7 Popular Shenzhen Foods

Cantonese dim sum and congee are two Cantonese foods locals eat a lot of, and you might like to try them, but foreign foods and food from other regions such as pizza, steak, Sichuan hot pot, stir-fry dishes and Muslim noodles are also popular and have become the favorite restaurant meals in local restaurants. Shenzhen people are quite eclectic and international in their food choices. These seven dishes should most interest tourists and travelers.

Cantonese Dim Sum

Of all foods of Cantonese cuisine, dim sum is the favorite of foreigners in the Cantonese areas.

You can enjoy small morsels of food with tea at breakfast or lunch time. These are usually served in a small bowl or basket. Tea is also an important element of a traditional dim sum meal or snack. Diners may choose from green, oolong, jasmine, chrysanthemum, or other types of tea.

In restaurants, customers pick from a large selection of tasty choices that are served in steamer baskets or on small plates. The classic dim sum dishes include shrimp dumplings (har gau), congee (rice porridge), and steamed pork dumplings (siu mei). It helps to go in groups to be able to order as many different kinds of dim sum.

Where to Try It: Jinyue Cantonese Restaurant — Futian District

Dim sum and good air-conditioning makes Jinyue popular with foreigners. Dim sum is served from 8 am to 2 pm, and elegant dinners including seafood dishes are served in the evenings. Ranks 669 of 3,912 Shenzhen Restaurants on TripAdvisor.

· Chinese name: 金悦轩 Jinyue Xuan /jin-youair sshywen/

· Average price per person: 113 yuan

· Opening hours: 10am–3pm and 5pm–10:30pm

· Address: Floor 1-4, China House Mansion, 6013 Shennan Avenue, Futian District (福田区深南大道6013号中国有色大厦1-4楼)

· Tel: 9755-8886 8880

How to Have Dim Sum and Yum Cha in Hong Kong.

More recommended Chinese Restaurants in Shenzhen>>

Cantonese Congee

Congee is a popular breakfast and lunch meal among Cantonese.

Congee is a typical Cantonese food that many people eat daily. It is basically a soup made from rice and bits of other ingredients. To Western tastes, it is quite bland and seems like over watery rice, but many locals eat it daily for breakfast, snacks, and as part of lunch and dinner.

Yinxing Porridge Shop — Bao'an District

This restaurant features Cantonese congee (rice soup or creamy rice), and for this reason, it ranks lower among foreigners looking for something exciting like Beijing duck. But it ranks high with locals, and if you want some Cantonese bland rice dishes, this is where to go.

Wupi duck porridge is a specialty. Many other kinds of porridges are served such as lobster porridge and gamey porridges such as partridge and hare porridge. Every kind of porridge is cooked up by an elaborate technique.

· Address: Jianshe Road, Gongming Town, Bao'an District 银兴粥店. 深圳宝安区公明镇建设路（人民路口）

· Telephone: 7736856, 7737836

More typical Cantonese food eaten by locals are in Guangzhou Food.

Hot Pots

Steaming fiery-red Sichuan hot pots are the favorite kind of hot pot of Westerners

Hot pot restaurants are best for small groups of friends or family. This way of eating isn't Cantonese, but is common in Sichuan and other provinces.

You can enjoy socializing as the Chinese do by sitting around a table with a big pot boiling in the middle. You'll select a group of ingredients to boil with the help of the waiter.

Then diners put the ingredients into the pot and eat from it. This may sound like a strange way to have a meal, but it is a fun an interesting activity, and you can experiment with the flavors yourself and concoct your own masterpiece soup.

See more about Sichuan-style hot pots.

Haidilao Sichuan Hot Pot — Luohu District

Hot pots are the big restaurants (two floors) main business, and they try to make it fun. Foreigners who have not had hot pot before find it very fun and exciting to try this new type of Chinese food. It is easily accessible in Luohu form Hong Kong. Very popular: ranked #7 of 3,914 Restaurants in Shenzhen

· Chinese name: 海底捞火锅(友谊城店)

· Average price per person: 120 yuan

· Opening hours: 24 hours!

· Address: 5-6/F, Youyicheng, No.63 Youyi Road, Luohu District 罗湖区友谊路63号友谊城5-6楼

· Tel: 0755-82250991 Reservations are a must unless you want to wait. But they try to make your wait enjoyable with snacks, games, and etc.

Stir-Fry Dishes

Chow mein is stir-fried noodles.

People around the world have learned to like Chinese stir-fry dishes though the flavors and ingredients are not authentic and unusual as authentically prepared Chinese stir-fry are. Sichuan people love stir-fry dishes, and they make it memorable and interesting: spicy hot and mouth numbing. But you can ask them to hold back on the spices.

