Chengdu's pace is famously slow in the daytime and very social at night. The teahouse crowd of the afternoon becomes the skewer and barbecue crowd of the evening, and the same principle applies: eat slowly, talk for hours, order more as you go. Kitchens here routinely stay open until two in the morning.
What to eat
Chuan'r is the backbone of the late-night scene: small skewers of lamb, beef, chicken skin, gizzards, tofu, corn and vegetables, grilled over charcoal and dusted with chili, cumin and sesame. Alongside it you will find grilled fish, whole roast eggplants split and loaded with garlic and chili, cold beer and a local spirit called baijiu. Some stalls also sell mao xue wang, a stew of duck blood curd and tripe that is a Chengdu specialty and not for everyone.
Where to go
The covered food street near Chunxi Road stays busy late but is tourist-facing. Better value and more atmosphere are found in the residential districts: streets of small barbecue shops with plastic stools out on the pavement, full from ten in the evening. The area around the Sichuan University campus is a reliable bet for cheap late food.
Practical notes
Go with at least two people; the format rewards ordering widely. Most places charge by the skewer, and the sticks are counted at the end. Alcohol is cheap and freely available. Eat at 9 p.m. or later for the real atmosphere. If you have a sesame allergy, tell the stall: sesame oil and sesame seeds are used on almost everything.
