Dianping

for Travelers to China

Master China's #1 restaurant & attraction discovery app with local insider tricks

TikTok
YouTube
Reddit
X
Tripadvisor
Dianping
小红书
Real Traveler Data
AI-Scraped & Human-Vetted
Up-to-date Sources
No OTA-Oriented

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1️⃣ Install & login before arrival
Download "Dianping" app v11.0+ (Only one listing, iOS & Android). Sign-in: international phone + SMS, Apple OAuth, Alipay OAuth, or WeChat OAuth.
2️⃣ Want the one-tap OAuth?
• Install WeChat or Alipay first → open once → finish the passport KYC screens → then open Dianping; the WeChat/Alipay buttons will appear.
• If those apps aren't on the device (or haven't finished KYC), Dianping hides the buttons and defaults to SMS or Apple/Google sign-in.
3️⃣ Switch to English or instant-translate
Phone language → English; relaunch app. Or tap floating 🔤 Translate bubble (v11.2+) for full screen translation.
4️⃣ Laser-search what locals love
Use pinyin + emoji: "xiaolongbao 🥟", "shao kao 🔥", "speakeasy🍸". Sort by ⭐4.5+, slide "人均" to budget.
5️⃣ Book, queue, pay, and earn rebates
Remote queue with live countdown, prepaid reservations, scan blue merchant QR for Tourist Pay, get 1-5% cashback (only when you pay through Buy Coupon or Pay Bill in app, not remote QR).
6️⃣ Offline survival kit
Tap "··· → 收藏" to save pages offline. Screenshot queue numbers for iOS Focus mode backup.
💡 Must-Eat/Visit list badges
Look for 🥢 必吃榜 gold shield or 🎡 必玩榜 purple shield inside restaurant/attraction description.

📱 What is Dianping? — A 60-second primer

Full name
大众点评 (Dà-zhòng Diǎn-píng) – literally "Public Ratings"; owned by Meituan.
What it does
China's all-in-one reviews + coupons + queueing super-app for food, cafés, attractions, beauty salons, hotels, bars, shows, even pet grooming. Think Yelp + OpenTable + Groupon in one place.
Why locals live in it
Real-time star ratings (4.5★ cut-off is gospel)
Remote queue ticket + live table countdown
Stackable meal coupons (15–30% off)
AI tags for allergens/spice since 2024
Cashback 1–5% on in-app payments
Scale (2025)
450M monthly active users, ≈ 75M reviews added per month, coverage in 330+ mainland cities
Language support
Single universal build – navigation auto-flips to English when phone lang = EN; full-page 🔤 Translate bubble (v 11.2+, May 2025).
Payments for visitors
Foreign Visa/Mastercard/AmEx/JCB clear on blue merchant QR via Alipay/WeChat Tourist Pay; green personal QR still needs cash/CNY wallet.
How it beats Google Maps
Deeper coverage of street-food stalls & hole-in-the-wall cafes
Queue + coupon built-in
Crowd index & photo menus updated daily
Good to know
Gold badge = 🥢 Must-Eat List winner; Purple = 🎡 Must-Visit. Our city pages link to the latest lists each Aug/Oct.
TL;DR
Install Dianping, set phone to English, tap the 🔤 bubble to translate, filter to ⭐4.5+, grab a coupon, remote-queue while you walk there, pay with your foreign card on the blue QR – you'll eat and play exactly where locals do, at local prices.

🏆 Most-Cited Success Recipe

1

⭐4.5 Filter Strategy

Locals ignore lower scores even with 10k reviews. Copy this filter to dodge tourist-trap chains.

2

Double Coupon Stack

团购 (set meal) + 代金券 (cash voucher). Buy both, scan blue QR with foreign card.

3

Remote Queue Mastery

Grab ticket while on metro during lunch (12-14h). Arrive when counter shows "≤10 tables".

4

Allergen AI Tags

Tap allergen badges in dish photos to filter (red = contains nuts, orange = shellfish, yellow = dairy). 2024 AI rollout.

Why it helps: Removes 70% of mediocre venues, saves 15-30% on mid-range eateries, cuts 45 min wait on weekends, and essential for nut/shellfish allergies with AI-powered filtering.

