Restaurant in Xiamen, China
Minnan classics, Michelin value, off the tourist trail.
Si Xia Li (Huli) holds a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand and delivers creative Minnan cooking at ¥¥ prices in a busy, neighbourhood setting in Xiamen's Siming District. The chef-owner's near-30-year career shows in dishes like the oyster omelette and slow-cooked pork belly with shiitake — both precise, both grounded in Fujian tradition. For serious regional cooking without the price tag to match, this is the Xiamen booking to make.
Si Xia Li (Huli) is one of the most compelling reasons to eat outside Xiamen's tourist corridors. It holds a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand and delivers creative Minnan cooking at ¥¥ prices — a combination that is genuinely difficult to find at this level in Fujian. If you are a food-focused traveller in Xiamen and you only have one meal to dedicate to serious regional cooking, this is where to spend it.
Si Xia Li sits in the Huli district — away from the polished seafront of Gulangyu and the well-trodden lanes of Zhongshan Road , and that geography is part of its identity. The Siming District address in Dingaozai puts it in a part of Xiamen where locals eat, not where tourists browse. That matters: the clientele here is predominantly Xiamen residents who return because the cooking is consistent and the price point is honest, not because the location has been packaged for visitors.
The energy inside reflects that local base. Expect a busy, conversational room with the ambient noise of a neighbourhood restaurant that does real volume. This is not a quiet dinner setting; it is a lively, lived-in space where the focus is the food and the pace is communal. If you are looking for a hushed, intimate atmosphere, look elsewhere. If you want a room with genuine energy and plates arriving fast from a kitchen that knows exactly what it is doing, Si Xia Li earns that visit.
The chef-owner brings close to 30 years of experience to the menu, with a background that includes stints in hotel restaurants across the region. That training shows in the technique, but the menu's character comes from what he chose to do with it: take the flavour logic of Minnan cuisine , the coastal, soy-forward, seafood-anchored cooking tradition of southern Fujian and the broader Hokkien diaspora , and push it with Western methods and compositional thinking. The result sits in productive tension between familiar and unexpected. Dishes taste grounded in local tradition while showing clear evidence of a chef who has thought hard about why each element is on the plate.
Michelin team specifically cites two dishes. The oyster omelette layers umami from the oyster with the crunch of water chestnut and celery , a textural contrast that elevates a dish most Xiamen diners grew up eating. The slow-cooked pork belly with shiitake is the other anchor: long-cooked, deeply flavoured, the kind of dish that reads as comfort food until you notice the precision behind it. Both are worth ordering. For anyone exploring the Minnan tradition more broadly, Si Xia Li sits in good company with venues like Hokklo in Xiamen and, further afield, Wenru No.9 in Fuzhou and Hokkien Cuisine in Chengdu , though Si Xia Li's price-to-recognition ratio is harder to match.
Bib Gourmand designation is not a consolation prize for venues that could not reach a star; Michelin awards it specifically to restaurants offering high-quality cooking at moderate prices. At ¥¥, Si Xia Li hits that mark in a city where strong Fujian cooking at the higher end , as represented by venues like Yanyu (Jiahe Road) or 1927 Dong Yuan Si Chu , commands significantly more per head. For a city-wide view of where Si Xia Li sits relative to the full dining field, see our full Xiamen restaurants guide.
For food-focused travellers who track Minnan cuisine across its diaspora, Si Xia Li belongs in the same conversation as Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road) in Beijing and Ru Yuan in Hangzhou , though those venues operate at higher price points and with different ambitions. Si Xia Li's value is specific: serious technique, Bib-level recognition, and a neighbourhood address that keeps prices in check.
Google reviewers rate it 4.6 out of 5 , a score that reflects consistent performance rather than a single standout visit. At a ¥¥ neighbourhood restaurant with Michelin recognition, that consistency is the signal that matters most.
