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Given Chengde's role as a royal hunting ground, it's no surprise that the local specialty is wild game. Spiced deer meat grilled on skewers goes for about Y5 and pheasant-and-mushroom–stuffed dumplings can be sampled at the visitor-friendly shops on the street south of the Summer Resort. Look out for hawkers selling ludagun, a Chengde snack of steamed sticky rice with red bean paste, rolled in soybean flour to give it its descriptive name, "donkey rolling on the ground."
Directly opposite the south entrance to the Mountain Resort, this cheerful place is easily spotted by its rustic wooden exterior. Although it's a good place to try a variety of local dishes, it specializes in dumplings filled with pheasant and mushrooms, and it has a branch beside the train station—perfect for grabbing a quick bite before returning to Beijing.
Dongpo serves hearty Sichuan fare at this convenient branch and two others around town. There's no English menu, but classics like gongbao jiding (chicken with peanuts) and niurou chao tudou (beef and potatoes) are available.
The wall of deer heads at the entrance to this popular restaurant is an indicator that it's a good place to sample the game dishes beloved by the Manchu people. You can try venison, wild boar, braised camel hump, deep-fried sparrow, or deer-blood curd (developed to prevent wasting the blood of the kill after a hunt and surprisingly tasty) as well as less exotic meat or vegetable dishes.
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