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Betty Richardson

For Hong Kong residents looking for somewhere new to enjoy food and fun without the need to travel far, Shenzhen has emerged as a convenient playground.
The city was once considered a backwater, but then a tech and industrial boom changed everything.
Many of China’s young, upwardly mobile professionals flooded into the city, leading to a population boom and a relatively low average age among its now 17 million inhabitants – just 32.5 years, according to data from 2020.
This has resulted in a flourishing food and beverage scene featuring many of China’s most innovative bars, cafes and restaurants, offering everything from regional Chinese cuisine to street food to international and fine-dining fare. There are also lots of hotpot restaurants.

What is more, food and drinks in Shenzhen tend to be significantly cheaper than in Hong Kong. And word has got out, leading to an influx of day and weekend trippers from the Fragrant Harbour keen to sample the delights of the “city of young migrants”.
In this monthly column, we scour Shenzhen for the newest, most interesting and otherwise noteworthy places to eat and drink, so you can make the most of your next visit.
Here are five for this month.
1. Donghai Xin Shenghuo
Located in Futian, Shenzhen’s central business district, this luxurious restaurant reimagines Chiu Chow cuisine, presenting familiar seafood ingredients in a novel way.
Think chilled geoduck in fragrant herbs, whelk served in its shell after being cooked over charcoal, 36-month aged braised goose head, and crispy beef intestines, as well as abalone and sea cucumber dishes.












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The restaurant features private rooms where diners can have mahjong tables and a tea brewing station set up, so they can make an afternoon or evening of their experience.
3/F, Zhongshen Garden, No. 2010 Caitian Road (Tel: +86 755 83882099)
2. Fumée
Opened by food and wine lover David Pan in 2022, Fumée fuses French and Chinese cuisine in an innovative yet understated way.












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Expect items like xiaolongbao dumplings made to look like tomatoes, fermented braised bamboo shoots, wagyu beef, fish with pickled chilli peppers and more.
The restaurant is decked out in earthy tones and stone textures, transporting diners to a serene hideaway.
Room 303-1, 3F, Hanjing Financial Center, No. 9968 Shennan Road (Tel: +86 19129317184)
3. M Stand Yantian Central Park branch
Escape from the hustle and bustle of Shenzhen’s city centre at M Stand’s Yantian Central Park branch.
The coffee shop chain has 49 locations in the city, but this one atop a coastal hill offers something you might not expect in Shenzhen: sea views and manicured lawns.












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The futuristic building that houses the coffee shop is a good place to spend an hour or two taking in the views, shopping for books, and relaxing while enjoying coffee and sweet treats from the cafe, which is open daily from 10am to 5pm.
3/F, Yunhai Park Observation Deck next to Sanzhoutang Reservoir (Tel: +86 13120554263)
4. Pluto
Shenzhen is not short of design marvels, and the Nanshan branch of Pluto, which was imagined by Nanjing-based architecture and design company Trio Studio, is one of its most striking.
By day, the shop – which is one of two Pluto locations in Shenzhen – serves coffee and tea from a sleek, unassuming cafe storefront. At night, a hidden door leads to a lounge with dramatic lighting and a circular bar that resembles a roundabout.












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The bar offers fruit-forward cocktails, whisky, wines and light bar snacks. Try the eye-catching Brave Heart – a pale blue concoction served in a glass infused with crystals.
Pluto offers a taste of lively nightlife without the need to commit to all-night clubbing or karaoke.
B168, Wanxiang Qianhai, No. 169, Guiwan 4th Road, Nanshan District (+86 755 22672653)
5. Bar SanYou
The latest brainchild of Hope Group – behind award-winning Guangzhou bar Hope & Sesame – Bar SanYou takes a fresh look at Chinese-produced spirits, wines and liquors to reinterpret the “made in China” label in a modern way.

