Ningbo Dining

As an important offshoot of Zhejiang Cuisine, Ningbo Cuisine, utilizing various cooking techniques like frying, braising and steaming, is famous for its softness and the original taste and flavor of food. Lying near the sea, Ningbo has access to abundant sea products. Hence, seafood, especially fish, is preferred in the local cuisine. Many of the ten famous dishes of this region are made of sea food:

Bingtang Jiayu (Steamed Turtle in Crystal Sugar Soup) takes first place in the ten famous Ningbo dishes. The bright golden color easily arouses one's appetite. It is both sweet and salty with a strong fragrance. In addition to being delicious, it also boasts of being rich in protein, iodine and vitamin B.

Braised Eel is cooked with fresh river eel. The prepared eel is first braised until the skin turns transparent. Then the flesh, with bones carefully removed, is cooked in a brown sauce. The result is tender and juicy and has a lovely bright color. This dish is a veritable tonic of calcium and vitamins.

Bean Curd Skin Roll with Yellow Croaker is also very popular. Each roll is cut into small pieces and deep-fried. The bean curd skin is quite crisp while the yellow croaker inside is very tender. The vinegar sauce gives it a special flavor.

Others like Fried Eel, Braised Yellow Croaker with Pickled Potherb Mustard, and Fish with Seaweed are also made with the bounty of the sea.

In addition to these famous dishes, Ningbo also boasts many delicate and delicious noshes. The most famous one is Rice Glue Ball (Stuffed Dumpling Ball). The skin of the dumpling ball is made of fine glutinous rice power so that it is quite soft and smooth. The common stuffing is made of lard, fine sugar and black sesame. The stuffing can also be made of ham or lean meat. The various stuffings offer different tastes like sweet or salt with a distinctive aroma. Authentic Ningbo stuffed dumpling balls are there for you to enjoy at Gangyagou Rice Glue Ball Restaurant at No.7 Xianxue Street, Haishu District, Ningbo City.

Recommended Restaurants:
The authentic Ningbo Cuisine, especially seafood, can be found at:

Sunward Fishery Restaurants
Caihong location:
Address: No.236, Caihong Road, Jiangdong District
Bus Routes: 10,804,820,360,367,514,506,560
Zhongxin location:
Address: No.977, Yinzhou Road, Yinzhou District
Bus Routes: 108,103,359,361,513,109,116,105,116-1,623,627

Shipu Restaurant
Tianyi location (New Shipu Restaurant)
Address: No.298, Kaiming Street, Haishu District
Bus Routes:
2, 3, 4, 10, 12, 15, 19 , 518, 506 ,517 ,215 ,216, 331, 350, 503, 504, 515 ,517 ,521 , 528 , 804 , 821
Moon Lake location
Address: No.60, Yanyue Street, Haishu District
Bus Routes: 9,357,16,20,214,302,330,354,503,507,506,550,560,560-1,821

Vegetarian Food:
Ningbo Jujubetree Vegetarian Restaurant
Address: No.16 Liuting Street, Haishu District
Opening Hour: lunch time: 11:00~14:00
Dinner time: 17:00~21:30
Tips: 1.This is a non- smoking restaurant;
2. You must place your order before 21:00 each day.
Bus Routes: 506, 507, 812, 820, 821, 906, 517, 516, 357, 7, 9, 20, 809, 19, 330

Fast Food:
KFC: here are some main locations:
Drum Tower location: No.81, Zhongshan West Road
City God's Temple location: No.118, Jiefang Road, Haishu District
Hualian B location: No. 1, Intime Department Store, Dongdu Road
Tianyi location: No.48, Yaohang Street

Pizza Hut:
Tianyi location: Intime Department Store, No.188, Tianyi Square, Zhongshan East Road
City God's Temple location: No.118-120, Jiefang South Road, Haishu District
Yinzhou location: No.188, Siming Road, Yinzhou District

McDonald's:
City God's Temple location: No.2, Xianxue Street
Jinguang location: 1st Floor, Jinguang Center, No. 148, Jiangdong Road

- Last updated on Jul. 19, 2022 -
Questions & Answers on Ningbo Dining
Asked by Mr.SHAHADAT530 | Mar. 12, 2019 18:58Reply
Are these any snack streets for foodies in Ningbo?
Answers (1)
Answered by Hannah from FINLAND | Mar. 15, 2019 00:40
00Reply


Yes, there are. The Gulou Food Street and Shuijie Food Street are recommended ones. You can find many local foods there. Hope helpful!
Asked by FRANCINE | Apr. 07, 2015 23:15Reply
Best Ningo Street Food Venues
Can anyone tell me where is the best street food venues are located in the city?

Thank you!
Answers (1)
Answered by Kathy from GERMANY | Apr. 08, 2015 01:35
10Reply


Two places recommend to go: Tianyi Square (East Zhongshan Road, Haishu District) and the City God Temple (Kaiming Street, Haishu District). Lots of delicious eateries are located near these two places.
Asked by dolly tan from SINGAPORE | Aug. 17, 2014 11:40Reply
Hi, is it easy to tour ningbo on own free and easy or do we need a guide?
my husband and i we love seafood so can recommend us some of the best seafood restaurants?
Answers (1)
Answered by Gary from INDONESIA | Aug. 17, 2014 21:11
00Reply


It is generally easy to tour on your own in the city, but if you wanna explore much of the city or would like to tour the surroundings, it is best to hire a guide.

I recommend the local Jingjia Road to you. On this street, you can find many seafood restaurants.
Asked by sajjad from BAHRAIN | Feb. 01, 2014 13:01Reply
do we get muslim halal food in ningbo city and also in chengde city
cow goat sheep chicken slaughter by muslim having halal certificate, do we get asian specially pakistani food in ningbo and chengde cities.
also please let me know muslim shia ithna ashari population in these cities
Answers (1)
Answered by Juana from AUSTRALIA | Feb. 10, 2014 19:33
10Reply


Hi, you can find Halal food in both of the cities. In NB city, I recommend you go to Dong Yi Shun Restaurant, which has several branches in the city. Also there is a Lebanese Muslim Restaurant at No. 320, Zhenming Road. You can go for a try too! In Chengde, Hui Wei Zhai Restaurant is a good one. It lies at Dongxing Commercial City.
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