不要香菜。

You can say this right after ordering your dish. Just look at the waiter and say bùyào xiāngcài. If you want to be extra polite, add qǐng at the beginning. It works for street food, fancy restaurants, and delivery apps. Most people will understand you immediately without any further explanation.

Use it whenever you are ordering noodles, soups, or street snacks. Cilantro is a very common garnish in China. It often appears unexpectedly in beef noodles or pancakes. Use it the moment you hand over your menu. It is better to be early than to spend ten minutes picking green leaves out of your soup.

Do not use this if you are a guest at someone's home. It might seem a bit too blunt or demanding. In a private home, it is better to say you have a small allergy. Also, do not use it for dishes where cilantro is the main ingredient. You cannot order a "Cilantro Salad" and then say bùyào xiāngcài without confusing everyone.

Cilantro is a polarizing topic in China, just like everywhere else. Some regions use it as a heavy garnish to cut through fatty meats. There is actually a huge online community of "Cilantro Haters" in China. You are not alone in your struggle against the green herb. It is a perfectly acceptable dietary preference to express.

You might hear people say bié fàng xiāngcài, which means "don't put cilantro." Another common one is wǒ bù chī xiāngcài, meaning "I don't eat cilantro." If you are using a delivery app, you can type these four characters in the notes section. It is the most common note left on food orders across the country.