8 Best Restaurants in Pearl River Delta, China

Worth a visit for the decor alone, Beiyuan is a throwback to 1928, the year the restaurant opened. The two-story dining room wraps around a traditional Chinese courtyard and includes a well-manicured garden and a pond with goldfish. The restaurant's interior is jazzed up with Chinese screens, lanterns and chandeliers. The menu—specializing in Cantonese cuisine and dim sum—is available in Engish, though it can be a struggle to get your hands on a copy.

Take the lines outside of Binsheng as an indication that the food here is worth the wait. A local Cantonese favorite, Bingsheng is most famous for its char siu, or barbecued pork. Wading through the huge picture menu (which includes English) can be a task, so look for the specialties: the chef's black barbecue pork is a signature, as well as the homemade, extra silky tofu, and enormous, piping hot pineapple buns. People come here for lively, family-style surrounds and excellent local fare, not for the service.

Avoid the rush by getting in line by 6 pm or after 8:30 pm.

This is definitely not your average curry house. The Nepalese chef offers cuisine from both Northern India and Nepal. The restaurant is especially well-known for its tandoori dishes and its selection of naan.

With so many cuisines represented on its menu (Asian curries, Tex-Mex favorites, British fish-and-chips, and much more), a UN think tank could happily share a table here. Steak is one of Lucy's signature dishes. A favorite among foreigners, this eatery in the old Shamian district has a lovely outdoor dining area; even the dining room has a few trees growing through the roof. A friendly and helpful staff is at your service.

This patisserie is a great place to take a break while shopping at the nearby MixC mall. Sugar Box offers a wide variety of homemade chocolates, cakes, and breads, as well as coffee, tea, beer, and wine. Savory items include mini sandwiches, salad, and pizza. The relaxing outdoor atmosphere makes it great for people-watching and whiling away the afternoon.

With a name that means "house of happiness," this is one of the city's most revered traditional Cantonese restaurants. Opening its door more than a century ago, Tao Tao Ju is famous for its dim sum, especially the nai huang bao (buns made with milk and egg yolks). The menu, available in English, has many items that you're unlikely to find elsewhere, including tasty kudzu and frog rice.

This aptly named eatery has a cheerful home-away-from-home feel, complete with flags from various countries hanging from the ceiling and beers from around the world. The food is inexpensive and good, with pizzas, pastas, and excellent bruschetta prepared by an Italian chef. Food from the menu is much better than the buffet, which is Y158 per person and lasts from 6–11 pm nightly.

Amazing views of the fishing boats and ferries of Shekou Harbor to the east and Nanshan Mountain to the north are yours at Yokohama. This is a good place to rest before taking the ferry to Hong Kong or Macau. The sashimi is the freshest around, and the other dishes are the real deal. The clientele is mostly Japanese, which is always a good sign. Try a side dish of oshinko (traditional Japanese pickles)—unlike many lesser Japanese restaurants in China, Yokohama takes no shortcuts with its oshinko, and offers eight different types.