A Foodie's Guide to Budget Dining in Zhengzhou: Eat Your Way Through the City for Just 50 Yuan

Zhengzhou – I Left My Stomach Here

“You can eat until you're full for 50 bucks?” I didn’t believe it at first, but then I found myself clutching a crumpled fifty as I followed my local colleague into the old streets of Zhengzhou.

On the first morning at 7 AM, I waited five minutes in line at Xiaoyao Town Liu Xiang Five Spicy Soup, purchased a bowl of spicy soup for 4.5 yuan, and grabbed two fresh fried donuts for another 2 yuan. The peppery flavor made me sweat, but one sip awakened me instantly. A neighbor handed me a 5-yuan meat box, with a crispy shell packed full of vermicelli and beef. I wiped my mouth, then walked straight across to Zhao Ji Rice Noodle to get a takeout of 4.5-yuan cold mixed rice noodles for lunch. The noodles were chewy, drenched in garlic sauce and spicy oil. As I walked, I kept poking at them with a toothpick, even though the plastic bag was strangling my fingers, I just couldn’t stop.

On the second day at noon, my colleague took me to Bao San Lamb Noodle. When a bowl of lamb noodles for 13 yuan arrived, we all exclaimed “Wow!” in unison at the table. The broth was floating with lamb fat, and one sip filled my nose with the rich lamb aroma without overwhelming me. The owner suggested I try the 6-yuan small plate of Scrambled Eggs – they were as tender as tofu, mixed with chopped wild vegetables, bursting with spring flavors. When it came time to pay, I accidentally handed over 2 extra yuan and got some steamed vegetables for afternoon tea – that’s right, in Zhengzhou, lunch and afternoon tea can seamlessly connect.

By 3 PM, feeling stuffed, I still couldn’t resist rushing to Jin Su Fang for the last Dubai Chocolate Horn Pastry, priced at 9 yuan. The flaky outer layer crumbled all over, revealing the cold chocolate cream inside. I finished it in one second and regretted not buying two.

On the third night, I squatted down on a small stool at Si Chang Hui Mian enjoying Curry Noodle, the broth infused with curry aromas, and the 10 yuan huge enamel bowl was nearly too much to handle. A man at the table insisted on giving me a skewer of lamb spine – 5 yuan for three pieces that practically fell apart in my hands. The sesame sauce for the tofu was free to refill, and I shamelessly asked for three refills, with the lady at the shop laughing and saying that “being able to eat is a blessing.”

Save the Dessert for Night Owls
Feeling thirsty after all the savory food, I slid over to Su Yumei Cheese to order their signature “Cheese,” 8 yuan a cup. The milky flavor was so rich it felt like frozen milk blended into a slushy, topped with crushed hawthorn, perfectly sweet and sour. Then I turned around to grab Matcha Lava Mochi from Shi Jie, and the moment I broke it open, the matcha exploded out, almost splattering my camera lens.

BBQ is the Grand Finale
At 10:30 PM, I had just 11 yuan left – local students waiting in line at Lao Pang BBQ taught me how to use the coupons:

• Two skewers of meat (2×2.5 yuan)
• A serving of stir-fried mung bean sprouts (3 yuan)
• Half a grilled pancake (2 yuan)
• A bottle of iced pineapple beer (1.5 yuan)

I squatted by the roadside using a plastic bag as a table, listening to nearby college students boast, biting into the pancake with a blend of cumin aroma and charcoal taste – this meal just hit the spot.

A Practical List Straight from the Source

A Lazy Day with Five Meals (Metro + Walking Version)

Morning Line (Metro Line 9 Central Hospital Station)
1️⃣ Exit at B, walk straight for 200 meters → Xiaoyao Town Spicy Soup for breakfast
2️⃣ After breakfast, turn right and walk 300 meters → Zhao Ji Rice Noodle to grab some rice noodles for lunch

Noon Line (Metro Line 1 Qinling Road Station)
3️⃣ Exit and walk west for 400 meters → Bao San Lamb Noodle
4️⃣ After that, take the B12 bus for two stops → Jin Su Fang for dessert

Night Line (Metro Line 5 Yuelai Park Station)
5️⃣ Exit and go to Si Chang Hui Mian for curry noodles
6️⃣ Walk 8 minutes → Lao Cai Ji to buy steamed dumplings as a late-night snack

Money-Saving Tips Only Your Wallet Knows

• At Lao Pang BBQ, you can get free extra bean sprouts with your fried noodles; just say “add more veggies.”
• After 2:30 PM at Song Lao San Su Meat Lamb Soup, there’s always a big plate of leftover small fried meat and beef balls for just 10 yuan.
• Deluxe Grilled Pancakes allow you to pick any vegetables; getting bean sprouts + shredded potatoes + pickles is free. I stuffed my bag so full and they still only charged me 4 yuan.
• Mai Mo offers discounts on snacks from 5 PM every day; honey nut bars go for half price at 4 yuan each. I bought three for breakfast the next day, saving my coffee money to keep eating.

This is how I managed to stretch a fifty yuan note over three whole days in Zhengzhou. My stomach was full, but my heart was even fuller.