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Everyone who moves here hits the same wall at around month three, and it is not homesickness so much as a specific craving for food that tastes like where you came from.
About this guide
Shenzhen answers that better than its reputation suggests. Twenty-two places in this directory cook something other than Chinese food, spanning Italian, Thai, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, German, Indian, French and Turkish.
How this list was chosen
Mechanical, from the cuisine recorded on each entry: anything not a Chinese regional cuisine. Cantonese, Teochew, Sichuan, Chaoshan, Zhejiang, Ningbo, Taizhou and Peking duck are all excluded as Chinese.
Where it clusters
Shekou, overwhelmingly. It has been the foreign-resident district since the 1980s and the restaurants reflect that — pizza, Thai, Mexican, a German brauhaus and a steakhouse within walking distance of each other around Sea World. If you have just arrived and want a familiar meal, go there first.
A note on authenticity
Several of these are run by people from the country in question — Alla Torre and Azzurro are Italian-owned, The Terrace has a Thai-born chef, Tequila Coyote’s has Mexican chefs. That is worth more than any decor, and it is why those are the ones I return to.
The list, cheapest first
All Day Roasting Company
Small roastery space inside the OCT-LOFT complex doing single-origin work. Not a place to eat a meal — go for the coffee and combine it with the galleries and bookshops around it. Best on a weekday when the park is empty.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Specialty coffee.
Old Wu Coffee老吴咖啡
Japanese kissaten style with hand-drip through a flannel filter, which is slow and worth the wait. It turns into a whisky bar at night, so it works at either end of the day. The Guomao address also pairs easily with a walk through Luohu’s older market streets.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Japanese-style kissaten coffee, whisky bar.
Jifu Coffee集福咖啡
The owner won the 2019 China Barista Championship, and it shows. House-roasted Yunnan beans and a good dirty coffee. It sits inside Nantou Ancient City, so pair it with a walk through the restored lanes — that combination is one of the better mornings in Nanshan.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Specialty coffee.
The Raven乌鸦咖啡馆
Literary-themed room in Dachong with a double-skin milk latte that borrows from the Cantonese dessert. Quiet enough to actually read in, which is rarer than it should be. Handy if you are working around the High-Tech Park and Dachong office towers.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Specialty coffee.
Gaga
Started at OCT-LOFT and now in most decent malls in the city. Australian-style flat whites, separate brunch, lunch and dinner menus, and the sort of room you can sit in for two hours with a laptop. It is the default when you want something reliable and Western-leaning without planning ahead.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: All-day café, brunch.
Emily's Cafe
Two Shekou branches, one in the Nanhai E-Cool creative block and one at Peninsula. Pancakes, salmon bagels, acai bowls and all-day breakfast, plus pasta, pizza and burgers later on. Unfussy and consistent — this is a weekday-morning café more than a special occasion.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: All-day breakfast, Western café.
Dear Blue蓝匣子
Open since 2019 and the Shekou brunch standard — it won That's Food & Drink Brunch of the Year in 2020 and has held its form. Three minutes from Dongjiatou station on Line 2. Weekend brunch fills up from about 11am; go on a weekday morning if you want the quiet version.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Café and bistro, brunch.
Bollywood Café
Regional Indian across the map — biryani, garlic naan, pakora, a long paneer section — with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal options clearly marked, which is unusual here. Three branches in the city, in Nanshan, Futian and Luohu. The Nanshan room at Poly Cultural Centre is the most comfortable.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Indian.
Alla Torre
Running since 2009 and still the Shekou benchmark for pizza — thin crust, Italian flour, dough made daily, stone oven. The menu rotates with what is current in Italy rather than staying frozen. Good for groups and children, and open through the afternoon when much else is shut.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Italian, pizza.
Thai SamPan
A newer Thai kitchen at Sea World that has settled in well. Cooking is closer to Bangkok heat levels than most Thai food in the city, so say if you want it dialled back. A useful alternative when The Terrace is full, which on weekends it will be.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Thai.
The Terrace露台
Open since 2005 on the second floor at Sea World, with Thai-born Chef Jam cooking from imported spices. Fried morning glory and char-grilled pork neck are the orders. The house band plays from about 10pm most nights, so eat early if you want conversation and stay late if you don't.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Thai and Western.
Tequila Coyote's
Mexican chefs, soft tacos, nachos and margaritas, with a live band on the busier nights. There is a second branch at COCO Park in Futian. It has been the default Mexican answer in Shenzhen for years and nothing has displaced it.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Mexican.
Azzurro
Italian-owned and run, with an outdoor terrace that is the reason to book between October and March. Pizza and pasta rather than anything ambitious, but done by people who care. The neighbourhood Italian for the CBD.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Italian.
Benjia Korean Restaurant本家
A long-standing Korean room in OCT, on the more formal end rather than a grill-your-own barbecue joint. Banchan spread is generous and the stews are the strength. Reliable for a family dinner when you want something other than Cantonese.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Korean.
Paulaner Bräuhaus
The first proper brauhaus in Shenzhen, with copper tanks behind the bar and wheat beer brewed on site. The beer garden faces the fountain plaza, which is the best seat in Sea World on a warm evening. Food is straightforward German — pork knuckle, sausage — and portions are large.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: German, brewpub.
The Flames Steakhouse
An independent steakhouse and bar at Sea World rather than a hotel grill, and one of the venues that gives the Shekou strip its character. Straightforward — order steak, keep the wine simple. Better on a weeknight when the square outside is calmer.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Steakhouse.
Bus Grill
Dry-aged beef, roughly twenty to twenty-eight days, seasoned at the table with some theatre. Founded by a chef with a Michelin-kitchen background. A different register from the hotel steakhouses and considerably more fun for a group.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Turkish steakhouse.
Stone Sal言盐西餐厅
A Black Pearl-listed steakhouse rather than a hotel grill, which makes it unusual here. Go for the beef and keep the sides simple. Quieter than the equivalent rooms in Futian, and easier to book on short notice.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Steakhouse.
La Tablée
Small fusion kitchen in the same Shennan Circuit building as AVANT, working French technique over Japanese ingredients. Earned its Black Pearl listing recently. Counter seating, short menu, and easier to get into than its neighbour.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: French-Japanese fusion.
Trois Vies AFFINITÉ三生AFFINITÉ
Creative French cooking inside the Sea World Culture and Arts Centre, with an open kitchen and a wide sweep of sea view. The best fine-dining table in Shekou by some distance, and a rare case where you can make an evening of it with the gallery downstairs. Go at sunset.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: French.
Sei ku晴空·日本料理
Counter Japanese in Shenzhen Bay MixC, Nanshan, and one of the few in the city with a Black Pearl listing. Omakase format, so tell them about any restrictions when you book rather than on the night. Sit at the counter — the table seating misses the point.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Japanese.
AVANT
The only Shenzhen restaurant holding two diamonds in the Black Pearl guide, in the Shennan Circuit building at the OCT creative park. Tasting menu, small room, and the most technically ambitious cooking in the city outside Ensue. Worth it if you care about the food more than the view — there isn't one. Reserve well ahead.
Why it is here Cuisine as listed: Modern Western tasting menu.
Prices are per head, drinks excluded, as published on the full directory and last checked on 23 August 2026. Restaurants close and menus move — confirm anything that matters before you travel for it.