Is there street food at Dongmen Pedestrian Street? The short answer is that yes there is, but that it really is not all that its been painted as.
I found this out after looking online and finding that not only was it near to my office– as in walking distance, but that it was one of the top rated places for street food within the city.
Alas it would appear that the internet, or to be more specific EyesShenzhen.com had lied to me.
What the Dongmen Pedestrian Street?
Dongmen Pedestrian Street is a bunch of interlinked streets in the Laojie part of the wider Luohu district of Shenzhen. For some context it sits just one line from my office and two from the joys of Hong Kong, such as Wan Chai.
Dongmen Pedestrian Street is as you would expect from the name a “pedestrian” street, although when you consider pathways in Shenzhen are not even pedestrianized than you get the picture. This area is a shopping district for Chinese people and has everything from Burberry and Apple down to street vendors selling socks and undies. Yes Chinese people are the last people to think Burberry is class. I personally got a bag here for my laptop.
And there are of course restaurants galore and much as I said at the start there are street vendors, of a sort.
Street Food Dongmen Pedestrian Street
The street food of Dongmen Pedestrian Street is much like the street foods that have risen up in other big cities in China in that they are all the same and a bit fake. Chief among these is the meat on a stick salespeople who offer the same products at almost the same taste everywhere in China.
I never thought the Middle Kingdom would get like this, but honestly walking and eating in Dongmen Pedestrian Street was nigh on the same as doing the same in downtown Guilin.
That is not to say that the food was bad with me getting some sweet balls, stinky tofu, meat on a stick and orange juice. Pleasant enough, but overpriced, underwhelming and laking any character, although seeing as Shenzhen itself is only 40 years I should not be surprised. Sadly and as I found out earlier this year this seems to be the way China is going.
It does though not have to be this way with countries like Malaysia and even closer locales like Hong Kong and Macao managing to develop whilst keeping up a thriving street food scene.
Are there better options?
In fact there are lots of better options than Dongmen Pedestrian Street with the closer Guo Mao area near my place being much more authentic. Yes it is street restaurants rather than street food, but much more local and much more authentic.
On this note I would even say that places like Ancient BBQ are much better options if you are craving good Guangdong Cuisine.
The real street food search very much continues, for tomorrow at least.
Dongmen Pedestrian Street Address;
China, Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, Luohu District, 晒布路67号 邮政编码: 518001
Nearest Shenzhen Metro Stop being Laojie, with Guomao also being close enough. Also just a few Metro stops from Hong Kong, but you really would not travel from there to Dongmen Pedestrian Street in order to eat food.
If you’d like to get a bit more off of the beaten track than Dongmen Pedestrian Street then check out the China tours that I offer through Young Pioneer Tours.