Food Delivery in China 2026: Meituan and Ele.me for Visitors2026 中国外卖：游客怎么用美团和饿了么

1 The short answer: should you order food delivery in China? 一句话结论：你该在中国点外卖吗？

Yes, use it. Food delivery in China is the most convenient version of this service you will find anywhere, and it is a genuine lifesaver for visitors who do not speak the language. Two apps dominate: Meituan and Ele.me. You pick a restaurant on the map, build a cart, pay with the card linked to your WeChat Pay or Alipay, and a rider brings the food to your hotel door. For a first-timer, delivery removes the two hardest parts of eating out in China: reading a Chinese menu and asking for the bill.用，而且要用。中国的外卖是你在全球能找到的最方便的一版，对不会说中文的游客来说简直是救星。占主导地位的有两个 App：美团和饿了么。你在地图上选餐厅、把菜加进购物车、用绑在微信支付或支付宝上的卡付款，骑手就把餐送到酒店门口。对首次到访者，外卖去掉了在中国吃饭最难的两件事：读中文菜单、以及叫买单。

This guide explains which app to use, how a delivery actually works, how to pay and how to read a menu you cannot understand, the times when delivery is clearly the better choice, and the small habits that make a first order painless. None of it requires a Chinese phone number or a local bank account.本指南会讲清楚该用哪个 App、一趟外卖到底怎么跑、怎么付款、怎么读看不懂的菜单、什么时候外卖明显更划算，以及让首次点餐毫无痛感的小习惯。这些都不需要中国手机号或本地银行账户。

If you have not linked a card yet, do it before you fly. Our card setup guide绑卡指南 walks through both apps, and our how to pay guide中国支付指南 compares every way to settle a bill in China.如果你还没绑卡，出发前就完成。我们的「绑卡指南」会带着走完两个 App，我们的「中国支付指南」会比较在中国每一种结账方式。

2 The two apps: Meituan and Ele.me 两个 App：美团与饿了么

Meituan is the larger of the two, with the widest restaurant coverage in most cities, and it also runs the separate Meituan Waimai brand you will see on rider bags. Ele.me is owned by Alibaba and is tightly woven into Alipay, so if you already use Alipay it is one tap away. For a visitor the difference is minor: both show nearby restaurants on a map, both let you order in a few taps, and both charge the card you linked to your payment app. Pick whichever you can read more easily and stick with it.美团是两者中更大的一家，在大多数城市的餐厅覆盖最广，你还会在骑手餐箱上看到它旗下的「美团外卖」字样。饿了么属于阿里巴巴，和支付宝深度绑定，所以如果你已经在用支付宝，点一下就到。对游客来说差别很小：两者都在地图上显示附近餐厅、都能几步点好、都从你绑在支付 App 上的卡扣款。选你读着更顺手的那一个，用下去就好。

For scale: in its 2025 full-year results Meituan reported about 695 million annual transacting users and roughly 7.6 million active delivery riders, while keeping over 60% of China's food-delivery market by transaction value; Ele.me (now folded into Taobao's instant-retail push) sits at around 77 million monthly active users (QuestMobile, 2025).规模上：美团 2025 年全年业绩显示，其年交易用户约 6.95 亿、活跃配送骑手约 760 万，并保持中国外卖市场 60% 以上的交易额份额；饿了么（已并入淘宝即时零售）月活约 7700 万（QuestMobile，2025）。

A practical note: the apps are built for Chinese users, so much of the interface is in Chinese and many restaurant names are Chinese only. That sounds intimidating, but it rarely blocks a visitor, because you can search by the restaurant pin on the map, use your phone translate camera on any menu, and let the app handle the address in Chinese. The food is the same food locals eat, delivered hot to your door.一个实用提醒：这些 App 是给中国用户做的，所以界面大多中文，很多餐厅名也只有中文。听起来吓人，但几乎不会难住游客，因为你可以按地图上的餐厅图钉搜索、用手机翻译镜头扫任何菜单、把中文地址交给 App 处理。送到门口的，和本地人吃的是同一份热乎饭。

• Meituan.美团。 Largest coverage and the default choice in most cities.
• Ele.me.饿了么。 Lives inside Alipay, handy if that is your main payment app.
• Both charge.两者都扣款。 The card you linked to WeChat Pay or Alipay, no cash needed.

