5 of the best Shenzhen restaurants for regional Chinese cuisines, from Sichuan to Hunanese

High-end Chiu Chow cuisine, dishes from Ningbo, food from Yunnan, Sichuan and Hunan, Shenzhen has them all. Here’s where to eat them

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Xiang Jiao Hunan Bistro, known for its fiery Hunanese dishes, is one of many Shenzhen restaurants serving regional Chinese cuisines. Photo: Xiang Jiao Hunan Bistro

Published: 6:15pm, 21 Nov 2024

Welcome back to our monthly series on where and what to eat in Shenzhen, covering a range of the most interesting, special, and unique offerings in China’s third-fastest-growing city.

Last month we focused on Shenzhen’s many innovative restaurants with forward-thinking design.

But modernity is only half the story when it comes to Chinese dining trends. This month we explore restaurants serving Chinese regional cuisines – from peppery Hunan food to elegantly seasoned Ningbo dishes and premium Chiu Chow fare.

1. Gem Garden

The interior of Gem Garden, often described as Shenzhen’s most beautiful restaurant. Photo: Horizontal Design

With its garnet-hued carpets and brushed metal, Gem Garden, designed by Ju Bin of mainland Chinese studio Horizontal Design, is often described as Shenzhen’s most beautiful restaurant.

But it is not the seasonal floral arrangements or the sleek private rooms that have earned the restaurant accolades – it is the Chiu Chow dishes served there.

As a One Diamond restaurant in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, China’s answer to the Michelin Guide, it uses ingredients sourced from the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong province – where the Teochew Chinese live and the home of Chiu Chow cooking – with an emphasis on seafood, fruit and vegetables.

Executive chef Xu Zhen-kun, who has more than 30 years of experience, presides over a team of 28 chefs from Chaoshan who create ultra-premium dishes.