Guangzhou Food

White Cut Chicken

White Cut ChickenWhite Cut Chicken

Baiqie chicken is one of the simplest in Cantonese cuisine, using only water to boil without any extra flavor. It tastes fresh and light, keeping the original taste of the chicken. Its cooking method is easy.

Firstly, choose a local chicken below one kilogram and clean it. Then cook it in boiling water for fifteen minutes. During the boiling process, raise the chicken twice. Subsequently let it cool. When the skin of the chicken is dry, mix it with cooked peanut oil.

When you eat it, toss in ginger and green onion and sprinkle cooked peanut oil. Baiqie chicken’s skin is tasty and refreshing and the chicken meat is not greasy or strongly flavored.

The Famous Baiqie chicken of Panxi Restaurant received the Golden Tripod Award for high quality production by the Department of Commerce. In addition, Qingping Chicken is an excellent version of Baiqie chicken.

Also Read: China's Top Food Cities

Special Roasted Whole Suckling Pig

Special Roasted Whole Suckling PigSpecial Roasted Whole Suckling Pig

The skills for roasting this valuable and rare banquet dish go back more than 1400 years. There are two main roasting methods. The first one keeps the skin smooth, using a low fire and only a little oil. The second melts the skin. It uses a big fire and oil is smeared on it continuously.

During the cooking process the oil explodes and forms bubbles which expand the pig's skin. It deepens to a golden color and the bubbles spread over it closely like sesame.

Roasted whole suckling pig from Datong Restaurant is especially noted. Do go and try it.

Guangzhou Featured Food

Being in Guangzhou, you can relax your eyes and relax your legs, but you just cannot relax your taste buds! Guangzhou food has won fame both at home and abroad. Food is an important part of Guangzhou: its living style and its history.

Yum Cha — Morning Tea

Yum ChaYum Cha

Yum cha (饮茶) is one of the most important parts of the traditional culture of Guangdong. Yum cha (饮茶), which means ’drinking morning tea’, is a pleasant pastime for the Cantonese, and is an important part of the daily life of many locals.

Since its literal meaning is ‘drinking tea’, Chinese tea, which can help digestion, is naturally an indispensable part of yum cha. Common yum cha teas include wulong tea, tieguanyin, and Pu'er tea.

Dim sum plays a particularly important role in yum cha. Dim sum can be divided into wet and dry dim sum. Dry dim sum includes steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed buns, cakes, and so on. Wet dim sum includes guiling jelly (Chinese herbal jelly), porridge, meat, and bean curd. Dry dim sum is the most refined, and popular with most people.

Rice Rolls

Rice rolls originated in Guangdong. As early as the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), there were cries of selling rice rolls on the streets of Guangzhou. The filling of rice roll could be pork, beef, shrimp, fish, liver, or similar. In Guangzhou, the rice roll is a very popular homely food. It is described as “white as snow, thin as paper, oily and shiny, appetizing and delicious.” It is cheap, palatable, and good for all ages, supplied everywhere, from humble restaurants to 5-star hotels.

Tingzai Porridge

Tingzai porridge uses fresh shrimps or fish as ingredients, and jellyfish, fried peanuts, liangpi, green onion, ginger are added. It is boiled before eating, aromatic, smooth, and sweet.

Hefen—Rice Noodle

Rice NoodleRice Noodle

Hefen, also called Shahefen, is a popular rice product that looks like rice noodles. It--- is sliced rice dough, made from rice soaked in Nine Dragon Spring water from Baiyun Mountain. Shahefen has a long history. It is white, thin, and ductile, can be fried, cooked with soup, or served cold and dressed with sauce.

Tangbushuai — Rice Balls Without Fillings

Tangbushuai are also called “Wishful Fruit” and are the twin brother of rice balls. They can prevent colds when served with ginger. Making tangbushuai is easy. Knead cooked glutinous rice flour into balls, boil the balls with syrup, and then put some fried peanuts or fried egg on it. The taste is crisp and smooth, sweet but not greasy.

