Skip to main content
China Street Eats

Water banquets of the old capital
Peony gold

Water banquets, beef soup and no-flip pancake soup—a feast in a thirteen-dynasty capital.

6
Featured snacks
Central China
Region
Fresh and mellowHot and sourRich aroma

Luoyang events and travel information

Published event guides and travel information for Luoyang.

🏮

Luoyang Ancient Capital Culture Festival

2026.10Henan
🏮

China Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Culture Festival

2026.10Henan

Travel information

Places and neighborhoods worth exploring in Luoyang.

🗿

Longmen Grottoes

Described as foremost among China’s four great grotto complexes, with over a hundred thousand Buddhist figures carved into cliffs on both sides of the Yi River.

5A scenic areaWorld HeritageMust-visit
View details
World Heritage¥90/adult · Students half price
🛕

White Horse Temple

China’s first Buddhist monastery, founded after Buddhism reached the country and with over nineteen hundred years of history.

4A scenic areaBuddhist ancestral templeMust-visit
View details
Buddhist sacred sites¥35/adult
🏯

Guanlin

The burial place of Guan Yu’s head, combining a front temple and rear tomb in a distinctive complex of mound, shrine and sacred grove.

4A scenic areaThree KingdomsLoyalty and righteousness
View details
History and culture¥40/adult
🏛️

Luoyang Museum

Over 400,000 artifacts, with Tang sancai, Xia-Shang-Zhou bronzes and Han-Tang pottery figures as leading collections.

National first-class museumFree admissionIndoors
View details
MuseumsFree admission (reservation required)
⛰️

Laojun Mountain

The legendary retreat of Taoist founder Laozi, with golden summits, cloud seas and the Ten-Li Painted Screen landscape.

5A scenic areaSacred Taoist mountainCloud seas
View details
Natural scenery¥100/adult · Cable cars charged separately
🏮

Luoyi Ancient City

A heritage-inspired visitor district around Wenfeng Pagoda, where hanfu-clad visitors walk beneath evening lights recalling Sui and Tang life.

Night viewsHanfu photographyFree admission
View details
Local cultureFree admission (reservation required)

Featured snacks

Luoyang's signature street-food highlights.

🥘

Luoyang Water Banquet

ClassicBanquet diningIntangible cultural heritage
¥128–388/banquet

Twenty-four soup-based courses flow in succession, recalling Wu Zetian’s court banquets and a nationally recognized culinary heritage.

No online product linked yet.

🍜

Luoyang Beef Soup

Must-tryBreakfastCity of soups
¥10–25

Beef bones simmer overnight for the first pot at five in the morning, served with bread—a Luoyang day begins with soup.

No online product linked yet.

🥟

Fermented Mung-Bean Broth Noodles

SpecialtyFermentedSour flavors
¥6–12

Noodles cooked in sour fermented mung-bean liquid, a tangy hometown flavor treasured by older Luoyang residents.

No online product linked yet.

🧀

Peony Flower Pastries

PopularDessertSeasonal special
¥18–38/box

Fragrant Luoyang peonies fill flaky pastry—a seasonal old-capital gift during April’s blooms.

No online product linked yet.

🫓

Bufan Tang (No-Flip Pancake Soup)

RecommendedNight marketsHot and sour
¥8–15

Thin pancakes cook without turning and join a hot-sour broth—a leading late-night Luoyang comfort.

No online product linked yet.

🥟

Scalded-Dough Dumplings

SpecialtyNoodles and dough dishesCentury-old flavors
¥15–28

Crescent dumplings made with hot-water dough, with thin translucent wrappers and juicy fillings—a century-old Xin’an specialty.

No online product linked yet.

How to enjoy it

How to enjoy Luoyang's street-food highlights.

🥘 How to Eat a Luoyang Water Banquet

  1. First eight: awaken the appetite:The first eight cold dishes balance meat and vegetables, sour and sweet. Begin with crisp dressed vegetables, then braised foods and sweets to prepare for the hot courses.
  2. Middle eight: the centerpiece:Hot dishes arrive one by one. Photograph Peony Yancai before eating to appreciate its fine radish cutting. Broths alternate hot-sour, savory and sweet aromas; vary the flavors as you go.
  3. Final eight: the conclusion:The final eight emphasize clear soups. Sour soup with crisp fried vegetable balls makes a celebrated finish, sizzling as the balls meet the hot broth.

🍜 Understanding Luoyang Beef Soup

  1. Arrive early:The first pot at four or five in the morning is richest. Later soup is repeatedly topped up with water, so regulars queue before dawn.
  2. Choose the bread:Shredded flatbread absorbs rich soup quickly; thick guokui tolerates longer soaking; flaky youxuan is dipped directly. Start with shredded bread on a first visit.
  3. Season to taste:The soup arrives plain, with salt, chili, cilantro and scallions to add yourself. A local sequence is chili oil first, then cilantro, and salt last, allowing the original broth flavor to remain perceptible.

🥟 The Fine Points of Fermented-Broth Noodles

  1. What is jiang?:Jiang is naturally fermented mung-bean liquid, not vinegar or pickle brine. Good liquid smells fragrantly sour, tastes gentle and has a mellow finish without harshness.
  2. Toppings are essential:Five toppings are essential: crisp diced celery, soft soybeans, fragrant crushed peanuts, mellow sesame paste and spicy chili oil. Mixing brings their textures together.
  3. Eat hot with garlic:Eat while hot, before the sourness becomes sharp on cooling. Pair with raw garlic, alternating bites and noodles for contrasting pungency and tang.

City reviews

Community experiences in Luoyang

Loading reviews…

Please wait