Kunming is stacked with Yunnanese specialities and more ordinary Chinese fare, though there's also a smattering of cafes and bars serving Western dishes, mostly around the university. Back lanes running north off Dongfeng Xi Lu or Jinbi Lu have the best stalls and cheap restaurants where you can battle with the locals over grilled cheese, hotpots, fried snacks rolled in chilli powder, loaves of excellent meat-stuffed soda bread, and rich duck and chicken casseroles. Hotels have the most refined surroundings, while city restaurants tend to focus their efforts on the food, so don't be discouraged by the outward appearance of some venues. Shuncheng Jie has endless rows of cheap Muslim diners with glazed ducks and fresh ingredients piled up outside; mutton stews, kebabs and lamian - pulled noodles - are popular.

 

Brotherhood , Wuyi Lu. Clean and modern-looking place close to the Provincial Museum where you choose your own stuffed bean curd, bitter melon and sliced meats and cook them in a hotpot.

Cooking School , Dongfeng Dong Lu, opposite the Camellia Binguan. The largest of a handful of local efforts serving inexpensive, fairly ordinary Chinese meals. The food isn't bad, but the service on the ground-floor canteen is - upstairs has less abrupt staff and more comfortable furnishings.

Fuhua Yuan , Jingxing Jie. Airy, canteen-like affair in one of the most charismatic parts of town, serving crossing-the-bridge noodles and other light meals downstairs, full meals upstairs.

Journey to the East , Tianjundian Jie, reached via an alley north off Wenlin Jie opposite Tasha's. A fine book exchange-cum-Internet bar frequented by students, with excellent chocolate cookies and plenty of adverts from locals seeking English practice.

King Dragon Regional Cuisine Village , Tuodong Lu. Huge, multi-floored affair with stalls, canteens and sit-down restaurants offering everything from local street snacks through to Cantonese banquet cuisine. Cheaper places are on the ground floor, with posher, private restaurants on successive levels. Good fun at the weekends, when it can get very crowded.

Minsheng , Huoguo Lu. The best place in town to eat in a thoroughly Chinese atmosphere. This is a cheap, grubby, noisy canteen that looks like a Ming-dynasty food court, with various businesses selling everything from baozi to full-blown meals under one roof.

Rum Bar and Golden Sun Italy Cafe , both Cuihu Bei Lu. Current pick of expanding "Western-style" bars and cafes in the area, aimed at expat students and teachers. Both offer imported beers and wines, coffee (even cappuccino), and Westernized Chinese dishes along with pizza, tortillas, pasta and ice cream. Happy hours at some point between 8pm and midnight, where you'll get 3-for-1 deals on bottled beer.

Tasha's , west of the university on Wenlin Jie. Has concrete trees, an English-speaking manageress and some Western food, but the pick of the menu are the Yunnanese and typically sour Dai items, such as stir-fried dried ham and cheese, or green papaya and chicken. Some of the snacks are good, too, especially gingko nuts and spicy beef jerky.

Vegetarian restaurant , about two doors west of Yuantong Si, Yuantong Jie. This is an excellent place, reasonably priced and with an English menu and a mix of straight vegetable and imitation meat dishes - best of the latter are coconut-flavoured "spareribs" (bamboo shoots, celery and fried bean-curd skin), "chicken" and fungus rolls (dried bean curd), and "fish" (deep fried mashed potato served in a rich garlic and vinegar sauce).

Wei's Pizza , in an alley north off Tuodong Lu. Long-running, popular expat cafe with low prices, a book exchange, wood-fired pizzas, coffee, and unusual Chinese food, including river moss with coriander and Hakka bean curd.

Yue Lai and City Gentlemen's Cafe , Beijing Lu, near the Kunhu Fandian. Two crowded backpacker hang-outs offering beer, approximately Western food, bike rental, "tourist consultancies" and earwax removers.

Zhen Xing ( Yunnan Typical Local Food), corner of Dongfeng Dong Lu and Baita Lu. Inexpensive, unadorned restaurant with brusque staff, mostly local clientele, English menu and simple fare that lives up to the restaurant's name - including very good steampot chicken, crossing-the-bridge noodles in ¥10-30 portions, and ham with spring onions.