Where to eat near the Canton Fair
Restaurants within walking distance of the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Pazhou, or a short metro or tram ride away. Each listing has the Chinese name and address to show your driver.
How to pay: before you fly, link your Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay. That works almost everywhere, with no fee on payments under RMB 200 and about 3% above that. A physical foreign card only works where you see a Visa or Mastercard sign. When staff say they take cards (可以刷卡), they often mean China UnionPay only. The three hotel restaurants below reliably take foreign cards and have English menus; for the others, check the table and call ahead. More in our payment guide.
Prices are typical spend per person from public listings. Names, addresses, hours and payment details were checked against hotel and restaurant websites, the MICHELIN Guide and booking platforms in October 2026. What we have not checked yet: how hard it is to get a table during the fair, vegetarian, halal and allergy options, and how large a group each restaurant can seat. Prices are not split between lunch and dinner.
At a glance
| Restaurant | Per person | Visa / Mastercard | English menu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Zen5es at The Westin Pazhou | About RMB 160–300 | Visa and Mastercard accepted | Yes |
| CHAR Bar & Grill at InterContinental | About RMB 600 | Visa and Mastercard accepted | Yes |
| NADAMAN at Shangri-La | About RMB 370 | Visa and Mastercard accepted | Yes |
| Yelin Seafood Wharf, Pazhou | Priced by weight; usually RMB 100–300 | Sources disagree; call ahead | Unlikely |
| Star River Bay Xingjing | About RMB 150–300 | Listed as cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay only; call ahead | Unlikely |
| Bingsheng Pinwei, Pazhou | About RMB 150–200 | Other branches take cards, including Visa; not yet confirmed here | Not confirmed |
| AZUL by FUEL | About RMB 200–350 | No public information; ask when you book | Likely, not confirmed |
Next to the complex
These are the closest options to the exhibition halls, reachable on foot or through a metro passage.
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Five Zen5es at The Westin Pazhou
Cantonese, inside the fair complex, Area C
The easiest sit-down Cantonese dinner if you do not want to leave the complex. Listed in the MICHELIN Guide Guangzhou six years running. A hotel restaurant, so it is calm, has private rooms and is used to hosting exhibitors and their clients.
Worth ordering
- Crispy roast chicken with sesame, the signature 元素芝麻脆皮烧鸡
- Cuisine
- Cantonese
- Metro
- Line 8 Pazhou, Exit C, about 700 m (10 minutes on foot)
- Usual hours
- Lunch 11:30–14:30, dinner 17:30–22:00
- Per person
- About RMB 160–300
- Foreign cards
- Visa and Mastercard accepted
- English menu
- Yes
- Phone
- 020-89181226
- How sure we are
- High: checked against the hotel’s own website
-
CHAR Bar & Grill at InterContinental
Steakhouse and grill, next to Wanshengwei station
InterContinental’s steakhouse, known for Australian wagyu cooked over charcoal and recognised with a MICHELIN Plate. Useful when your guests want something familiar after a long day on the floor, and it connects almost directly to the metro.
Worth ordering
- M5 wagyu ribeye M5肉眼
- CHAR Caesar salad 恰凯撒沙拉
- Gillardeau oysters from France 法国吉拉多生蚝
- Pan-seared scallops 香煎带子
- Cuisine
- Steakhouse
- Metro
- Line 4 or 8 Wanshengwei, Exit D, about 5 minutes via the connecting passage
- Usual hours
- Lunch 12:00–14:30, dinner 18:00–22:30; the bar stays open later
- Per person
- About RMB 600
- Foreign cards
- Visa and Mastercard accepted
- English menu
- Yes
- Phone
- 020-89228888 (hotel)
- How sure we are
- High: checked against the hotel’s own website
-
NADAMAN at Shangri-La
Japanese, east side of the complex
A long-established Japanese brand known for kaiseki set menus, with a resident Japanese chef and four private teppanyaki rooms. Quiet and private, which suits a formal dinner with a supplier or buyer. Dinner is mostly set menus, so mention allergies when you book.
- Cuisine
- Japanese
- Metro
- Line 8 Xingangdong, about 10 minutes on foot; Line 8 Pazhou, Exit E, also works
- Usual hours
- Lunch 11:30–14:30, dinner 17:30–22:00
- Per person
- About RMB 370
- Foreign cards
- Visa and Mastercard accepted
- English menu
- Yes
- How sure we are
- High: checked against the hotel’s own website
Two stops west: Modiesha and the Pazhou business district
Modiesha station, on Lines 8 and 18, is two stops west of Pazhou on Line 8 (via Xingangdong). The new office towers here have some of the area’s better Cantonese restaurants.
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Yelin Seafood Wharf, Pazhou
Live seafood, groups welcome
Choose your seafood from the tanks and say how you want it cooked. Big and busy, with private rooms and parking for coaches. This is the Pazhou branch, opened in 2024, of a seafood restaurant founded in Huadu in 2007. Open later than most, so it works after the fair closes. Expect to pay by Alipay, WeChat Pay or cash, and do not count on an English menu: pointing at the tanks works. Seafood is priced by weight, so agree the price before it goes in the pot.