3 How ordering works, step by step 点餐怎么操作：分步说明

Open Meituan or Ele.me inside WeChat or Alipay, or install the standalone app, and set your address to your hotel. The map fills with nearby restaurants. Tap one to see its dishes, add what you want to the cart, then checkout. The app shows the total and a short estimate, and payment is automatic through the card you already linked, so there is no cash and no card swipe at the door.在微信或支付宝里打开美团或饿了么，或者装独立 App，把地址设成你的酒店。地图上会布满附近的餐厅。点进一家看菜品，把想吃的加进购物车，然后结算。App 会显示总价和大致时间，付款通过你已经绑好的卡自动完成，所以门口既不用现金、也不用刷卡。

After you confirm, a nearby rider accepts, and you watch their scooter move toward you on a live map with a countdown. When they arrive, they message you in the app or call the front desk. In most hotels the rider hands off at the lobby or front desk rather than your room, which keeps things simple. Keep the order screen open until you have the food in hand.你确认之后，附近的骑手接单，你在实时地图上看着他的电动车朝你移动、还有一个倒计时。抵达时，他会在 App 里发消息或打电话给前台。大多数酒店里，骑手是在大堂或前台交接，而不是送到房间，这样最简单。在拿到餐之前，把订单页面留着别关。

If the app asks for a Chinese name at signup, you can usually skip it or enter your hotel name as the contact. The part that matters for delivery is the address pin and a working payment method, both of which you can set before you even land.如果 App 在注册时要中文名，通常可以跳过，或者把酒店名填成联系人。对外卖真正重要的是地址图钉和一个能用的付款方式，这两样你落地前就能设好。

4 Paying and reading a Chinese menu 付款与看懂中文菜单

Payment is the easy half. Because Meituan and Ele.me settle through WeChat Pay or Alipay, the same international card you use for DiDi, shops and trains covers your meals too. You are charged when the order is placed, and any refund for a cancelled order returns the same way. There is no tip and no separate bill to request at the end, which is exactly why visitors like delivery.付款是容易的那一半。因为美团和饿了么都走微信支付或支付宝结账，你用在滴滴、商店和高铁上的那张国际卡，也能付饭钱。下单时扣款，取消订单的退款也原路返回。没有小费、也不用在最后另行叫买单，这正是游客喜欢外卖的原因。

Reading the menu is the part that needs a trick. Most listings are Chinese only, but your phone solve it: open the translate camera on the dish photos and names, or paste the restaurant name into a translate app. Many big chains and hotel-area restaurants also list popular items with pictures, so you can order by tapping the photo. When in doubt, choose a place with photos you recognise.读菜单是需要技巧的那一半。大多数菜品只有中文，但手机能解决：把翻译镜头的摄像头对准菜品照片和名称，或者把餐厅名粘进翻译 App。很多大连锁和酒店周边的餐厅也会把热门菜配图，所以你可以点图下单。拿不准时，选一家你认得照片的店。

• Pay automatic.自动付款。 The card linked to WeChat Pay or Alipay is charged on order.
• Translate the menu.翻译菜单。 Use your phone camera on dish names and photos.
• Order by photo.看图点餐。 Picture menus let you tap what you recognise.

For the wider picture of paying in China, our how to pay guide中国支付指南 covers every method, and our WeChat Pay guide微信支付指南 explains why one card does it all.关于在中国付款的全貌，我们的「中国支付指南」会讲每一种方式，我们的「微信支付指南」会解释为什么一张卡全搞定。

