Food at Your Fingertips: Ordering Takeout the Easy Way

There’s a saying in China: 民以食为天 (mínyǐshíwéitiān), “To the People, Food Is Heaven”. It’s a good indication of just how serious people are in this country about food and eating. Beijing’s food apps have a wide variety of whatever you might be craving to be delivered to your home at any time, and will simplify your life by giving you one less thing to think about. Here we will introduce two English-based delivery services, Sherpa’s and Jingshisong, and one of the most popular Chinese-only food apps, Meituan Waimai, with some steps to help you set it up.

English Apps

Sherpa’s

Sherpa’s familiar orange scooters can be seen across the Chaoyang and Dongcheng districts. It has a large selection of partner restaurants including expat favorites such as Home Plate BBQ, Wagas, and Q Mex.

Delivery zones: Chaoyang, Dongcheng, Xicheng, and Haidian districts

Delivery fee: Starts at RMB 15 that covers the first 3.2km and increases according to distance. Sherpa’s has a happy hour promotion from 2-5.30pm on weekdays, where a delivery fee of up to RMB 20 is waived for a minimum order of RMB 80.

Average delivery time: 45-50 minutes

Delivery hours: Daily 10.30am-10.30pm, closed during major holidays.

How to order: Download their app, check their website at www.sherpa.com.cn, or contact 400 856 6209

Jinshisong

Jinshisong 锦食送 is one of the larger delivery services for western restaurants. It has international and Chinese selections.

Delivery zones: Chaoyang, Dongcheng, Xicheng, and Haidian districts

Delivery fee: Starts at RMB 15, though many restaurants offer free delivery within 3km if you register your phone number and receive a JSS free Premier Card. There is a minimum order of RMB 60.

Average delivery time: 45-50 minutes

Delivery hours: Daily 10.30am-10.30pm

How to order and pay: Download the app, check their website at www.jinshisong.com, or contact 400 900 5877. Cash or POS upon delivery, WeChat or Alipay if ordering via the app.

Chinese-only Apps

MeituanWaimai

Meituan Waimai (美团外卖 měituánwàimài) offers food delivery, movie tickets, shopping, various discounts, and much more. You can even access Meituan from Wechat Pay.

Delivery zones: Across Beijing

Delivery fee: This depends on the restaurant but usually doesn’t exceed RMB 10. Meituan Waimai also has a minimum price range for food items that can be delivered.

Average delivery time: 30-60 minutes, depending on distance

Delivery hours: 24-hours for a limited number of restaurants, other opening hours vary by restaurant.

How to order and pay: Via the app. You generally need to pay using bank cards, Apple Pay, Alipay, or WeChat Wallet upon ordering, though some restaurants accept cash on delivery.

How to set up MeituanWaimai

Step 1: Download Meituan Waimai

Search on “MeituanWaimai” (美团外卖, měituánwàimài) with a little yellow kangaroo logo on your phone and download it. You can also access it by tapping on the Food Delivery button on WeChat Pay (it’s under “Powered by third-party operator,” and you’ll see the kangaroo.)

Step 2: Register your account

Tap on the “Me”(“我的”, wǒ de) button in the bottom right-hand corner to get started. Then tap the text at the top, next to the profile picture. Here, you will need to enter your phone number to get a verification code by text message (should be six digits). Enter it and continue.

Step 3: Setting your address

Tap on the “Me” (“我的”, wǒ de) page again, click the “Address” (“我的地址”, wǒ de dìzhǐ) to set your address to get food delivery. When setting your address, you can use the maps function to try to best approximate your apartment building. Here, on the profile page, you can also set your name, gender, and phone number.

Step 4: Select your meal

Go back to the Home page to select food. If you already know the food you are craving, type the name at the very top of the page; for example, type “bisa” for 比萨 (bǐ sà), and you’ll get a list of pizza restaurants. Tap the first red icon which says “美食”(měi shí, “good food”) to see a list of all the most popular restaurants in your area. Enjoy your meal!