Food Delivery Apps: Meituan vs Ele.me

Quick Answer (30 seconds)

Chinese food delivery uses Meituan or Ele.me. Both apps support international phone registration, but interfaces are mostly Chinese. Easiest approach: search "美团外卖" (Meituan) or "饿了么" (Ele.me) directly in Alipay or WeChat mini-programs — no app download needed. Minimum order: ¥15-30. Delivery fee: ¥2-8. Critical reminder: the delivery rider needs a Chinese phone number to reach you — use your hotel front desk number + note your room number. The remarks field (备注) is where you write "no scallions" or "mildly spicy" — they actually read it.

Chinese people order 300 million deliveries a day. You don't need Chinese — you just need to scan and pay.

Full Guide

I've lived in Beijing for five years and order delivery almost every other day. Honestly, the efficiency of China's food delivery system makes Uber Eats in New York look like a joke — delivery fees are absurdly cheap, speeds fast enough to make you wonder if they started cooking before you ordered. But for foreigners, registration and communication are the two hurdles.

The Two Platforms Compared

Meituan (美团 - měi tuán) — China's largest delivery platform. Search "meituan" on the App Store to download. Supports international phone registration. The app has a partial English interface. Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay. Covers all cities nationwide.
Ele.me (饿了么 - è le me) — Owned by Alibaba, second in market share. Android users need to download via the "Tencent AppStore (应用宝)" app store (Google Play isn't available in China). iOS users can search "饿了么" or "淘宝闪购" on the App Store (Ele.me was rebranded to Taobao Flash Buy in December 2025). Supports international phone registration. Ele.me has a mini-program inside Alipay — you can order directly without the app.
Market share — Meituan holds about 50%+, Ele.me (rebranded as Taobao Flash Buy) about 42%, and JD Food Delivery entered in 2025 with about 7%. Multiple platforms operate in most cities, but Meituan has better coverage in smaller cities.

The Easy Way: Mini-Programs

Don't want to download an app? I get it. Both Alipay and WeChat have mini-programs — just search "美团外卖" (Meituan Food Delivery) or "饿了么" (Ele.me) and you're in. The functionality is basically the same as the app.

Steps:

Open Alipay or WeChat
Type "美团外卖" or "饿了么" in the search bar on the home screen
Tap to enter the mini-program
The system will ask you to authorize your phone number — if your international number is registered with Alipay, it works
Pick a restaurant, choose dishes, place order, pay

No extra app downloads needed. As long as Alipay works for payment, you're set.

Registration Process (Meituan App Example)

Search "meituan" on the App Store, download the Meituan app
Open the app, select phone number registration
Enter your international phone number (+1, +44, etc.), receive SMS verification code
Set a password
Link payment method: Alipay or WeChat Pay
Start ordering

Note: Meituan has an English interface, but it's incomplete — core features have English, but restaurant reviews, discount rules, and other details are still in Chinese. Ele.me currently has no English interface at all.

How to Order Food

Location — The app auto-detects your location. If you're at a hotel, make sure it pinpoints the correct address
Choose restaurant — Sort by distance, or search by dish name (e.g., "宫保鸡丁" for Kung Pao Chicken). Look at ratings: anything above 4.5 stars is generally safe
Select dishes — Tap items to add to your cart. Watch for "minimum order" (起送价) — if your total doesn't reach this amount, they won't deliver
Fill address — Be detailed: hotel name, floor, room number. If at a hotel, write the hotel name + room number
Write remarks — This is crucial. The remarks field is where you put special requests
Pay — Complete payment with Alipay or WeChat Pay

Delivery Fees and Minimum Orders

Minimum order — Most restaurants: ¥15-30. Your total must reach this amount for delivery
Delivery fee — Usually ¥2-8, based on distance
Peak surcharge — Lunch (11 AM-1 PM) and dinner (5-7 PM) peak hours may add ¥1-3 to the delivery fee
Rain/extreme weather — Delivery fees may double, and delivery time extends by 15-30 minutes. Typhoons may suspend service entirely
Spend-and-save deals — Many restaurants offer "spend ¥30 save ¥5" or "spend ¥50 save ¥10" promotions. Bundling dishes to hit the threshold is cheaper than ordering individually

The Remarks Field Explained

The remarks field (备注) is the soul of Chinese food delivery. You can write:

Spice level — "微辣" (mildly spicy), "不辣" (not spicy), "特辣" (extra spicy)
Allergies/aversion — "免葱" (no scallions), "不要香菜" (no cilantro)
Delivery instructions — "放门口" (leave at door), "到了打电话" (call when arrived)
Utensils — "不要筷子" (no chopsticks needed), "要勺子" (need a spoon)

Riders actually read these. I once wrote "no cilantro, no scallions" and the dish arrived perfectly clean. Reliable.

The Phone Number Problem (Most Important)

This is the biggest trap for foreigners ordering delivery. When the rider arrives at your building, they call you to come down and pick up the food. If you put your foreign number, the rider can't reach you — their phone can't make international calls.

Solutions:

Use hotel front desk number — Write the hotel name and room number in the address field, and put the hotel front desk's number as your contact. The rider calls the front desk, the desk transfers to your room. Write in remarks: "Foreign guest, please transfer to room XXXX"
Use a Chinese friend's number — If you have a Chinese friend, use their number and have them relay the message
Wait downstairs yourself — Watch the delivery progress in the app, go downstairs 5 minutes before estimated arrival
Buy a Chinese SIM card — If you're staying a while, a prepaid SIM (¥30-50) gives you a number that riders can actually call

Tipping

Don't. China has no tipping culture for food delivery. Riders earn a base wage plus per-delivery commission. You don't need to add extra money.

Some apps have a "tip" feature (usually ¥1-2), but it's entirely voluntary. Not tipping is completely normal.

Troubleshooting

Problem 1: Rider Arrived But Can't Reach You

What happens: You put your foreign number. The rider arrives, calls, can't get through, waits 5 minutes, and leaves. The order shows "delivery failed."

Fix: Check the in-app chat — the rider may have sent a message (in Chinese). Use a translation app to send "我在楼下等" (I'm waiting downstairs). If the rider has already left, contact the restaurant's customer service — they can usually arrange redelivery. Next time, always use the hotel front desk number + room number in remarks.

Problem 2: The Food Looks Nothing Like the Photos

What happens: You ordered "braised pork" based on a beautiful photo. What arrived is a blackish blob that bears zero resemblance to the picture.

Fix: Many Chinese delivery photos are reference images, not actual photos of the dish. Next time, check user-uploaded photos in the reviews section — they're far more honest than the official images. Stick to restaurants rated 4.5 and above. And honestly, if it's ¥20-30, just eat it and move on.

Problem 3: Still Not Delivered After an Hour

What happens: The app estimated 40 minutes, but it's been 60 minutes and no sign of your food.

Fix: Check the delivery progress — the rider may be carrying multiple orders and delivering them in sequence, so yours might be queued. Rain and peak hour delays of 15-30 minutes are normal. If severely delayed, the app usually issues a coupon automatically as compensation. You can contact customer service in the app to push the order, but honestly, it doesn't help much.

Last verified: August 2026 · Sources: Meituan App (App Store), Ele.me App, Alipay mini-program documentation · Delivery fees and minimum orders vary by city and restaurant.