Help! I read 100 guides before coming to Kunming Old Street, but after being dragged to these shops by local friends, I realized that all the information on the Internet was just superficial! These Yunnan specialties hidden in the streets and alleys, which locals have been eating since childhood, are cheap and amazing. After eating them, I wanted to become a "nail house" in the old street. Now I will reveal all my secrets of eating and shopping. If anyone comes to Kunming and doesn't try these, I will really cry!
I. Street "God-level snacks" that can be made into gods for 5 yuan
(1) Baba roll: the "roll king" that locals chase after
Who would have thought that a baked bean powder skin could roll out the "Yunnan taste universe"? The skin is made of freshly baked bean powder skin, with a burnt aroma and bean fragrance, and is coated with a thin bean powder paste (so smooth that it feels like drinking a Yunnan version of "thick soup"), and you can add your own toppings! I added grilled bait blocks and fried dough sticks with meat skewers. The moment I took a bite, I was hit with a triple attack of crispy (bait blocks), soft (bean powder skin), and fragrant (meat skewers). It was 5 yuan per portion, and I wanted to come back every day after eating it.
(2) Pounding chicken feet: the "street soul" of sour and spicy chicken feet
In a small stall deep in the old street, the ladies gathered around the stone mortar to pound chicken feet. Lime, chili, garlic... the pounding sound was so loud that the chicken feet were so chewy that they could "dance Dai Di". The sour and spicy taste went straight to the top of the head! The key point is that you can choose the "spicy level" yourself. Those who like it slightly spicy can add a portion of Pao Lu Da (a coconut-flavored artifact to relieve spiciness). Those who love spicy food can go for the "super spicy" one. It was 10 yuan per portion. Locals chatted while pounding. This is the fireworks atmosphere that should be on the streets of Yunnan.
2. Must-try "Yunnan specialties" - if you don't, your trip is a waste of time
(1) Aunt Chen's Big Tangyuan: "Yunnan romance" with Pu'er tea soup
This shop has been open for more than a decade. The tangyuan hides a "Yunnan trick" - Pu'er tea as the soup base! Bite into the tangyuan, and you'll find rose filling, peanut filling... sweet but not greasy, paired with the aroma of tea, instantly shattering the stereotype of "tangyuan = greasy". 3 yuan each, locals will come to visit during the Lantern Festival, and it's a warm and comforting afternoon tea on other days.
(2) Ai Shang Jun Wild Mushroom Hot Pot: A local's private "mushroom paradise"
Don't queue up at the internet-famous mushroom shop! This shop has been open for many years. The mushrooms are all freshly picked on the day. The soup base made with local chicken is "so fresh that it's eyebrow-dropping". After cooking, they cook tricholoma and porcini mushrooms... After cooking, drink three bowls of soup (so fresh that you want to lick the bowl clean), then simmer meat and vegetables. 50 yuan per person, eat until you're full. Locals teach you how to eat: first blanch the mushrooms, then add the chicken, and finally cook the rice noodles. This is the "correct way to open Yunnan hot pot."
III. Hidden "Yunnan cuisine", eat your fill for 20 yuan
(1) Pounding Dai-style pounded vegetables: freshly pounded "rainforest dining table"
The Dai-style pounded vegetable stalls are all about "pounding and eating"! Pounded chicken feet, pounded fish skin, pounded shrimp...even rice noodles can be "pounded". Lime + lemongrass + Dai-style spices, every bite is like having fun in the rainforest of Xishuangbanna. Pounded rice noodles for 15 yuan are sour and spicy, and the rice noodles are coated with spice sauce. After eating, you will want to lick the bottom of the bowl clean. Locals say "this is the soul of Dai flavor."
(2) Thin bean powder fried dough sticks: the "Yunnan CP" underestimated by outsiders
Don't think "thin bean powder + fried dough sticks" are ordinary! At the small stall at the entrance of the old street, the bean powder is made from peas, which is so thick that you can "stick to the spoon". The fried dough sticks are fried until golden and crispy. You can eat it with the dip. The aroma of beans and fried dough sticks is 5 yuan. It is a standard breakfast for locals. You will understand it after trying it once: Yunnan people have turned "simple" into "high-end".
IV. Locals' "hidden way of eating" is fun and delicious
(1) Drinking Pao Lu Da as "Yunnan milk tea"
Buy a bowl of Pao Lu Da (8 yuan) at the pounded chicken feet stall. It has coconut milk + dry bread + tapioca pearls + black rice... Take a sip, the coconut aroma mixed with the crispy dry bread is directly crushing the Internet celebrity milk tea! Locals drink it while walking around, as a "mobile afternoon tea". When you are tired of walking around, have a cup and you will instantly feel refreshed.
(2) Wrapping roasted basil with banana leaves
At the roasted basil stall, ask the owner for a piece of banana leaf, wrap the roasted basil, sauce and side dishes in it, and take a bite. The fragrance of the banana leaf mixed with the burnt aroma of the basil directly unlocks the "hidden street food of Yunnan". It costs 3 yuan per serving, which is fun and delicious. I posted it on my WeChat Moments and was asked "What kind of magical operation is this?"
V. Avoiding pitfalls + saving money, a local's secret
- Avoiding pitfalls: Don't buy the "sky-high flower cakes" at the entrance of the scenic area! There is a handmade flower cake shop deep in the old street (3 for 10 yuan). The rose filling is solid and the cake skin is crispy. It is 10 times more cost-effective than the Internet celebrity shops; and don't touch those "fake Dai-style grilled skewers" that cost "10 yuan a string". The authentic spice flavor is strong, not just spicy.
- Saving money: Many shops have "half-price small items" in the afternoon! For example, at the pounded chicken feet stall, you can get double the toppings for half the price if you visit in the evening (the waitress says, "It's a waste if we can't sell out"). For wild mushroom hotpot, skip the expensive mushrooms and opt for tricholoma or porcini mushrooms (they're fresh and affordable) to savor the essence of Yunnan mushrooms.
The charm of Kunming Old Street lies in these "unassuming" snacks and time-honored shops. Follow this guide, and you'll experience not just "tourist food," but the Yunnan flavors etched into the DNA of locals. Next time you visit Kunming, don't be the "big loser"; these restaurants will help you understand what it means to say, "Yunnan cuisine becomes even more delicious the further you hide it!" #MeishixunFlavor #TrueFlavorSnacks #MyMidnightDiningHall