Guangzhou Night Street Food Market Guide: What to Eat at Xilang Night Market

If you want to experience the lively atmosphere of Guangzhou, Cantonese cuisine is not the only thing that represents the city’s flavor.

In my opinion, the street snacks that ordinary people eat every day are just as important.

Today, I’m taking you to Xilang Night Market to explore some of the local food here.

The market is full of everyday energy. After 6 pm, food stall owners gradually start setting up, and the street slowly becomes lively.

1. Charcoal-Grilled Pork Skewers at Chen Kao Guan

Specialties: Grilled pork skewers and grilled gluten
Price: RMB 5 for two skewers
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Grilled pork skewers are the specialty of this stall.

The pork has a good balance of lean meat and fat, giving it a rich and layered texture without feeling greasy.

The pork is grilled over charcoal, which creates a Maillard reaction and gives the meat a delicious roasted aroma.

The stall is run by two young men who clearly have their own standards when it comes to the food they serve.

Why do I say that?

When they notice that some parts of the pork have become too charred, they carefully use scissors to cut those parts away. This helps prevent customers from eating burnt meat.

The skewers are simply seasoned with cumin powder and chili powder. No other sauce is brushed onto the meat, allowing the natural flavor of the pork to stand out.

This also shows that they use fresh and substantial ingredients.

2. Guangzhou-Style Changsha Stinky Tofu

Price: RMB 10–15
Rating: 4 out of 5

Although stinky tofu is a famous snack from Changsha, you can also find many locally adapted versions in Guangzhou.

The stinky tofu served at Xilang Night Market is one of them. The soup base is especially fresh and flavorful.

Stinky tofu generally comes in two styles. One is the thin and crispy version, while the other uses the classic black and yellow tofu, like the one served here.

The tofu is first deep-fried at a high temperature until the outside becomes crispy.

The vendor then uses chopsticks to make a hole in each piece of tofu. This allows the tofu to absorb more of the bone broth that is prepared at the stall.

After that, pickled radish, pickled long beans, scallions and cilantro are added to enhance the flavor. You can also ask for extra chili according to your personal taste.

Finally, the flavorful soup base is poured over the tofu before it is served.

When you take a bite, the outside is crispy and the soup inside is rich and flavorful. The broth almost bursts out of the tofu.

This texture is something the thin and crispy version of stinky tofu cannot really offer.

3. Oyster Omelet

Chinese name: 蚝仔烙
Price: RMB 15–20
Rating: 4 out of 5

Oyster omelet is a traditional food from the Shantou area.

Because people have moved between different cities over the years, many people brought this dish with them when they came to Guangzhou.

An oyster omelet is mainly made with three ingredients.

Fresh oysters add a rich seafood flavor.

Eggs provide a delicious egg aroma and help create a crispy outer layer.

Sweet potato starch batter helps combine the oysters and eggs together while giving the omelet a soft and slightly chewy texture.

The ingredients are simple, but controlling the cooking process is not easy.

The vendor has to make sure that the egg does not burn while the oysters are cooked properly. This is a real test of the chef’s technique.

This stall has been selling oyster omelets for many years.

The quality is very consistent, and the owner has excellent control over the cooking process. I highly recommend giving it a try.

4. Stir-Fried Rice Noodles and Noodles

Chinese names: 炒粉、炒面
Price: RMB 10–15
Rating: 5 out of 5

For many Guangzhou locals, stir-fried rice noodles and stir-fried noodles are a classic late-night snack.

The most important thing is the wok hei, the smoky aroma created by cooking over extremely high heat.

The ingredients are simple. You can choose rice noodles, noodles, rice or ho fun. Some stalls may even let you combine different types and stir-fry them together.

Common ingredients include bean sprouts, eggs, shredded carrot and scallions.

You can also customize your order by adding any ingredients you like, such as ham, dried shrimp or Chinese sausage.

These extra ingredients can give your late-night meal even more flavor.

The burners used by the vendors are so powerful that we jokingly call them planetary engines.

The flames can become extremely large, and it is precisely this intense heat that brings out the natural flavor of the ingredients.

The result is a plate of noodles filled with the aroma of hot oil, scallions and eggs.

This was my favorite food at Xilang Night Market.

Location

After leaving Exit B of Xilang Station on Guangzhou Metro Line 1, you can see a large area filled with food stalls.

There are grilled pork skewers, spicy hot pot, stir-fried rice noodles, stir-fried noodles and many other affordable street foods.

I’ll introduce them one by one.

Final Thoughts

Those were my recommendations from Xilang Night Market.

Of course, I only selected a few dishes that I personally think visitors to Guangzhou should try.

There are still many other delicious snacks on this night food street, including grilled oysters and Chaoshan-style thin-skinned steamed dumplings.

If you enjoy this kind of content, I’ll continue sharing more food streets and local food experiences from Guangzhou.