Think Chengdu food and think hot and hotter. Chengdu's cuisine doesn't skimp on the local chilies, nor does it go light on mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Locals claim the sweat-inducing dishes cool the body in the summer and warm it in the winter and Chinese tradition says chili protects you from illnesses and infection—medicine never tasted so good. If you're not into the heat, there's plenty to eat that's gentle on the taste buds.

If you do like it spicy, be sure to try gongbao jiding, chicken and peanuts served with chili, and mapo doufu, spicy tofu with minced beef and dry chilies. Milder options include fish dishes, which is often served in a yuxiang sauce (a mix of vinegar, ginger, sesame and soy) or bangbang ji, cold chicken with sesame and soy sauce. Hotpot (huoguo), meat and vegetables cooked in boiling broth at your table can be had either mild or spicy.

Try Sichuan at the city's Chengdu Restaurant on Shandong Dajie, Longchaoshou Restaurant on Chunxi Lu, or Grandma Chen's Beancurd Restaurant (established in 1842, people say the first owner invented mapo doufu).

Distributed throughout the city, teahouses are more than places for drinking tea and snacking. They are places for relaxation and socializing and as such are a reflection of local life. Here you can enjoy such Chinese favorites such as jasmine, maofeng and zhuyeqing teas and, at a number of teahouses, catch Sichuan opera performances as well—Yuelai Teahouse stages free Sichuan opera performances from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday. Heming Teahouse in People's Park is a great place to sit outside, sip and people-watch. Wenshu Monastery Teahouse inside Wenshu Monastery has Buddhist vegetarian restaurant next door, Xiangzhai Tang.