EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Dalian is full of restaurants and fast food places, especially around Tianjin Jie, where you'll also find cheap food stalls. It's also hard to walk anywhere in the city without running into a KFC; the one at Shengli Square is particularly fun if only to see its photos of the Employee of the Month, where a gangly food-service worker is rendered into a pouty supermodel. Qing Er Jie has lots of Hong Kong and Shanghai-style snack places, and the intersection of Youhao Jie and Zhongshan Lu features a pizza parlour and Japanese barbecue; both have bright signs in English. For seafood head down to the beaches or try the pricey hotel restaurants, but don't miss MeiTianYuGangJiuLou (Everyday Fishing Port Restaurant) at 3 Gao Er Ji Lu, near Renmin Square (tel 0411/3643779). There are two parts to the restaurant: choose the older section with the red brick facade. A pound of fresh steamed crab costs ¥45, but be warned, you'll have to shell and eat the thing with chopsticks - wear old clothes. A dinner for two with drinks comes to around ¥150. There's also the Charles Ice Cream Parlour on Shanghai Lu - ¥4 for a scoop and ¥5 for a coffee - a good place to hang out and write letters, and there's a no-smoking policy. At 15 Shanghai Lu you'll find a branch of the Haolilai Cake Shop.