Hangzhou cuisine (Zhejiang cai) is one of China's eight great regional traditions — lighter and sweeter than Cantonese, less spicy than Sichuan, built around the freshwater fish and produce of the Yangtze delta. The two signature dishes are Dongpo pork (braised pork belly in Shaoxing wine and soy sauce, named after the poet Su Dongshi who supposedly invented it during his time as governor) and West Lake vinegar fish, a river grass carp served in sweet-and-sour sauce. Both appear on every local restaurant menu.
Longjing shrimp is the great spring dish — fresh river shrimp stir-fried with new Longjing tea leaves, available only in April and May when both the shrimp and the tea are at their best. Beggar's chicken (whole chicken stuffed with mushrooms and bamboo, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then baked in coals) is another classic that needs advance ordering at traditional restaurants. Hefang Street is the best place for street food — osmanthus cakes, stinky tofu, spring rolls.