Bashu Style Sichuan — Luohu District

It might be the flagship of Sichuan cuisine in Shenzhen. Foreigners like it, and it is ranked #257 out of 3,912 restaurants (TripAdvisor, 2016). There are several branches in the city, but the one in Luohu is the most easily accessible for foreign travelers.

· Chinese name: 巴蜀风 Bashu Feng /ba-shoo fnng/

· Average price per person: 53 yuan

· Opening hours: 11am–2pm and 5pm–09:30pm

· Address: Luohu District, Phoenix Rd, Jinji Feng Huang Building, Level B1 罗湖区凤凰路京基凤凰印象b1楼7号商铺(黄贝岭地铁站). They recently moved to this new place.

· Tel: 0755-25680388

Good Steaks

Steaks have gotten popular with wealthier Chinese, and you'll find steak restaurants serving fine steak from Australia, Japan, and Taiwan.

Wang Steak at Windows of the World (华侨城店)

This restaurant is part of a large Taiwanese restaurant chain that has many steak restaurants in cities in China. This one is near the large Overseas Chinese Town with four large theme parks including Windows of the World and Splendid China. Only set meals are served here, and the bread set before the main dishes is tasty. Their steak is famous, but don't expect exactly Western flavors or style. Rated 86 of 3,915 Restaurants in Shenzhen.

· Chinese name: 王品台塑牛排 (华侨城店) Wangpintai Steak Restaurant, Huaqiaocheng branch.

· Average price per person: 295 yuan

· Open: 11:30am - 2pm, 5:30pm - 9pm

· Address: Floor 3, Yitian Holiday Square, 9028 Shennan Avenue, Nanshan District (南山区深南大道9028号益田假日广场3楼)

· Tel: 0755-86298729/30 It is popular with Chinese, so call ahead for reservations and quick service.

· Subway: Subway Line 1 to Window of the World (世界之窗站).

Pizza

After eating Chinese food for a while, you might yearn for the taste of diary and cheese and want calorie packed pizza. Foreigners who love pizza can find pizza at the Pizza Hut chain restaurants and at authentic Italian restaurants as well.

Trattoria D'Angelo – Sea World

Sea World has a lot of popular restaurants and has this big restaurant/hotel boat.

For fine dining and fine authentic Italian food, this rates very high with a Certificate of Excellence on Trip Advisor in 2016. There is an Italian chef with European management, and pizza is one of their fortes. Ranked 24 of 3,913 Restaurants on Trip Advisor in 2016.

· Chinese name: 艾嘉璐意大利餐厅（蛇口）

· Average price per person: 230 yuan

· Address: Taizi Plaza G12 Taizi Road, Shekou, Nanshan District (圳市南山区蛇口太子路太子广场G12号)

· Tel: 755 2682-5927

· Subway: Line 2 to Sea World Station (海上世界站).

Note about Sea World: Trattoria D'Angelo is in a restaurant and hotel area in a upper income expat enclave that is very popular with Westerners. Sea World ranks number 1 for Fun and Games in Shenzhen in TripAdvisor (2016), and there is a mix of popular Chinese, international, and chain restaurants such McDonalds, Pizza Hut and etc. You can expect higher prices with a more Western and less stressful and disorientating feel.

More recommended Western Restaurants in Shenzhen>>

Lanzhou-style Noodles made by Hand

Lanzhou Muslim hand-pulled noodle soup

A lot of of tourists and many expats have found Muslim-style noodle soup or spaghetti-like noodles with tomatoes and beef and chicken to be a staple quick meal they can enjoy casually and quickly, even in shorts and sandals. Far from ritzy, but it is tasty.

Muslim Noodle House — Sea World

Among these noodle restaurants, the most noteworthy and even getting listed220 of 3,912 Restaurants on Trip Advisor in 2016 is the Muslim Noodle House in the tourist/expat popular Sea World area.

It isn't a ritzy place, and the dishes are inexpensive. The consistent quality, large portions, and good tastes have made it popular. It is also among the least expensive restaurants for a meal around Sea World.

· Recommended dishes: Beef fried noodles (牛肉炒拉面) and beef noodle soup (牛肉拉面).

· Average price per person: 17 yuan

· Address: 8 Taizi Road, Shekou, Shenzhen (深圳市南山区蛇口太子路8号)

More top Muslim restaurants in Shenzhen>>

Enjoy Chinese food in a local restaurant

Since dining well is an important part of touring, it would be helpful to have a local guide who can give you some insider recommendations on what to eat and where.