Suzhou Alleyway Walking Food Tour

Embark on a Suzhou Street Food Tour and immerse yourself in the rich culture and delectable delicacies of this ancient city. Explore hidden gardens, ancient temples, and alleyways while indulging in delicious Suzhou foods and snacks.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Beisita - You’ll walk through lush gardens and 800-year old monasteries while stopping to enjoy Suzhou’s incredibly rich food and culture, in true Suzhou fashion. We include 2 cultural stops, 4 sit-down, safe-to-eat restaurants, plus a trendy dessert shop. On this tour, you will:

  • Eat seasonal Suzhou noodles with over 500 toppings and discover why locals enjoy this dish with opera.

  • Enjoy homemade silken tofu. For over 50 years, a family has served fresh tofu from their home, hidden in a narrow alley—a labor of love starting at 5am.

  • Visit Suzhou’s only Buddhist nunnery and a hidden Ming-dynasty garden with Taihu Lake stones.

  • Try neighborhood favorites like savory soy milk, Suzhou-style spring rolls and donuts, and Tang-dynasty fried sesame balls.

  • Tour some of Suzhou’s best sights, including 800-year-old pagodas and secret Ming-dynasty gardens.

  • Eat at a famous bubble wonton joint, loved by celebrities and neighbors. Enjoy tiny bubble-like wontons in rich broth—you’ve never had anything like it!

  • End the tour at a dessert shop popular with today’s crowd. Try subtly sweet soup with slow-cooked red beans topped with chewy rice balls.

What's Included
  • Local English-speaking guide
  • Multiple cultural stops along the way
  • Tea and coffee
  • Far more than a meal’s worth of food and drinks at 5 sit-down restaurants
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Meal Options
  • Authentic Morning Noodles - This decades-old noodle joint is known for having the best broth in town, along with a huge selection of seasonal condiments served on small plates.
  • Suzhou’s Ancient Gardens & Temples - We’ll visit Suzhou’s only Buddhist nunnery and explore a secret Ming-dynasty garden and ornamental stones from nearby Taihu Lake.
  • Traditional Old-Suzhou Snacks - We’ll try some neighborhood snacks like fresh soy milk, local spring rolls, Chinese donuts, and pancake-wrapped dough sticks.
  • Floating Wontons - Try delicately wrapped wontons that are magically filled with air and float atop a bowl of rich broth. You’ve never had anything like it!
  • Suzhou-style sweet congee - End the tour at a dessert shop popular with today’s younger crowd. Try a sweet soup made with slow-cooked red beans and chewy glutinous rice balls.
Additional Information

Known as the “Venice of the East,” Suzhou has over 35km of navigable canals and 60 of China’s most well-preserved gardens. On this walking tour, you’ll walk back in time while exploring Suzhou’s residential old-town, explore its lush gardens and monasteries, and discover what locals eat in the city that’s been the center of wealth and culture for 1,000s of years.

You will try far more than a meal’s worth of food and drinks at 5 sit-down restaurants, plus multiple cultural stops along the way.

Location
Beisita
This tour starts at Beisita Subway Station, located outside of the 800-year-old pagoda that stands taller than any other building in Suzhou’s old-town. An email will be sent with meeting location details immediately after booking.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(12 Ratings)
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Explorer21168812644
Jun 16, 2024
Incredible food alley tour - Best walking tour we have ever done. Gloria was incredible guide. Not only was her English perfect, her local knowledge & way she conveyed it to us was priceless. The kids & I felt very comfortable with her. The food places & food were all so yummy & interesting. Big tip: Dont eat too much at first place, as you need to leave room for the other places.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S4308smroseg
Apr 7, 2024
Amazing food, amazing guide! - The tour of Suzhou old town, the rich history of the city, expertly narrated by our guide Tom, the delicious food, made for a memorable experience. I look forward to doing more food tours - Shanghai and Xian. Thank you so much Lost Plate for the Food Tour.
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Juliad646
May 24, 2021
Great opportunity to discover local food - Great tour to get to know very local places and food you probably wouldn’t find on your own. Kate has been an awesome guide and could explain us each and every detail. I can highly recommend this tour!
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Caramcavinchey
Oct 10, 2020
Best way to discover Suzhou! - What an experience to discover Suzhou! Joy took us on an adventure, helping us discover parts of the ancient city we would never find ourselves. Her knowledge and understanding of the area was incredible and we loved every second of it. You simply can’t find these places to eat on your own as a tourist. This is my second Lost Plate tour after an equally amazing experience in Shanghai. I’m so glad I chose to do both!
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Rndunn511
Sep 7, 2020
Excellent guide and delicious food - Learning about the city and local food culture. The alley ways and hidden garden and temple was a huge plus.
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Krisile
Aug 26, 2020
Nice walking tour with great local food - The tour leads through the old town with a nice park and a lot of amazing Suzhou style food, such as noodle soup, donuts rolled in a pancake with soya milk, jiaozi and tofu dumpling, wonton soup. I couldn't really say which one my favorite was, because all dishes were unique and super delicious we haven't eaten it before. The coffee house was the perfect ending with its cold coffee creations. We had a great time with our guide, Joy and enjoyed the tour very much.
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Dominicd144
Jul 30, 2020
Awesome Experience - I had a great experience on that tour. You basically wander in small alleys in Old Suzhou and eat at very tiny little restaurants along the way. Great for picture taking and for eating local dishes. I will definitely bring friends from out of town with me on this tour.
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452liaw
Jul 24, 2020
Local food tour - Just got back from the Suzhou Food tour completely stuffed and in a food coma. We visited at least 6 places trying different noodles, dumplings, soya milk and fried bread and finishing the tour with a coffee. In between restaurants we meandered through alleyways and streets absorbing the local life. I really enjoyed the food and tried out ones that I wouldn't normally order. Lostplate were really accommodating to peoples' dietary requirements. Come hungry and pace yourself, you cannot finish all the food during the tour for sure, which is such a shame, but definitely can try them!
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Voyage627397
Jun 17, 2020
A must do in Suzhou - Having been on a Lost Plate food tour in Phnom Penh earlier in the year, I was absolutely delighted to find the newly launched Suzhou equivalent. I hoped that, as it was my last day in Suzhou after living there for nearly a year, it would be a memorable experience. I wasn't disappointed... Agnes and Emily were very attentive hosts and made sure everyone had everything they needed. The food was fantastic and quite varied, a lot of work had obviously been put into selecting top quality yet authentic restaurants. The coffee shop at the end was quite a find too - a fitting end to an excellent tour and my stay in Suzhou. In fact I've promised to take my Chinese friend in Xi'an on the Xi'an tour when I next pay her a visit. TLDR, just do it - you won't regret it, even if you think you know Suzhou food.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Midnet
Jun 17, 2020
Great tour - I have lived in Suzhou for 3 years,but I am still a newbie when it comes to local food. I learned a lot and went to some new places. My favorite food was the Suzhou style noodles with shrimp. I highly recommend this tour.
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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