Food Streets of Sanya
1. Qunzhong Street
Operating Hours: 06:00 - 17:30
Qunzhong Street, also known as Beili Street, is fondly referred to as "Paris" by locals. Once a dormitory area for workers, it has transformed into a bustling food destination. Here, you can enjoy authentic Sanya snacks like chicken dung vine, coconut rolls, brown sugar rice cakes, and purple sweet potato dumplings. A must-visit spot for those exploring local flavors!
2. Shengli Road
Shengli Road is famous for its delicious Huangliu duck, a local specialty. Restaurants like "Guangming Old Duck Shop" offer this delicacy along with unique dishes such as duck blood stir-fried with chives and shrimp paste fried sweet potato leaves. A haven for food lovers, the street is bustling with activity, especially in the evenings.
3. Jianshe Road
Jianshe Road is a favorite among locals for its wide variety of dishes. From Sanya’s famous seafood to Hainan noodles and Sichuan cuisine, this street offers a vibrant mix of flavors. Don’t miss the unique local specialties like Qingbuliang dessert and Lao Ba tea for an authentic experience.
4. Waimao Road
Waimao Road, though only 700 meters long, brings together northern and southern Chinese snacks. Every evening, food lovers gather here, and the area is filled with a lively, festive atmosphere. The street offers a diverse mix of regional Chinese foods, including Guilin rice noodles, river noodles, Qingbuliang, Shanghai dumplings, Shanxi noodles, Northeast Chinese dishes, local specialties like Wenchang chicken, and seafood barbecue (where you can buy fresh seafood and ask the vendor to cook it for you). In addition, there is a small farmers' market selling fresh fruits and vegetables, and you can find a variety of tropical fruits that are rare in the north, like starfruit, rambutan, jackfruit, guava, and wax apple.
5. Tuanjie Street
Tuanjie Street is also an older street, originally known for its barbecue stalls. In recent years, following renovations, particularly after the completion of a shopping plaza, it has transformed into a modern food street. It now offers a variety of cuisines, including Sichuan, Shanxi, Jiangxi, and Qiong (Hainan) cuisine, as well as self-service barbecue and other regional snacks.
A particularly famous spot is a small alleyway opposite the Agricultural Bank, where you can find one of the best Wenchang chicken restaurants in Sanya. A couple from Wenchang pushes a cart here every day to sell this local delicacy, and it’s often so popular that you’ll have to queue to get a serving.
6. Commodity Street
Commodity Street is a popular destination for both locals and visitors due to its large number of food stalls and restaurants. It offers not only authentic Hainanese flavors but also a wide selection of Chinese regional cuisines. In less than 1,000 meters, you’ll find dozens of food vendors representing various Chinese provinces, serving dishes like Northeast cold noodles, Sichuan pickled vegetables, Guilin rice noodles, and Shaanxi-style roujiamo (meat-filled flatbread). As night falls, the street comes alive with stalls selling a variety of spicy, sizzling foods that tempt passersby with their mouth-watering aromas.
7. Xinmin Street
Xinmin Street is known as the largest seafood processing street in Sanya, with dozens of seafood processing shops. It’s especially popular with tourists, who come here to buy fresh seafood to have it cooked. "Sichuan Little Beard Seafood" is one of the oldest processing shops, with a history of over 15 years and a steady stream of customers.
During the day, you can enjoy famous local dishes like Port Gate noodles, pig’s foot rice, and fish soup. In the evening, the street transforms into a lively scene of seafood barbecue, tropical fruit ice frying, Qingbuliang, and coconut rice dishes.
8. Danzhou Sanxiang
Danzhou Sanxiang is a great spot to taste local Hainan snacks. Here, you can enjoy Sanya's famous Port Gate noodles, pig’s foot rice, fish soup, and more traditional dishes. In the evening, street vendors serve up hot snacks like barbecue and Qingbuliang that draw crowds.
