🍜 Eat like a local
Scan-to-order meals
Eat like a local
Step by step
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Order via Alipay / WeChat
The table QR belongs to the restaurant — scan it inside Alipay or WeChat, not with the camera.
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Translate the paper menu
Ask for a paper menu, then point the Camera at it to read every dish live.
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Order & pay in the app
Pick dishes and pay with your bound card. Table number is automatic.
Done
Good to know
No paper menu? Photograph the wall menu with Camera, then order by dish number.
Frequently asked questions
Tipping?
No tipping in China — not expected in restaurants, taxis or hotels.
No English menu?
Ask for one (yingwen caidan). Otherwise photograph the paper menu — ChinaPass translates it live.
Vegetarian / halal?
Say su (素) for vegetarian or qingzhen (清真) for halal. Use Talk to say it out loud.
Water?
Tap water is undrinkable. Hot tea or boiled water is free and standard.
If something goes wrong
camera-scan-fails
Scanning the table QR with the phone camera does nothing
Likely cause: Table codes open mini-programs that only Alipay or WeChat can run — the camera app can't.
What to do: Scan inside Alipay or WeChat (top-right “+” → Scan).
foreign-card-rejected
Payment declined at checkout in the ordering page
Likely cause: Some restaurant pages only accept specific payment channels, or the code is a personal one that foreign cards can't pay.
What to do: Ask the staff to scan YOUR payment code instead, or pay cash at the counter.
page-all-chinese
The ordering page is all Chinese
What to do: Open Translate → Camera and point it at the screen. Or order by dish numbers (like C12) — they're the same in any language.
wechat-only
The table QR only opens in WeChat, not Alipay
Likely cause: Many table-ordering mini-programs are WeChat-exclusive.
What to do: This is the one case where you truly need WeChat Pay bound — set it up too (see Bind overseas card).
Official apps and links
- Alipay international — official official