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Best Food in Xingcheng (2026)
Start with the local specialty, Xingcheng seafood noodles, a savory broth loaded with fresh clams and shrimp. Another iconic dish is the braised sea cucumber, often served with… 🍜 Must-Try Dishes
Start with the local specialty, Xingcheng seafood noodles, a savory broth loaded with fresh clams and shrimp. Another iconic dish is the braised sea cucumber, often served with a rich garlic sauce. For a quick bite, grab a steamed bun filled with pork and chives from any morning market stall.
🏮 Old Town Eats
In the historic Old Town, head to Laojie Snack Street, where vendors sell grilled squid and candied hawthorn skewers. Don't miss the century-old restaurant, Xingcheng Flavor House at 12 Gulou North Street, which serves traditional Liaoning dishes. Prices here are moderate, with most mains between 30 and 60 yuan.
🦐 Seafood Markets
For the freshest catch, visit the Xingcheng Seafood Wholesale Market on Binhai Avenue, open from 5 AM to 9 PM. You can pick live crabs, prawns, and fish, then have them cooked at nearby family-run kitchens for a small fee. Expect to pay around 100 yuan per person for a full seafood feast.
🥟 Breakfast Spots
Join locals at Wangji Dumpling House on Wenming Road, famous for its juicy pork and cabbage dumplings, served from 6:30 AM. Another favorite is the soy milk and fried dough stick stall at the corner of Tuanjie Street, where a full breakfast costs under 10 yuan. Arrive early to avoid the rush.
🍢 Street Food Nights
As the sun sets, the night market on Xinghai Road comes alive with skewers of lamb, chicken wings, and grilled corn. Try the spicy crayfish at the red-tent stall near the east gate, a local favorite. Most skewers cost 5 to 15 yuan, and the market runs from 6 PM to midnight.
🍰 Sweet Treats
For dessert, sample the traditional peanut cake from the century-old shop, Guihua Zhai, at 28 East Street. Their version is flaky and lightly sweet, perfect with tea. You can also find modern ice cream shops along the beach promenade, offering sea salt flavors for about 15 yuan a scoop.
🍺 Local Brews
Pair your meal with a bottle of Xingcheng beer, a light lager brewed locally since the 1980s. Many seafood restaurants serve it ice-cold for around 8 yuan a bottle. For a stronger option, try the baijiu from the nearby Jinzhou distillery, available at most liquor stores.
💡 Budget Tips
To save money, eat where the locals queue, especially at lunchtime when many restaurants offer set meals. Avoid tourist-trap spots near the main gate of the ancient city, where prices can be double. A filling meal for one can cost as little as 25 yuan if you stick to noodle shops and dumpling houses.
Solid guide overall, the seafood noodles are indeed the move, but I'd say the real sleeper pick is the grilled squid from the older vendor at the far end of Laojie Snack Street, not the ones near the entrance. He's got a char and spice blend that's been passed down, and his tent doesn't have a sign, just a faded blue awning. Ask for the extra cumin, it's free and worth it.
Also, if you're around in the evening, skip the crayfish at the red tent and head to the stall two rows back, the one with the yellow lanterns. They do a garlic butter version that's less spicy but way more fragrant, and they'll toss in a free handful of fried lotus root slices if you're ordering a few skewers. It's about the same price, just a better vibe and less touristy.
Seconding the farmers market tip, that's where I found the best dried shrimp in town, the ones sold in plastic bags at the regular shops don't compare. If you're there anyway, walk to the south side of the wall and look for the woman selling fresh sea buckthorn juice, it's tart and a bit weird but cuts through all the heavy food like nothing else.
For the old town, skip the sit-down places entirely and just do a walking snack crawl. Start at the sesame pancake stall someone mentioned, then get a skewer of grilled tofu from the cart near the drum tower, then finish with the peanut cake. Costs less than one restaurant meal and you see more of the street.
One thing nobody's said yet, the local breakfast crowd goes hard on the congee at the small place on Heping Road, it's two doors down from a hardware store and has no sign. They do a pork and preserved egg version that's got a broth so rich you'll think twice about the dumpling place. Get there by 7am or the good toppings are gone.
That guide nails most of it, especially the peanut cake at Guihua Zhai, which I'd say is the one thing you shouldn't skip. The flaky texture is nothing like the dense versions you'll find elsewhere, and it's cheap enough to grab a box for the train ride home.
One thing I'd add: if you're here on a Sunday morning, the farmers market that sets up along the west side of the Old Town wall has incredible pickled vegetables and fresh tofu skins that most visitors walk right past. Grab some to eat with your dumplings from Wangji, it's a combo that'll set you up for the day.
