Originally Posted by
troyb
Hi,
I've been in Shenzhen for about a week and I need a break from the Chinese food that my colleagues and hosts have been pushing me towards. Like anything else, it just gets old after a while.
What are some of the better (best?) non-Chinese spots around town? American, Italian, whatever. Even something like high quality sushi or Thai would be appreciated at this point.
Separately - is there anywhere that serves a good Peking Duck here? Obviously I know we are not in PEK, but is there anywhere worth even trying?
Greatly appreciate any suggestions, I'm hoping to break my Chinese streak tonight.
-Troy
Western, or anything non-Chinese?
Disclaimer: I haven't been to Shenzhen in a year, but my usual haunts were in Luo Hu (and random points in Longgang and Bao'an). Shenzhen changes very quickly, but Luo Hu is still by far my favorite district (of the usual Luo Hu, Nan Shan and Fu Tian) in which to eat.
For starters, if you're interested in Japanese food (I don't know about sushi though...), at the northeast corner of Jiabin Lu and Dongmen Nan Lu in Luo Hu, there's a building called 西武大厦 (XiWu Dasha). Check out the floor directory by the elevator for 日本料理 (Riben Liaoli = Japanese Cuisine); I can't remember the exact names of restaurants, but that's as close to
feeling like you're in Tokyo as you can get in Shenzhen. Not the quality is exceptional, but that neighborhood - roughly, around Renmin Nan Lu and Dongmen Nan Lu - has a vague Japanese feel to it, which also means dubious nightlife is present.
Due north of XiWu Dasha is a Korean restaurant.
Close to GuoMao metro station, if you go south on RenMin Nan Lu, then make a left on YouYi Lu, there's a Jusco supermarket located in the basement of a small shopping center. Foreign goods are available, and the crowds aren't usually as nutty as the Wal-Mart or Vanguard.
How about Indian food? I went to Taj a bunch; it's harder to describe the location, but
this is a link to the restaurant. It's not far from the Shangri-La hotel, across from the Shenzhen train station.
There are a couple of Turkish restaurant in Luo Hu too:
Istanbul and
Anatolia.
Plenty of other choices exist in random parts of the city, but Coco Park/Gou Wu Gong Yuan metro station, Shekou and Hua Qiang Bei are common areas to go for your fill of non-Chinese food.
I'm not necessarily raving about any of these places, regardless I wanted to give you/FT a few suggestions.
NB: If you wanted to revert back to Chinese food, I like wandering around the 向西 (Xiang Xi) part of Luo Hu. Lots of variety, and it's quite bustling at night.