Food
Highfly Pizza, Binjiang Branch  高飞咖啡
Bill Stranberg (more chengdu)
Out near the Shangri-La a treasure trove of restaurants are opening up. One of which is the new High-Fly Pizza, three stories of pizzeria glory. The whole place has a pastel-colored, country home feel. The staff is warm, friendly and eager to please. The menu ranges from pizza to pasta to tuna...

Yipin Douhua Restaurant  一品豆花风味庄
Bill Stranberg (more chengdu)
Some good friends of ours were regulars at this Dou Hua joint’s old shop. A classic, crusty hole-in-the-wall restaurant that’s somehow incredibly delicious. When you walk in to the new location, the staff seems to beam with pride. When we took the pictures they’d gather around the camera...

Zhulouxiang Maocai Family  竹篓香冒菜世家
Pete Sweeney (more chengdu)
When I first saw the sign, I assumed “Mao” food referred to some ethnic group. Well, if people who love to eat things stewed up in big brothy bowls of garlic and pepper could be said to comprise an ethnic group, I’d like to think I’m part Mao. Otherwise, it’s just a particular kind of...

A Unique Skill of Cooking Lobster  龙虾一绝
Pete Sweeney (more chengdu)
I have to admit, the main reason I went to this restaurant was because of the name, lit up as it was on a jolly yellow sign looking over the placid, tree-lined, and, dare I say, funky-ass West Yulin Road. It arrested my progress and provoked contemplation. Lobster in Sichuan? Well, no. What...

   Drinks
Panda Bar  熊猫吧
Pete Sweeney (more chengdu)
It’s not fair to say that Chengdu is short on bars, but there are two problems. One is that the current scene isn’t diverse enough. There are plenty of pubs and patios. There’s no shortage of discos. But let’s admit it, Chengdu needs more lounges to break up the monotony, and thank God,...

Mooney’s Irish Pub  爱尔兰吧
Bill Stranberg (more chengdu)
A good Irish pub needs more than an Irish name. It’s got to have the heart and soul of Ireland. We’re talking about more than a pint of Guinness. What we mean is they’ve got to have the grub and a little traditional Celtic music thrown in. The place should have dark wood tones and dim...

The Bookworm  老书虫
*** (more chengdu)
With locations in Beijing, Chengdu, and Suzhou, the Bookworm has a reputation for welcoming people from everywhere. Respectable food, and drinks run at reasonable prices. And then there are the books of course.

Leg and Whistle, English Bar  英格兰酒吧
*** (more chengdu)
This British Pub, located just south of the Chuan Da’s south gate, offers up a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Go there to enjoy a large selection of beers and local and international sports.

   Tourism
Blue House Art Space  蓝顶艺术中心
Pete Sweeney (more chengdu)
For a firsthand look at Chengdu’s contemporary art scene at its most raw, check out the Blue House Art Space, a sprawling complex of studios located in way-south Chengdu. Blue House isn’t really a house, more a collection of non-descript warehouses interspersed with gardens, giant sculpted...

Lugu Lake  泸沽湖
Monica Liau (more chengdu)
Lugu Lake, Yanyuan, Sichuan 泸沽湖，位于川滇交界外的四川省盐源县泸沽湖镇 Lugu Lake allows for long (unsupervised) day treks filled with breathtaking quiet, beautiful views of the large, high-altitude lake, and peeks into traditional Mosuo life. Situated half in northern...

Tiger Leaping Gorge  虎跳峡
Pete Sweeney (more chengdu)
60km from Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County. Tiger Leaping Gorge in Zhongdian County. It's nestled between Yulong Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain. 虎跳峡距离丽江纳西族自治县县城60公里，这条峡谷在金沙江上游，全长18公里 ...

Kangding  康定
Bill Stranberg (more chengdu)
If you haven’t heard it yet, by the time you arrive, you’ll hear it blasting out of small shops, big shops, mountain sides, and well, nearly everywhere. People will travel from miles around to see the city and its surrounding mountains that inspired the famous love song. There’s a lot...