Eating in Sanya

Hainan Food Briefing

Hainan cuisine, known as Qiong cuisine, stands out as a vibrant regional style distinct from China’s classic "Eight Great Cuisines." Over 2,000 years, it has woven together techniques from Fujian and Guangdong, absorbed the earthy flavors of the Li and Miao ethnic groups, and embraced Southeast Asian influences, creating a culinary mosaic celebrated as "a sea teeming with seafood, a land bursting with delicacies." Rooted in ancient Central Chinese traditions, it evolved significantly during the Ming Dynasty with Cantonese culinary influences and matured after Hainan became a province in 1988, carving its identity through open-ended borrowing that mirrors the island’s multicultural spirit.

At its core, Hainan cuisine celebrates freshness. Seafood takes center stage, prepared simply—steamed, boiled, or lightly stewed—to let natural flavors shine. Yet it’s the tropical twist that surprises: coconuts, pineapples, mangoes, and other island fruits find their way into dishes like coconut crab, pineapple chicken, or shrimp glazed with mango sauce. This creativity extends to mountain herbs and bamboo rice from indigenous traditions, while hints of lemongrass and lime whisper of Southeast Asian neighbors.

The flavors dance between simplicity and complexity. A dish might highlight the pure sweetness of just-caught fish, then shift to garlicky steamed clams or five-spice marinated pork. Coconut milk enriches stews, while tangy mango cuts through rich meats. What ties it all together is a health-conscious ethos. Born of Hainan’s tropical heat, the cuisine favors light cooking—quick blanches, clear broths, and raw-fresh ingredients that prioritize vitality. Locals insist only live seafood or day-picked vegetables grace the table, believing such freshness nourishes both body and soul.

From street stalls serving peppery fish soups to restaurants offering pineapple-infused rice, Hainan cuisine feels like a sunlit journey—where the ocean’s bounty meets orchard sweetness, ancient techniques shake hands with foreign spices, and every bite tastes of the island’s lush, laid-back charm.

Famous Local Dishes

Wenchang Chicken(Wenchang Ji文昌鸡)

Wenchang Chicken, crowned as the top of Hainan’s “Four Great Dishes,” is celebrated for its authentic chicken flavor. The skin glistens with golden oil, while the meat is so tender it “falls off the bone with a gentle suck,” paired perfectly with a dipping sauce of ginger, garlic, and soy that balances savory depth with a subtle sweetness.

This culinary treasure originates from Wenchang City, a region in Hainan Province honored as a China National Geographical Indication product. With a history stretching back over 400 years, Wenchang Chicken isn’t just a dish—it’s a cultural icon. The city itself, founded as Zibei County during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) and renamed Wenchang in 627 CE, has long been a cradle of scholars, overseas Chinese, and even the birthplace of the famed Soong sisters, pivotal figures in modern Chinese history.

The chickens, a local breed nurtured here for centuries, thrive in Wenchang’s unique environment. Nestled on Hainan’s northeastern coast, the area boasts a tropical island climate—year-round warmth (average 23.9°C), abundant sunshine (1,954 hours annually), and seasonal rains (1,722 mm yearly) that drench the land between May and October. Lush greenery, fed by fertile soils and ocean breezes, blankets the region.

It’s this natural harmony that shapes the chickens’ exceptional quality. Roaming freely under coconut palms and fruit trees, they develop lean muscles and a delicate texture. Their diet—a mix of wild grasses, insects, and grains—infuses the meat with a natural sweetness, while the mild climate ensures steady growth. The result? A bird so tender and flavorful that it’s become synonymous with Hainan itself.

From imperial banquets to family dinners, Wenchang Chicken embodies the island’s spirit: simple yet refined, deeply rooted in its land, and always leaving you craving one more bite.

Hele Crab(Hele Xie和乐蟹 )

Before the dish is served, the aroma of crab paste is already overwhelming. The recommended recipe is a spicy stir-fry, the spicy flavor just brings out the sweetness of the crab meat. Crab shell is full of golden cream fat, attractive color, fragrance, people can not help but want to suck, even the gap of the crab leg should be carefully tasted, not willing to waste a bit of delicious.

