Yuwei Xiaoyu Hotpot

Yuwei Xiaoyu shot to fame when a Chinese food documentary put its glowing broth on screens nationwide, and the small restaurant at the foot of the hillside hasn't stopped queuing since. The taste is classic Chongqing: beef tallow, dried chilies, and peppercorns that numb and burn in perfect balance.

The room is unpretentious and the staff are pros at walking newcomers through the dipping sauces and cooking times. Go for the original broth, order the blood cakes and yellow-horn tripe, and understand in one evening why hotpot is Chongqing's civic religion.