Where Red Pepper Meets Rose

Originally casual spots in France for affordable food and drinks，bistros in China，minly themed around southwestern cuisines，hve become high-end venues fordating，socializing，or simply\"checking in\"

當年輕人愛上“漂亮飯”，云貴川Bistro成社交新寵

tis7：30 p.m. ona Tuesday，and the wooden tables onthe firstfloor of Sth Good restaurantinBeijing's Dongcheng district are packed.Wine bottles line the racksand cabinets，while customersat the bar sit eye-to-eye withbartenders，asan episodeofFriends plays on aprojectoragainstablankwhitewall.Whilethis mayhave all the trappings of a typical Western wine bar， Sth Good exclusively serves the cuisine ofsouthwestern China's Yunnan，Guizhou，and Sichuan provinces， with signature dishes like pig's knuckle in sour soup， fried morel， tea-flavored chicken feet with chili pepper，and chicken stewed with bamboo mushrooms and figs.

Thehigh-end winebardecorand niche provincialflavorsfromChina'srural， mountainous southwest may seem like an unlikely pairing，but Sth Good is just one of many emerging“Yun Gui Chuan bistros” spotlighting the region's cuisine.These restaurants are quickly gaining ground in the ever-shifting battle for Chinese bellies， though some question if the quality justifies thehigh pricesand whether the trend is built to last.

Over the past few years， the dining scene in China's major metropolises has undergone“bistroification.” On the lifestyle app Xiaohongshu （RedNote）， the topic“bistro”has received more than 110 million views and 400，000 comments; “Shanghai bistro”has more than 27 million views.

The trend partially owes to the emerging “weixun economy （微醺經(jīng)濟），”literally“tipsy economy，\"which began gaining momentum in 2020 as Chinese millennials increasingly embraced low-alcohol drinksinsearch of that ideal state betweensobrietyand intoxication.

Incontrastwiththecasual restaurants in Europe that serveaffordable food and drinks for the neighborhood， Chinese bistros largely target a middle-and upper-class clientele，with smart decor，high prices，and elegantly plated dishes of Western，Chinese，and otherAsian cuisines.People haveturnedtotheserestaurantsforamealand drink to relieve themselves fromtheirbusyurban Good-looking dishesand desserts，or piaoliangfan as they're called online，have drawn many young people to\"check in\"at bistros [Courtesy of Sth Good]

lives，to socialize，orto daka（打卡，“checkin\"）and takephotosof thepiaoliangfan（漂亮飯，“goodlooking meals\"），as they're commonlycalled on social media.

Justas significantis thenationwide surge in popularity of Yunnan and Guizhou cuisines. Often decorated with natural wood and greenery to evoke the wilderness of China's southwest， these restaurants typically include words like “mountain”or“wild”intheirnamesand feature ingredients suchas foraged mushrooms，edible herbs，and special spices like citronella and fish mint.AccordingtoaSinaNewsanalysis， these unique flavors，novel ingredients，and rich ethnic cultures—all theelementsrequired foraregional cuisine to go viral—have made Yunnanand Guizhou food natural fits for the parallel rise of bistro dining. Sichuan cuisine， once dominant with its spicy hotpot and dishes like mapo tofu， hasalso been swept up in the trend thanks to its geographic and culinary proximity，as well as its enduring popularity.

The two trends are feeding off each other. The number of Yunnanand Guizhou restaurants in Beijing and Shanghaihas increased fromaround 300 in 2019 to 1，000 in 2024，largely thanks to the development of these bistros，especially in and after 2023，according to The RisingLab，a dataresearchandanalysis instituterunby Yicai Magazine.The RisingLab'sresearchalso found that consumers spent more than 12O yuan per person per meal on average atShanghai's 61 Yunnan and Guizhou bistros it surveyed，much higher than theaveragespend （40 to 8O yuan） at traditional restaurants that serve cuisines from the two provinces.

Having noticed these trends， the 38-year-old former engineer ZhangJuanrui moved from Shanghai back to his hometown of Beijing and joined friends in opening Sth Good Yun Gui ChuanBistro.Zhang believes themain appeal for young people lies in these cuisines' \"heavy\"hotand sour flavorsand the bright colors of dishes，made with chili peppers， red sour soup，and other regional ingredients.They might become even more popular as more

travelersvisit thesouthwestand developa taste for thelocal food.

