How to Order Food Delivery in China: Meituan & Ele.me Guide for Foreigners

You’ve checked into your hotel, it’s late, and you don’t feel like going back outside to look for dinner. You open Meituan or Ele.me, find plenty of nearby restaurants, and then get stuck at the delivery address or phone-number field.

This is the part many foreign visitors don’t expect. Ordering food delivery in China is easy once everything is set up, but the apps are mainly designed for local users. Your hotel name may appear only in Chinese, the rider may call instead of sending a message, and an overseas phone number may work during registration but fail when you try to place the order.

You can still order food to most hotels. The safest method is to get the hotel’s address in Chinese, ask where deliveries should be left, and prepare a Chinese message for the rider before you submit the order.

One name has also changed since many older guides were published: Ele.me (饿了么) was rebranded as Taobao Instant Commerce (淘宝闪购) in December 2025. You may still see the Ele.me name, logo, or search term during the transition, so this guide uses both names where helpful.

01. Can Foreigners Use Meituan and Ele.me?

Yes. Foreign visitors can use China’s major food-delivery platforms, but the exact experience depends on your account, phone number, app version, payment method, and city.

The two main services are:

According to Alibaba Group, Ele.me was officially rebranded as Taobao Instant Commerce in December 2025. Its on-demand delivery service now covers food, drinks, groceries, daily necessities, and other products.

Meituan also covers more than food delivery. Inside the app, you may see hotels, restaurants, attraction tickets, entertainment, medicine, groceries, and other local services.

For this guide, you only need the food-delivery sections:

• 外卖 — Food delivery
• 美团外卖 — Meituan Food Delivery
• 淘宝闪购 — Taobao Instant Commerce
• 饿了么 — Ele.me

02. Which Platform Is Easier for a Foreign Tourist?

Neither platform has a completely consistent English ordering experience across every app version and entry point.

For many short-term visitors, the practical order is:

1. Set up Alipay with your overseas phone number and international card.
2. Search Alipay for 饿了么 or 淘宝闪购.
3. If that route does not work, try the standalone Meituan app.
4. Ask your hotel front desk for help with the address or phone-number field.

Alipay provides an international version and translation tools for overseas visitors. However, translation coverage can vary once you enter a third-party mini-program. Restaurant names, dish names, customer reviews, options, and delivery notes may remain in Chinese.

Meituan can be useful when you want a wider selection of nearby restaurants and local services, but you should expect more Chinese text.

You do not need to install every Chinese app before your trip. Our separate guide explains the essential apps foreign travelers should download before visiting China.

03. Can You Order Food Delivery to a Hotel in China?

Yes, you can usually order food delivery to a hotel.

The rider may not be allowed to go to your room. Many hotels ask riders to leave orders at:

• The front desk
• A table near the lobby entrance
• A designated delivery shelf
• A food-delivery locker
• A separate side entrance

Before ordering, ask the front desk:

外卖可以送到哪里？
Wàimài kěyǐ sòng dào nǎlǐ?
Where should food deliveries be left?

Also ask the hotel to show you its full address in Chinese. The English hotel name alone may not be enough because several hotels can have similar names, multiple buildings, or more than one entrance.

Information to get from the hotel

Ask for:

• Full hotel name in Chinese
• Street address in Chinese
• District and city
• Correct entrance for deliveries
• Whether the rider should use the front desk or delivery shelf
• Whether the hotel allows riders to go upstairs
• A front-desk telephone number, if the hotel permits you to use it

Do not use the hotel’s phone number without asking. Reception staff may agree to receive the rider’s call, but this is a hotel service rather than a standard right.

04. Set the Delivery Address Before Choosing a Restaurant

Food-delivery apps show restaurants based on your delivery location. If the location is wrong, you may spend time choosing food and then discover that the restaurant cannot deliver to your hotel.

Look for:

• 收货地址 — Delivery address
• 新增地址 — Add a new address
• 选择地址 — Select an address
• 定位 — Locate
• 详细地址 — Detailed address
• 门牌号 — Building or room number
• 联系人 — Contact person
• 手机号 — Mobile phone number

Use both the map pin and the Chinese address

The map pin helps the platform calculate delivery distance, while the written address tells the rider which building and entrance to find.

Do not rely on GPS alone. In a large hotel complex, the pin may land behind the building, at a car-park entrance, or on a nearby road.

A hotel delivery address can look like this:

上海市静安区南京西路XXX号，XX酒店一楼前台
No. XXX West Nanjing Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai — XX Hotel, first-floor reception

If the hotel does not allow riders upstairs, do not enter only your room number. Write 一楼前台, meaning “first-floor front desk.”

