Chengdu's recommended small shops

Chengdu, which often sits on the list of the happiest cities in China, is well-known for its "slow" lifestyle. You can play mahjong with the elderly in People's Park, indulge in hotpot and skewers for days. But Chengdu offers more than that. You can taste various international cuisines here without saying much. The emerging trendy shops are popping up like mushrooms after rain. You may want to try various flowers and plants to calm yourself down, or find a coffee shop, tea house, or bookstore to match the rhythm of the city. Of course, you may just want to spend some money at the integrated stores.

Urban Coffee

"A spacious and comfortable pure white café." URBAN PICNIC is predominantly white throughout the store, complemented by a large, simple, transparent floor-to-ceiling glass window. The sunlight makes the pure white space even more transparent and bright, pure yet warm. However, the white here is not monotonous; one of the white walls inside the store is adorned with cute graffiti, making it interesting and thoughtful. As you walk in a bit further, you will see the equally white bar counter, with the red professional coffee machine Ferma E61 becoming the most eye-catching highlight in the store. Currently, there are only a few simple types of coffee beans, but their flavors are enough to bring surprises.

Mimi Garden

"A romantic garden-style bookstore homestay." On Tan Hai Road in Sansheng Township, there is a garden homestay with a bookstore element. It has a large beautiful courtyard, with birds singing and flowers blooming all year round. When the weather is good, having afternoon tea in the courtyard can make your mood as pure and beautiful as the clear blue sky and white clouds. The blue and white tones create a romantic and fresh atmosphere. This homestay has a unique feature: it doesn't have any unnecessary gimmicks, but it does have tens of thousands of books. The book-loving owner hopes that even under the pressure of a busy life, people will not forget to nourish their spirits.

Together Together · Steam Hostel

'Steampunk style hostel'. This is a music-themed youth hostel established by musicians, architects, and aircraft mechanics. We renovated an old house from the 1960s, located at No. 30 Wuhouci Street, within the Sichuan Chemical Industry Design and Research Institute. It is a 5-10 minute walk to Wuhou Shrine. The Nan Jiao Road bus stop is right at the entrance. Besides being an accommodation space, it is also a cultural exchange platform and a lifestyle. The guitarist of the famous rock band Sound Toy is the owner of the Steam Hostel, so there are often various music events here. Many well-known independent musicians have performed and stayed here.

Shu Banquet Melody

The restaurant features an antique tea house style, with large blue chandeliers, wooden tables and chairs, light green bowls and plates, and ultra-low hanging lamps creating a Republic of China British style, which is very artistic. The head chef of the restaurant is a renowned chef with many honors, and every dish is crafted with ingenuity. The ice crystal dish wrapped in sesame sauce is rich and flavorful, tender and fresh; the Dancing Salmon has a clever design, dipped in Sichuan-style sauce, novel and unique, with a rich taste that is unforgettable; the DIY colored pig liver is meticulously prepared, with a delicate and spicy taste, crispy and refreshing, and delicious to the extreme.

Octopus Kitchen

The owner of Octopus Kitchen is a cool girl from Yantai, Shandong, with a bold name, Lion. Lion's family has been in the catering business for over ten years. Because Lion wanted to bring the taste of her hometown to Chengdu, Octopus Kitchen was born. Upon entering Octopus Kitchen, you are greeted by an octopus-themed mural that covers an entire wall. The mural features a red octopus with outstretched tentacles and a majestic lion, both designed by the owner herself. The owner is a fan of Junji Ito, so the restaurant also displays many violent comics in Ito's style. The recommended dishes are Argentine red shrimp and teppanyaki squid king. How big are the shrimp and squid? Describing them as 'shrimp bigger than your hand, squid bigger than your face' would not be an exaggeration. The red shrimp is tender and bouncy, cooked to perfection to retain its original flavor. The squid, grilled on a teppanyaki, is served with Yungui chili sauce and northwest dried chili peppers, making it irresistibly fragrant and spicy, enough to make your mouth water and your nose run. It's simply too satisfying.