Restaurant in Xiamen, China
Credentialed sunset dining, book for occasions.
Xia holds a Michelin Plate (2024, 2025) and Black Pearl 1 Diamond (2025) for Chef Kang Yang's Cantonese-Minnan hybrid menu in Xiamen's Siming District. At ¥¥¥, it is the clearest option for a date or special occasion dinner, with west-facing sunset views over Wuyuan Bay and cooking that justifies the price tier. Easy to book.
If you have been to Xia before, the question on a return visit is whether the kitchen has settled into the formula or kept pushing it. The answer, based on its back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025 and a Black Pearl 1 Diamond in 2025, is that Chef Kang Yang's hybrid Cantonese-Minnan menu has found its footing without losing its edge. For a special occasion dinner in Xiamen — a date, an anniversary, a client meal — Xia is the clearest answer in the ¥¥¥ tier. The west-facing position over Wuyuan Bay gives you a sunset window that few restaurants in the city can match, and the cooking is substantive enough to hold up without it.
Chef Yang arrived in Xiamen from Jiangsu in 2018, which makes him an outsider applying a Cantonese framework to local Fujian ingredients and Minnan culinary tradition. Roughly half the menu reads Cantonese, half Minnan, and the result is a kitchen that is not trying to be a regional museum. The chilled peanut sweet soup is a useful example: it takes a Fujian classic and refines the texture into a velvety peanut custard served over algae. The dish is precise and restrained rather than showy. That calibration , technically accomplished but grounded in something recognisable , is consistent with what the Michelin Plate designation signals: cooking that warrants attention without necessarily reaching for a star.
For diners comparing Xia against other Cantonese-inflected dining rooms in coastal China, the closest reference points are venues like Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou or Forum in Hong Kong at the leading of the category, and Le Palais in Taipei for a broader Cantonese fine-dining comparison across the region. Xia sits below those in ambition and price, but it is operating in a different context: a mid-tier coastal city where the competition is thinner and the Minnan influence gives the menu a local distinctiveness those venues do not have.
The room faces west over Wuyuan Bay. Arrive before sunset for a dinner reservation and the light through the windows will do more for the mood than any ambient design choice. The energy here is calibrated for occasions rather than casual meals: the ¥¥¥ price point and the dining room's orientation toward the view make it a natural fit for two people rather than a group, and the atmosphere is controlled rather than lively. This is not a noisy room. If you want energy and movement, Xiamen's more casual options serve that better. Xia's sound level and pacing suit conversation.
For timing, an early weekday evening reservation gives you the leading combination: fewer tables in the room, the full sunset view, and a kitchen that is not at peak pressure. Weekend evenings will be busier, though booking difficulty remains low relative to comparable venues in larger Chinese cities.
If counter or bar seating is available, it is worth requesting. At a venue where the kitchen is running a hybrid regional menu with technically precise plating, proximity to the pass gives you a clearer read on the cooking , pacing, presentation, and the team's attention to detail all become more legible from a counter position. For solo diners especially, counter seating at Xia converts what might feel like an awkward solo booking into the more purposeful format the room is suited for. The kitchen's discipline, which the awards record suggests is real, is easier to appreciate from close range.
Xia sits at the leading of Xiamen's recognisably credentialed dining tier. For Fujian cooking in a more casual register, Hokklo and Yanyu (Jiahe Road) are strong alternatives. If you want to explore Xiamen's dining scene more broadly, Fleurs et Festin covers Chao Zhou cuisine at a similar price tier, and 1927 Dong Yuan Si Chu offers a different version of regional Fujian cooking. For something lighter before or after, A Xi Xia Mian is a reliable lower-priced stop. The full picture is in our Xiamen restaurants guide. For where to stay, drink, or what else to do, see our Xiamen hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide.
If you are travelling through the region and want to benchmark Xia against credentialed Chinese fine dining elsewhere, Xin Rong Ji in Beijing, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou, and Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau are useful comparators at a higher price tier. 102 House in Shanghai and Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu offer a sense of how the ¥¥¥¥ category functions in larger cities.
| Detail | Xia | Chic 1699 | Hao Shi Lai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | ¥¥¥ | ¥¥ | ¥¥ |
| Cuisine | Cantonese / Minnan | Fujian | Seafood |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Awards (2025) | Michelin Plate, Black Pearl 1 Diamond | , | , |
| Leading for | Special occasions, dates | Casual Fujian meal | Group seafood dinner |
| View | Wuyuan Bay (sunset) | , | , |
Address: 156 Douxi Rd, Siming District, Xiamen. Google rating: 4.3 from 11 reviews. Booking is direct , no advanced lead time pressure comparable to major city fine-dining venues.
Book Xia for a date or a celebratory dinner where you want credentialed cooking, a view, and a room that feels considered without being stiff. At ¥¥¥, it is the strongest occasion-dining option in Xiamen with a verifiable awards track record. Arrive early enough to catch the light over Wuyuan Bay, request counter seating if it is available, and treat the Minnan-Cantonese hybrid menu as the feature rather than a compromise. If you are looking for a casual Fujian meal at lower cost, Hokklo or Yanyu will serve you better. But for the occasion, Xia is the right call.
