How to Order Food in China: Menus, QR Codes and the Bill

For an easy first meal in China, choose a place with a menu you can understand well enough to confirm the food, portion and price. Ask for help before submitting an order if an app, ingredient or charge is unclear.

If you have an allergy or a dietary requirement, make that the first conversation. A translated dish name or photograph cannot confirm ingredients or how the kitchen prepares food. Use the dietary communication guide.

Start with the time available, how far you want to walk and the kind of meal you need. A nearby place with understandable prices can be a better arrival-day choice than a highly rated restaurant across the city.

Check current opening information and recent reviews, then look at the actual menu or ask staff. Ratings do not confirm today's opening hours, English support, accessibility or ability to handle an allergy.

Before sitting down, ask whether there is a wait, whether the kitchen is still taking orders and how to order. If you cannot establish the price or required food conditions, choose another option.

Restaurants can use a paper menu, a counter, a tablet or a table QR code. The QR code for ordering is not necessarily a payment code. A mini-program may require login, a phone number or a supported checkout arrangement.

If the scan does not work, ask for a menu or staff assistance:

我无法使用这个点餐程序，可以帮我点餐吗？
“I cannot use this ordering program. Could you help me order?”

You do not have to solve a new app registration while the meal waits. First ask whether another ordering and payment method is available.

Illustrative ordering: confirm the dish, portion and price with staff before placing the order.

Camera translation can help identify options, but it can misread handwriting, stylised characters and culinary names. Point to the original item or show the dish photo when confirming.

For priced-by-weight items, ask about the unit, chosen weight and final amount before agreeing. Confirm extras such as rice, drinks or a special preparation when the menu does not make them clear.

Order a manageable amount first. At some restaurants dishes are intended for sharing; at others a bowl or set is an individual meal. Ask about the actual portion rather than inferring it from the photograph.

Optional camera-translation walkthrough by The Travel Coaches. It helps with reading a menu, not submitting a restaurant QR-code order or confirming allergens with staff.

Camera translation for menus, 3:58–7:31Optional video · YouTube

YouTube may not load in mainland China. You can follow the written steps in this guide.

Ask Buddy

Review the items, quantities, table number and any notes. Some ordering systems take payment first, while others settle later. Check the confirmation and keep the order screen or slip.

If staff take your order, point to the selected items once more when there is a language difficulty. Do not assume that adding a comment in English means the kitchen has read and understood a dietary restriction.

For severe allergies, get an explicit, reliable conversation about ingredients and preparation before deciding whether the meal is suitable. “Less spicy” is not an allergy instruction.

Show the order and ask whether the dish is still being prepared before ordering another one. Different dishes can arrive at different times; establish the status of your specific item.

这道菜还没上，请帮我查一下。 — “This dish has not arrived; please check it.”

这不是我点的菜，请帮我核对订单。 — “This is not the dish I ordered; please check the order.”

If you need to leave soon, ask whether an unprepared item can be cancelled and confirm how any payment will be adjusted. Keep the updated record. A requested cancellation is not proof that a refund has reached your account.

Schematic meal workflow: choose the dish, confirm quantities and extras, then check the bill against the submitted order before paying.

请给我账单。 — “Please bring the bill.” Check quantities and extras against the order before paying. If a line is unclear, ask staff to identify it rather than paying a second amount without explanation.

For mobile payment, confirm whether you scan the merchant or show your payment code. Foreign-linked cards do not support every payment scenario. If it fails, use the merchant's supported alternative and check whether the first attempt succeeded.

Keep the receipt or payment record until any problem is resolved. Use the venue's own support, your payment provider or the booking platform where relevant.

Sources

• Shanghai visitor services: menu translation and assisted ordering.
• Shanghai: mobile payment setup and merchant use.
• NHS: food allergy and the need to check ingredients.
• Optional walkthrough: Camera translation for travel, by The Travel Coaches.