How to order food delivery in China as a foreigner (Meituan)
Quick answer
Open the Meituan mini program inside WeChat and use WeChat's translate feature to read it in English. It only takes WeChat Pay, so link your card first. Delivery needs a Chinese phone number, so enter your hotel's front desk number or the number of a local friend who's helping you.
On this page
The Meituan app is mostly in Chinese. Here's what visitors usually do.
Option 1: Meituan inside WeChat (recommended)
- In WeChat, search for the Meituan mini program.
- Use WeChat's built-in translate feature to see the page in English.
- Pay with WeChat Pay. It's the only option here, so set it up first.
Option 2: the Meituan app
The Meituan app is mostly in Chinese, and signing up and ordering often need a Chinese phone number, so it's harder for visitors than option 1.
Meituan also exists inside Alipay, but there's no translate feature there, so it's harder to use.
The phone number problem
The delivery form only accepts Chinese phone numbers. If you don't have one:
- Use your hotel front desk's number, and tell the desk you're expecting a delivery.
- Or use the number of a local friend who's helping you, and they take the rider's call.
Enter the delivery address in Chinese, ideally copied from your hotel booking.