Ultimate Guangzhou Cantonese Food Guide By A Local (2026)

Hi! This guide is based on my own experiences of eating in Guangzhou.
I’m a native Chinese and I live near Guangzhou.
One of the best Cantonese food guides you’ll find anywhere.

Introduction

I come from a Chinese restaurant family, and I personally have over 8 years experience in the industry.
So I have a deep understanding of the most authentic recommendations.
Yes, I can cook some dishes, but it takes a lifetime to learn them all!
You will find my top 10 most recommended dish types to try in Guangzhou!
You can also find my list of suggested restaurants to try out later in this article.
Enough for your first few days, probably an entire week!
I have provided the Cantonese pronunciations and Chinese characters, which you refer to at the restaurants.

Dim Sum | dim sum | 早茶
I think you probably know that dim sum is a category of Cantonese cuisine.
But what you may/may know is that dim sum has hundreds of dishes.

Here are 6 dim sum dishes I recommend👇🏻

(maybe you’ve had them before in your home country’s Chinatown!)

shrimp dumplings | har gow | 虾饺
pork dumplings | siu maai | 烧卖
soup dumplings | xiǎo lóng bāo | 小笼包
barbecued pork buns‍ | cha siu bao | ‍叉烧包
egg custard buns | naai wong baau / nǎi huáng bāo | 奶黄包
spring rolls | chūn juǎn | 春卷

Best time of day: morning or brunch (nothing stopping you from having it later in the day, but some restaurants may not offer some dishes in the evening).

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Won Ton Noodle Soup | wan tan min | 云吞面⭐

Key ingredients: pork, prawn, noodles, pak choi/gai lan, scallions

Typical price range: 20rmb-50rmb

Best time of day: all day

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Sweet and Sour Pork | gu lou yuk | 咕噜肉

Key ingredients: battered pork, bell pepper, pineapple, onions

Typical price range: 30rmb-80rmb

Best time of day: lunch, dinner

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Roasted Meat | siu mei | 烧味

barbecued pork | char siu / chā shāo | 叉烧

roast goose | siu ngo / shāo é | 烧鹅

roast duck | siu aap / kǎo yā | 烧鸭 (goose is much more common than duck in Guangzhou)

barbecued pork belly | siu yuk / shāo ròu | 烧肉

roast pigeon | siu yu gap / shāo rǔ gē | 烧乳鸽

Typical price range: 30rmb-100rmb (char siu is the cheapest + roast goose is the most expensive)

Best time of day: lunch, dinner

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Stir Fried Beef Rice Noodles | gon chaau ngauh ho | 干炒牛河

Key ingredients: beef, noodles, beansprouts, onions, scallions

Typical price range: 30rmb-60rmb

Best time of day: lunch, dinner

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Rice Noodle Rolls | cheung fun | 肠粉
Key ingredients: the most popular fillings are beef, char siu, or prawn
Typical price range: 10rmb-30rmb
Best time of day: breakfast, lunch

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Steamed Fish with Ginger & Scallions | ching jing yuh | 清蒸鱼
Key ingredients: any fish (grouper, carp, red snapper, sea bass are common), ginger, scallions, soy sauce, hot oil
Typical price range: 60rmb-200rmb
Best time of day: lunch, dinner

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Claypot rice (many varieties) | bou jai faahn | 煲仔饭
Key ingredients: any combination of Chinese sausage, chicken, Chinese mushrooms, spare ribs, pork belly, leaf vegetables, scallions
Typical price range: 30rmb-60rmb
Best time of day: lunch, dinner

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Desserts (known as 甜品 or 糖水)
red bean soup | hóng dòu shā | 红豆沙
tofu dessert with ginger or syrup | dòu fu huā | 豆腐花
mango sago | yáng zhī gān lù | 杨枝甘露
double skin milk | shuāng pí nǎi | 双皮奶
Typical price range: 10rmb-40rmb
Best time of day: afternoon, evening

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Pastries 中式糕點
pineapple bun | bō luó bāo | 菠萝包
egg tart | dàn tà | 蛋挞
wife cake (pastry with winter melon paste and glutinous rice flour) | lǎo pó bǐng | 老婆饼
Typical price range: 3rmb-10rmb
Best time of day: all day
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👉🏻 For EVEN MORE DISHES, check out my full list of 80 Cantonese dishes here!

If you are a fan of Cantonese food, you’ll be craving for more!

Famous Restaurants🫖

For dim sum in traditional restaurants

点都德 - diǎn dōu dé
广州酒家 - guǎng zhōu jiǔ jiā
陶陶居 - táo táo jū
蘩楼 - fán lóu

For dim sum in a traditional garden and pond environment (I recommend you try at least one)

泮溪酒家 - bān xī jiǔ jiā (western half of the old city)
南园酒家 - nán yuán jiǔ jiā (south of the old city, across the river)
北园酒家 - běi yuán jiǔ jiā (north of the old city, near Line 1, Xiaobei station)

For Cantonese siu mei (roasted meat)

炳胜 - bǐng shèng
大鸽饭 - dà gē fàn

For higher-end dining

Several highly rated restaurants in the White Swan hotel白天鹅宾馆 at Shamiandao

For desserts

兰芳园 - lán fāng yuán

To find these, copy the Chinese characters into Amap. Most of these have multiple restaurants.

Double check the photos to make sure you have the right one.

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Areas for food exploration🔎

I strongly recommend you concentrate your food adventure in the old city.

The vibes are way more authentic with a lot of hidden independent restaurants.

Old City (western half of the city)

Xihua Lu 西华路 - lots of independent restaurants, dessert shops, street snacks. My personal favourite.
Beijing Lu 北京路 - a mix of chain and independent restaurants - it’s the main pedestrian street after all
Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street + Yongqingfang 上下九步行街 + 永庆坊 - dim sum restaurants, snack stalls, dessert shops, cafes
Longjin Lu - noodle restaurants, street snacks, desserts

New City (eastern half of the city)

Food courts at Fashion Tianhe Commercial Plaza 时尚天河商业广场
Tianhenan Pedestrian Street 天河南步行街 (the area immediately south of the 3 malls or Tiyu Xilu station, Exit B and H)
Mall of the World 花城汇 (under Huacheng Square)
Restaurants at Grandview Mall 正佳广场, Teemall 天河城, Parc Central 天环

Zhicun Night Market 植村夜市 is a relatively new night food market. It’s in the south of the city.
Has around 200-300 food stalls at night. Line 3, Dashi station, Exit C.