The Xiyuan and Grand Metropole hotels both have restaurants serving decent Western food. Western fast food is also available at Kentucky Fried Chicken (Wenhe Bei Lu 48), McDonald's (Wenhe Lu 3), and Pizza Hut (Wenhe Nan Lu 120).
Huaiyang Cuisine
As one of the four major schools in Chinese cooking, Huaiyang cuisine (referring to the region between the Yangzi River and the Huai River in northern Jiangsu) has its origins in Yangzhou, even though it has been as much influenced these days by the different regional cooking styles of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The Ming dynasty Hongwu emperor employed a chef from Yangzhou, as did the famous 20th-century Chinese opera singer Mei Lanfang. Unlike Sichuan cooking with its reliance on peppers, Huaiyang cuisine aims to preserve the basic flavor of ingredients in order to achieve balance and freshness. River fish, farm animals, birds, and vegetables feature prominently. Some of the more famous dishes include xiefen shizitou (lightly braised meatballs with crabmeat, also known as Lion's Head Meatballs), chaihui lianyutou (stewed fish head with tofu, greens, and radish), and bashao zheng zhutou (stewed pig's head in a red glaze).
