Dalian Dining

Surrounded by the Yellow Sea and inland Bohai Sea, Dalian has a coastline of nearly 2000 kilometers (1,243 miles). The northern temperate climate and high rainfalls have endowed Dalian with an ideal seawater environment producing an abundance of nutritious marine life, including fish, prawns, crabs, shells, echinus, sea cucumbers, and abalone.Therefore, sea food is the main focus of Dalian's cuisine.

Some well known dishes of this region include stir-fried prawn, steamed sea bream, steamed scallops, and lantern shaped steamed abalone.In addition to seafood, be sure to try the local snacks of Dalian.

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There are two famous dining streets in the city. One is located on Tianjin Walking Street to the north of Zhongshan Square and east of Shengli (Victory) Square. Trying the inexpensive snacks should always be on the itinerary for travelers, as sampling the local snacks is a way of exploring the local life. The most popular snacks in Dalian are Men Zi, Salted Fish, and Corn Pancakes. Other delicacies include dumplings, thin pancakes rolled with smoked meat, tea eggs, bean-milk, and so on. The kebab-style grills with beef, mutton and Dalian's sleeve-fish are also very popular among street diners. There're some brief descriptions of the seafood and snacks found in the city below in Dalian Specialty Dishes.

  • Dalian Specialty Dishes
  • Local Traditional Restaurants
  • Grill Restaurants
  • Seafood Restaurants in Dalian
  • Cantonese Restaurants in Dalian
  • Dalian Specialty Dishes

    Learn Chinese at Top Chinese UniversitiesStir-Fried Prawns and Lobsters

    Gutted prawns and lobsters are stir-fried with ginger, spring onions, and spices, and then stewed in low heat.The finished prawns and lobsters should have a bright appearance, like a red flower, with a fresh and tender taste.


    Steamed Sea Bream

    Steamed Sea Bream is a very famous cuisine. They are steamed with ginger, spring onions, mushrooms, ham pieces, and bamboo shoots for fifteen minutes. It is a favorite dish and is generally served with wine.


    Study Mandarin Chinese in ChinaSteamed Scallops

    Fresh scallops are steamed with lima beans, shallots, wine, and sauces - preserving the original flavor of the seafood. When cooked, they are served on tender egg white pieces with vegetables and diced carrot, presenting an artful appearance and adding to the fresh taste.


    Lantern-Shaped Steamed Abalone

    Shelled abalones are elaborately cut into the shape of lanterns and steamed with the seasonings of shallot, gingers, and salt for seven minutes. The finished dish should contain the fresh flavor of abalone. It is usually served with simmering shellfish soup.


    Men Zi

    This is a traditional snack in Dalian. A protein rich food heavy from an extract of pachyrhizus (something like potatoes) is cut into pieces and fried on a pan to create a crisp outer shell. A mixed seasoning of smashed garlic, sesame, and sauces is added before eating. Many small food stalls sell this popular item. Packed Men Zi can also be found on most supermarket shelves in the city.


    Salted Fish and Corn Pancake

    This title actually refers to two things: the baked salted fish is served in a crispy corn pancake. Tradition has it that fishermen who go out in the morning could not return home to have lunch would bake the fresh fish to eat with the pancakes, and this habit has passed down from generation to generation since the earliest days.

    Local Traditional Restaurants

    Chengdu Lao Tan Zi Hotpot
    Address:No. 74 Lu Xun Road, Sanba Plaza, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8271-8899 ext 3210


    Da Han Wang Grill House
    Address:No. 34 Yong Zheng Street, Shahekou District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8430-9977
    Opening Hours:10:00 am -10:30 pm


    Jiang Nan Chun Restaurant
    Address:No. 91 Lu Xun Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel:(86411) 8272-9916
    Opening Hours:9:30am 10:00 pm


    Taipei Liu's Dumplings
    Address:No. 26 Ba Yi Road, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8268-3494


    Grill Restaurants

    Matthew's Brazil Barbecue (Authentic Brazilian BBQ)
    Address:No. 95 Lianhe Road, Shahekou District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8454-3333


    Golden Hans Barbecue
    Latin American BBQ, buffet, German beers, band performances
    Address:No. 31 Yan'an Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8264-3333


    Yi Xin Barbecue (Korean BBQ)
    Branch 1:
    Address: No. 24 6 Tangshan Road, Xigang District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8362-9230
    Branch 2:
    Address:No. 56 Tangshan Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8265-5878

    Seafood Restaurants in Dalian

    WanbaoSeafoodCity
    Address:No. 9 Songlin Street, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8282-3888


    Shuangshengyuan
    It's an authentic century-old seafood restaurant in Dalian, famous for salted fish and corn pancake

    Branch 1:
    Address: No. 71 Anshan Road, Shahekou District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8460-6212

    Branch 2:
    Address: No. 643 Huanghe Road, Xigang District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8454-1677


    Tian Tian Yu Gang

    Tian Tian Yu Gang is a locally well-known chained restaurant brand, renowned for their seafood. The service in different branches may vary a little.

    First Branch:
    Address: No. 72 Tianjin Street, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8263-3898

    Second Branch:
    Address: No. 41 Yan'an Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8281-3846

    Third Branch:
    Address: No. 10 Renmin Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8280-1118

    Fourth Branch:
    Address: Minzhu Square, No. 42 Minyu Street, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8282-3999

    Fifth Branch:
    Address: No. 45 Tongtai Street, Shahekou District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8454-9111


    Pinhailou

    This restaurant is elaborately decorated in blue with designs of the world's oceans on the walls. The service is considered to be one of the best of the seafood restaurants in the city.

    Address:No. 46 Er Qi Square, Beidou Street, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8271-9688


    Bangchuidao Hotel

    A seaside restaurant in the southeastern coastal area provides fresh scallops, abalone served with mustard juice.

    Address:No. 1 Yingbin Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8289-3888

    Wanfulu

    This restaurant is on the 3rd floor of Wanda International Hotel providing a buffet of a variety of local seafood.

    Address:3/F Wanda International Hotel, No. 539 Changjiang Road, Xigang District, Dalian

    Tel: (86411) 8362-8888

    Cantonese Restaurants in Dalian

    New Oriental (Xin Dong Fang) FoodCity
    Address:No. 3 Guangwan Square, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8271-3999

    Tsim Sha Tsui
    This servers Hong Kong dim sum such as egg tarts, cha siu bau (barbecued pork buns).

    Address: 1/F Bai Nian Cheng Building, Jiefang Road, Zhongshan District, Dalian
    Tel: (86411) 8230-7956

    NOTE: Although this information is correct at the time of our web publication, it is still advised that you call the phone number and confirm the address before going to the venue because some venues may have changed their telephone numbers or address locations.