Useful delivery note for a hotel

Copy this into the order note:

外国游客，不会说中文。请送到酒店一楼前台，不用上楼。到了请在App里发消息，谢谢。

Meaning:

I’m a foreign visitor and don’t speak Chinese. Please leave the order at the hotel’s first-floor front desk. You don’t need to come upstairs. Please message me in the app when you arrive. Thank you.

A shorter version is:

请放酒店前台，到了App发消息，谢谢。
Please leave it at the hotel front desk and message me in the app when you arrive. Thank you.

05. What If You Don’t Have a Chinese Phone Number?

This is the biggest difficulty for many tourists.

Some platform versions allow an overseas number during registration. However, the delivery order may still ask for a contact number that the restaurant or rider can reach in China. SMS codes and forwarded rider calls may not work reliably with every overseas number.

A data-only travel eSIM does not usually include a phone number, so it cannot receive normal calls or SMS.

Try these options in order

Option 1: Enter your overseas number if the platform accepts it

Choose the correct country code and make sure the number can receive calls or SMS while you are in China.

This may work, but do not assume the rider will successfully reach an international number. Chinese delivery platforms commonly protect privacy by connecting calls through a temporary or masked number, and international forwarding may not always work.

Option 2: Use in-app messaging

Once a rider accepts the order, look for:

• 联系骑手 — Contact the rider
• 在线联系 — Contact online
• 发消息 — Send a message
• 电话 — Call
• 骑手 — Delivery rider

Send the hotel-delivery note immediately instead of waiting for the rider to call.

Keep the order screen open and watch the delivery progress. When the rider is close, go to the hotel lobby.

Option 3: Ask the hotel whether you can use the front-desk number

Some hotels will let you enter the reception number and will tell the rider where to leave the food.

Ask:

我没有中国手机号，可以留酒店前台电话吗？
Wǒ méiyǒu Zhōngguó shǒujī hàomǎ, kěyǐ liú jiǔdiàn qiántái diànhuà ma?
I don’t have a Chinese phone number. May I use the hotel front-desk number?

Confirm this before placing the order. Otherwise, the hotel may receive a call without knowing which guest ordered the food.

Option 4: Ask the hotel to help place the order

If the platform rejects your number completely, show the restaurant and dishes to the front-desk staff and ask whether they can help.

Hotels are not required to place personal orders for guests, so ask politely. You should still pay for the order yourself whenever possible.

Option 5: Buy a Chinese SIM card

A local number is the most reliable long-term solution if you expect to order food, receive deliveries, make reservations, or use local services regularly.

Our guide to staying connected in China with an eSIM, local SIM or international roaming explains when a Chinese number is worth getting.

06. How to Order Food on Meituan

The exact layout can change, but the normal Meituan ordering process is:

1. Open Meituan (美团).
2. Tap 外卖 or 美团外卖.
3. Confirm the delivery location at the top of the screen.
4. Select or add your hotel address.
5. Choose a restaurant.
6. Select the dishes and required options.
7. Open the shopping cart.
8. Check fees, discounts, and delivery time.
9. Confirm the contact number and delivery note.
10. Select an available payment method.
11. Submit the order.
12. Follow the rider’s progress on the order page.

Chinese labels you will probably see

Do not tap 提交订单 until you have checked the address, phone number, dish options, and total amount.

07. How to Order Through Ele.me or Taobao Instant Commerce

In 2026, you may find the former Ele.me service under 淘宝闪购, meaning Taobao Instant Commerce.

Depending on your app version, you may access it through:

• The Taobao app
• The standalone Taobao Instant Commerce app
• An Ele.me entry that still uses the old name
• A service entry or mini-program inside Alipay

Try searching for both:

• 饿了么
• 淘宝闪购

The general ordering process is similar to Meituan:

1. Confirm your delivery address.
2. Browse nearby restaurants.
3. Choose dishes and required options.
4. Check the minimum order and additional fees.
5. Add a delivery note.
6. Select an available payment method.
7. Place the order.
8. Follow the delivery status.

Because the brand transition is still relatively recent, older screenshots and instructions may say Ele.me while your phone displays Taobao Instant Commerce. This does not necessarily mean you opened the wrong service.

08. How to Understand Chinese Food Menus

Pictures help, but they do not tell you everything.

Chinese menu listings often require you to choose size, spice level, temperature, ingredients, or a set-meal combination before adding the item to your cart.

Look for these words:

Use Alipay’s translation tool where available, your phone’s screenshot translation, or a camera translator.

Do not rely only on automatic translation if you have a serious food allergy. Ingredients, sauces, stocks, and cross-contamination may not be fully listed.

For a dietary request, you can use:

我对花生过敏，请不要放花生。
I’m allergic to peanuts. Please do not add peanuts.

我不吃猪肉，请不要放猪肉。
I don’t eat pork. Please do not include pork.

请不要放辣椒。
Please do not add chili.

