Zhaoqing's food tilts toward freshwater fish and river shrimp from the Pearl River tributaries nearby, prepared in the braised and steamed styles of classic Cantonese cooking. The city is small enough that local restaurants serve a real local clientele rather than a tourist one, and the weekend traffic from Guangzhou keeps the better places consistently busy. The local rice noodle shops, open from breakfast, make a good start to a day of walking.