Tai'an's food is straight Shandong cuisine — heavier and saltier than the food further south, built on wheat noodles, dumplings, and braised meat. Local specialities lean on what grows on the mountain: tofu made with Mount Tai spring water (said to be the best in China for the purpose), wild mushrooms, and a particular variety of grey-green vegetables called "red gizzard cabbage".
The cluster of restaurants along Tongtian Street is the easiest place to find a Mount Tai tofu meal or a bowl of hand-pulled noodles after the descent. For something more formal, the dining rooms of the larger hotels in town serve banquet-style Shandong cooking.