5 When delivery is the better choice 什么时候外卖更划算

Delivery shines when the alternative is hard. Late at night after the restaurants thin out, in bad weather when you do not want to step outside, or on a tired travel day when the last thing you want is to decode a menu and flag down a waiter, a few taps bring a hot meal to your room. It is also the easiest way to try local specialities from a hotel in a city you have just reached, with no language pressure.当替代方案很麻烦时，外卖就发光了。深夜餐厅稀疏时、坏天气不想出门时、或旅途疲惫到最不想做的事就是去解菜单、招手叫服务员时，几次点按就能把热饭送到房间。这也是你刚到一个城市、住在酒店里，却想零语言压力尝尝当地特色的最容易方式。

It is less compelling for group dinners where part of the fun is the room and the atmosphere, or for very remote stays far from any restaurant the apps cover. In big cities and tourist districts, though, coverage is so dense that delivery is often faster and cheaper than a taxi ride to a restaurant and back.在群体聚餐时它就没那么吸引人——那种场合，包间和氛围本身就是乐趣的一部分；或者当你住得极偏、App 覆盖不到任何餐厅时也一样。但在大城市和旅游区，覆盖非常密，外卖常常比「打车去餐厅再回来」更快也更便宜。

Think of delivery as your fallback that is good enough to become your default on quiet nights. On busy nights out, dine in and enjoy the room. Both belong in the same trip.把外卖当成你的「后手」，但它好到足以在安静的夜里变成默认。热闹的夜晚出去吃、享受包间；两者都属于同一趟旅行。

6 Tips for a smooth first order 首次点餐的实用建议

Save your hotel as the delivery address the moment you arrive, and pin it on the map so the rider knows exactly where to go. Set the app language to English if the option appears. Keep your phone translate camera ready for menus, and check the order total before you confirm so the price in your card currency is no surprise.一抵达就把酒店存成收货地址，并在地图上标好图钉，骑手就知道确切位置。如果界面有英文选项，把语言设成英文。翻译镜头留着扫菜单，确认前看一眼总价，这样你卡里扣的本国货币金额就不会吓一跳。

Two more habits help. Order from restaurants within a short ride of your hotel, because very distant ones add long waits. And watch the live map after confirming, so you can meet the rider at the lobby or front desk the moment they arrive instead of missing the call.还有两个习惯有用。尽量点离酒店近距离的餐厅，太远的那家只会让你等很久。确认后盯住实时地图，这样骑手一到你就能立刻去大堂或前台接，而不是错过电话。

• Pin the hotel.标好酒店。 Save it as the address so the rider reaches the right lobby.
• Translate menus.翻译菜单。 Camera translate turns a Chinese list into something you can order.
• Watch the map.看实时地图。 Meet the rider at the desk the moment they arrive.

7 Delivery and the bigger food picture 外卖与更大的美食版图

Food delivery is one tool in China's eating ecosystem, not the only one. Dine-in at a restaurant gives you the room, the theatre of a hot dish arriving, and often the best version of a local speciality. Convenience stores and grab-and-go stalls feed you on the move. Delivery sits between them: not the experience of a great meal out, but the most reliable way to eat well on a quiet night in.外卖是中国饮食生态里的一件工具，不是唯一。下馆子给你包间、给热菜上桌的仪式感，往往也是当地特色最地道的版本。便利店和即拿即走的小摊在路上喂饱你。外卖站在两者之间：它不是外出美餐的体验，却是安静夜里吃好一顿最稳妥的办法。

For getting around and staying connected so the app works, our internet connectivity guide联网指南 and eSIM vs SIM vs roaming guideeSIM、SIM 卡与漫游对比指南 cover the data you need, and our first 24 hours guide「抵达后 24 小时」指南 has the arrival checklist. Set those up and food delivery becomes one of the easiest wins of your trip.关于出门和保持联网（好让 App 能用），我们的「联网指南」和「eSIM、SIM 卡与漫游对比指南」会讲你需要的流量，我们的「抵达后 24 小时」指南有落地清单。把这些设好，外卖就成了你这趟旅行里最容易的赢面之一。

• Visa.签证。 Before anything else, confirm your China visa guide and arrival rules.
• Payments.支付。 Link a card to Alipay and WeChat Pay so delivery and shops are painless.
• Connectivity.联网。 Read our eSIM vs SIM vs roaming guide so Maps and apps work on arrival.

Frequently asked questions常见问题