Ruijie & Sascha
Trail of China · May 2025
Shunde Cuisine
Shunde is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy — and it's a suburb of Guangzhou. The best food district in the food capital of China.
Why You'll Love It
Here's the thing about Shunde: it's a district of Foshan that's 30 minutes from Guangzhou by metro, and UNESCO literally named it a City of Gastronomy. Not a city with good food — a City of Gastronomy. The only one in China.
The Shunde philosophy is simple: use the best ingredients and don't mess them up. Fish is steamed whole with ginger and scallion. Pork is slow-braised until it melts. Milk is turned into double-skin milk pudding (双皮奶), a dessert so silky it's like eating clouds. Shunde chefs are the most respected in Cantonese cuisine — Hong Kong's top restaurants recruit from here.
You can eat Shunde food in Guangzhou proper, but making the 30-minute trip to Shunde itself is worth it. The restaurants are bigger, the ingredients are fresher, and the prices are lower.
About Shunde Cuisine
Shunde cuisine (顺德菜) comes from the Shunde district of Foshan, designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2014. The cuisine emphasizes fresh ingredients, minimal seasoning, and techniques that let natural flavors shine. Signature dishes include steamed fish, roast goose, water milk desserts, and the famous double-skin milk pudding (双皮奶).
Practical Details
Getting There
Take Metro Line 2 or 7 to Guangzhou South Station, then transfer to the Shunde intercity rail (30 min, ¥10). Alternatively, DiDi from central Guangzhou costs ¥80–120.
What to Skip
Skip the fancy hotel restaurants in Shunde — the best food is in unassuming neighborhood restaurants with plastic stools and paper menus.
Essential Information
Location
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