Let me tell you, not long ago, I visited Guiyang again. It’s incredibly cheap to travel to Guiyang these days—round trip from Hangzhou is only 500 yuan! During the Spring Festival, it’s just 1500 yuan!
This was my fourth trip to Guiyang, and it was my first time experiencing winter there. You can’t expect it to be very warm in winter; besides air conditioning, surviving the winter in Guizhou relies heavily on taking extra layers. However, Guiyang is famously known for its abundance of delicious food and high-calorie options, which are more than enough to help you combat the magical attacks of winter!
In the past two years, the influx of tourists has brought significant changes to this mountainous city. Places like Huguo Road, Minsheng Road, and Caijia Street are still great spots for food. However, with the increasing number of tourists, I used to be able to eat in five different places during one meal time, but now I’m finding I can only line up at three—it’s a loss, by rounding it up. So, this time, I managed to “develop” four more exquisite little streets in Guiyang, and I enjoyed every bite!
These four little streets have one thing in common: they’re packed with small eateries and stalls that serve amazing food. You’ll find numerous old shops that have been around for 20 to 30 years. There may be many locals dining, but hardly any tourists—these are genuine community dining spots. Prepare for a full day of food exploration, as it’s time for us to head back to Guiyang for another culinary adventure.
Liyu Street
If you’ve only wandered around Huguo Road and Minsheng Road, you might misunderstand the real prices of food in Guiyang. Come visit Liyu Street; I’d call it a “god of value for money in dining!”
Liyu Street is only 500 meters long, yet it has barbershops, hardware stores, vegetable markets, and countless well-worn food stalls. Everything you need for daily life can be found here; it’s a miniature reflection of life in Guiyang.
Aunt He’s Fermented Black Bean Hot Pot
💰: 30 yuan
I say Liyu Street offers incredibly high value for money because there are several hot pot restaurants here, offering bases and rice for just 8 yuan. The low pricing owes much to Aunt He, who was the first to start this trend.
The hot pot base even comes loaded with ingredients such as meat slices, pig liver, potato slices, and tofu. The rice is free, and the 2-yuan vegetables are served in big stainless steel bowls, which is quite generous. For just 8 yuan, you could barely get a cup of milk tea in Guiyang, making dining here an unbeatable bargain!
You can order extra ingredients for the hot pot at reasonable prices; vegetables are all priced in singles, and even the most expensive ingredients, like fatty intestines, are only 25 yuan! I specifically asked the staff, and he seemed unfazed, saying it was no problem if you didn’t add extra items.
The fermented black bean hot pot is essentially a hot pot base made from another famous Guizhou product, Laoganma (chili sauce). The broth isn’t very spicy, but it is rich and savory, with a fermented odor similar to natto beans.
The combination of the fermented black bean broth with the meat and vegetables is simply perfect! The star of the show, the fatty intestines, lived up to their reputation; after cooking for about 10 minutes, they were flavor-packed, with the pervasive aroma of fermented black beans so strong that you wouldn’t even need extra dipping sauce.
Despite the shabby environment typical of street vendors, Aunt He’s flavors exceeded my expectations, and more importantly, the value for money here is unmatched—where else can you find an 8-yuan hot pot?
Uncle Li’s Blanched Vegetables
💰: 20 yuan
When I wrote about Guizhou before, some people expressed concern that the food was too spicy. In reality, Guizhou cuisine mainly relies on signature dipping sauces for flavor, with many non-spicy options available. Some Guizhou snacks can be quite light, and even I, a person from Zhejiang, am impressed, like how Guiyang people can’t resist “clear water blanching.”
“Clear water blanching” is similar to the spicy boiled dishes but features a very fresh soup base with enticing oil bubbles. Local Guizhou people tend to dip their blanched vegetables in additional sauces, but I found they taste good as they are.
The oldest place for clear water blanching on Liyu Street is Uncle Li’s, which has been in business for over 20 years, tucked into a low building. The environment may not be great, yet that doesn’t stop the business from thriving, especially during meal times when they often can’t keep up with takeaway orders.
You can choose to spend less or more on blanched vegetables, as the prices are mostly in single digits, meaning you can get a large bowl for just over ten yuan.
Liu’s Grilled Meat
💰: 10 yuan
Aunt Liu has been grilling meat for over 30 years; she has appeared in newspapers and moved her shop to Liyu Street over 20 years ago. With such a long history, she would at least carry the title of “grilled meat artisan” across the sea, right?
Liu’s grilled meat is limited to a few types: beef tendons, lean meat, pork belly, and sweet sausages. They focus on the most traditional Guiyang-style grilled meat, without frills, mainly using savory sauces to whet your appetite.
Liyu Street boasts a favorable tradition of low prices, where aside from sweet sausages at 5 yuan, the rest are just 1 yuan each—rolling through the entire menu still wouldn’t cost you much. Aunt Liu mentioned that many students studying away from home always come by when they return home. Honestly, I still think northeastern barbecue has a higher skill level, but you can definitely taste something unique here.
Liyu Street has many more tasty snacks, often from unbranded “street vendor stands.” But considering the street isn’t long, you can definitely find more if you stroll leisurely.
For example, at the entrance of Liyu Street is Sister Seven’s sticky rice, where the grains are distinct and can be mixed with a variety of toppings, especially the crispy strips. I arrived late, and they had already sold out to the bottom of the pot. There are many stalls selling freshly made potato chips, with Sister Shen’s Potato House being the most famous; their hot chips are thin and crispy, rivaling those sold in supermarkets, and I highly recommend the tomato flavor.
If you can’t handle the spice, you can visit Zhang’s Flowing Fragrant Pig Trotter old shop, where the trotters are incredibly tender. Of course, the standard way is to dip them in the sauce for an even better experience. There are also Deep Alley Beef Rice Noodles and Hongqiao’s Grilled Chicken, both famous old shops on Liyu Street.
For further reading, there’s also plenty of food on Qiqing Road, which connects to Liyu Street. For instance, a local favorite, Shujia Courtyard, a Chongqing hot pot restaurant, and Jiang Ji fast food for only 15 yuan for all-you-can-eat… the road may not be long, but you can spend a long time browsing.
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To summarize, the text details a rich culinary experience in Guiyang, emphasizing the local food scene, affordability, and hidden gems known primarily to locals.