Hele crab is a kind of high-quality seafood in Hainan, and it is also a famous traditional specialty. It has fat meat, tender taste, delicious taste, full crab eggs, full crab paste, high nutritional value. Its unique taste of fragrant, fresh, tender and crisp makes it one of the "four famous dishes" in Hainan, and it is as famous as Wenchang chicken and East goat, and is loved by diners.

Compared to other crabs, especially river crabs, He Yue crab has two distinctive characteristics. First of all, its crab paste almost covers the entire back cover, the paste is fine and firm, while the common crab crab crab paste is more loose, lumpy, and the amount of paste is far less rich than He Yue crab. Secondly, the meat quality of Hele crab is more tender and firm, and the meat quantity is more than that of general river crab, so the taste is more rich and satisfying.

If compared with hairy crabs, the cream of the crab is mellow and not greasy, belonging to the warm ingredients, suitable for people in tropical areas to eat, and hairy crabs are cold, eating too much is easy to cause physical discomfort. The crab paste of Harmony crab is golden and oily, just like salted egg yolk, with rich flavor, delicate taste and endless aftertaste.

In terms of nutritional value, the protein content of Hele crab is much higher than that of river crab and hairy crab, and the cholesterol content is relatively low. It was determined that every 100 grams of edible portion contained about 14 grams of protein and 2.6 grams of fat. In addition, it is rich in A variety of trace elements and amino acids needed by the human body, including calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin A content is particularly prominent. Eating Hele crab can not only nourish the body, easy to absorb, but also has the effect of promoting digestion, promoting blood circulation and strengthening tendons, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and even help to treat the swollen nucleus of gangrene. Therefore, He Le crab is not only a delicious delicacy, but also a nutritious and highly valuable seafood treasure.

Lingao SucklingPig(Lingao Ruzhu临高乳猪)

Lingao Suckling pig is a traditional dish that occupies a special place in Hainan cuisine. It is known for its crisp skin, tender meat, crisp bones and rich aroma, which makes it especially popular when baking. Lingao pig is one of the three main pig breeds in Hainan Province, alongside Wenchang Pig and Tunchang pig. The name of the Lingao pig comes from Linggao County in the north of Hainan Province, its main breeding ground. This specialty is known for its thin skin, fine bones, lean meat and low fat content compared to other varieties.

Lingao's Suckling pig is traditionally roasted over a charcoal fire, and the dish is satisfying with a crisp skin, sweet and juicy meat and crunchy bones. There are several ways to make it, the most common being steaming, roasting, or braising.

The preparation of the steamed Ling Gao Suckling pig is particularly meticulous. Select a pig weighing about 10 kg, carefully break its backbone and flatten it so that the skin is even with the surface. Make shallow cuts in the meat, about 1cm deep, to allow the seasoning to penetrate. The seasoning process is crucial; Mix salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, fermented bean curd and five-spice powder to make a paste. Add a little red wine. Then rub the marinade thoroughly inside and out and let the flavors soak in for about 10 minutes. After rinsing the skin, place the pig flat in a steamer and simmer for 40 to 60 minutes. The result is a dish that is smooth, light in taste and tangy in aroma, a true Hainanese delicacy.

Qingbuliang清补凉

Qingbuliang is known as the king of Hainan dessert. Its composition is different, some focus on strengthening the spleen and removing dampness, while others emphasize nourishing the lungs. The traditional Qingbuliang recipe usually includes mung beans, red beans, yam (Huai Shan), lotus seeds, coix seed, Job's tears, sago, lily bulbs, red dates and apricots. To enhance its flavor and refreshing quality, fruits such as watermelon, pineapple and longan are often added to make sweet soups. Some variants are infused with herbal ingredients such as astragalus, codonopsis, ophiopogon, poria, blue dates, figs, and even pig's tendon, braised in a rich slow-cooked broth. However, different regions and individual shops often adapt their own specialty ingredients to local tastes.

Qingbuliang is most commonly enjoyed as a sweet soup or an old fire soup, and each region has its own unique flavor and potential health benefits. Over time, its recipes have moved beyond traditional sugar soups to include versions made with coconut water, coconut milk, smoothies and even ice cream. This beloved dessert is especially popular in Hainan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Guangxi and other parts of southern China.

