7Days Inn Suzhou Industrial Park Sheng Pu Tongjiang Road

Tucked away in the Pingjiang historic quarter, this restaurant was remodelled from an ancient mansion encompassing the quintessence of classical Suzhou garden and architecture. Similarly, the season-driven menu is based heavily on Suzhou culinary traditions, enlivened by modern twists. Mantis shrimps with soft roe are dressed in fermented rice lees marinade and topped with caviar. The duck soup with ham and fox nuts presents rich flavours and deep umami.

This restaurant in a conveniently located shopping mall serves modern Chaozhou dishes alongside live seafood from Guangdong and Cantonese barbecue dishes grilled in-house. The angled luffa with Chaozhou beef balls, fish balls and pork sausage has a bouncy texture and the sweetness of cucumber. The sachima with olive kernels is an exclusive sweet with fluffy egg-fried batter bits. The set menus are great value. Booking recommended at peak times.

Situated right on the Grand Canal, this restaurant, furnished in traditional Chinese style, specialises in authentic Suzhou cuisine at sensible prices. The chef’s team excels in no-frills dishes that require solid skills. Suzhou style deep-fried eel is crispy in texture, coated in a sweet and sour sauce and sprinkled with sesame. Claypot rice with Suzhou braised pork, bamboo shoot, potato and extra chopped leeks is buttery and satisfying.

A whitewashed two-storey building with a tiled roof is home to this reincarnation of a noodle stall founded in 1931. The delightfully ornate interior pays homage to traditional Chinese decor. Suzhou noodles are either served in a soy-based or clear broth, or tossed in sauces. There are tens of toppings to choose from – if in doubt, go for any of the popular combinations. The shrimp trio with shrimps, their roe and tomalley is too good to be missed.

This shop is famed for its Aozao noodle soup, a Kunshan speciality and designated as intangible cultural heritage. Just a stone's throw from Pingjiang historic quarter, the restaurant is clean and cosy, albeit not particularly spacious. The noodles, cooked al dente, come with your choice of one or two toppings, such as braised pork, duck or fried eel strips – the most popular and loaded with umami. The red broth is flavoursome and sweet.

With a red façade and a cheeky sculpture of a ‘squirrel’ mandarin fish by its door, you cannot fail but notice A Cheng. Since 1999, it has been famous not only for fish, but also Suzhou classics like sweet and sour pork ribs – tender pork in a tangy sauce with spot-on acidity. The sautéed white assortment delivers varied textures with pork tripe, chicken, bamboo shoot and shrimps, while the peppery kick brings out the umami.

This shop has been selling pan-fried buns for over two decades. Now with a pair of branches in town, it is a household name beloved by locals. The queue may be off-putting, but rest assured that the buns – with fluffy dough, crispy bases and soupy fillings – are well worth the wait. The pork version may be hugely popular, but the vegan buns with Indian aster and dried tofu are incredibly aromatic. Try the taro balls in osmanthus sweet soup, too.