How do I order vegetarian or halal food in China?

Saying "no meat" is not enough. A dish that looks like vegetables only can be cooked in lard, finished with meat stock or topped with dried shrimp, and the menu will not say so. In Shanghai, scallion oil often contains lard and savoury soy milk is made with dried shrimp: see where lard and dried shrimp hide in Shanghai dishes.

Two everyday seasonings are animal products by definition. China's national standard for oyster sauce (GB/T 21999-2008) defines it as made from the cooking liquid of oysters or from hydrolysed oyster meat. China's national standard for chicken powder seasoning (鸡粉), GB/T 48080-2026, has been issued and takes effect from March 2028; the standard's project page lists chicken meat or bone powder, or its concentrated extract, among the ingredients. Chicken bouillon (鸡精) has its own national standard. Ask about oyster sauce, chicken powder and chicken bouillon, along with the stock.

In a Buddhist kitchen, 素 (vegetarian) is stricter than "no meat". Hangzhou's Lingyin Temple explains that Buddhist vegetarian food also leaves out the five pungent plants, such as garlic and scallions, and alcohol; 纯素 (strict vegan) also leaves out milk and eggs. That makes a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant the safest default for a meat-free meal. The temple also points out that a modern plant-based (蔬食) restaurant is not the same thing: it may serve eggs and dairy, though most also offer egg-and-dairy and fully vegan options, so say what you avoid.

Shanghai's municipal English site keeps a list of vegetarian restaurants compiled from Dazhong Dianping and cityhui, including Godly (功德林), founded in 1922, at 441-445 Nanjing West Road. Elsewhere, search 素食 (vegetarian) or 清真 (halal) in a map or review app such as Dianping and read the photos of the shop sign.

Halal (清真) restaurants follow city rules, and we checked two. In Shanghai a business must obtain a halal sign plate (清真标志牌) from the ethnic-affairs authority before it sells halal food, hang it in a prominent place, and show the characters 清真 on its shop name or signboard; without the plate it may not use 清真 or halal symbols. Its vehicles, scales, containers and premises must be kept for halal use only, and nobody may bring foods that are taboo for Muslims into a halal-only venue. Beijing's rules likewise require registration with the district ethnic-affairs office and a halal sign issued by the city. The practical check: 清真 on the sign, and the official plate inside. If you follow a particular certifying body, ask the restaurant directly.

Some long-running halal names are listed in the Ministry of Commerce's time-honoured brand museum: Donglaishun (东来顺, Beijing, 1903, lamb hotpot), Hongchangxing (洪长兴, Shanghai, 1891) and Lao Sun Jia (老孙家, Xi'an, 1898, beef and lamb paomo).

Show the card that fits you. These are suggested phrases; a kitchen may still say it cannot do it, and that answer is useful too.

Vegetarian card: 我吃素：不吃肉、鱼、海鲜，也不要用肉汤、猪油、虾米、蚝油、鸡精。 English: I am vegetarian. No meat, fish or seafood, and no meat stock, lard, dried shrimp, oyster sauce or chicken bouillon.

Vegan card: 我吃纯素：除了上面这些，也不吃鸡蛋、牛奶和奶制品。 English: I am vegan. As above, and also no eggs, milk or dairy.

Buddhist diet card: 我吃斋，不吃葱、蒜、韭菜，也不喝酒。 English: I keep a Buddhist vegetarian diet. No scallions, garlic, chives or alcohol.

Halal card: 我是穆斯林，只吃清真食品。请问这里是清真餐厅吗？ English: I am Muslim and eat only halal food. Is this a halal restaurant?

No-pork card: 我不吃猪肉，也不要用猪油或猪骨汤。 English: I do not eat pork. No lard and no pork-bone stock, please.

Separate-wok card: 请用干净的锅单独做。 English: Please cook my dish separately in a clean wok.