- Cuisine
- Cantonese seafood
- Metro
- Line 8 or 18 Modiesha, Exit H, about 200 m (2–3 minutes on foot)
- Usual hours
- Lunch 11:00–14:00, dinner 17:00–23:30
- Per person
- Priced by weight; usually RMB 100–300
- Foreign cards
- Sources disagree; call ahead
- English menu
- Unlikely
- Phone
- 020-86868898
- How sure we are
- Low: sources disagree, so call ahead
-
Star River Bay Xingjing
Cantonese and Chaozhou, dim sum at lunch
A smart dining room in the new Pazhou business district, listed in the MICHELIN Guide. Comes recommended for refined dim sum at lunchtime and is a good choice for hosting clients. On weekdays it opens at 11:00, not 10:00. Easiest with a Chinese-speaking host.
- Cuisine
- Cantonese and Chaozhou
- Metro
- Line 8 or 18 Modiesha, Exit H, about 5 minutes on foot
- Usual hours
- Dim sum and lunch: weekdays 11:00–14:30, weekends and public holidays 10:00–14:30. Dinner 17:30–22:00
- Per person
- About RMB 150–300
- Foreign cards
- Listed as cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay only; call ahead
- English menu
- Unlikely
- Phone
- 020-22319731
- How sure we are
- Medium: payment and menu details not confirmed
-
Bingsheng Pinwei, Pazhou
Classic Cantonese, newest branch of a well-known local group
Bingsheng is one of the best-known Cantonese restaurant groups in the city, with MICHELIN Guide and Black Pearl recognition. This branch opened in May 2026 and is popular with local office workers, so expect a queue at peak times. Ask for a window table for a view of Canton Tower. The menu has photos, which helps if you use a translation app.
- Cuisine
- Cantonese
- Metro
- Line 8 or 18 Modiesha, Exit H, about 5 minutes on foot
- Usual hours
- Lunch and dim sum 11:00–15:00, dinner 17:00–22:00
- Per person
- About RMB 150–200
- Foreign cards
- Other branches take cards, including Visa; not yet confirmed here
- English menu
- Not confirmed
- Phone
- 020-89099029
- How sure we are
- Medium: payment and menu details not confirmed
After hours by the river
For a relaxed evening once the halls close.
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AZUL by FUEL
French bistro, riverside terrace
A French bistro and bar with a French chef and a terrace on the Pearl River at Party Pier, with sunset and night views of Canton Tower. Good for a relaxed evening once business is done. Book ahead on weekends, and ask for a window or terrace table.
- Cuisine
- French
- Metro
- Haizhu Tram, Pati (Party Pier) stop, about 1 minute. No metro station here: take a taxi, or Line 8 to Modiesha and walk about 15 minutes
- Usual hours
- Evenings from 17:30 until late; some listings also show lunch from 11:30
- Per person
- About RMB 200–350
- Foreign cards
- No public information; ask when you book
- English menu
- Likely, not confirmed
- Phone
- 181-2781-6704
- How sure we are
- Medium: payment and menu details not confirmed
Show this to your driver
AZUL by FUEL 蓝色·法式酒馆 (琶醍店)
广州市海珠区阅江西路118号珠江琶醍啤酒文化创意艺术区B区4-5楼
Practical tips
Ordering without Chinese
- Only the three hotel restaurants have full English menus. Elsewhere the menu is in Chinese, often with photos, and a camera translation app is the practical tool.
- At live-seafood restaurants you choose from the tanks and pay by weight, usually per 斤 (500 g). Agree the price before it is cooked.
- If you have allergies, say so when you book, especially at set-menu restaurants.
Before you go
- Lunch and dim sum are much better value than dinner. Dim sum usually stops between 14:30 and 15:00.
- Dinner is busiest from 18:00 to 20:00. During the fair, book ahead everywhere.
- Cantonese restaurants usually add a small per-person tea charge (茶位费) even if you did not order tea. It is normal, not a scam.
- Mobile signal inside the halls can be patchy. Take a screenshot of the Chinese address before you set off.
Getting there
- The fair complex is served by Line 8: Xingangdong station for Area A, Pazhou station for Areas B and C.
- Wanshengwei is one stop east of Pazhou. Modiesha is two stops west. They are in opposite directions, so check the platform sign.
- Party Pier has no metro station. Use the Haizhu tram or a taxi.
- DiDi, China’s ride-hailing app, accepts foreign cards. Show the driver the Chinese address instead of trying to pronounce it.
Still to come
We are adding quick lunch spots within a 10-minute walk of the halls, such as rice-roll shops, roast-meat rice plates and noodle houses, plus halal and vegetarian options. If you have a favourite near the fair, tell us.
Affiliate link
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