Also, for the seafood feast, skip the sit-down kitchens and instead buy a live crab and ask the stallholder to steam it for you on the spot. Some of them do it for free if you're buying a few things, and it's fresher than anything a restaurant will serve you. Just bring your own soy sauce or they'll charge you extra for a tiny dip.
3 Days in Xingcheng: Itinerary 2026
Start your trip in Xingcheng's Old Town, a well-preserved Ming Dynasty walled city. Walk the city wall (entrance fee 50 CNY) for panoramic views, then visit the Confucius Temple… 🗺️ Day 1: Old Town
Start your trip in Xingcheng's Old Town, a well-preserved Ming Dynasty walled city. Walk the city wall (entrance fee 50 CNY) for panoramic views, then visit the Confucius Temple (open 8:00-17:00). For lunch, try local seafood at a restaurant near the South Gate, where a meal for two costs about 100 CNY.
🏖️ Beach Time
In the afternoon, head to the nearby Xingcheng Beach, just a 10-minute taxi ride (about 15 CNY) from the Old Town. Relax on the sand or rent a beach umbrella for 20 CNY. As the sun sets, take a stroll along the promenade and enjoy the sea breeze.
🍜 Evening Food Walk
For dinner, explore the night market on East Street, which comes alive after 6 PM. Sample local specialties like grilled squid and cold noodles, with most dishes costing between 10 and 30 CNY. End the evening with a cup of local tea at a teahouse near the Drum Tower.
🏞️ Day 2: Coastal Sights
On your second day, take a 30-minute bus ride (line 1, 2 CNY) to the Juhua Island ferry terminal. Catch the ferry to Juhua Island (round trip 100 CNY, departs every hour from 8 AM) and spend the morning exploring its rocky shores and fishing villages. Return to the mainland by early afternoon.
🏯 Fortress and Gardens
Back on the mainland, visit the Xingcheng Fortress, a 17th-century military stronghold, just a 15-minute walk from the ferry terminal. The entrance fee is 40 CNY, and the site is open until 17:30. Afterward, relax in the nearby Longquan Garden, a peaceful spot with ponds and pavilions, free to enter.
🚌 Getting Around
Xingcheng is compact, and most attractions are within a 20-minute drive of each other. Public buses cost 1-2 CNY, while taxis start at 7 CNY for the first 3 kilometers. For day trips, consider renting a bicycle from your hotel for about 30 CNY per day.
🌅 Day 3: Nature Escape
On your final day, take a 40-minute taxi (around 60 CNY) to the Shoushan National Forest Park, known for its hiking trails and ancient pines. The park opens at 7 AM, and the entrance fee is 60 CNY. Plan to spend at least three hours exploring the main loop trail.
🛍️ Local Souvenirs
Before leaving, stop by the Xingcheng Seafood Market on West Street to buy dried seafood and local snacks as gifts. Prices are negotiable, and a bag of dried shrimp costs about 30 CNY. The market is open from 8 AM to 6 PM, and vendors accept cash or mobile payments.
The guide's solid, but I'd swap Day 3's taxi for the local minibus that runs from the east bus station to Shoushan. It's 8 yuan, takes about 50 minutes, and drops you right at the park gate, plus you get to see the countryside along the way. On the trail, don't skip the side path to the old watchtower near the summit, most people miss it and it's the best view of the coast. For souvenirs, haggle harder at the seafood market, I got a bag of dried scallops for 20 yuan less than the first price they quoted. And if you're there on a weekday, the Confucius Temple is way quieter before 10 AM, the tour groups roll in after that.
this is solid, i did almost this exact route last june. one thing i'd add: skip the bus to juhua island and just grab a taxi, it's like 20-25 yuan and saves you the wait, line 1 can get packed with day trippers. also the night market on east street is good but the grilled squid stalls near the south gate are way better, less touristy and they'll throw in extra chili if u ask. for the fortress, go later in the afternoon, the light hits the walls nice and it's cooler. and if u have time, the little seafood place two doors down from the confucius temple, not the one right at the gate, does a killer steamed prawn dish for like 60 yuan, way better value than the ones on the main strip
good writeup, covers the main spots pretty well. one thing i'd add: grab the ferry to juhua island early, like the 8am one, and eat lunch at one of the tiny places near the dock, not the ones facing the water. i had a bowl of seafood noodles for 15 yuan that beat anything i got in town, the family running it just cooks what came in that morning. also, if you're into the old town, the west gate is way less crowded than the south one and the walk along the wall from there to the drum tower is nicer, less souvenir stalls and more actual old houses. for the forest park, the main loop is fine but the side trail to the east ridge takes you past a small temple that's been there since the qing dynasty, nobody mentions it and it's a good half hour detour. solid plan overall, just pace yourself with the seafood, two big meals a day is plenty.