Often described as "cool on the tongue," Qingbuliang is a refreshing treat with the perfect balance of taste and nutrition. The famous poet Su Shi once used the poetic image of "coconut tree picking AGAR, holding a bowl of white jade fragrance" to praise it, capturing its delicate aroma and delicate texture.

Coconut rice（Yezi Fan椰子饭 )

Coconut rice is a delicious Hainan snack made with steamed glutinous rice from aged coconut. Once cooked, the coconut is cut open to reveal a bowl of tender coconut meat and fragrant rice. Topped with toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, the dish is sweet but not overdone, rich and chewy, with more flavor with each bite.

Coconut rice, also known as "coconut boat", is a signature dish of Hainanese cuisine. Coconut is nutritious in its own right, both as a food and as a medicinal ingredient. Among the traditional cuisine of Hainan, coconut rice stands out for its unique preparation method and natural flavor. Made with high-quality Hainan glutinous rice, fresh coconut meat and naturally sweet coconut water, it is a beloved village snack that embodies the culinary traditions of the island.

Bamboo Rice
The Bamboo rice of the Li ethnic minority in Sanya is a special traditional local food as well. People put the rice with some meat of the wild animals and special ingredients into a bamboo tube, and then cook it with the charcoal fire. It will be more delicious and fragrant over a sip of folk wine.

Recommended Restaurants

For your reference, the following are the restaurants rated most popular by the locals:

Linjie Seafood Flavor (Linjie Xiangwei Haixian林姐香味海鲜)
Description: A 23-year-old seafood institution famous for fresh, made-to-order dishes like spicy stir-fried Hele crab and salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp. Locally hailed as "Sanya's seafood pinnacle."
Address: 139 Xinmin Street, next to Sanya First Market.


Authentic Baoluo Rice Noodles (Zhengzong Baoluo Rice Noodles正宗抱罗粉)
Description: One of Hainan's "Four Great Noodles," known for its rich broth, silky rice noodles, and over a dozen customizable toppings. Elevated by a spoonful of secret yellow lantern chili sauce.
Address: 33 Hexi Road, near Sanya Riverside.


Taiqiong Century-Old Zuopozuo Vinegar Hotpot (Taiqiong Bainian Zaopocu Haixian Huoguo太琼百年糟粕醋海鲜火锅)
Description: Sour-spicy fermented vinegar broth paired with live seafood platters and Hainan yellow beef. Custom dipping sauces electrify the palate.
Address: 7F, Mingzhu Plaza, 668 Jiefang 3rd Road.


Qiongxiangge Hainan Cuisine 琼乡阁海南菜餐厅
Description: Creative Hainan dishes like Grandma's handmade tofu and mango rice rolls blend aesthetics and flavor, served in a Li ethnic minority-inspired setting.
Address: 8 Airport Road, Sanya Bay core area.


Zheng Ama Qingbuliang (Zheng Apo Qingbuliang郑阿婆清补凉)
Description: A three-generation coconut milk dessert loaded with 10+ toppings, crowned with a coconut milk ice ball—a must-eat summer refresher.
Address: 193 Sanya Bay Road, inside Coconut Dream Corridor Pedestrian Street.


Yanjiang Hainan Chicken Rice (Yanjiang Hainan Ji Fan dian沿江海南鸡饭店)
Description: A century-old brand using intangible heritage techniques to prepare coconut-infused Wenchang chicken. Fragrant chicken oil rice evokes Hainan childhood memories.
Address: 3F, Blue Ocean Shopping Plaza, 261 Xinfeng Street.


Aju Dessert Shop (Aju Lengyin Dian阿菊冷饮店)
Description: A viral night market stall famous for ultra-creamy durian/mango shaved ice with zero ice chunks. Sweet tooth paradise at just ¥15/person.
Address: 5 Hongqi Street Lane 1, entrance of First Market Night Market.


Haiya Restaurant 海亚餐厅
Description: A 30-year veteran of Hainan home-style cuisine. Dongshan lamb stew, Jiaji duck, shrimp sauce sweet potato leaves—taste the island on one table.
Address: 285 Hexi Road, near Sanya Bridge.