But for Zhang， the decor and service at bistros are just as crucial for keeping customers comingback.“People can get tired of even the most delicious food if they have it too often， he explains.His restaurant，for instance，tries tocreateacozyatmospherewithelementslike wooden tables，chairs，cabinets，and soft lighting His customers are mainly young entrepreneurs， employees of well-known companies，and foreigners，who pair the food with white wine， cocktails，orbeer.

ABeijing resident surnamed Kong， who has gained more than 192，oo0 fans on the microblogging platform Weibo by sharing her daily lifeand thoughts，includingabout food， says，“With theirelaborate decorand furnishings，bistros offer a middle ground between fine dining and casual eating—appealing to thosewho value ambiance.\"

Everyone， from friendsand couples to PR professionals seekingamore stylishalternative to the“old-fashioned”private rooms of traditional restaurants，can enjoybistros.Kong wasalso impressed by the attentive service at some restaurants—from taking reservations （manylocal restaurants in China often only accept walk-ins， leading to long queues at popular spots） to staff at one bistro recognizing her by name fromher phone numberduringareturnvisit.

Kong adds that she prefers hosting friends or guests at bistros rather than regular restaurants， as they offer a more comfortable setting for conversation， despite the highercost.“You wouldn'twant to celebrateabirthday at a noisyDongbei[northeastern] restaurant，where everything'scooked and served from the same wok， especiallyif you'vedressedup for the occasion.You can't even take good photos，\" she explains.

FromKong'spoint of view， to daka and take good photoshasbecome an essential need for many consumers.In turn，eye-catching photos ofpiaoliangfan（\"prettymeals\"）—a topicwith more than 2oO million views and a million comments on Xiaohongshu—have drawn more customers to theserestaurants.

Ironically， the bistro has never beena symbol offine tasteinrance，itsbirthplace，andisnow falling out of favor， particularly among young people.“[Bistro is] a word only grandparents would use，”says Aladin Farré，a native Parisian now living in Beijing and hostof TWOC's Middle EarthPodcast.He explainsthatbistrosinFrance aren'tideal for dating because they're considered too“cheap\"and“not the cleanest，”with loud TVs and people betting on horse races.To him， they're equivalent to China's ‘little noodle places，”says the 36-year-old filmmaker.

Despite their elevated reputation in China， complaints about bistros—especially popular chains-have been rising.Issues such ashigh prices，long wait times，and poor-tasting food have surfaced，with some dishes suspected to be premadeandpackagedratherthanfreshlycooked.

The bistro chain Ameigo，founded in 2O17，has beena particular target of netizens’wrath.Under a Nanjing food blogger's complaint post， which has over 4Oo comments，netizens—especially those claiming to be from the southwestern provinces shared that they've never seen dishes like these in their hometowns.Some even accuse bistros， often run by non-southwesterners， of“Westernizing\" regional cuisines to capitalize on their growing popularity. Still， the chain opened nine new locations last December alone，bringing its total to more than 3O stores nationwide.

“It's difficult to cater to all tastes，” Zhang， the co owner of Sth Good， points out.His bistro，which mainlyfeaturestraditionaldishesandisstaffed byachef from Guizhouanda co-founderfrom Sichuan，has actuallybeenadjusting its recipes

such as the level of spicinessin their stir-fried spicy chicken—to better suit the so-called“public taste.\"”

WhileKong，abig fan of Yunnan and Guizhou cuisine，hasno complaintsabout the flavor，she does take issue with the high prices and small portions at these bistros.She tells TWOC that at Spring Patio，a Yunnan bistro in Beijing's Sanlitun areawhere she'sdined several times，a typical meal costsaround 2OO yuan per person.“Each dish is aboutloO yuan，but only comeswitha fewslices of meat or other ingredients.\"

Reports of some bistros operating at a loss， oreven shutting down，have fueled speculation that the trend may be fading. TheHill，a Beijingbased Yun Gui Chuan bistro launched by hotpot giantHaidilao，lasted just nine months before quietly closing its doors lastJune，without offeringa reason.

Zhang，however，remains optimistic about the future.Since officially opening last October， Sth Good hasbegun to break even and see steady growthinrevenue.Hebelievesin the bistro model： ‘A bistro is really a business of both drinks and food，which leaves plenty of room for creativity，\"he says.