Top 10 Sanya Delicacies

Sanya is a place full of seafood. You will be dazzled by the variety of fresh seafood, such as Hele crab, abalone, and sea urchin. You must also try the authentic Sanya specialties, as well as various unique snacks and a wide range of tropical fruits.

1. Wenchang Chicken

Wenchang Chicken is usually raised in coconut groves and feeds on coconuts, which gives the chicken a unique flavor. When making it, the whole chicken is poached, cut into pieces after it has cooled down, and eaten with a unique dipping sauce. Traditional Wenchang chicken dipping sauce usually includes minced ginger, minced coriander and minced garlic, adding orange juice is an innovative method in Sanya.

• Features: tender, fragrant, flavorful
• Recommendation: Yanjiang Restaurant (an 80-year-old time-honored brand)
• Address: Next to the Snack City in the South Area on the 1st Floor of One Harbor City (Big Pineapple Mall), Yuya Road, Dadonghai Resort, Jiyang District (Right opposite to Harman Hotel), Sanya City, Hainan

2. Jiaji Duck

Jiaji Duck is one of the four famous dishes of Hainan. You must try it when you come to Sanya. Compared with other ducks, it has thinner skin and more tender meat. It is fatter but not greasy, so it is very popular. Hainanese people pay more attention to the original flavor of duck, so they don't roast it much. Generally, it is boiled and served with carefully prepared seasonings. With just one bite, its rich aroma fills your mouth.

• Features: tender, fatty, tangy
• Recommendation: Qiongxiangge
• Address: No. 8, Airport Road, Sanya Bay, Tianya District, Sanya City, Hainan

3. Hele Crab

Hele Crab is a renowned delicacy that vividly represents the rich seafood culture of Hainan. The meat of Hele crab is tender, and its roe is yellow as salted egg yolk, with a delicious taste. There are many ways to cook it. Choose a few plump crabs and go to the seafood processing market, where they can be steamed, stir-fried, sauced and so on, as you like.

• Features: plump, savory, rich-roe
• Recommendation: Buzike Seafood
• Address: Shop B - 21, Yalong Bay Central Square, Longhai Road, Jiyang District, Sanya City, Hainan

4. Fish Casserole

A traditional Hainan dish that has been passed down through several generations. It originated from the Dan people, a subgroup of the Li ethnic minority living in Hainan, who were primarily fishermen. The dish is known for its unique flavors, combining saltiness, spiciness, and umami, making it a popular choice among locals and visitors.

• Features: savory, tender, briny
• Recommendation: Wan Chai Fishing Port
• Address: Bridgehead of Taoyuan Road, Sub-district-level Administrative Divisions, Tianya District, Sanya City, Hainan

5. Sanya Seafood Hot Pot

It is a delightful culinary experience that showcases the fresh seafood available in the coastal city of Sanya. You'll taste local seafood like shrimp, crab, snail, shellfish and fish.

• Features: fresh, sweet, customizable
• Recommendation: Buzike
• Address: Shop B - 21, Yalong Bay Central Square, Longhai Road, Jiyang District, Sanya City, Hainan

6. Dongshan Goat

Dongshan Goat has the characteristics of skin with appropriate fat content, tender meat with little internal fat, moderate subcutaneous fat, being rich in flavor but not greasy, producing thick milky soup, with a fragrant smell, delicious taste, and is nutritious and beneficial for beauty.

• Features: nourishing, fresh and healthy
• Recommendation: Longquanren Coconut Chicken
• Address: Ground Floor of Ji Hotel (Former Civil Aviation Hotel's Sub - first Floor), No. 143, Jiefang 4th Road, Tianya District, Sanya City, Hainan

7. Coconut Chicken

Coconut Chicken is one of the local specialties in Sanya. A home-style dish made of coconut and chicken belongs to Hainan cuisine. It is characterized by its savory taste, fragrant coconut flavor and refreshing soup. Authentic Sanya chicken coconut Restaurants chooses Hainan local excellent coconuts and chickens. During the meal, three coconut juices are poured in and cooked before and after, supplemented by seafood and vegetables.

• Features: sweet, fragrant, light
• Recommendation: Longquanren Coconut Chicken
• Address: Ground Floor of Ji Hotel (Former Civil Aviation Hotel's Sub - first Floor), No. 143, Jiefang 4th Road, Tianya District, Sanya City, Hainan

8. Gangmen Rice Noodles

Gangmen rice noodles are a specialty of Gangmen area in Sanya. It is made with seafood as the auxiliary ingredients, including fish cakes, shrimp cakes, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, dried shrimps, pickled cabbage, fried sesame seeds. It is finally topped with broth made from pork bones and conchs. It is full of color, aroma and taste.

• Features: savory, slippery, comforting
• Recommendation: Gangmen Noodles First Shop
• Address: No. 51, Danzhou 3rd Lane, Tianya District, Sanya City, Hainan

9. Tengqiao Spareribs

Tengqiao spareribs (spareribs with Chinese prickly ash and pepper) are a traditional delicacy in Hainan that combines color, aroma and flavor. Spareribs from local free-range pigs in Tengqiao are selected, marinated with ginger and garlic juice, honey and other ingredients, and then slowly fried until cooked. The finished dish is golden in color, fragrant all around, fresh and slightly sweet in taste, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and has a delicious and mellow flavor.

• Features: spicy, numbing, fragrant
• Recommendation: Chuangwei Restaurant
• Address: Northwest Corner of the Intersection of Xinmin Road and Xihe West Road, Haitang District, Sanya City, Hainan

10. Qingbuliang

For a bowl of authentic Qingbuliang (a refreshing dessert), the coconut meat of old coconuts is selected, which is full and delicate, and the portion is absolutely sufficient. The recipe of Qingbuliang is not consistent. Each merchant will choose the most suitable ingredients to add, just like a hodgepodge of desserts. Common Qingbuliang raw materials include coconut milk, coconut meat, red beans, watermelon, sago, raisins, mung beans, etc. Every time you eat Qingbuliang from different stores, you will always feel a bright feeling.

• Features: sweet, creamy, refreshing
• Recommendation: Ziranye
• Address: No. 0304, 1st Floor, Wole Supermarket, Qingchunli, Yingbin Road, Tianya District, Sanya City, Hainan