Chaotai Beef Chain (潮泰牛肉店) has a number of outlets around town. Cooked in the famous Chaozhou style, the hot-pot beef balls at Chaotai are different from what you’ll find everywhere else. While it is hard to describe just how delicious they are, we have only to look at the number of repeat diners that Chaotai pulls in to know that the food is up to snuff.

　　Address:

　　Futian District (福田区)

　　Gangxia (岗厦店) Tel: 82953138

　　Chegongmiao (车公庙店)

　　Tel: 83421488

　　Jindi (金地店) Tel: 83893128

　　Nanyuan Road (华发南店)

　　Tel: 83620892

　　Luohu District (罗湖区)

　　Cuizhu Road (翠竹店) Tel: 25624994

　　Shuibei (水贝店) Tel: 25601488

　　Bao’an Road South (宝安南店)

　　Tel: 25567838

　　Many believe that Jipin Spicy Crab (极品香辣蟹) serves best spicy crab in town. Red oil chicken tendon and tea duck are also quite popular here. During the holidays, Jipin Spicy Crab outlets in Meilin (梅林店) and Bao’an (宝安店) will offer 500 grams of free crab for every 1,500 grams that you buy. In its Zhenxing Road West outlet (振兴西路店), you will be given 50 yuan back if you buy food worth 100 yuan.

　　Address:

　　Futian District (福田区)

　　Meilin (梅林店) Tel: 83120881

　　Zhenxing Road West (振兴西路店)

　　Tel: 83210490

　　Xinwen Road (新闻路店)

　　Tel: 83912122

　　Luohu District (罗湖区)

　　Dongmen Road South (东门店)

　　Tel: 82250848

　　Nanshan District (南山店)

　　Tel: 26562766

　　Bao’an District (宝安店)

　　Tel: 27853318

　　Yitong Spicy Crab Restaurant (一统香辣蟹 ) and Ming Chuan You Yi Lou (名川又一楼) are also famous for their spicy crab.

　　Address:

　　Yitong Spicy Crab Restaurant: 2/F, Runguang Hotel, Meihua Road, Meilin, Futian District (福田区上梅林梅华路润光宾馆二楼)

　　Tel: 83973072

　　Ming Chuan You Yi Lou: Zhenxing Road, Futian District (福田区振兴路)

　　Tel: 83226516

　　Grassland Mutton Restaurant (草原肥羊食府) only opened about a month ago. Its specialty in offering a series of lamb dishes includes fried lamb stakes and hot-pot mutton.

　　Address: Meilin Sancun, Futian District (福田区梅林三村)

　　Tel: 83167198

　　Western food is quite popular here in Shenzhen, and the Wolf from Northwest (大灰狼西北风情) near the Shanghai Hotel offers an excellent selection. Its mutton dishes are particularly tasty. A worker of the restaurant explained: “Since wolves love eating sheep, we have a lot of sheep meat here.” Its well-known lineup includes fried mutton stakes, stewed mutton stakes and turnip and mutton soup.

　　Address: Huafu Road, Futian District (福田区华富路)

　　Tel: 83222563

　　Tang Palace Seafood Court (唐宫海鲜舫) is expensive, but many diners believe its food and service are worth the price. That is why it is packed almost every day at dinnertime.

　　This restaurant mainly offers Cantonese-style cuisine.

　　Address: 6/F, Shenzhen Theater, Luohu District (罗湖区深圳戏院六楼) Tel: 82178790

　　Lulushun Restaurant (陆陆顺酒楼) is another restaurant that serves Canonese cuisine. Well-known for its smiling waitresses, this restaurant supposedly has the best chefs in town.

　　Address: 1/F, Manjinghua Building, Meihua Road, Futia

　　n District (福田区下梅林梅华路满京华大厦一楼)

　　Tel: 83970631, 83970632

　　The Green Lawn Restaurant (绿茵酒家) offers crab (大闸蟹) from Yangcheng Lake in eastern China. Since crab is now in season, many people are expected to visit this restaurant during the holidays.

　　Addess: Bagua Road 3, Luohu District (罗湖区八卦三路)

　　Tel: 82431789 82260133

　　Old Court (老院子) is a Sichuan restaurant. It is said to provide every kind of Sichuan food. During the weeklong holidays, it will launch a special offer: 50 yuan back for 100 yuan spent. But the offer does not apply to cigarettes, drinks and wines.

　　Address:

　　Yannan Road, Futian District (福田区燕南路店) Tel: 83328400;

　　No. 1172, Nanshan Road (南山大道1172号南山店) Tel: 26417804

　　Shuxiangqing (蜀湘情) provides both Sichuan and Hunan food. One special thing about this restaurant is that it has long been the videotaping studio for a SZTV Channel Seven food program. The restaurant is famous for such dishes as Dongting fish head and ethnic Yi bamboo tube chicken.

　　Address: 2/F, Baden Market, Baden Street, Luohu District (罗湖区巴登街巴登市场二楼)

　　Last but not least, another specialty that is worth tasting is Guizhou-style Sour Soup Fish(贵州酸汤鱼), which is also the name of the eatery that provides it. This place is almost always packed at dinnertime. Some of the diners come all the way from Shekou just to taste the sour soup fish. Moreover, the prices here are very reasonable.

　　Address: Meilinsicun (梅林四村)

　　FIRST of all, don’t forget that a citywide gourmet festival is underway at the western square of the Shenzhen Stadium (see pictures on the right) on Sungang Road (Buses: 11, 30, 102, 111, 209, 212, 213, 302, 320, 357, 360,361, 365; minibuses: 446, 447, 462, 507, 509, 541, 548). It runs from Sept. 28 to Oct. 7.

　　Unfortunately, the festival is more a demo of cooking styles and renowned dishes than a venue for grand feasts. So, if you want to treat yourself to a delicious feast, you’ve got to find a good restaurant.

　　Here are a few eateries that are worth visiting.