Guilin is famous for its exotic dishes and the sight of dogs, birds, turtles, snakes and other weird and wonderful animals.

Guilin cuisine is also typified by its sweetness and delicate use of spice and chili. Bamboo leaves stuffed with sweet rice is a great Guilin snack available all over the city and also in some of the restaurants. The city also has some fine upmarket restaurants where you can sample typical local dishes. The Guilin Hotel Restaurant has a nice environment to sample some of this food and the Chicken Balls with chestnut are especially good here.

If you fancy a break from Chinese food there are also some fantastic options available here. The Empire Garden Hotel Restaurant has a fabulous Japanese and French restaurant where you can sample good food amidst an elegant environment. The little town of Yangshuo also has some surprisingly good western style restaurants where you can sit back and relax in peaceful and friendly surroundings.