Chic 1699

Two Michelin Bib Gourmands and a Black Pearl Diamond for a ¥¥ Fujian restaurant on the Xiamen waterfront — Chic 1699 earns its reputation on the plate, not just the view.

If you are looking for a single restaurant in Xiamen that makes the case for Minnan cuisine as a serious culinary tradition, Chic 1699 is where to go. This is the flagship of a local restaurant chain, which means it carries both the polish and the consistency that comes with that status. The recognition stack tells a clear story: back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand awards in 2024 and 2025, plus a Black Pearl 1 Diamond in 2025. At a ¥¥ price point, that is a compelling combination. The question for most visitors is not whether the food is good — it is , but whether the full experience justifies the trip out to the eastern ring road. It does, with some caveats worth knowing before you go.

The room sits on the third floor of JFC品尚中心C馆, and the faux-industrial decor is handled well: raw materials and structural elements softened by greenery, with ocean views that give the space genuine character without veering into tourist-trap territory. The atmosphere reads as energetic without being loud enough to kill conversation , this is a lively Xiamen dining room rather than a quiet contemplative one, so calibrate accordingly. If you want calm, come at lunch or on a weekday evening. Weekend dinner service runs busy.

The menu is anchored in Minnan and broader Fujian cooking, which means you are dealing with a cuisine that prizes seafood, slow-cooked soups, and the layered umami of fermented and preserved ingredients. The dishes cited in the Michelin record include shrimps in sa cha sauce (firm texture, mild heat, deep nutty flavour), Buddha jumps over the wall, crab roe stewed rice, Angus beef in mustard sauce, and Chic's sea perch thick soup with fish maw. Sa cha sauce is a Minnan staple with roots in the coastal trade routes connecting Fujian to Southeast Asia , the shrimp dish is a good entry point if you are new to the flavour profile. Buddha jumps over the wall is the kind of prestige slow-braise you find at far more expensive restaurants; at ¥¥, it represents genuine value. Order it if it is available.

What to order and when to visit

Fujian seafood is at its most interesting from late spring through autumn, when the South China Sea haul is at its broadest. If you are visiting between May and October, the live seafood section of the menu warrants attention , the kitchen's handling of local catch is where Bib Gourmand recognition at this price point makes the most sense. Winter visits are not a reason to skip the restaurant, but the menu emphasis shifts toward slower-cooked preparations: the fish maw soup and the braised dishes are winter-appropriate and consistently available. The crab roe stewed rice is a seasonal highlight worth asking about specifically , crab roe peaks in autumn, and if you are here in October or November, it is the dish to prioritise.

Chic 1699 has held Michelin recognition across multiple consecutive years, which suggests the kitchen is stable rather than chasing a single review cycle. For an explorer visiting Xiamen specifically for its food culture, this is meaningful: you are not gambling on a restaurant riding one good season. The chain structure that some diners view with scepticism here works in your favour , sourcing and execution are standardised in ways that independent restaurants in the same tier often are not.

How it fits the broader Xiamen food scene

Xiamen's Fujian restaurant scene skews toward either high-end hotel dining or casual street-level eating, with a narrower middle band than cities like Fuzhou or Guangzhou. Chic 1699 occupies that middle band with more confidence than most. For Fujian cooking at a comparable award level elsewhere in China, Wenru No.9 in Fuzhou is worth knowing about if your trip extends north, and Hokkien Cuisine in Chengdu represents how the tradition travels inland. Within Xiamen, Hokklo and Yanyu on Jiahe Road are worth comparing if you want more than one Minnan-focused meal during your stay. For the broader Xiamen dining picture, see our full Xiamen restaurants guide.

If you are building a longer China itinerary around serious Chinese regional cooking, the Fujian tradition appears in strong form at Xin Rong Ji in Beijing and connects to the broader southern Chinese fine-dining circuit at venues like Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau and Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou. Chic 1699 sits several price tiers below those, but the core ingredient quality and technique are close enough that the comparison is meaningful rather than flattering.

For context on the wider city, our Xiamen hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the full picture. If you are eating well in the historic parts of the city, 1927 Dong Yuan Si Chu and A Zhong Shi Fang are worth adding to your shortlist for different meal types.

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for how Chic 1699 stacks up against its peers in Xiamen.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the tasting menu worth it at Chic 1699? The venue does not advertise a formal tasting menu, but ordering a spread of signature dishes , shrimps in sa cha sauce, Buddha jumps over the wall, the sea perch thick soup with fish maw, and crab roe stewed rice when available , delivers a comprehensive Minnan meal at a ¥¥ price point backed by two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands. That combination is hard to beat in Xiamen at this tier. If you want a structured tasting format, look to higher-priced Fujian venues in the city instead.
• How far ahead should I book Chic 1699? Booking is rated easy. A few days' notice is sufficient for weekday dinners; for weekend evenings, book 4–7 days ahead to be comfortable. This is not a restaurant where tables disappear weeks in advance, which is part of the appeal at a Bib Gourmand level.
• Is Chic 1699 good for solo dining? It is manageable solo, but the menu is designed for sharing across multiple dishes. Solo diners can work through the menu by ordering two or three dishes , the shrimp and one of the soups is a sensible approach , but you will get more of the kitchen's range with two or more people. The lively room atmosphere also reads better with company.
• What are alternatives to Chic 1699 in Xiamen? For Fujian cooking at a lower price point, Bai Jia Chun Hao De Lai Jiang Mu Ya on Zhongxing Road is the ¥ alternative worth knowing. For seafood at the same ¥¥ tier, Hao Shi Lai is a direct comparison. If you want something different in cuisine type, Dai Tai offers Yunnanese cooking at the same price range. For quick, cheap Xiamen eating, Lai Cuo Cheng Bian Shi Dian covers the small-eats ¥ category well.
• Is Chic 1699 worth the price? Yes. At ¥¥ with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition and a Black Pearl Diamond, this is one of the clearest value propositions in Xiamen's mid-range dining. The Bib Gourmand is specifically awarded for quality at a reasonable price , you are not paying for a prestige room or a celebrity kitchen, you are paying for well-executed Minnan cooking with consistent sourcing.
• What should a first-timer know about Chic 1699? Go with at least one other person to cover more of the menu. Prioritise the shrimps in sa cha sauce and the sea perch thick soup with fish maw as your anchors, and add Buddha jumps over the wall if your group size justifies it. If visiting in autumn, ask about crab roe availability. The location is on the eastern ring road rather than in the city centre , factor in travel time from Gulangyu or the old town. See our Xiamen restaurants guide for how to plan the full trip.
• Is Chic 1699 good for a special occasion? It works well for a celebration dinner with a small group, particularly if the occasion has a food-focused angle. The ocean views, polished room, and award-backed menu give it enough occasion weight without the price tag of a high-end hotel restaurant. It is a better special-occasion choice than most ¥¥ options in the city. For a more formal setting, you would need to step up to a pricier tier, but Chic 1699 handles the mid-range occasion meal better than its competitors in Xiamen.
• Can I eat at the bar at Chic 1699? No bar seating is documented for this venue. The restaurant operates as a standard table-service dining room. If bar-format eating is your preference in Xiamen, the city's casual eating culture is better served at street-level spots. Check our Xiamen bars guide for drink-focused options to pair with your evening.