Restaurants

Most Cantonese dishes are stir-fried or steamed, although roasted meats such as barbecued chicken and pork are also popular. A Cantonese mid-morning favorite is dim sum, consisting of bite-sized dishes like dumplings, steamed buns, and pastries. Filled with meat and vegetables, they are a perfect way to start the day, and many traditional dim sum places stop serving by mid-afternoon. In Cantonese culture, weekend dim sum is a family affair.

While Guangzhou is more of a Cantonese-food capital, you can find many other types of food in Shenzhen. Since the city is growing so quickly, most residents are from elsewhere in China, and Hunan, Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Fujian-style dishes can be found easily. Also, more specific styles of food such as Chiu Chow, with its seafood porridges and fish-ball soups, and Hakka, with its more home-style soups and excellent tofu dishes, are plentiful.