Here at That's, we consider it our sacred duty to sample the best Chinese, French, Italian, American, Japanese, Korean and more that the city has to offer. After conquering plate after plate (a real struggle, we know) at holes-in-the-wall and fine-dining destinations alike, we've come up with a list of the best new entries on Shenzhen's food scene this year – so far, anyway.
If we missed your favorite, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments!
Art + Canteen
Image via Art + Canteen
Near Aohu Gallery and a new sculpture-adorned riverwalk, Art+Canteen is one of the rare finds within Longhua New District that earns four stars from diners. The white fish (RMB108) is a best seller, with a Sichuan pepper coating and a heat that builds as you crunch into broth-soaked baby lotus root. It’s good clean fish with few bones and a refreshing lemon infusion to balance that broth. New Zealand lamb chops (RMB98) arrive in three attractive cuts, seared and coated in spices familiar to any chuan’r shop. They’re only marred a bit by the abundance of cumin – better reserved for hiding inferior meats – and the habit of cooking meats longer than necessary. Ask for medium rare. Insist, if you must.
Price: RMB200-400
Who’s going: art village daytrippers, locals in the know
Good for: elegant entrees, creative dates over wine
Nearest metro: Qinghu (Exit D) 29 minute drive
See listing for Art + Canteen. Read our full review here.
BOA
Image via Bailey Hu/That's
BOA strives to present itself as a high-end venue for both food and nightlife and, with roving purple spotlights and fancy place settings, it succeeds. The lobby and anterior dining area, for instance, is outfitted as an imitation patio with all-glass walls and drape-y canvas ceiling. The food is also unabashedly luxe. A mouthwatering slab of aged Black Angus (RMB348) comes glazed to a subtle sweetness and topped with lightly-seared foie gras. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also avocado-wrapped caviar sushi, priced at RMB98 a piece.
Price: RMB90-250
Who’s going: hungry high-flyers, trendy bar-hoppers
Good for: unique fusion food, luxe-loving dates
Nearest metro: Sea World (Exit A), 6 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for BOA.
Kanpai Classic
Image via Kanpai Classic
Australian Wagyu beef, shipped over two chilled weeks, is almost overwhelmingly abundant. The carpaccio (RMB148, all prices plus 10 percent) is especially good, with Parmesan, onion, light truffle and a barge of salad. Foie gras and beef warship rolls (RMB38), from the extensive range of meat sushi, offer a pocket of rice, wrapped in tender beef and topped with the rich fowl bits. And beef sushi pizza (RMB58) – deep-fried rice beneath slightly spicy fish egg mayo and raw meat – is a completely novel experience.
Price: RMB500-1,500
Who’s going: Refined beef-eaters, sake aficionados
Good for: Wagyu beef, barbeque done for you, hushed tones
Nearest metro: Shopping Park (Exit C), 5 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Kanpai Classic.
Magpie
Image via Magpie
Magpie, tucked inside A5 in tones of brass, wood and deep cerulean blue, will soon be reservation-only as increasingly sophisticated diners flock to its smart northern cuisine. The summer menu finds a lamb Wellington (market rate), Scotch egg (RMB40), ragut of game meat (RMB75), tartare of horse (RMB70) and so much more protein. The veggies are also impressive: “some tomatoes” (RMB60) piled in a basil-rich olive oil, with a confident smear of burrata on the bowlside; and red rice (RMB60), a rich warm porridge with carrot butter and chunky beetroot purée.
Price: RMB200-400
Who’s going: OCT-Loft visitors, venturesome diners
Good for: creative fusion fare, seasonal surprises
Nearest metro: Qiaocheng East (Exit A), 18 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Magpie.
Morton's Grille
Image via Morton's Grille
From the glass-lined dining room that seats 130, or the seven private rooms, we can spy a few distant hills and the ongoing construction that reminds us this city isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Servers present the day’s finest cuts, each held to such rigorous standards that the USDA portion of the menu (nearly half the cuts) weren’t available on our visit. The remaining Australian beef is perfectly sumptuous. The two-inch fillet of the porterhouse (RMB728/650g) is a masterpiece, finely demiglazed so it only needs a touch of sea salt to reach perfection. As with the fall-off-the-bone pork ribs (RMB98), slathered in barbecue sweetness, the portions are massive.
Price: RMB100-1,500
Who’s going: shoppers and workers of Futian, steak lovers
Good for: exquisite dining, power lunches
Nearest metro: Shopping Park (Exit D1), three minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Morton's Grille.
Orale
Image via Bailey Hu/That's
Flautas: crispy and crunchy with a chipotle tang, the taquito-like treats – along with an array of other North Mexican dishes – have found their way to Shenzhen. They’re currently being served up in a corner of Huaqiangbei so thickly clustered with retail it’d put a strip mall to shame. Hemmed in on either side by a semi-posh Chinese eatery and a portal to dozens of tiny clothing stalls, Órale dishes out authentic (also, halal) Latin cuisine in Shenzhen’s tech district.
Price: RMB45-65
Who’s going: Latin food lovers, office workers
Good for: authentic Mexican food, flautas
Nearest metro: Huaqiangbei (Exit C) one minute
Read our full review here. See listing for Orale.
Wann Lounge
Image via Wann Lounge
Besides a range of elevated bar snacks, there’s a full menu of soups, salads, tapas, pastas, and luxurious entrees (sirloin for ¥888, 10-hr sous vide spare rib for ¥588) served by men and women with considerate manners and respectable English – we didn’t need our meager putonghua here. Gazpacho (RMB68) is rich and creamy with avocado, bright with apple sweetness. Clean arctic shrimp adds protein. Tapas is all served on toast – the bread, like the sausage, is one of the rare morsels they don’t make in-house – but the impressive variety is matched with quality preparation.
Price: RMB200-2,000
Who’s going: lawyers, managers, fuerdai
Good for: craft cocktails, fine dining, seeing and being seen
Nearest metro: Dengliang Station (Exit A), 12 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Wann Lounge.
Westwood Fire & Smoke
Image via Westwood & Smoke
On our visit, the prime rib (RMB388/8 oz, RMB688/16 oz, RMB988/32 oz) was generous, dense and rich with an herb crust that brought a welcome pinch of salt to the slow-cooked beef. The process delivers meat that is infinitely more tender than the “medium well” typical in China. Fire-roasted zucchini and homestyle mashed potatoes were simply perfect. The savory-sweet pork chop was even better, though on the typical menu the grain-fed pork is limited to slow-roasted spareribs (RMB268).
Price: RMB350-750
Who’s going: lovers of America’s livestock, home cooking and way of life
Good for: beef prime rib, pork and wine
Nearest metro: Hi-Tech Park (Exit A), 6 minutes
Read our full review here. See listing for Westwood Fire & Smoke.
READ MORE: Our Top 5 New Shenzhen Bars & Clubs of 2018... So Far
Read more Shenzhen bar reviews and restaurant reviews.
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