Where to eat in Harbin

34 independent restaurants, bakeries and food spots in Harbin. Chains are left out.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Eat
Big Harvest
大丰收
Traditional Donbgei cuisine in a unique environment. The only tea in the house is made from wheat.
Eat
Daquan BBQ
大全烧烤
The locals call this the best BBQ joint in town. Always packed, really good. When you go there, ask for the (Honey Plum Meat) Mizhimeirou
Eat
Fucheng Hotpot
福成肥牛
Great Hotpot restaurant always bustling with Dongbei atmosphere.
Eat
Hamama's Kofi House
A little Cafe near Harbin Institute of Technology run by a Papua New Guinean and his Taiwanese wife. Western food like burgers, milkshakes and an omelet breakfast. Good strawberry and banana smoothies and carrot cake but some of the other items on the menu a bit variable. Coffee is fairly good too.
Eat
Hans Beer BBQ
金汉斯啤酒烤肉
Great draft beer that is all you can drink during lunchtime. The food is Chinese BBQ with assorted and spiced meat kabobs. A chain restaurant that is available in any large city in China.
Eat
Homestyle Hotpot
Great hotpot, especially their beef and potato. Heat source is piped in from the ceiling straight to the pot, none of the wimpy table-cooker stuff. They have a great spicy broth, and there is tableside sauce mixing available.
Eat
Japanese Teppanyaki
京桥铁板烧 jingqiao tiebanshao
Japanese BBQ where you are seated in private rooms and real Japanese cook your food right in front of you!
Meals start at ¥200
Eat
Marhaba Arabian
马尔哈巴
This is a great mom and pop sized restaurant which has some low and medium priced dishes. If you don't know Arabian food, the dishes are similar to many Indian and Lebanese dishes. They also have hookahs/shisha with flavored tobacco if desired.
Eat
Modern Ice Lolly
马迭尔冰棍
One of the icon of the city. Visit Harbin without Modern Ice Lolly is like going to Beijing without seeing the Great Wall. While everywhere in Harbin sale Modern Ice Lolly, only the hundred-year shop in Zhongyang St is the real one. Hardly can one find a place with everyone in all age group on the street hold an ice lolly, and it is worth to go and have a look even if you are not a sweet tooth. The shop has no advertisement and the ice lolly has no packing, and it can be sold 10,000 per day, all year around. Only two flavours and ¥5 for one. Do remember to try it in winter when it is -30 °C! Everyone's favourite!
¥5
Eat
Old Changs Spring Cakes
老昌春饼
Pancake like food stuffed with vegetables and meat, a staple of the northeast and tasty as hell! You'll order plates with the fillings, such as meat, potato stripes, soy sprouts,... and stuff the pancakes with them. Due to high popularity, Old Changs opened a few other branches in the vicinity. If this one is too crowded (expect more than 50 people to be waiting for a table during lunch time), try the branch at Xi 13 Daojie (西十三道街68号) a few hundred meters south.
Eat
Old Sandpot House
老上号砂锅居 Lǎoshànghàoshāguōjū
Delicious small Dongbei snacks like dumplings, grilled breads.
Eat
Pizza Hut
必胜客
Standard pizza hut faire. Another Pizza Hut is on Guogeli Dajie.
Eat
Portman's
波特曼西餐厅
Mentioned in almost all of the guidebooks but its really nothing more than a Chinese version of western food. You are better off going to Hamama's or a Russian cafe. However they do have steak, fillet mignon, and goose liver pate, if you want to spend the money.
Eat
Qianlima Baihe Liaoli
千里马百合料理
Affordable Korean food in an upscale environment, packed with Chinese families and businessmen out on the town for a dinner.
Eat
Shangri-la Hotel Buffet
Upscale hotel dining with a huge assortment of western foods. Managed by a western head chef. The quality of this buffet is reasonable. Look out for the live silk worms in the chef station.
