Why go
Beer fish was invented in the 1980s, when a Yangshuo chef, short on oil and stock, reached for a bottle of local beer to braise a river fish. The beer did what stock does, but with a malty sweetness and a lighter body, and the dish caught on so fast it became the town's calling card.
The fish — fresh from the Li River or its tributaries — is cut open flat and braised whole with tomato wedges, fresh chilli, ginger, garlic and spring onion. The sauce reduces into something halfway between a soup and a glaze, tangy and gently spicy, which is best mopped up with rice.
- The sauce — beer, tomato and chilli — is what to soak up with rice
- Order bangyu (spot fish) if you can; it is the local favourite
- Eaten sizzling hot from the pan, at the table
- Pairs with cold local beer and a plate of stir-fried greens
What to order
Pick a fish by weight — a 1–1.5kg fish feeds two to three people. Ask for bangyu if it is in season; its flesh is firmer and sweeter. Specify your heat level (weila for mild). The dish arrives bubbling in a flat pan on a portable burner, so it stays hot through the meal. Add a plate of steamed rice per person — the sauce demands it.
Where to find the best
Restaurants along West Street are convenient but tourist-priced; the locals' choice is the row of family restaurants along the Yulong River and the Li River bank. A beer fish dinner for two with rice and beer runs 100–180 RMB. Be wary of shops quoting 'market price' — confirm the per-jin rate up front.
Getting there
- In Yangshuo, the restaurant rows along West Street and beside the Yulong River all serve beer fish
- Method
- Whole fish braised in beer, tomato and chilli
- Best fish
- Bangyu (spot fish), then carp
- Price
- 100–180 RMB for two