Based on the dual recognition , Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 plus a Black Pearl 1 Diamond , the kitchen's output justifies the ¥¥¥ spend for a special occasion. The hybrid Cantonese-Minnan format gives the menu a regional distinctiveness that direct Cantonese fine dining in Guangzhou or Hong Kong does not replicate. Whether a dedicated tasting menu exists as a bookable format is not confirmed in available data, so verify directly when reserving.
Yes, and counter seating makes it better. Solo dining at a ¥¥¥ venue can feel awkward in a room designed for couples and groups, but if counter or bar positions are available, the kitchen interaction compensates. The room's calibrated, quieter atmosphere suits a solo diner more than a high-energy group restaurant would. Xia is one of the more sensible solo options at this price point in Xiamen.
The chilled peanut sweet soup , a refined take on a Fujian classic with peanut custard over algae , is the confirmed signature and the dish most representative of Chef Yang's Cantonese-Minnan approach. Beyond that, the menu splits roughly half Cantonese, half Minnan, so order across both sides rather than defaulting to one regional tradition. Specific dish availability cannot be confirmed without current menu data, so ask the team what is seasonal when you arrive.
No dress code is confirmed in available data, but the ¥¥¥ price tier, Michelin Plate status, and occasion-dining positioning suggest smart casual at minimum. For a sunset dinner, treat it as you would a mid-tier fine-dining booking: no sportswear, but you do not need formal attire. The room is not a formal hotel dining room, so erring toward smart casual rather than black tie is the right calibration.
For Fujian cuisine at a lower price point, Hokklo and Yanyu (Jiahe Road) are the most direct alternatives. For Chao Zhou cuisine at a comparable tier, Fleurs et Festin is worth considering. If budget is the priority, 1927 Dong Yuan Si Chu covers regional Fujian cooking at lower cost. See our full Xiamen guide for the complete picture.
At ¥¥¥ in Xiamen , not Shanghai or Beijing , Xia is pricing into a tier where the awards record (Michelin Plate twice, Black Pearl 1 Diamond) provides a meaningful quality anchor. You are paying for a credentialed kitchen, a bay view, and a menu with genuine regional specificity. If you are comparing it to ¥¥ options like Hokklo or Chic 1699, the gap is in occasion-dining polish and the view, not just portion size or ingredient quality. For a regular weeknight meal, the price is hard to justify. For a celebration, it is fair.
It is the most direct answer in Xiamen for a date or anniversary dinner. The west-facing Wuyuan Bay view, the quiet atmosphere, the awards-backed kitchen, and the easy booking combine into a package that works for couples especially. For larger celebration groups, the room's quieter register may feel constrained , in that case, a seafood-focused venue like Hao Shi Lai at ¥¥ would suit a group better. For two people marking something, Xia is the right choice.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xia | ¥¥¥ | Easy | — |
| Bai Jia Chun Hao De Lai Jiang Mu Ya (Zhongxing Road) | ¥ | Unknown | — |
| Chic 1699 | ¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| Dai Tai | ¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| Fu Yu Da Tong Ya Rou Zhou | ¥ | Unknown | — |
| Hao Shi Lai | ¥¥ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Xia holds both a Michelin Plate and a Black Pearl 1 Diamond for 2025, which puts the kitchen in credentialed territory at ¥¥¥. Chef Yang's hybrid Cantonese-Minnan format gives the menu more regional specificity than a generic fine dining set, so if that cooking style interests you, the format earns its price. For a lighter spend on Fujian flavours, Hokklo or Yanyu on Jiahe Road are alternatives worth considering.
Counter or bar seating is the move here if you are dining alone — it gives you closer sight lines to a kitchen running a technically precise hybrid regional menu. Request it when booking. The ¥¥¥ price point means solo dining is a considered spend, but the Michelin Plate recognition supports the decision if Cantonese-Minnan cooking is your focus.
The database flags the chilled peanut sweet soup — a reworked Fujian classic built on velvety peanut custard over algae — as a signature dish. Beyond that, the menu splits roughly half Cantonese and half Minnan, so expect dishes that draw on local Fujian ingredients interpreted through a Cantonese framework. Specific current menu items are not confirmed here, so check directly with the restaurant.
Xia is a ¥¥¥ credentialed venue with a Black Pearl 1 Diamond and Michelin Plate, so the room skews dressy without being formal. Smart dress — something you would wear to a considered celebration dinner — is appropriate. No dress code is explicitly documented, but arriving underdressed at this tier would be out of step with the room.
For Fujian cooking in a more casual register, Hokklo and Yanyu on Jiahe Road are the locally recognised options below Xia's price point. Among the comparison peers, Chic 1699 and Dai Tai are worth checking if you want a different format or price band. Xia is the right call when credentials, a view, and the Cantonese-Minnan hybrid specifically matter.
At ¥¥¥ with a Michelin Plate and Black Pearl 1 Diamond (both 2025), Xia prices in line with its recognition tier. Chef Yang's outsider perspective — Jiangsu-trained, working Cantonese technique into Minnan ingredients since 2018 — gives the cooking a defined point of view that justifies the spend over generic fine dining. If you are price-sensitive, the Fujian casual alternatives in Xiamen deliver the regional flavours at lower cost.
Yes. The west-facing room over Wuyuan Bay means a sunset dinner lands well for a date or celebration, and the dual 2025 recognition (Michelin Plate and Black Pearl 1 Diamond) means the kitchen is performing to a standard that supports the occasion. Book a window table and arrive before sunset. For groups wanting a private dining room, confirm availability directly with the venue.
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