Leshan is Sichuan cooking at its most direct. The riverside area below Lingyun Mountain has a concentration of teahouses and Sichuan restaurants where you can eat well for very little. Mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, and dry-fried green beans are standards; the numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorn is ubiquitous.
Leshan steamed tofu is a local specialty that differs from the standard mapo version — steamed rather than braised, with a lighter sauce. Look for it on restaurant menus near the old harbour area. The town also has a tradition of skewer hotpot (串串香, chuànchuàn xiāng), where ingredients arrive pre-loaded on bamboo skewers that you dip in a communal simmering broth.
The teahouses along the riverbank are a good place to recover after the long descent to the Buddha's feet. Order tea, rent a bamboo chair, and watch the boats pass.