Budget: ¥¥ , moderate pricing for Xiamen; expect to eat well without stretching your budget. Booking difficulty: Easy , the Bib Gourmand brings attention, but this is not a high-difficulty reservation. Book ahead to be safe, especially on weekends, but walk-in availability is plausible on quieter evenings. Location: Dingaozai, Siming District , away from the tourist core, so plan your journey. If you are combining dinner here with other visits, our Xiamen hotels guide can help with base location. Phone / Website: Not listed , check local booking platforms or arrive directly. Hours: Not confirmed in our data , verify locally before visiting. Dress: Casual; this is a neighbourhood restaurant, not a formal dining room.
See the comparison section below.
If Si Xia Li does not fit your schedule or you want to build a fuller picture of Xiamen's dining options, A Zhong Shi Fang and Bai Jia Chun Hao De Lai Jiang Mu Ya (Zhongxing Road) offer strong Fujian cooking at different price points and atmospheres. For a broader stay in the city, see our Xiamen bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Si Xia Li (Huli) | Fujian | The chef-owner has almost 30 years' experience under his belt, with notable stints in various hotel restaurants. Respecting traditions while re-inventing Minnan cuisine by incorporating Western techniques and creative touches, he has come up with a menu that is familiar and fresh at the same time. Try his oyster omelette, in which umami meets the crispness of water chestnut and celery. The slow-cooked pork belly with shiitake is another treat.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); The chef-owner has almost 30 years' experience under his belt, with notable stints in various hotel restaurants. Respecting traditions while re-inventing Minnan cuisine by incorporating Western techniques and creative touches, he has come up with a menu that is familiar and fresh at the same time. Try his oyster omelette, in which umami meets the crispness of water chestnut and celery. The slow-cooked pork belly with shiitake is another treat. | Easy | — |
| Bai Jia Chun Hao De Lai Jiang Mu Ya (Zhongxing Road) | Fujian | Unknown | — | |
| Chic 1699 | Fujian | Unknown | — | |
| Dai Tai | Yunnanese | Unknown | — | |
| Fu Yu Da Tong Ya Rou Zhou | Congee | Unknown | — | |
| Hao Shi Lai | Seafood | Unknown | — |
How Si Xia Li (Huli) stacks up against the competition.
Yes. At ¥¥ pricing and with a menu built around individual Minnan dishes, solo diners can order a focused two or three-dish meal without waste or awkwardness. The Bib Gourmand recognition keeps the room busy, so there is no sense of eating alone in a half-empty space.
The oyster omelette and the slow-cooked pork belly with shiitake are the dishes Michelin specifically flags. Both are core Minnan preparations that the chef-owner has refined over nearly three decades, with Western technique adding texture rather than novelty. Start with those two before exploring the rest of the menu.
A Zhong Shi Fang and Bai Jia Chun Hao De Lai are solid fallbacks if Si Xia Li is fully booked. For a different register, Chic 1699 sits at a higher price point with a more polished setting. Si Xia Li is the clearest choice for value-driven, traditional Minnan cooking backed by external recognition.
It depends on what kind of occasion. The 2025 Bib Gourmand gives it enough credibility to mark a birthday or a meaningful local meal, but ¥¥ pricing and a Huli district address mean the setting is convivial rather than formal. If ceremony and a dressed table matter more than food quality, look at Chic 1699 instead.
No seating configuration is confirmed in available data, so large groups should check the venue's official channels before assuming a table is available. At a Bib Gourmand restaurant at this price tier, demand is consistent, and walk-in groups risk a wait. Smaller groups of two to four are the safer bet without a reservation.
The restaurant is in Huli district, away from Gulangyu and Zhongshan Road, so factor in travel time from the main tourist areas. The menu is rooted in Minnan cuisine with Western technique applied selectively — expect recognisable southern Fujian flavours rather than fusion. The chef-owner has close to 30 years of experience, which shows in the consistency of the cooking.
Book at least a few days in advance, especially on weekends. The Bib Gourmand listing draws a steady local and visiting crowd, and the ¥¥ price point makes it accessible enough that tables move quickly. Same-day walk-ins may work on quieter weekday lunches, but it is not a reliable strategy.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
