Wenzhou Dining

Top Dishes
Wenzhou dishes have a long history dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). There are over 250 delicious recipes based on sea food and using fish, shrimps, crabs and shells as their basic ingredients. They are cooked using some 30 different methods and appear beautiful with enticing aromas.

San Si Qiao Yu (Fish Boiled with Three Kinds of Shreds) is a traditional Wenzhou dish and is easy to cook. The fish is cut into pieces and boiled with shreds of chicken, hams and wood mushrooms. The tender and smooth fish meat is very appetizing and this dish is usually used to entertain friends and relatives on festivals by the locals.

Garlic Seasoned Fishskin is a popular dish among the locals. The basic ingredient is the skin of a kind of edible shark which the locals braise with quantities of garlic that can make the skin soft and tender. It is said the dish helps to expel toxin in the human body.

Double Tastes Crabs is a piece of cake cooked with crab meat and pork during both steaming and frying, leaving it with two distinct tastes, hence its name. The cake is firstly formed by putting fried crab meat on the shreds of pork to fry together in a pan; then is placed on a plate with another steamed crab meat decorated. The dish looks like a live crab and the meat tastes surprisingly fresh.

In addition, the locals have other special ways of eating sea food. For example, they dry the fresh yellow-fin tunas and cuttle fish or soak the crabs and jellyfish. They even eat the live river shrimps or oysters with a variety of seasonings including wine, sugar and ginger.

Recommended Restaurants
Nanxi Top Restaurant: 2nd floor, Yong Jia Mansion, No.70, North Feixia Road
2nd floor, Sheng Li Mansion, Sheng Li Road
Fenshui Che Delicious Food City: 2nd floor, Zheng Mao Mansion (B), Xin Cheng Street

Appetizers
Wenzhou boasts hundreds of varieties of local appetizers. Various dumplings and cakes will no doubt offer a feast to any discerning stomach.

Xianqian Tang Yuan
Tang Yuan is a kind of dumpling having different kinds of ingredients as its stuffing. The locals regard Tang Yuan as the symbol of reunion and luck because of their round shapes and pure white colors. Among all the kinds of Tang Yuan, those made of sesames, bean paste and pork are the most famous ones. Xi'an Qian Restaurant has a long history of making these dumplings, providing you with an excellent chance to enjoy the most traditional and genuine Tang Yuan.
Address of Xi'an Qian Restaurant: No.111, Xi'an Qian Mansion (A), Xi'an Qian Street

Tall Man Wonton (Chang Ren Hun Dun)
Wonton is another kind of dumpling which is stuffed with fresh pork. When the dumplings are boiled, they look like beautiful and transparent flowers because of their extremely thin wrappings. The locals are particular about the soup of the dumplings, in which they often add laver, egg, dried meat floss and small shrimps. Tall Man Wonton is named after a tall man who was renowned for selling the most delicious wonton in the 1930s. At present, there is still the Tall Man Wonton restaurant in the city situated at No.531, North Jie Fang Road

Short Man Sponge Cake
This is a kind of dim sum made of pork, glutinous rice and sugar. It is rectangular in shape and tastes soft, sweet and a little salty. The sellers often make the cakes and sell them instantly to ensure their true flavor. Cakes sold by a short man in the 1940s were well known among the locals, hence the name of the cake.
Address of Short Man Sponge Cake Restaurant: No.116-1, Double Lotus Mansion, Xiao Nan Road

Lamp Cake
It is a kind of fried cake formed into the shape of exquisite lamps which explains the name. There are many flavors of the cake with varieties of stuffing such as pork, shelled fresh shrimps, abalones meat and beef. The cakes have enticing aromas and taste crisp. Da Wang Lamp Cake restaurant is the most popular with the locals where you may have to queue for your cakes!
Address of Da Wang Lamp Cake: No.239, North Jie Fang Road

Fish Pellet
It is one of the most famous local snacks. You can find fish pellet restaurants or stalls in almost every street of the city. The pellet is made of fresh fish meat with farina and other seasonings. After boiling, the white pellets give out tantalizing aromas with the fresh soup, drawing people to enjoy their peculiar taste.
Recommended restaurant: Wenzhou Restaurant: No.106, Chan Jie Street, Lu Cheng Road

In addition, the Nan Xi Wheat Cake, Li Datong Double Cooked Cake, Five Flavors Aromas Cake and Bean Curd Pellet are also famous local appetizers and well worth tasting.

Wenzhou also has fast and exotic food restaurants. Some of their addresses are detailed below for your convenience during your travels.

KFC
1st floor, China Films City, Middle Ren Min Road
No.80, North Fei Xia Road

McDonald's
Huan Qiu Mansion, Middle Ren Min Road
2nd floor, No.97, Wu Ma Street

Korean Cuisine
Hangu Village Restaurant: No.50, Lu Cheng Road

Cafés
Ming Tien Coffee: 2nd floor, Shun Jin Mansion, Jiang Bin Road
U.B.C. Coffee: No.163, Lu Cheng Road
Les Champs Coffee: 2nd floor, Huan Qiu Mansion, Ren Min Road

- Last updated on Jul. 19, 2022 -
Questions & Answers on Dining in Wenzhou
Asked by Annette from AUSTRIA | Sep. 13, 2017 02:42Reply
Looking for private dining rooms suitable for business dinner in Wenzhou and Ruian
We are visiting the two cities in October and wish to entertain a business dinner suitable for 12 people. Is there restaurants that have private dining room that offer a few dishes of various food to share?
Answers (2)
Answered by Mike from USA | Sep. 13, 2017 19:49
00Reply


I happen to know such a restaurant, Lanlifang Grand Hotel, which is in 274 Xueyuan Middle Rd, Lucheng District.

As for Ruian, you can go to Xilai Junyue Banquet Center, which is in 1688 Luoyang Avenue.
Answered by Romeo from ITALY | Sep. 14, 2017 20:32
00Reply


Hi, Annette! I also know a suitable place in the city, that’s Yindu Hotel, which is in 534 Tangjiaqiao Rd, Lucheng District.
Asked by Deke from USA | Oct. 02, 2016 05:45Reply
Good places to eat in walking distance from the Shangri-La Hotel in Wenzhou?
Is there any good places to eat or other interesting things to do in walking distance from the Shangri-La Hotel?
Answers (1)
Answered by Mary from USA | Oct. 09, 2016 02:37
00Reply


Sure! You can find many eateries and restaurants on Tangjiaqiao Road, about 800 yards to the west of the hotel. Also, you can go to visit the Yangfushan Park, about 1.5 miles to the southwest of the hotel. Have a good day! :)
Asked by MUSTDO | Jun. 03, 2016 16:16Reply
i am planing to visit wenzhou. so i am looking there is any halal restaurant there.
Answers (1)
Answered by Chris from INDIA | Jun. 04, 2016 04:51
10Reply


Muslim West Regions Halal Restaurant is highly recommended. You can easily find authentic halal foods there. And the dishes have reasonable prices. It's located at no.251, West Guangchang Road, Tangxia Town. Hope you like.
Asked by Nor from CHINA | Jan. 09, 2014 09:37Reply
hello, can you please give me the name any Halal restaurant in Ruain Wenzhou?
Answers (1)
Answered by Emily from NEW ZEALAND | Jan. 09, 2014 20:38
00Reply


You must refer to Rui'an City of WZ, right? Well, I know a Aladdin Halal Restaurant is very good and it is located at No. 4-6, West Wansong Road (Jinhu Road) in Rui'an.
Ask a Question
Question Summary (100 characters)
Details (optional) (2,000 characters)
NameCountryEmail