ChefBear
Chinese Menu Translator · Free

The free Chinese menu translator for iPhone.

ChefBear translates Chinese restaurant menus instantly — Simplified, Traditional, hand-written, photo-only. Recognizes regional cuisines (Sichuan, Cantonese, Hunan, etc.), generates AI photos, and flags allergens like peanuts and shellfish.

Download on theApp Store

Why Chinese menus are hard to translate

Chinese restaurant menus are uniquely difficult for translation apps because:

  • Poetic dish names — "Ants Climbing a Tree" (蚂蚁上树) is a real dish (minced pork over glass noodles). Literal translators get it wrong every time.
  • Regional cuisines — the same dish name in Sichuan vs. Cantonese can mean a totally different flavor profile.
  • Hidden allergens — peanuts, shellfish, and sesame are common in Chinese cooking and rarely listed.
  • Hand-writing — chalkboards and daily-special menus dominate small Chinese restaurants.
  • Picture-only menus — common in dim sum restaurants, tea houses, and street food.

ChefBear is built specifically for these cases — its vision-language model is trained on Chinese menu data, not just generic OCR.

What ChefBear's Chinese menu translator handles

Sichuan (川菜)

Mala (numbing-spicy), 宫保 (Kung Pao), 麻婆 (Mapo) — the spice level and signature flavor profiles surface clearly.

Cantonese (粤菜)

Dim sum carts, BBQ pork, congee, claypot — handled with regional naming.

Hunan (湘菜)

Dry-pot, smoked meats, chili-heavy dishes — distinguished from Sichuan.

Jiangsu / Zhejiang (江浙菜)

Lighter, sweeter, seafood-forward — Shanghai-style dishes recognized.

Northern (北方菜)

Dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, lamb, baked breads.

Hot pot (火锅)

Recognizes the format, surfaces ingredient lists, flags spice tiers.

Common Chinese dish translations ChefBear gets right

  • 宫保鸡丁 → Kung Pao Chicken (peanuts, dried chili, Sichuan peppercorn)
  • 麻婆豆腐 → Mapo Tofu (silken tofu in spicy fermented bean sauce)
  • 红烧肉 → Red-Braised Pork Belly (sweet, savory, soy-and-rock-sugar braise)
  • 水煮鱼 → Sichuan Boiled Fish in Chili Oil (looks fiery, is fiery)
  • 蚂蚁上树 → "Ants Climbing a Tree" (minced pork on glass noodles)
  • 夫妻肺片 → Sichuan Spicy Beef and Tripe (cold appetizer)
  • 佛跳墙 → "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" (luxury seafood soup)
  • 叫花鸡 → Beggar's Chicken (clay-baked whole chicken)

How to use ChefBear at a Chinese restaurant

  1. Download ChefBear free on the App Store before your trip.
  2. Set your output language to English (or any of the 6 other supported languages).
  3. Save your allergens — especially peanuts, shellfish, sesame.
  4. At the restaurant, open the camera and point at the menu.
  5. Read the translated menu with photos, allergen flags, and recommendations ranked for your taste.
  6. Show the waiter the original Chinese name when ordering — easier than mispronouncing it.

FAQ

What is the best app to translate a Chinese menu?

ChefBear is a free iPhone app that translates Chinese restaurant menus into English (or 5 other languages), recognizes Sichuan, Cantonese, and Mandarin dishes, generates AI photos for dishes without images, and flags allergens.

How do I read a Chinese menu without speaking Chinese?

Open ChefBear on iPhone, point the camera at the menu, and within seconds you have an English-translated menu with photos, ingredients, and personalized picks.

Does ChefBear handle regional Chinese cuisines?

Yes — Sichuan, Cantonese, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Shandong are all recognized and disambiguated.

Can ChefBear translate Traditional Chinese menus too?

Yes — both Simplified Chinese (mainland) and Traditional Chinese (Taiwan, Hong Kong) are supported.

Translate your next Chinese menu free.

Download on theApp Store

Related: All-language menu translator · AI menu · Menu scanner