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.

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.

Stir-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.

Steamed 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.

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

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

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.

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

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.