Best Burgers in Guangzhou: Where to Look

The best burgers in Guangzhou are easiest to find in Tianhe District, around Zhujiang New Town and the malls of Tianhe Road, where office towers bring a steady lunch crowd. The older city has its own pockets: Shamian Island in Liwan, Beijing Road in Yuexiu and, across the Pearl River, Haizhu, with its riverside restaurants and creative parks.

Guangzhou is the home of Cantonese cooking, a cuisine built on very fresh ingredients, light seasoning and precise control of heat. Locals go to yum cha, dim sum with tea, from early morning, and roast meats such as char siu pork and crisp roast goose are everyday food sold by the slice. The city also has a long history of trade with the West. Under the Canton System, from 1757 to 1842, it was the only Chinese port open to European merchants, and Shamian Island, where foreign trading houses settled after 1859, still has the most European streetscape in town.

Burgers in Guangzhou: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Zhujiang New Town and Tianhe Road (Tianhe), Shamian Island (Liwan), Beijing Road (Yuexiu) and Haizhu.
• Local specialty: dim sum at yum cha, char siu and roast goose.
• When locals eat out: yum cha fills mornings and weekends, while burgers are a lunch or dinner meal.
• Currency: renminbi yuan (CNY). Mobile payment is the norm, from yum cha halls to burger counters.
• Getting around: the Guangzhou Metro, with an automated APM line running under Zhujiang New Town.

Every guide we publish on Guangzhou is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse our burger restaurant guides by city.