When a city is blessed with even a single coastline, its cuisine often takes on a character all its own. Dalian (大连), however, is not defined by one sea, but by two—the Bohai Sea of China’s northeast and Korea’s West Sea—meeting at its shores. Perhaps that is why the seafood here feels more alive than the word fresh could ever convey.

At dawn, the harbor brims with newly caught abalone, sea urchin, and scallops. By nightfall, the same catch reappears as countless dishes—grilled, steamed, or simmered—filling the city’s restaurants and night markets with the fragrance of the sea. Recently, Dalian has become known as a culinary destination where travelers can indulge in such abundance at a fraction of the price they might pay elsewhere. Many Korean visitors now slip away for a short weekend escape, drawn by the promise of this seaside paradise and its treasure trove of seafood.

Search for “Dalian food” online, and one dish always rises to the top of the list: sea urchin dumplings. Their fame is no accident. Dalian’s unique geography—where the Bohai and West Seas converge—creates the perfect habitat for sea urchins: shallow, cold waters rich with seaweed. For these creatures, it is more than a home; it is a cradle that nurtures their golden roe to fullness.

Because of that, in Dalian, fresh sea urchin is not considered a delicacy but a daily pleasure. And among the dishes that embody the sea’s freshness, the urchin dumpling stands apart. Each bite captures both the ocean breeze and the warmth of this harbor city, a taste that explains why Dalian has quietly become a pilgrimage site for true gourmands.

The most famous spot for urchin dumplings is a place called Xiding, though for many discerning palates it fails to deliver. Its reputation rests largely on history rather than craft—because the dumplings there are filled not with live sea urchin, but with urchin from a can. Those with a keen sense of taste will recognize that telltale preserved flavor immediately.

So if you’ve come all the way to Dalian, a city celebrated for seafood so fresh it practically moves, don’t fall into the trap of following blog hype to a plate of canned urchin dumplings. There are restaurants here that make them properly—with live sea urchins, opened just before the dough is folded. And if you’ve come this far, you owe it to yourself to taste dumplings filled with the sea, alive and unspoiled.

Travel to Dalian, China, and savor the finest sea urchin dumplings at Grand Hyatt Dalian

Located right in front of Xinghai Square, famous for its laser shows, the Grand Hyatt Dalian boasts ocean views from every room. On the 46th floor—the hotel’s topmost level—there’s a Chinese restaurant called Dalian Dalian, where the freshest sea urchin dumplings are made by stuffing live sea urchins right into the filling.

Chef Cha Jae-yong(Allen), newly appointed executive chef at the Grand Hyatt Dalian, shares his thoughts on these dumplings: “Using flavor enhancers makes it easy to please everyone’s palate. But in a luxury hotel, we don’t use those shortcuts. To create truly delicious food without them, you must spare no expense on high-quality ingredients. And look—Dalian overflows with fresh sea urchins to the point it could be called the city of sea urchins. By filling dumplings generously with freshly harvested sea urchins delivered daily, there’s simply no need to add flavor enhancers. The rich natural umami that comes straight from the fresh urchins awakens all your senses. You don’t even need to dive into the sea outside the window—inside your mouth, you’re already tasting Dalian’s ocean.”

Meeting Chef Allen Cha again in Dalian was unexpected. A Korean chef once the executive chef at Maldives’ Cheval Blanc and beloved by LVMH, he is now driven purely by passion for food. As he spoke about Dalian’s fresh ingredients and introduced the sea urchin dumplings at Dalian Dalian, it became clear why he was here.

True to his word, the dumplings are filled with live sea urchins caught fresh. At the delicate tip of each dumpling, you’ll find a pinch of sea urchin roe carefully scooped out and placed on top as a finishing touch. These dumplings are as special as their ingredients. Take a cautious bite and the ocean aroma floods your mouth, opening up an entirely new dimension of what a dumpling can be—one unlike any you’ve ever tasted.

Unlike the vague off-note experienced at Xiding, Dalian Dalian’s sea urchin dumplings evoke the fresh sea itself, growing more and more addictive with every bite. Indeed, food reveals its true brilliance only when made with ingredients in their purest form and without reserve.

Curious about what other sea urchin dishes Dalian Dalian might offer, I asked Chef Allen Cha if he had any other creations using fresh sea urchins. He mentioned a new dish he had been developing, but it required time to prepare, and invited me to return that evening. That night, I came back to Dalian Dalian to savor Chef Cha’s latest masterpiece—the culinary pinnacle he called “the best under heaven.”

The other dish made with fresh live sea urchin at Dalian Dalian is Lao Ji Tang (老鸡汤), a nourishing soup made by slowly simmering native Chinese chicken in the Cantonese style until thick and rich.

To this, they add black rice from Northeast China where Dalian is located, wild matsutake mushrooms from Baekdu Mountain, and the live sea urchins from the nearby sea—bringing the best of land and sea from the Northeast into a single bowl.

Chef Allen Cha personally scoops the live sea urchin roe into the soup to complete the dish.
The moment captures the full attention of all the local Chinese diners visiting the Grand Hyatt Dalian’s Chinese restaurant.

Although the finest local ingredients are gathered here, I couldn’t quite predict how the flavors would come together before tasting. I knew Lao Ji Tang was a famous restorative dish in China but had never tried it, and now it came paired with live sea urchin and Baekdu Mountain’s wild matsutake mushrooms? Yet this was Dalian Dalian—the restaurant renowned for the best sea urchin dumplings, nowhere else could offer this.

Taking a generous spoonful of the soup, the subtle but deep sweetness and savory richness flooded my palate instantly. The long-simmered native chicken broth felt more like a velvety soup than a mere stock, packed with the intense umami unique to old chicken. Neither greasy nor overpowering, the broth soothed every part of me like a gentle rain. The matsutake’s delicate fragrance brushed my tongue quietly but unmistakably. The mild, natural sweetness of the sea urchin harmonized beautifully with the earthy matsutake aroma, making it clear why Chef Cha had urged a return visit to taste this soup.

The Northeast black rice, roasted over high heat, resembled crunchy rice puffs with every bite, adding a nutty and mild savoriness that anchored the soup’s flavor, Creating a harmony as if mountain, sea, and earth were all contained in one bowl—a surprising, unimaginable depth. This was more than food—it was a quiet, earnest bowl capturing the spirit and time shaped by Dalian’s land and sea.

Chef Allen Cha says, “Good ingredients don’t lie. When you asked why I came to Dalian, after years in the Maldives, what I missed most as a chef was these ingredients—fresh and honest, grown straight from land and sea. Sea urchins, chicken, matsutake mushrooms, black rice… They all have a complete flavor on their own, so chefs step back. I only listen quietly to what nature tells and guide those true flavors straight to our plates.”

As he said, Dalian is a city where the “taste of nature” shines brighter than the “skill of the chef.” Sea urchins freshly harvested from the sea become the dumplings of the day; matsutake mushrooms gathered from deep forests become today’s soup—this table, layered with time and honesty, Is not a mere meal to fill hunger, but a true journey experienced through taste. If you’re planning a culinary trip to Dalian, start this genuine journey at the Grand Hyatt Dalian’s Chinese restaurant, Dalian Dalian. The vast ocean stretching beyond the window and a bowl capturing that sea will convey this city’s flavors most purely and most uniquely.