One of the most popular places here is "Ya Qin Xian Port Gate Noodles," which is considered by locals to be one of the most authentic Port Gate noodle shops. The shop follows traditional hand-made techniques, focusing on fresh ingredients. Each bowl of Port Gate noodles is made with a rich broth of fresh sea fish, conchs, and pig bones, offering a sweet, savory taste. The toppings include pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, fish cakes, and fried peanuts, topped with fresh green onions. The result is a delicious and comforting dish that is sure to warm your stomach and your heart.
9. Chunyuan Road
Chunyuan Road is home to a variety of hotpot restaurants, including Chongqing hotpot, lamb hotpot, beef offal hotpot, and more. The most distinctive dish here is the Hakka-style "Pig Stomach Stuffed with Chicken." This dish has a rich yet refreshing broth, with the aroma of herbs and the spicy kick of pepper, making it incredibly addictive and unforgettable.
10. Yuechuan Zhong Road
Yuechuan Zhong Road is home to a street dedicated to Pig Stomach Stuffed with Chicken. This dish is very popular in Sanya, and it’s a must-try for any visitor. The preparation is unique: a whole chicken is wrapped inside a pig’s stomach, which is then sewn shut and slowly simmered in a special broth for several hours. When served, the chicken and pig’s stomach are removed, chopped, and placed back into the broth to cook further. The aroma is irresistible, and despite the long cooking time, the chicken remains tender and flavorful. The pig’s stomach is surprisingly crisp and not overcooked, adding a delightful texture that perfectly complements the spicy and peppery broth. It’s a truly delicious dish!
Qunzhong Street, also known as Beili Street, is sometimes called "Paris" by locals. Originally, Sanya was a small fishing port, and more than a decade ago, a group of employees from state-owned enterprises in the Beili area of Dongfang, Hainan, were sent to help develop Sanya. Qunzhong Street was where their dormitories were located, and hence it was initially named Beili Street. The local pronunciation of Beili is similar to "Paris" in Chinese, and many young people mistakenly started calling it Paris Street. More than ten years ago, a few families living on Qunzhong Street began making and selling traditional Sanya snacks, which helped turn this street into a popular food destination. It has since become a place where both locals and tourists come to sample a wide range of traditional Sanya snacks, such as chicken dung vine (a local herb), coconut rolls, brown sugar rice cakes, sweet and sour noodles, glutinous rice dumplings, and purple sweet potato dumplings. This is a must-visit spot for anyone wanting to taste local flavors in Sanya.
2. Shengli Road
Shengli Road is famous for its Huangliu duck, a local specialty from Le Dong in Hainan. There are several shops here, each with its own unique preparation style. Among them, "Guangming Old Duck Shop" is particularly well-known in Sanya for its authentic flavor. Every evening, the place fills up with diners, and sometimes, people are still eating well into 10:30 PM. Huangliu duck is a new dish from Hainan, and it is usually served in a simple "white-cut" style. The duck has thick skin and rich, flavorful meat, with a tantalizing aroma. The menu also features duck blood stir-fried with chives, stir-fried duck offal with bitter melon, and other mouth-watering dishes like shrimp paste fried sweet potato leaves. In addition to the duck, you can also enjoy local delicacies like steak, hot spring goose, and other authentic Hainanese dishes at reasonable prices.
3. Jianshe Road
Jianshe Street is one of the oldest streets in Sanya and is mainly frequented by locals. It offers a diverse range of foods from all over China, including Sanya’s famous seafood, Lanzhou ramen, Sichuan cuisine, Northeast Chinese food, and much more. The street also features a variety of Hainanese specialties such as Hainan noodles, Port Gate noodles, Qingbuliang (a local dessert), Lao Ba tea, and the much-loved fish pots that locals enjoy.
4. Waimao Road
Waimao Road, though only 700 meters long, brings together northern and southern Chinese snacks. Every evening, food lovers gather here, and the area is filled with a lively, festive atmosphere. The street offers a diverse mix of regional Chinese foods, including Guilin rice noodles, river noodles, Qingbuliang, Shanghai dumplings, Shanxi noodles, Northeast Chinese dishes, local specialties like Wenchang chicken, and seafood barbecue (where you can buy fresh seafood and ask the vendor to cook it for you). In addition, there is a small farmers' market selling fresh fruits and vegetables, and you can find a variety of tropical fruits that are rare in the north, like starfruit, rambutan, jackfruit, guava, and wax apple.