Jiangzhuangnai — Ginger Milk Pudding

Jiangzhuangnai is a kind of dessert make from milk and ginger. It has a unique flavor, which is savory and mellow, sweet and a little bit pungent. It can warm your body and prevent colds.

Eight Bao Chinese Winter Melon

Eight Bao Chinese Winter MelonEight Bao Chinese Winter Melon

Eight Bao Chinese Winter Melon uses Winter Melon as a bowl which is stuffed with various ingredients such as pork, turkey, ham, crab meat, frog meat, fresh oyster and more. To make it, choose a Chinese Winter Melon (24 centimeters height) and excavate its pulp. Then boil it and afterward dip it into cold water. Finally boil with chicken soup. Dig out the melon pulp with a spoon and eat it with the soup. Don’t add soy sauce. The dish is pleasing to the eye and the flavor light, fresh and delicious. It is an excellent food in summer.

Guangzhou Restaurants for Muslims

Qinghai Muslim Restaurant (青海穆斯林餐厅)

  • Address: 71 Sanyuanli Avenue, Baiyun District (白云区三元里大道71号)
  • Tel: 020-86570920

Wuyang Muslim Restaurant (五羊回民饭店)

  • Address: 325 Sixth Zhongshan Road, Yuexiu District (越秀区中山六路325号)
  • Tel: 020-81303991

Check out more top Muslim restaurants in Guangzhou.

Hi, I'm Lynn Ye
I updated this article on March 18, 2013
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Q: Andrew Halas Asked on 2013-05-09 Reply
Are there any cheap, but outstanding quality restaurants near Haizhou square ? Also any street food stalls with great food in the same area?

Hi Andrew,   you can go to the lanes or streets where people live in. The restaurants there are cheap yet  with outstanding quality.

Whitney Liao Replied on 2013-05-11
Q: Lee Soi Ping Asked on 2013-04-01 Reply
10 of us will be in Guangzhou from 27th May to 29th May and so wish to have a full day tour of the city on 28th May with an English speaking tour guide and transport. We will be staying in Victory Hotel on Shamian Island and would like to visit the Chen Family Temple, Sun Yet-sen Memorial, Canton History Museum, Tomb of the Nan Yue King, Church of the Sacred Heart and if time permits Huaisheng Mosque and any other places of interest. Lunch at the Guangzhou Restaurant. NO SHOPPING. Regards,Lee Soi Ping

Hi Lee, I have sent you a quotation about your Guangzhou tour. If you can't find it, please check your spam. Thanks & regards, Whitney

Whitney Liao Replied on 2013-04-02
Q: Truong Asked on 2013-02-26 Reply
Hi I am in Guangzhou now. Where can I hire a driver who can speak English for 4 days. Thanks Le
Dear Truong, In general, the most of driver in China only know simple English, it will be difficult for their to communicate with foreigners. If you need, we can arrange an English speaking guide and a driver for you. Lussie Lu Replied on 2013-02-28
Q: cai_zhu Asked on 2013-02-01 Reply
hi whitney liao... febuary i will go in guangzhou can you help me.. how from guangzhou east railway station to haikou by bus or train or subway... and cheap?
Hi Cai, you can take bus from Passager Transport Station of Guangzhou广州汽车客运站 or take train from Guangzhou Railway Station to Haikou. Metro is awailable from Guangzhou East Railway Station to Guangzhou Railway Station. The Passager Transport Station is quite near the railway station. Whitney Liao Replied on 2013-02-02
Q: Beh Sun Chew Asked on 2012-12-31 Reply
I am planning a tour to China with 6 friends in late Aug. or early Sept. 2013. Prefer a free and easy trip. We would like to visit ancient places of interest in China. Which province of China has the most ancient cities or sites that you would like to recommend?

Hi Beh, I would recommend the following cities to you: Beijing, Xi'an, Datong, Dunhuang and the Silk Road.

Whitney Liao Replied on 2013-01-04