Kunming may be known for its mild weather and blooming flowers — but for foodies eager to taste the flavours of Yunnan, the city has plenty to offer, from bustling markets to a burgeoning drinks scene.
BY ERIS CHOO
They say that to truly understand a place’s food culture, you must first visit its markets. In Kunming, perched high in the mountains of southwestern China, that means rising early to see how Yunnan’s fresh produce comes in from all around the region each morning, before it ends up in restaurants, bars, and eateries across the city.
By 8am, Zhuanxin, the city’s largest and most popular farmer’s market, is already in full swing. Farmers unload baskets of mushrooms, traders hawk rose jams and floral teas, and restaurant chefs jostle good-naturedly for the day’s best produce.
Weaving my way through stalls piled high with vegetables and roots, I strike up a conversation with a young, bespectacled mushroom seller. My Mandarin is limited, but I understand enough to register concern when he warns me, quite seriously, that if I don’t cook certain mushrooms properly, I might start hallucinating.
The warning isn’t exaggerated. Yunnan is home to more than 800 mushroom varieties, though only a fraction makes it to market. Matsutake, termite mushrooms, and pickled varieties preserved in brine sit proudly on display, some resembling umbrellas from a fairytale, others like corals or flowers.
If mushrooms aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty to feast your eyes (and perhaps your stomach) on — from slabs of cured Xuanwei ham hanging from ceilings, mountains of onions and tomatoes the size of small melons, to crimson Chinese bayberries with pebbled skins that taste like a cross between raspberries and cherries. Roses, another local specialty, fill baskets and jars, destined for tea, jam, and flaky rose biscuits.
The market warrants at least an hour or two, but if you need a break from shopping, look out for the queue outside Lala Xiao Chi (Lala Snacks), a beloved breakfast spot hidden on the first floor of a side building. The line moves quickly. Inside, diners gather around a glass-walled kitchen where chefs stretch rice noodles into long strands, blanch them, then ladle silken tofu and spicy-sour sauce with practised flicks of the wrist.
Within minutes, a steaming bowl of soybean curd noodles lands before me. The sauce clings perfectly to the silken tofu and springy noodles: fiery yet balanced. Pair it with a wobbly rose jelly dessert — the fragrance is like having a garden of flowers in your mouth.
Heritage Afternoon Tea
By mid-afternoon, I trade the market’s chaos for the calm refinement of SUMA, the destination bar and tearoom at Shangri-La Kunming. “Suma” in the Yi language means azalea or woman — a tribute to the strong female influences among some of Yunnan’s minority communities.
Drawing inspiration from botanist Joseph Rock’s early 20th-century expeditions across western China, SUMA’s interiors are a tapestry of handwoven textiles, carved wood, and stonework drawn from the visual language of Yi, Bai, Naxi, Lisu, Jingpo, and Hani cultures. Beneath a ceiling of patterned fabric panels, the lounge glows warm and intimate, while outside, a leafy terrace blooms with edible herbs and flowers.
The afternoon tea experience mirrors its heritage-rich setting. Some ingredients we’ve seen at the morning market: the Flambéed Stuffed Morel Mini Sandwich is a nod to Yunnan’s abundant fungi harvests, while the Strawberry Shrimp Tart is topped with milk fan, a dried dairy sheet traditionally made by the Bai people. There is also pan-fried scallops with mango and matsutake sauce, truffle basque cheesecake, rose-flavoured wagashi, and a pineapple tart infused with Yunnan coffee and vanilla.
Cocktails After Dark
Kunming may not yet rival Shanghai or Beijing in nightlife, but its bar scene is growing. As dusk falls, bar manager Frankie Zou ushers us into SUMA’s backrooms, where experiments bubble away in glass vessels. Ingredients like thyme, pomelo, fresh lychee, and Black Buddha’s Hand citrus are distilled into spirits with astonishing clarity.
“Simple cocktails take the most technique,” Frankie says, pointing to a milky pomelo infusion clarifying in a vat. Even the rose-coloured cocktails get their blush not from petals alone, but dried lotus flowers steeped for colour, then chilled and finished with rose essence.
SUMA’s menu is divided into Spice, Fruity & Floral, Umami, and Bitter. From the Fruity & Floral section, Por Amor is romance in a glass, featuring local lychees, osmanthus rice wine, and clarified pomelo, served with a rose-shaped ice block infused with distilled essence from heirloom Yunnan roses. As it melts, the drink blushes pink and releases a floral sweetness.
For something bolder, Magic Manhattan is SUMA’s ode to Yunnan’s fungi. Templeton Rye is infused with matsutake and jichong, layered with orange wine vermouth and green walnut. The result is complex and woodsy, with hints of smoke, spice, and earth.
Another notable bar is Sanxun, a whiskey and gin den styled like a gentleman’s club, all dark wood and gold. Its cocktails are rooted in regional flavours: the signature Dali blends homemade milk fan gin with rose distillate for a floral, creamy sip; Xishuang Ban Na evokes southern rainforests with sour mango, lemongrass gin, and coconut water; and Lijiang Snow Peach is a breezy mix of homemade snow peach gin, shiso, and lemon.
Wenhua Alley (Culture Alley) has more options for bar hopping. This 2km stretch sits near Kunming’s university belt and is a hotspot among the city’s youth, with cafes, speakeasies, and trendy bars tucked within heritage buildings.
Taste Life Secret Lounge is one such hideaway. A café by day, bar by night, it’s filled with vintage furniture and art, with a stage for live performances, resembling a cabaret. Behind the bar, a tiered rack of illuminated bottles sits under the watchful gaze of Guan Yu.
Resident bartender Ivy Yang obliges my request for something light with the bar’s signature Rose and Poison. Despite the name, it’s sweet and refreshing, made with red wine, cranberry, rose, and lemon. Another one to try is Savour Life, which uses baijiu as its base, mixed with cocoa and peppermint liqueurs. The bar also serves classics like Pisco Sour, Margarita, and Salty Dog.
Kunming may be the city of eternal spring, but its food and drink culture is anything but mild. Age-old customs and traditional ingredients endure, but they’re being expressed today with fresh, contemporary spirit.