5. Tuanjie Street
Tuanjie Street is also an older street, originally known for its barbecue stalls. In recent years, following renovations, particularly after the completion of a shopping plaza, it has transformed into a modern food street. It now offers a variety of cuisines, including Sichuan, Shanxi, Jiangxi, and Qiong (Hainan) cuisine, as well as self-service barbecue and other regional snacks.
A particularly famous spot is a small alleyway opposite the Agricultural Bank, where you can find one of the best Wenchang chicken restaurants in Sanya. A couple from Wenchang pushes a cart here every day to sell this local delicacy, and it’s often so popular that you’ll have to queue to get a serving.
6. Commodity Street
Commodity Street is a popular destination for both locals and visitors due to its large number of food stalls and restaurants. It offers not only authentic Hainanese flavors but also a wide selection of Chinese regional cuisines. In less than 1,000 meters, you’ll find dozens of food vendors representing various Chinese provinces, serving dishes like Northeast cold noodles, Sichuan pickled vegetables, Guilin rice noodles, and Shaanxi-style roujiamo (meat-filled flatbread). As night falls, the street comes alive with stalls selling a variety of spicy, sizzling foods that tempt passersby with their mouth-watering aromas.
7. Xinmin Street
Xinmin Street is known as the largest seafood processing street in Sanya, with dozens of seafood processing shops. It’s especially popular with tourists, who come here to buy fresh seafood to have it cooked. "Sichuan Little Beard Seafood" is one of the oldest processing shops, with a history of over 15 years and a steady stream of customers.
During the day, you can enjoy famous local dishes like Port Gate noodles, pig’s foot rice, and fish soup. In the evening, the street transforms into a lively scene of seafood barbecue, tropical fruit ice frying, Qingbuliang, and coconut rice dishes.
8. Danzhou Sanxiang
Danzhou Sanxiang is a great spot to taste local Hainan snacks. Here, you can enjoy Sanya's famous Port Gate noodles, pig’s foot rice, fish soup, and more traditional dishes. In the evening, street vendors serve up hot snacks like barbecue and Qingbuliang that draw crowds.
One of the most popular places here is "Ya Qin Xian Port Gate Noodles," which is considered by locals to be one of the most authentic Port Gate noodle shops. The shop follows traditional hand-made techniques, focusing on fresh ingredients. Each bowl of Port Gate noodles is made with a rich broth of fresh sea fish, conchs, and pig bones, offering a sweet, savory taste. The toppings include pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, fish cakes, and fried peanuts, topped with fresh green onions. The result is a delicious and comforting dish that is sure to warm your stomach and your heart.
9. Chunyuan Road
Chunyuan Road is home to a variety of hotpot restaurants, including Chongqing hotpot, lamb hotpot, beef offal hotpot, and more. The most distinctive dish here is the Hakka-style "Pig Stomach Stuffed with Chicken." This dish has a rich yet refreshing broth, with the aroma of herbs and the spicy kick of pepper, making it incredibly addictive and unforgettable.
10. Yuechuan Zhong Road
Yuechuan Zhong Road is home to a street dedicated to Pig Stomach Stuffed with Chicken. This dish is very popular in Sanya, and it’s a must-try for any visitor. The preparation is unique: a whole chicken is wrapped inside a pig’s stomach, which is then sewn shut and slowly simmered in a special broth for several hours. When served, the chicken and pig’s stomach are removed, chopped, and placed back into the broth to cook further. The aroma is irresistible, and despite the long cooking time, the chicken remains tender and flavorful. The pig’s stomach is surprisingly crisp and not overcooked, adding a delightful texture that perfectly complements the spicy and peppery broth. It’s a truly delicious dish!