As with any international tourist resort island, the food options in Sanya are diverse and crowd-pleasing but vary quite dramatically from high quality to terrible glug. The best bet is the street food, which can be purchased from virtually any part of the city. At dusk hawkers and their carts set up shop all over town and serve treats like tofu skewers and a million different things made from coconuts.Strolling along the streets of Sanya and grazing on street food is a great way to spend an evening and it doubles as a leisurely sightseeing tour. Since many of the better hawker stalls are down alleyways and lanes all kinds of unexpected hidden places can be found on a food-walking tour.
All the international fast food chains are in Sanya but the superb selection of seafood restaurants here makes those places seem quite redundant. Live catches in tanks await the choice of diners and there are superlative Sichuan and Cantonese restaurants in Sanya too.
More than 40 private stalls operate here under the umbrella of the Chunyuan Seafood Stall. It is right in the center of Sanya on Hex Road and is adjacent to the main seafood market. Diners can buy something from the seafood market then bring it to the stall of their choice where it will be cooked to their specifications.
Along Yuejin Road, Mingji Stall is another renowned seafood precinct. All taxi drivers will be able to whiz visitors directly to it but alternatively, public buses 2 and 4 stop at the nearby Binhai Cinema, and the Mingji Stall is left at the adjacent crossing.
Regular visitors to Sanya will swear by the beer and food stalls right on the beach at Dadonghau. Ice cold beer is stacked into freezers that lean against lazy palm trees and the grilled shrimps, squid and chicken drumsticks are all justifiably famous. The stalls are at the end of the main Sanya marble plaza.
Betty's
Holiday Inn, Yalong Bay Betty will cook up fine baby clams just how you like them but she does, apparently, have a tendency to charge according to what she thinks you can afford as based on your appearance. If you like, you can eat for free if you work the night as her waiter. Tables are right on the beach.
Lanna Thai & Loft Bar San Ya Wan Road
Phone: +86 898 8839 1046
The Tsingtao beer is ice cold and the barbecue steaks and mixed grills sizzle from 19:00 at this Sanya institution that really gets into the Hawaiian theme that permeates most parts of the island.
Sanya Seafood Farming
Sanya Bay Road
Phone: +86 898 1789 7751
Sanya takes its seafood very seriously and this barn-like venue offers just seafood – no frills and no fancy service. It's easy to find, right on the main road, and is like a combination of a fish market and a restaurant.
Find more information about Sanya and hotels in the area:
Sanya hotels | China hotels