A note may be missed during a busy period. If an ingredient could cause a severe reaction, ordering from an unfamiliar restaurant through an app may not be the safest option.

09. Check the Full Price Before Paying

The menu price is not always the final amount.

Your checkout page may include:

• Food price
• 配送费 — Delivery fee
• 打包费 — Packaging fee
• Minimum-order requirement
• Discounts
• Coupons
• Membership offers
• Extra fees for distance or weather

Discount systems can be confusing. Some offers require a membership, a certain payment method, or a minimum spend. Do not subscribe to a recurring membership just to save a small amount on one tourist order unless you understand the renewal terms.

10. How Can Foreigners Pay for Food Delivery?

Food-delivery orders are normally paid inside the app or mini-program. Do not assume that cash on delivery will be available.

The payment methods shown at checkout depend on the platform and entry point. They may include:

• Alipay
• Weixin Pay or WeChat Pay
• A platform payment account
• A linked bank card
• Other locally supported payment options

China’s official payment guidance confirms that overseas visitors can link eligible international cards to Alipay and Weixin Pay. However, an international card that works for an in-person QR payment may not work in every third-party mini-program or online transaction.

The checkout screen is the final test. If your linked card does not appear:

1. Return to the payment method page.
2. Try another linked card.
3. Try Alipay instead of Weixin Pay, or the other way around.
4. Switch from the standalone app to a supported mini-program.
5. Ask the hotel whether it can help you place the order.

For full payment setup and troubleshooting, use our guide to paying in China with Alipay, WeChat Pay and cash. We also have a separate guide to using WeChat Pay without a Chinese bank card.

11. What Happens After You Place the Order?

Keep your phone nearby and watch the order screen.

Common order statuses include:

When the rider is close, go to the lobby or agreed delivery point. Do not wait in your room if the hotel does not allow delivery riders upstairs.

The rider may:

• Call you
• Send an in-app message
• Leave the order at reception
• Upload a delivery photo
• Mark the order as delivered after placing it on a shelf

If the app says 已送达 but you cannot find the order, check the front desk, delivery shelf, locker, side entrance, and any delivery photo before reporting it missing.

12. What If the Rider Calls and You Don’t Speak Chinese?

Do not panic and do not repeatedly reject the call without checking the app. The rider may be outside the wrong entrance or asking where to leave the food.

Open the order and send:

我不会说中文。请在App里发消息。
I don’t speak Chinese. Please message me in the app.

If the rider is already at the hotel:

请放在酒店前台，我马上下来拿。
Please leave it at the hotel front desk. I’ll come down to collect it now.

If you cannot find the rider:

我在酒店大堂，请问您在哪里？
I’m in the hotel lobby. Where are you?

You can copy the rider’s message into a translator or take a screenshot and translate it.

If communication still fails, show the live order page to the front-desk staff. They can often identify the rider’s location or call on your behalf.

13. What If Something Goes Wrong?

The restaurant cancels the order

The restaurant may be closed, too busy, out of stock, or unable to deliver to your location. Check whether the app automatically starts a refund, then choose another restaurant.

The rider cannot find the hotel

Send the Chinese hotel name, confirm the entrance, and go to the lobby. A map pin can still lead a rider to the wrong side of a large building.

Part of the order is missing

Take a clear photo of everything you received and open the order’s customer-service or refund section.

Look for:

• 申请售后 — Request after-sales service
• 申请退款 — Request a refund
• 少送 — Missing item
• 错送 — Wrong item
• 联系客服 — Contact customer service

The food arrives damaged or spilled

Photograph the packaging and food before throwing anything away. Submit the evidence through the order page.

You selected the wrong address

Try to cancel immediately. Once the restaurant starts preparing the food or the rider collects it, cancellation may be restricted or may not produce a full refund.

Do not ask the rider to travel a long distance to a different address. Place a new order if the location cannot be corrected through the platform.

14. Useful Chinese Messages for Hotel Delivery

Save these before ordering:

Before You Place Your First Order

For the smoothest first delivery:

1. Ask the hotel for its Chinese address.
2. Confirm where riders should leave food.
3. Set the hotel location before choosing a restaurant.
4. Ask whether you may use the reception number if you do not have a Chinese number.
5. Add a Chinese delivery note.
6. Use a payment method you have already tested.
7. Watch the live order status.
8. Go to the lobby before the rider arrives.

Once the address and contact details are saved, future orders become much easier. The first order is the one that usually needs a little help.

Official Sources Used
Alibaba Group — Taobao Instant Commerce
Meituan — Official Website
Meituan — Customer Service Hotlines
Chinese Government — Payment Service Guide for Overseas Visitors
Shanghai Government — Payment Methods for Foreign Visitors

App names, interfaces, phone-number requirements, payment options, and delivery rules can change. Check the current order page and confirm the delivery arrangement with your hotel before paying.