Thirty-seven of the Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) restaurants are included in China’s prestigious 2026 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, with a total of 6 new entries from Shenzhen and Guangzhou announced at the awards ceremony in Quanzhou, Fujian last week.
The regional honours are led by Guangzhou with 18 listings and Shenzhen with 17, while Foshan’s renowned Shunde district – celebrated as the birthplace of much Cantonese cuisine – secured two.
Guangzhou saw new entries in both Japanese cuisine and hotpot categories: Shier Omakase (拾贰·懷石 Omakase) and Fresh Wood Beef Hot Pot (赏鲜悦木牛肉火锅).
Shenzhen welcomed four new entries which highlights the city’s culinary diversity: Cantonese restaurant The Bay by Chef Fei at Shenzhen Mandarin Oriental Hotel, creative Chinese cuisine at Shan Hai Zuo (山海作·中国菜), French restaurant Sansheng Affinité (三生 Affinité), and Sushi Shizuka (笑鱼 静寿司 Shizuka), which originated from Shanghai.
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Notably, Shenzhen’s chef Lin Qi of one-diamond restaurant La Tablée was among the three recipients of the guide’s Young Chef Award.
Nationally, the 2026 guide recognises 263 restaurants. Shanghai tops the list with 61 awarded venues, followed by Beijing (35) and Hangzhou (20).
The Black Pearl Restaurant Guide is created by Meituan, China’s leading “local life” app that uses expert critiques and big data to rate China’s finest dining establishments. The guide is set to launch its inaugural overseas edition in March, aiming to further promote Chinese culinary excellence globally.