The menu changes frequently to focus on different areas of China, and combines innovative techniques with locally produced spirits – including 400 different types of baijiu (distilled sorghum liquor).
We recommend the Moutai Milk Punch, which combines Mao-tai – a type of baijiu made in the town of the same name in Guizhou province – with rose-infused vermouth, cherry purée and chocolate, served with a note printed on edible paper.
No. 110, 1st Floor, Times Financial Center, Futian District, Shenzhen (Tel: +86 18126274298)


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Crab with silk gourd and pear at Fumée, in Shenzhen. Photo: Instagram/@fumeerestaurant

Crab with silk gourd and pear at Fumée, in Shenzhen. The French-Chinese fusion restaurant is just one of the city’s innovative food and drink establishments. Photo: Instagram/@fumeerestaurant

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The baijiu cellar at Chinese spirit and wine specialist Bar SanYou. Photo: SanYou.

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“Humpty Doo” barramundi at Cornerstone, one of five places for a special food and drink experience in Hong Kong over the September 6-8 weekend. Photo: Cornerstone

Zuma’s weekend brunch comes with non-alcoholic drinks. Photo: Zuma 

The Clipper Lounge and fashion brand Vivienne Tam have created a Chinese chic-themed afternoon tea set for the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong hotel. Photo: Clipper Lounge

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Boiled fish balls with slippery water shield at the Hong Kong branch of Green Tea Restaurant. Photo: Green Tea Restaurant

Threadfin served three different ways at Hung’s Delicacies, a Chiu Chow restaurant newly moved from Kwun Tong to Causeway Bay and one of 11 in Hong Kong and Macau, plus a bakery, the Post recommends you try in September. Photo: Hung’s Delicacies

At Golden Blossoms, in Tsim Sha Tsui, regional Chinese dishes take centre stage – such as Zhejiang-style steamed dried hairtail fish with salted pork. Photo: Golden Blossoms

Rainbow fried rice layered with egg fried rice, and seafood is a new dish at the Causeway Bay branch of Hung’s Delicacies. Photo: Hung’s Delicacies

A double sea urchin nigiri at Udatsu Sushi, in Tsim Shui, Hong Kong. Photo: Nicholas Wong/Sixteen Photography

Minced pork pancakes, an exclusive dish at Green Tea Restaurant’s Hong Kong branch in Causeway Bay. Photo: Green Tea Restaurant

Chef Antonio Oviedo’s signature burnt Basque cheesecake is a favourite at 22 Ships, which will have a soft opening at a new location: PMQ in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: 22 Ships

Parkside@Nina’s “Wood Fossil” beef carpaccio is inspired by the fossils displayed just outside the restaurant, in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. Photo: Parkside@Nina

Southeast Asian delicacies at modern Singaporean restaurant JOM, which has opened its second branch, in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Photo: JOM

The interior of Casa Maquista in Macau. Photo: Casa Maquista

How Hong Kong chef Oliver Li subtly combines Chinese and French styles in his complex menus

Soft shell turtle jelly with caviar at Jee. Photo: Nicholas Wong/Sixteen Photography

Oliver Li combines his French and Chinese fine-dining training in new Hong Kong restaurant Jee, where he and his mentor Siu Hin-chi are devising complicated twists on classic dishes. Photo: Nicholas Wong/Sixteen Photography

The interior of contemporary Chinese restaurant Jee, in Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Jee

Oliver Li with his mentor Siu Hin-chi of Ying Jee Club, who helped on the menu at Li’s restaurant Jee. Photo: Nicholas Wong/Sixteen Photography

Jee’s three scallion grouper was inspired by a three scallion lobster dish at sister restaurant Ying Jee Club. Photo: Nicholas Wong/Sixteen Photography

Softshell turtle jelly with caviar is an example of how chef Oliver Li has fused his experience and knowledge of both French and Chinese cuisine. Photo: Nicholas Wong/Sixteen Photography

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Food & Drink

From a fancy seafood joint to bars with Chinese spirits and cocktails to coffee with a view, these spots will make your Shenzhen trip a hit


We reveal five of the best places to eat and drink in Shenzhen on your next visit, including a fancy seafood restaurant, cocktail bars, and a futuristic cafe serving coffee with a view.


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Greater Bay Area: Travel & Lifestyle

Shenzhen