Shenzhen's coastal location makes it a great place for seafood hotpot — freshly caught and cooked on the spot, at wallet-friendly prices. Gather a big group around the pot for lobster, abalone and oysters, and it can easily work out to just over a hundred yuan per person. Below, we've grouped popular seafood hotpot restaurants — drawn from OpenRice's Greater Bay Area rankings and tested by Hong Kong media — by the three checkpoints: Luohu, Futian (Lok Ma Chau) and Shenzhen Bay. All come with addresses and Amap navigation.
Seafood hotpot or steamed seafood? How to choose
Shenzhen seafood restaurants mainly play two ways: seafood hotpot, where you pick your seafood and cook each item yourself, usually in a clear or tomato broth — great for those who like to eat slowly and enjoy the soup; and steamed seafood, where seafood goes onto a steamer rack to cook and eat immediately, while the pot below simultaneously cooks congee or serves as a hotpot — one pot, two ways to eat, with the freshest flavours most concentrated. If you want a richer spread to share among a group, steamed seafood is better value; if you want one pot per person and clean, hygienic dining, go for the hotpot format. Most of the restaurants below offer both styles.
🚉 From Luohu Checkpoint
🦐 Laoxianmen Seafood Market Hotpot & Steamed Seafood (Luohu Branch) — the crowd favourite near Luohu Checkpoint
Laoxianmen's Luohu branch is inside a mall near Luohu Checkpoint — just walk over after crossing the border. It's a popular spot on OpenRice's "Most Viewed" list. The speciality is seafood market hotpot + steamed seafood — pick your own seafood (lobster, abalone, clams, oysters and more), freshly caught, steamed and eaten on the spot: fresh and fun, one pot per person for clean, hygienic dining, and the steamer pot offers two ways to eat from one pot. The restaurant is spacious with over a hundred tables, industrial-style decor and floor-to-ceiling windows — great for group gatherings. Per person ¥101 to ¥150, with member-hour discounts too.
🦪 Xinxingwang Hao Haoshidao (Huangbeiling) — affordable oyster pot
Xinxingwang Hao Haoshidao is in Huangbeiling, Luohu, and features on OpenRice's Shenzhen popular restaurant list. It specialises in fresh oysters and oyster pots at great value — a small but trendy spot lately. It's around Huangbeiling Station on Metro Line 2/Line 5, a few minutes' walk away. Per person ¥41 to ¥100 — perfect if you fancy oysters without spending too much.
🦀 Hong Kong Choi Kee Spicy Crab Private Kitchen (Guomao) — Hong Kong typhoon-shelter style
Hong Kong Choi Kee Spicy Crab Private Kitchen is in Guomao, Luohu, and also features on OpenRice's Shenzhen popular restaurant list. It specialises in Cantonese cuisine and Hong Kong-style seafood, with signature typhoon-shelter fried crab and spicy crab pot — ideal for anyone craving Hong Kong-style seafood flavours. It's at Guomao Station on Metro Line 1, just a few stops from Luohu Checkpoint. Around ¥200 per person.
🚉 From Futian Checkpoint
🦀 Lai Pangzi Meat Crab Pot (Link CentralWalk) — the popular meat crab pot spot
Lai Pangzi Meat Crab Pot is in Link CentralWalk, Futian, at Convention & Exhibition Center Station on Metro Line 1/Line 4 — about 20 minutes from Futian Checkpoint. At ¥41 to ¥100 per person it's great value, and it's on OpenRice's "Most Viewed" list. The speciality is meat crab pot — plump crab meat in a rich sauce, with chicken feet, rice cakes and other add-ins; excellent with rice. It's a small restaurant that's been rising fast in popularity. Besides seafood, Link CentralWalk itself has a supermarket and cinema, so you can shop around after eating.
🚉 From Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint
🐟 Fishing Boat No. 79 Seafood Restaurant (Sea World Branch) — a seafood market inside a restaurant
Fishing Boat No. 79 is a popular Shenzhen seafood restaurant with 19 branches across the city. Each store has a fresh seafood section where you pick and order, giving it the feel of a traditional Cantonese restaurant. The Sea World branch is in Nanshan District, with high ceilings and an open setting; after weighing, your seafood is delivered straight to the transparent kitchen by cable car and cooked to order. Signatures include steamed grouper, blanched prawns, typhoon-shelter mantis shrimp and salt-and-pepper squid; around ¥200+ per person, with options for every budget. Address: 3/F, Zone C, Sea World, 1128 Wanghai Road, Nanshan District; a few minutes' walk from Sea World Station on Metro Line 2, and the most convenient stop from Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint.
🐠 Fishing Boat No. 79 (Coastal City · Tianli Central Plaza Branch) — the heart of Houhai, Nanshan
For seafood around Houhai in Nanshan, head to Fishing Boat No. 79's Tianli Central Plaza branch: 5/F, Tower B, Tianli Central Business Plaza, Nanshan District, at Houhai Station on Metro Line 2/Line 11 — after shopping at Coastal City you can head straight upstairs to eat. It follows the same pick-your-own, cooked-to-order model, from around ¥100 per person.