Around ¥150-200 per person
Eat
Thai Restaurant
天阳金象缘美食餐厅
Thai dishes cooked by Indian chefs. You can buy alligator meat here and listen to a singing Thai dance troupe.
Eat
Tiantian Fish Village
天天鱼村
Upscale Chinese seafood dining. You can mingle with Harbin's moneyed and enjoy exotic fish. When you walk in you can pick which fish you want from the giant tanks.
Eat
Upscale Sushi and Tempura
铃兰日本料理
Another but less expensive Japanese restaurant. Full menu of sushi, tempura, Japanese curry etc. can be had here. Seating is in cozy bamboo paper rooms with heated seats! Atmosphere is very good. You can order affordable packages at around ¥100 per person that includes all-you-can-drink Kirin beer.
Eat
Xiaozi Zai Xianxin HK Cafe
小资再现新派港式餐厅
Harbin's trendiest restaurant in terms of design and the people who go there. Fairly good HK style food.
Eat Not mapped
Assorted Meats on a Stick
串儿; Chuàn'ér
Sold on every street, try asking for grilled bread buns (考馒头; Kǎomántou), it's really good. Finish everything off with an egg and tomato Gada Tang (soup).
No more than ¥10 for 6-7 kabobs and soup
Eat Not mapped
Cafe Russia
露西亚西餐厅
The owner is half Chinese, half Russian, and has created a fantastic atmosphere that feels like a high-class cafe in London or Paris. Elegant furniture, tasteful music, a working grandfather clock (with chimes) and a display to commemorate one of the last White Russians who lived in Harbin make this a place well worth visiting. Service is good too. The name in Chinese is 'Luxiya' i.e. Lucia → 'Rossiya' (Russia).
Eat Not mapped
Harbin Smoked Sausage
哈尔滨红肠 Hā'ěrbīn Hóngcháng
A treat only known to Harbin, you see stores selling it everywhere, it is REALLY good.
Eat Not mapped
Harbin Spring Rolls
春饼 or 卷饼; Chūnbǐng or Juǎn bǐng
A tasty wrap of potato strips, cucumber, sausage and egg all with a spicy sauce. Sold on the street or in most markets (even Walmart). If you want a real spring roll experience go to Lao Changs on Zhongyang Dajie (mentioned below).
¥2-5
Eat Not mapped
Haws
Hawthorn fruit stacked on sticks and served covered with a sweet sauce. You tend to find other fruits available also.
Eat Not mapped
Lamb
Lamb with spices grilled over coals served with sesame flat bread from the nice Uighur guys (from Xinjiang province) on a street between Hong Bo Shopping Center and Guogeli Dajie.
¥5 will buy you a good meal
Eat Not mapped
Russian Breads
Lots of Bread and pastry stores around the city, including Zhongyang Dajie.
Eat Not mapped
Wuji Rib House
吴记酱骨炖菜馆
Dongbei style ribs that are simply amazing! You eat them with your hands and are given plastic gloves to keep things clean. The other dishes are great too and it's always packed and full of energy.
Eat
Holiday Inn Buffet
Also known as
Same as above.
Around ¥100 per person
Eat
Little Seven Fish
小七烤鱼 Xiǎoqīkǎoyú
Spicy grill Sichuan style.
Eat
New Heaven Food City
新天地百事成饮食
Extravagant. Maybe a place to close out a business deal.
¥400 per person
Eat
Oriental Dumplings King
东方饺子王 Dōngfāng Jiǎozi Wáng
Unbelievable dumplings at a great price.
Eat
Xiang E Meishi
湘鄂美食
Great Hunan and Hubei style restaurant in a nice atmosphere.
Eat Not mapped
Gaoliyuan
高丽园
A chain found all over Harbin that is consistently good.
Eat Not mapped
Hotpot and Harbin beer
火锅和哈尔滨啤酒 Huǒguō hé Hā'ěrbīnpíjiǔ
Can be found anywhere in Harbin.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Harbin (CC BY-SA 4.0).