Guangzhou is the sprawling capital of Guangdong Province and the historic heart of Cantonese culture, sitting on the Pearl River in southern China. For more than 2,000 years it has been one of China's great trading ports — the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and, in later centuries, the only Chinese port legally open to Western trade. Today it is a hypermodern megacity of glass towers along the Pearl River, wrapped around an old town of Lingnan-style ancestral halls, colonial-era Shamian Island, and some of the best Cantonese food anywhere on earth, from dim sum teahouses to street stalls serving wonton noodles and roast goose.
Guangzhou is the historic heartland of Cantonese cuisine, prized across China for its emphasis on fresh ingredients, light seasoning, and precise steaming, stir-frying, and roasting techniques rather than heavy spice. The city's morning tea and dim sum culture, centered on century-old teahouses like Tao Tao Ju, sits alongside a thriving street-food scene in the old Xiguan quarter and a wholesale seafood and produce trade that keeps restaurant kitchens supplied with live fish, shrimp, and vegetables daily. Guangzhou is also the birthplace of the saying 'eat in Guangzhou' (shi zai Guangzhou), reflecting its long-standing reputation as mainland China's finest food city.
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Tao Tao Ju (Shifu Main Store)
Popular Cantonese - dim sum and morning tea restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: Guangzhou's oldest continuously operating restaurant, founded in 1880, serving more than 200 varieties of traditional dim sum
20 Dishifu Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510175, China
Guangzhou Restaurant (Wenchang Branch)
Popular Cantonese - dim sum and banquet cuisine restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: Established in 1935, one of Guangzhou's flagship traditional Cantonese restaurants and a longtime standard-bearer for classic banquet cooking
2 Wenchang South Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510140, China
Panxi Restaurant
Popular Cantonese - garden-style dim sum and roast meats restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: The largest garden-style restaurant in China, built on the shore of Liwan Lake on the site of a former Southern Han-dynasty pleasure garden
151 Longjin West Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510150, China
Datong Restaurant (Yanjiang Road)
Popular Cantonese - dim sum and roast meats restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: A multi-floor Pearl River-front institution serving over a thousand dishes with an emphasis on dim sum and Cantonese roast specialties
63 Yanjiang Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510110, China
Lei Garden (Yuexiu)
Popular Cantonese fine dining restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: MICHELIN one-star Cantonese restaurant from the Hong Kong-founded Lei Garden group, known for refined interpretations of classic Cantonese banquet dishes
4F, Yi'an Plaza, 33 Jianshe Sixth Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Yu Yue Heen (Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou)
Popular Cantonese fine dining restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: MICHELIN one-star Cantonese restaurant on the 71st floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, combining panoramic Zhujiang New Town skyline views with refined Cantonese cooking
71F, Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou, 5 Zhujiang West Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510623, China
Hongtu Hall (White Swan Hotel)
Popular Cantonese fine dining restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: MICHELIN one-star Cantonese restaurant inside the historic White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island, blending classic Cantonese dim sum with river views
2F, White Swan Hotel, 1 Shamian South Street, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510133, China
Jiang by Chef Fei (Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou)
Popular Cantonese fine dining restaurant in Guangzhou.
Known for: MICHELIN two-star restaurant led by veteran Cantonese chef Fei Zhihui, pairing classical technique with premium ingredients inside the Mandarin Oriental
3F, Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou, 389 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510620, China
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Cantonese
Tao Tao Ju (Shifu Main Store)
Guangzhou Restaurant (Wenchang Branch)
Panxi Restaurant
Datong Restaurant (Yanjiang Road)
Zhu Zai Ji Shi Fu (Jiangnan Avenue)
Bingsheng Taste (Haiyin Main Store)
Xiguan Zhuyuan (Lizhiwan)
Ronghua Lou
Nanxin Milk Dessert Expert (Dishifu Road)
Wuzhan Ji (Longjin Middle Road)
Xin Wen Ji (Panfu Road)
Cantonese Fine Dining
Retro Food
Shunde Cuisine
Street food
Local flavours at affordable prices.
Rice noodle rolls (cheung fun)
Silky steamed rice-flour rolls filled with shrimp, beef, or char siu pork, served with soy sauce and sesame seeds, sold from street carts and breakfast stalls citywide.
Price: CNY 8-15 (approx $1.10-2.10) per plate
Guangzhou-style wonton noodles (wantan mian)
Thin egg noodles in a shrimp-and-pork-bone broth topped with shrimp wontons, a Cantonese street classic sold from small family-run noodle shops.
Price: CNY 15-25 (approx $2.10-3.50) per bowl
Double-skin milk pudding (shuangpi nai)
A chilled, delicately layered milk custard dessert associated with the Shunde/Guangzhou area, served plain or with red bean.
Price: CNY 10-18 (approx $1.40-2.50) per bowl
Stinky tofu and stir-fried snails
Deep-fried fermented tofu and Cantonese-style stir-fried river snails in black bean sauce, classic late-evening night-market snacks.
Price: CNY 10-30 (approx $1.40-4.20) per portion
Food markets
Where locals shop and graze.
Qingping Market
A historic market street selling dried herbs, spices, and traditional Chinese medicine ingredients alongside fresh produce, once one of Guangzhou's largest wholesale wet markets.
Hours: Daily approximately 7:00 AM-6:00 PM
Huangsha Seafood Market
One of Guangzhou's best-known live seafood wholesale markets, where shoppers can buy fresh fish, shrimp, and shellfish and have them cooked on the spot at surrounding restaurants for a small preparation fee.
Hours: Daily approximately 6:00 AM-9:00 PM
Yide Road Dried Seafood Market
The city's largest dried seafood and dried goods wholesale street, useful for sourcing ingredients like dried scallops and fish maw used in Cantonese home cooking.
Hours: Early morning to late afternoon; many shops close by 5:00 PM
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
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Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | CNY 30-60 ($4.20-8.40) per person for noodle shops, street food, and casual canteens | Street food, local eateries, and simple restaurants. |
| Mid-range | $15-40/meal | Sit-down restaurants with good service and varied menus. |
| Upscale | $40+/meal | Fine dining, international cuisine, and premium experiences. |