Checkpoint × restaurant quick reference
| Checkpoint | Recommended restaurant | Metro station | Per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luohu Checkpoint | Laoxianmen Seafood Market Hotpot (Luohu Branch) | Inside the mall near Luohu Checkpoint, walk over after crossing | ¥101–150 |
| Luohu Checkpoint | Xinxingwang Hao Haoshidao (Huangbeiling) | Huangbeiling Station, Line 2/Line 5 | ¥41–100 |
| Luohu Checkpoint | Hong Kong Choi Kee Spicy Crab Private Kitchen (Guomao) | Guomao Station, Line 1 | Around ¥200 |
| Futian Checkpoint | Lai Pangzi Meat Crab Pot (Link CentralWalk) | Convention & Exhibition Center Station, Line 1/Line 4 | ¥41–100 |
| Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint | Fishing Boat No. 79 (Sea World Branch) | Sea World Station, Line 2 | ¥200 and up |
| Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint | Fishing Boat No. 79 (Coastal City · Tianli Central Plaza Branch) | Houhai Station, Line 2/Line 11 | From ¥100 |
Seafood tips (for visitors heading to Shenzhen)
- Checkpoint cheat sheet: Luohu Checkpoint → Laoxianmen (Luohu Branch), Xinxingwang Hao Haoshidao (Huangbeiling), Hong Kong Choi Kee Spicy Crab Private Kitchen (Guomao); Futian Checkpoint → Lai Pangzi Meat Crab Pot (Link CentralWalk); Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint → Fishing Boat No. 79 (Sea World Branch / Coastal City Branch).
- For seafood hotpot, pick and cook on the spot — choose lively, active seafood for freshness; if you're not sure how to choose, ask the staff to help.
- If you want steamed seafood, remember to ask the staff how long each item needs — don't overcook (clams and prawns usually take two to three minutes; abalone and crab a little longer).
- Before ordering, ask clearly whether pricing is per piece, per catty or per person. Seafood prices fluctuate daily, so watch the scale before you order.
- To eat cheaper, go at lunch — lunch sets at the same restaurant are usually about 30% cheaper than dinner.
- Also see our Shenzhen late-night dining guide for more late-night options; after shopping around Luohu (MixC, KK Mall) you can stop by on the way.
FAQ
How much does seafood hotpot cost per person in Shenzhen?
Budget oyster-pot spots like Xinxingwang Hao Haoshidao run ¥41 to ¥100 per person; Laoxianmen and Lai Pangzi around ¥101 to ¥150; seafood restaurants like Fishing Boat No. 79 around ¥200 and up, depending on how much premium seafood you order.
Crossing at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, where's the nearest seafood?
Fishing Boat No. 79's Sea World branch (3/F, Zone C, Sea World, 1128 Wanghai Road, Nanshan District) is closest from Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint — a few minutes' walk from Sea World Station on Metro Line 2; if you want a mall, go to the Tianli Central Plaza branch at Coastal City.
Do I need to book?
On weekdays you can usually get a table walk-in; for weekend and holiday dinners it's best to reserve in advance via Dianping or Meituan. For popular spots like Fishing Boat No. 79, you can check queue times in the app.
How is seafood priced? Will I get short-changed on the scale?
Most seafood restaurants price by catty or per piece, and will weigh and quote on the spot before you order — watch the scale and confirm the price first. Chain brands like Fishing Boat No. 79 send seafood to the transparent kitchen by cable car, so transparency is higher.
Is it convenient to bring kids for seafood hotpot?
Yes. Seafood hotpot broths are mostly light and not spicy, and steamed or blanched seafood is fine for kids; just be careful with hot soup and steam. We suggest choosing a restaurant with child seats — ask the staff when you arrive.
7. Two popular restaurants priced by plate/pot (with mall unit and opening hours)
If you want to eat well without guessing the bill, these two have the clearest pricing — one charges by plate colour, the other by pot, so you know roughly what you'll spend before ordering:
- Laoxianmen Seafood Market Hotpot (Luohu Checkpoint Branch): L4, "Greater China Maoye World", 1008 Renmin South Road, Nanhu Street, Luohu District; about 140 metres' walk from Exit B of Renmin South Station on Metro Line 9, or about 10 minutes from Luohu Station on Line 1 (right by Luohu Checkpoint after crossing). Open 11:00–01:00, cash/Alipay/WeChat Pay all accepted. The format is one pot per person, with ingredients priced by plate colour — take as much as you'll eat. Around ¥180 per person gets you lobster, abalone and large prawns; signatures include Rushan oysters, live small blue lobster, Macau prawns and fish maw chicken broth. Opening hours and discounts are subject to the restaurant's daily announcements.
- Laoxianmen Seafood Hotpot (Bao'an Wanda Plaza Branch): 3/F, Hall A, Wanda Plaza, 256 Baomin 1st Road, Bao'an Central District, tel 18927495475, open 11:00–01:00; signatures likewise include Rushan oysters, Macau prawns, live small blue lobster, fresh-cut beef and butter spicy hotpot broth. About 25 minutes by car from Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint.
- Lai Pangzi Meat Crab Pot: a budget-friendly line specialising in meat crab pot, chicken claw pot and bullfrog pot — one pot is enough for 2–3 people. Example branches: Futian Link CentralWalk branch (around Convention & Exhibition Center, Convention & Exhibition Center Station on Metro Line 1/Line 4); Danzhutou Xingyue Tiandi branch (Longgang, Danzhutou Station on Metro Line 3). Around ¥80–120 per person — another option besides seafood hotpot.
A reminder: at plate-priced restaurants, always check the plate colours and price board before you take anything. Seafood buffets and plate-priced spots are usually cheaper at lunch than dinner, so weekday lunch is the best value. Some restaurants offer discounts or free dessert during your birthday month — just ask before ordering. All three checkpoints work: Luohu Checkpoint (Renmin South Station, Line 9), Futian Checkpoint (Convention & Exhibition Center Station, Line 4), Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint (Line 13 to Line 2 towards Houhai).
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