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Guangzhou and Shenzhen Restaurants

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Guangzhou and Shenzhen Restaurant Reviews

For centuries Guangzhou has been known as a city of gourmands, and in the last decade, it has undergone a gastronomic renaissance the likes of which few cities will ever know. At the heart of this is commerce, as business travelers bring the ingredients, spices, and culinary traditions from their homes with them. Popping up alongside venerable Cantonese restaurants are eateries specializing in flavors from around the world. Guangzhou has more excellent Indian, Italian, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants than you can shake a joss stick at, and owing to the recent influx of Middle Eastern traders, there are some parts of town where it's easier to find a falafel than a shrimp dumpling. Of course this isn't to say that Guangzhou's traditional delicacies have been usurped. Amazing seafood dishes and braised and barbecued meats are still available in delicious variety, and succulent dim sum still rules the roost as the city's hometown favorite.

Shenzhen is packed with people from other provinces, and its main culinary strength lies in this diversity. From the heavy mutton stews of Xinjiang to the spicy seafood dishes of Fujian, Shenzhen is home to thousands of restaurants existing not to please the fickle palates of visitors, but to alleviate the homesickness of people pining for native provinces left behind. Furthermore, over the past few years, Shenzhen has attracted a slew of restaurateurs from abroad, making the city a veritable culinary mecca, not merely for those with a taste for Chinese cuisine, but for international gourmands as well.

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