🏆 Must-Eat & Must-Visit Lists Explained

🥢

必吃榜 (Must-Eat)

bì-chī-bǎng

Year's top restaurants, bakeries & snacks. Released every August.

How to find: Search "必吃榜" → pick city, or tap gold badge on home carousel
🎡

必玩榜 (Must-Visit)

bì-wán-bǎng

Attractions, tours, museums & immersive shows. Released every October.

How to find: Search "必玩榜" or tap purple badge on home carousel

🔍 How Lists Are Judged

35%
Star Rating
Last 200 reviews via ML score
25%
Repeat Visits
Check-in + queue statistics
15%
Photo Quality
AI image review clarity
15%
Review Trust
Reviewer score + proof
10%
Mystery Audit
2-3 anonymous visits
*Weights from Dianping 2024 evaluation white-paper

💡 Why Locals Use Them (& You Should Too)

Local Habits

Shortcut filter: skip anything below 4.5★ unless it has gold/purple shield
Grab "团购 + 代金券" combo for 15-30% off
Use 必玩榜 for family weekends with live crowd index
Check badge year: 2023 venues may fall off 2024 list

Tourist Benefits

Avoid freshly hyped but untested venues
Foreign card clears on blue merchant QR with coupons
Dodge 2-hour lines by picking off-peak slots
Always get newest list with our updated city links

🆕 2024-25 Updates

Budget & Premium tiers added to Must-Eat (≤¥50 vs ¥¥¥)
AI allergen & spice labels on dish photos
Glamping & Citywalk routes in Must-Visit shortlist
Foreign cards accepted for all badge coupons (Apr 2025)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

Not Michelin: It's Dianping's own award, refreshed yearly
Quality can drop: Check latest reviews even with shield
QR type matters: Ask for blue merchant QR for Tourist Pay
Weekend blocks: Some coupons exclude weekends

🔄 2025 Updates

English POI Names & Menu Sections Live

Full English support for restaurant names and menu categories now available in 28 major tourist cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou.

Sources: Tiktok, Youtube, Reddit, X, TripAdvisor

Foreign Cards + Cashback System

Foreign cards now accepted for any in-app coupon via blue QR codes. Cashback credited in CNY, refunded via original FX rate.

Sources: Youtube, Reddit, X, TripAdvisor, DianPing

One-Tap Translation for Everything

Floating translate bubble (🔤) ships in v11.2 Jan 2025, rewrites entire screens - reviews, menus, dialogs - in one shot. No more copy-paste needed.

Sources: Tiktok, Youtube, Reddit, Xiaohongshu, DianPing

⚠️ Common Issues & Fixes

SMS Never Arrives

Use Alipay or WeChat OAuth login instead; both reuse your passport KYC verification.

Queue Jumps from 30 → 5 Tables

Nearby groups cancelled. Get there within 10 minutes or you'll be automatically skipped.

Green Personal QR Rejects Card

Ask cashier for blue merchant QR (商户码) or pay cash. Personal QRs don't support foreign cards. More payment tips.

Apple ID Login Region Issue

Apple ID login fails if region set to CN – user must switch App Store region to complete OAuth.

🔄 Backup Plans

Xiaohongshu Cross-Check

Search hashtags #避雷 (avoid) and #种草 (recommend) for crowd-sourced warnings and hype

  • • Real user experiences
  • • Photo-heavy reviews
  • • Trending restaurant discoveries

Trip.com Restaurants

Full English interface with direct foreign card booking for premium venues (doesn't cover small restaurants < ¥50)

  • • No Chinese required
  • • Instant confirmation
  • • Tourist-friendly pricing

WeChat Channels

Search city name + "探店" for new restaurant opening clips and reviews

  • • Latest openings
  • • Video walkthroughs
  • • Local influencer picks

🛠 Technical Notes

Rating Algorithm: Last 200 reviews × reviewer trust rank
Price Tags: "人均" = average spend per person in CNY
Queue ETA: 1 table ≈ 3 min lunch in tier-1 cities, 5 min in tier-2/3; double for groups > 6
FX Caps: ¥5,000/txn, ¥10,000/day, ¥50,000/month via Tourist Pay
Data Usage: ~12 MB/10 min browsing; offline cache available for saved posts
English Hotline: +86-21-8024-1088 (09-21 CST)