Shantou starts eating early and finishes late. Dim sum arrives with the morning, rice porridge sometime after midnight, and the hours in between are for grazing. The old town and the streets around Renmin Square make a manageable circuit; you can walk most of it and stop when something looks good. Chaoshan railway station sits outside the centre, and public buses connect it with the city, but routes and times change, so check current details before setting out.
Old-town grazing around Xiaogongyuan
Start near the Xiaogongyuan pavilion. Parts of the district have been redeveloped, but small food shops remain and the streets are easy to walk. A bakery nearby sells Portuguese-style egg tarts: flaky pastry, generous filling, and a cheese-centred version rich enough to split. Sweet-potato tarts are milder, a gentler start.
Piaoxiang Snack Shop keeps an old-style counter where a mixed plate is the easiest order. Expect around ten kinds of rice cake, or kueh, some oily and dense; the savoury bamboo-shoot one stands out. The oyster omelette, with plump oysters, egg and starch, is another table-filler best shared.
A few doors away, Aixi Ganmian serves dry noodles with a bowl of mixed offal soup. Even the small set is a full meal: the meat is cut generously, the sauce coats the noodles without leaving them dry. Alternate bites of noodle and hot soup.
Sweet and savoury near Renmin Square
At the edge of Renmin Square, a well-known douhua shop serves Teochew tofu pudding, denser and stickier than the silky Cantonese version, topped with sugar and crushed peanuts. The sweetness can be intense; ask for less sugar if you prefer. The same shop sells ya mu nian, elongated glutinous rice balls filled with peanut or sesame paste.
On the same stretch, a Job's tears shop turns coix seed into a savoury porridge rather than a drink. It arrives hot and thick, with pork offal, oysters, wood ear and white pepper. Even a small bowl is substantial, and it travels well if you want to take it back to your room.
Beef hot pot, then more beef
In the evening, head to Bahelu for Haiji, one of Shantou's best-known beef hot pot houses. You will queue. The broth is clear and plain, with radish, which lets the beef do the work. Order a mix of cuts, including diaolongban, the cut just below diaolong, and beef balls. The sauce station is self-service: sha cha for beef, chilli and bean paste for meatballs, soy for vegetables.
Xinghua Wuji, near Xinghua Bridge, is another beef hot pot address with a loyal following. Its sha cha is less salty than some versions and more fragrant; the beef is sliced to order. Cook thin slices briefly, dip, repeat. On Xinghua Road, a fish-ball shop makes a useful snack while you wait: firm, springy balls and a light soup.
Morning tea, rice rolls and late-night porridge
Dim sum is a Guangdong habit, and Shantou has its own version. At Diandian Chuanshuo in Suning Plaza, go early; the room fills quickly. Shrimp dumplings, shumai, chicken feet and steamed ribs are reliable, but the black-truffle shrimp dumpling and red-rice shrimp roll are worth seeking out, and the crisp coating on the rice roll is what makes it.
For a cheaper evening meal, Xiaowu Rice Noodle Rolls on Longyan South Road draws locals and visitors. A large egg-and-pork roll is enough for one: thin rice sheet, filling packed with bean sprouts and greens. It is a late-night shop, and the small room gets busy.
Changping Laoziniang Night Porridge stays open around the clock, though it is livelier at night. There is no menu: choose a table, note the number, then go downstairs to order from the counter. Raw marinated seafood is the highlight, along with braised meats and fried tofu. Portions can be adjusted, so ask for a small plate if you are grazing.
Between meals
Andelu Portuguese Egg Tarts on Changping Road is a simple pause: cheese tarts and salted egg yolk tarts, the latter with a real yolk at the centre.
Yaqiang Fruit Ice has a queue for a reason. The fruit is fresh and the texture thick; the mango version can be ordered with extra fruit. Lemon without sugar is sharp and clean, hawthorn tart.
Changping Laoxu is a quieter option for soup. Choose pork tripe broth with rice noodles, or just the soup: a light way to end a day of heavy eating.
Shops sell out, queues form, and one stomach has limits. Treat this as a set of neighbourhoods rather than a schedule. Share dishes, and confirm opening days and transport before you go.
How this guide was made
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