cake (top left).
 

Cold appetizers including thin tofu noodles in broth.

The soup dumpling is so big that it is served with a straw.

How to get there: This Ye Chun is located at No. 1 Fengle Shang Jie (丰乐上街1号) on the east side of Beimen Wai Dajie (北门外大街).  The other Ye Chun is almost right next door at No. 10 Fengle Shang Jie on the west side of Beimen Wai Dajie.

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