Part one: Six courtyard restaurants in Minzhi, Longhua and Dalang

From a restaurant built around a Chinese quadrangle to a teahouse lined with books, Longhua’s courtyard restaurants offer more than a change of scenery. Their architecture, gardens and private dining spaces are as much a part of the experience as the food.

The first installment of this two-part guide explores six restaurants in Minzhi, Longhua and Dalang subdistricts. They serve cuisines from Chaoshan, Cantonese, Hunan and Jiangnan culinary traditions, with options ranging from leisurely dim sum to private banquets.

臻品潮菜·潮州菜 | Chaoshan dining in a traditional Chinese courtyard

Photos from dianping.com

The restaurant’s defining feature is its setting inside Longhua Siheyuan, a traditional-style Chinese quadrangle formed by buildings arranged around a central courtyard. White walls, greenery and private dining rooms give it the feel of a secluded residence rather than a conventional restaurant.

Chaoshan cuisine comes from the coastal Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong and is particularly known for seafood, slow-braised meats, clear broths and careful attention to the natural flavors of ingredients. Here, the menu ranges from a traditional Chaoshan-style braised meat platter to more elaborate dishes such as roast duck with caviar, crispy pigeon and abalone braised in oyster sauce.

Best for: Private dinners, family gatherings and business meals

Cuisine: Chaoshan and Cantonese

Average spending: About 246 yuan (US$36.40) per person

Add: Longhua Siheyuan, 123 Xiazao New Village, Longhua Subdistrict (龙华街道下早新村123号龙华四合院内)

Getting there: Metro Line 6 to Yuanfen Station (元芬站), Exit B. The restaurant is about 1.2 kilometers from the exit, so taking a taxi may be more convenient.

掌柜清溪院子 | Cantonese-Hunan dining in a hillside courtyard

Arranged as a timber-clad retreat against a hillside, the restaurant offers a distinctly different experience from an enclosed urban courtyard. Its greenery and private rooms of various sizes make it well suited to a leisurely family lunch or an evening gathering away from the surrounding streets.

The restaurant combines Hunan and Cantonese cooking, with seafood playing a prominent role. Representative dishes include crispy roast goose filled with broth, steamed large yellow croaker with yellow pepper sauce, and baked fish, shrimp and crab.

Best for: Family meals, gatherings with friends and private dining

Cuisine: Cantonese-Hunan fusion and seafood

Average spending: About 127 yuan per person

Add: 133 Jianhui Road, beside Sanlian Park, Longhua Subdistrict （龙华街道建辉路133号，三联公园旁）

Getting there: The restaurant is not immediately beside a metro station. Visitors can take a taxi from Longhua Station (龙华站) on Line 4 or Yuanfen Station (元芬站）on Line 6. The journey takes about 10 minutes, depending on traffic.

掌柜清湖小院·湘粤菜馆（清湖北店） | Cantonese-Hunan dining in a bamboo-framed villa

The combination of atmosphere and accessibility distinguishes this restaurant. It occupies a detached villa surrounded by bamboo, yet is only a short walk from Qinghubei Metro Station. Inside are a main dining area, private rooms and a banquet hall, accommodating everything from casual meals to larger occasions.

The menu brings together Cantonese cooking and the more robust flavors associated with Hunan cuisine. Representative dishes include spiced shrimp and crab, char siu (a type of Cantonese roasted meat) accented with finger lime, stir-fried beef and braised reservoir fish.

Best for: Group meals, company gatherings and private banquets

Cuisine: Cantonese and Hunan

Average spending: About 107 yuan per person

Add: 1/F, Villa C, Lianfengtai Industrial Park, 26 Heping Road, Qinghua Community, Longhua Subdistrict (龙华街道清华社区和平路26号联丰泰工业园别墅C栋1层)

Getting there: Metro Line 4, Qinghubei Station（清湖北站）, Exit C. The restaurant is about 120 meters from the exit.

子墨青庐·人文雅宴 | Refined private dining in a secluded garden

Set in a standalone hillside compound, the restaurant offers the most formal and secluded experience among the six restaurants. Water features, greenery, white walls and dark roof tiles create a quiet contemporary Chinese setting, while independent dining rooms provide privacy for entertaining.

The menu combines Cantonese cooking with flavors and ingredients associated with Jiangnan, the region south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Dishes include drunken freshwater shrimp, lobster with braised spring bamboo shoots, grouper, black truffle and abalone rice, and tofu stuffed with chicken in a light broth.

Best for: Business dinners, private gatherings and special occasions

Cuisine: Cantonese and Jiangnan-inspired

Average spending: About 361 yuan per person

Add: Building 01, 29 Yunfeng Road, Dalang Subdistrict (大浪街道云峰路29号01栋)

Getting there: The restaurant is not within convenient walking distance of a metro station. A taxi or map-based ride-hailing service is recommended.

湖湘畔·渔家小院 | Hunan-style freshwater cooking in a quiet courtyard

Tucked inside Dalang ICC Park, the courtyard restaurant stands out for its focus on Hunan-style freshwater fish and rustic regional dishes. Its independent courtyard provides a quieter alternative to restaurants along the area’s busy commercial streets.

Representative dishes include braised Wanlyu Lake bighead carp, Hunan-style soft-shelled turtle and a platter of meats prepared in seasoned master stock. The cooking is generally robust, savory and spicy, and many of the dishes are intended for sharing.

Best for: Gatherings with friends and shared Hunan-style meals

Cuisine: Hunan, freshwater fish and regional home-style dishes

Average spending: About 116 yuan per person

Add: Dalang ICC Park, Huawang Road, Dalang Subdistrict (大浪街道华旺路大浪ICC园区内)

Getting there: The restaurant is not within convenient walking distance of a Metro station. Taking a taxi or using a map-based ride-hailing service is the most straightforward option.

道南書院·私房菜·早午茶·茶馆 | Cantonese dining, dim sum and tea in an academy-style setting

Part restaurant, part teahouse and part reading space, the facility offers the most versatile experience in this installment. Red lanterns, wooden doors and bookshelves evoke a traditional Chinese academy, while the combination of dining and reading spaces encourages visitors to stay beyond the meal itself.

The restaurant serves Cantonese dim sum and private-kitchen dishes, with spicier options also available. Representative dishes include wok-fried fresh abalone with scallions and Sichuan pepper, tiger prawns with black truffle, and steamed pigeon infused with five-finger root, an ingredient commonly used in Cantonese soups.

Visitors can come for morning tea, linger over a pot of tea and a book in the afternoon, or reserve a table for dinner. Its location inside Hongshan 6979 also makes it the easiest restaurant in this installment to reach by metro.

Best for: Dim sum, afternoon tea, informal meetings and gatherings with friends

Cuisine: Cantonese dim sum and private-kitchen dishes

Average spending: About 110 yuan per person

Add: 2/F, Hongshan 6979, Minzhi Subdistrict (民治街道红山6979购物中心2楼)

Getting there: Metro Lines 4 or 6 to Hongshan Station (红山站). Exits A2 and D2 connect directly to Hongshan 6979.

Before you go

Average spending figures are based on Dianping listings. Prices, menus, opening hours and private-room availability may change. Check the restaurant’s latest Dianping listing or contact it directly before visiting.

Whether the priority is a private banquet, a spicy meal shared with friends or a quiet afternoon over dim sum and tea, these six restaurants reveal a more leisurely side of Longhua’s urban neighborhoods.

The second installment heads north to Guanlan, Guanhu and Fucheng, where another six restaurants bring courtyard dining into village houses, garden compounds and rural-style retreats.