How to Order Food Online in China

In China, the convenience of doing just about everything with your Smartphone has become a part of everyday life.  From renting a bike in China with your Smartphone, to ordering nearly any kind of food for delivery.  In fact, food delivery is so popular in China that you would be hard-pressed to leave your apartment and not see food delivery people zooming about.  Whether you want to order food to be delivered to your apartment, or your office for lunch, we break down the whole process here and included detailed instructions for how to use 2 of the most popular food delivery apps in China.

** Watch the Video below for details & read on below for written instructions and screenshots **

This article provides a detailed introduction on how to order food on the two most popular delivery Apps in China Eleme and Meituan. 

Before you get started, you must have a Chinese phone number, a Chinese Bank account or WeChat Wallet or Alipay.  If you haven't done this yet, check out the following blog posts with instructions on how to do this:

How to get a Chinese SIM Card

How to open a bank account in China

How to set up WeChat Wallet for your Smartphone

1. ELEME

饿了么Eleme means “Are you hungry”, is a leading food delivery platform in China.

Step 1:  Download App

Step 2: Sign up

Tap “我的(Me)” at the bottom right and then sign up with your phone number.

Step 3: Add An Address

Tap “收货地址 (My Address)” to set your delivery address.

Make sure you enter an accurate and complete address, or tap the right arrow to choose an address from those you’ve already set before. You can also tag this address as Home, Work or School.

Tips：

It is important to have your address stated accurately on the apps. If not, the delivery man who does not speak English would make you a phone call to double-check your address.

Step 4: Choose A Restaurant

Now it’s time to grab some food. Tap “外卖(Takeout)”at the bottom left, and then “美食(Food)”.

Tips:

 “起送” means the minimum amount to spend to have your food delivered.

 “配送费”means shipping fee.

In the picture above, you need to order at least RMB 20 to have your food delivered, and the shipping fee is RMB 6. The restaurant is 2.8km away from you and the estimated delivery time is 44 minutes.

Step 5: Select Your Meal

Given that the menu and the introduction are in Chinese, it is recommended to choose your meal based on the pictures shown on the list, or simply choose one from “热销(best-sellers)”. Then tap “去结算(Check Out)”.

Tips：

It is mandatory to spend no less than the minimum amount as to place an order.

Step 6: Confirm Your Order

Double check your order, address and then tap “去支付(Pay)” to pay the bill.

Step 7: Payment

To make the payment, you can pay through bank card or Alipay account. And then tap “确认支付（Confirm）”.

Tap “查看订单（Check My Order）”, to see the real-time location of the delivery man.

2. Meituan Waimai

Step 1: Download App

Step 2: Sign Up

Tap “登陆／注册”. Enter your phone number and get an verification code to sign up an account.

Step 3:  Choose a restaurant

Tap “首页 (Home)” and then “美食（Food）”.

Step 4: Let’s Order a Cup of Milk Tea from Meet Fresh
To help you better understand the whole procedure, let’s assume that we are ordering a cup of milk tea from Meet Fresh.

Add milk tea to your cart and tap “去结算（Checkout）”.

Step 5: Add your address

Tap “新增收货地址（Add a delivery address）”, and then enter the required information.

Step 6: Payment

You can pay through WeChat Wallet or Alipay. Apple Pay is also recommended. And then tap”确认支付(Confirm)” to finish the transaction.

Similar to Eleme, Meituan also shows the real-time location of the delivery man who’s in charge of your order.

Enjoy your meal!