How Foreigners Can Order Food Delivery in China

In China, foreigners visiting for business or travel are often amazed: ordering food delivery here is incredibly convenient, almost like magic. China is the world's largest food delivery market, with over 550 million users (more than half of all netizens have used it). The main platforms are Meituan, Taobao Flash Purchase (formerly known as Ele.me), and JD Food Delivery.

These apps cover everything from big cities to small counties and even some townships.

• High service quality: Most orders are delivered within 30 minutes, food is packaged in insulated boxes, and spills are rare. The platforms have real-time tracking, rider location display, and a user review system. Food safety is also becoming increasingly transparent (many restaurants have live kitchen feeds).
• Extremely wide coverage: Not just Chinese food, Western food, hot pot, pizza—there's everything. Breakfast, late-night snacks, supermarket groceries, fruits, medicine, flowers, even KFC and Starbucks can be ordered. Whether you're at a hotel or a scenic spot, it can basically be delivered within 30 minutes, building a "30-minute lifestyle circle."

In short: using food delivery apps in China, you can almost eat anything you want, anytime, anywhere—and it's fast, cheap, and with lots of choices. This is one of the daily conveniences that many foreign tourists love most after coming to China!

Because using Meituan or Taobao Flash Purchase is the most convenient and efficient way to order food delivery, we will only introduce how to use these two apps. Other platforms like JD Food Delivery can be explored on your own.

Meituan vs Taobao Flash Purchase (formerly Ele.me)

Meituan

1. The APP itself does not support English, but the Meituan mini-program built into WeChat can use WeChat's translation function to switch the page language. However, in the mini-program, you can only use WeChat Pay (you need to register for WeChat and bind a bank card)
2. Supports direct registration with international mobile numbers
3. Payment methods include directly binding international bank cards, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and other methods

Taobao Flash Purchase

1. The APP does not support English, and the mini-program in Alipay also does not support switching to English
2. Supports direct registration with international mobile numbers
3. Payment methods include Alipay and WeChat Pay. If you want to use an international bank card, you need to first register for Alipay or WeChat and bind a bank card

Summary

In summary, there is no perfect solution that solves all problems. If I had to recommend, I think you can use Meituan's WeChat mini-program because the interface supports English, but you need to first register for WeChat and bind a bank card. Or you can use Meituan's APP, which requires you to solve the English interface issue yourself.

How to Solve Translation Issues

• Use an AI app with screen sharing functionality, which can help you translate in real-time and provide the information you want to know
• Use translation software like Google Translate with image upload functionality, manually take screenshots and upload them to the translation software for translation
• Or any other method you can think of—go for it, Homo sapiens!

How to Use Meituan

Download and Register the App

If you choose to use the WeChat mini-program, please skip this step

1. Search for "meituan" in the Apple Store or Google Play
2. Open the app, tap the bottom left corner 【My】to register and log in

Open the Mini-Program

If you choose to use the mobile APP, please skip this step Alipay can also open this mini-program, but it does not support translation and requires payment through Alipay

1. Open WeChat, search for "meituan" in the top search bar, and open the mini-program
2. After opening, tap the bottom left corner 【My】to register and log in
3. Tap the button in the upper right corner, find the translation function, and the entire page will be translated into the corresponding language

Placing an Order and Paying

1. Return to the homepage, tap 【外卖】to enter the food delivery page
2. Make sure the geographic location located within the app is the address where you want to order food (this ensures that the restaurants you see are ones that can deliver to you)
3. The current default is delivery mode, but you can also switch to self-pickup mode, so you only need to place the order remotely and then go to the store to pick up the food yourself
4. Search in the search bar (after testing, only Chinese and pinyin searches are supported) or browse the recommended list of restaurants
5. Enter a restaurant, add the dishes you want. Note: Each restaurant has a minimum order amount or required item types (such as utensils). You can only pay and place the order after meeting these conditions
6. Tap 【去结算】to place the order. You need to fill in your address, name, and phone information so the delivery person can find your location
   • Note: Currently, only Chinese phone numbers are supported here, so you can fill in the phone number of someone you know or the hotel front desk, or simply fill in a Chinese mobile number that matches the format. But make sure the delivery person can find you through your address information
7. If you have any preferences, you can also fill them in the remarks for the merchant or delivery person
8. Tap the bottom right corner 【立即支付】to pay using a bank card, WeChat, or Alipay
9. After payment, you can see the real-time location of your food. Pay attention to answering calls

How to Use Taobao Flash Purchase

Download and Register the App

If you choose to use the Alipay mini-program, please skip this step

1. Search for "eleme" in the Apple Store or Google Play
2. Open the app, tap the bottom left corner 【我的】to register and log in

Open the Mini-Program

You can also open this mini-program in WeChat

1. Open Alipay, search for "eleme" in the top search bar, and open the mini-program
2. After opening, tap the bottom left corner 【我的】to register and log in

Placing an Order and Paying

1. Return to the homepage, make sure the geographic location located within the app is the address where you want to order food
2. Tap 【美食外卖】to enter the food delivery page
3. Search in the search bar (after testing, only Chinese and pinyin searches are supported) or browse the recommended list of restaurants
4. Enter a restaurant, add the dishes you want. Note: Each restaurant has a minimum order amount or required item types (such as utensils). You can only pay and place the order after meeting these conditions
5. Tap 【去结算】to place the order. You need to fill in your address, name, and phone information
6. Tap the bottom right corner 【立即支付】to pay using Alipay or WeChat. Please note that direct bank card payment is currently not supported, so you need to first register for Alipay or WeChat before paying
7. After payment, you can see the real-time location of your food. Pay attention to answering calls

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the relationship between Taobao Flash Purchase and Ele.me?

Taobao Flash Purchase is the former Ele.me (Ele.me). Starting from 2025, the Ele.me app was fully upgraded and renamed to Taobao Flash Purchase, but the core team and services remain unchanged.

What are Alipay, WeChat, and mini-programs?

• Alipay: China's most commonly used mobile payment app, supporting QR code payments and food delivery ordering.
• WeChat: China's version of WhatsApp + Facebook, chat + payment, and can also open mini-programs.
• Mini-programs: Small apps within WeChat or Alipay (such as the Meituan mini-program), no need to download an app, directly order food delivery, shop, etc. within WeChat/Alipay, very convenient.