3 great spots for late night dining in Wuhan

In Wuhan, beer, barbecue, seafood, and sidewalk snacks are common sights for late night snacking. This article will introduce three areas famous for delicious late night snacks.

Wansongyuan (万松园)

Crayfish is the first choice for a nighttime snack in summer. There are hundreds of restaurants scattered across Wansongyuan. Because of its high concentration of crayfish restaurants, it is Wuhan's crayfish center. Here, it is not uncommon to see people waiting in line outside at 1 am.

If you are not a fan of spicy braised crayfish, you can try the sweet steamed ones instead. Steaming crayfish helps preserve the original flavors; it usually served with a special homemade sauce. Steamed crayfish is fresh and juicy.

If crayfish alone is not satisfying enough or if you simply don't care for crayfish, Wansongyuan offers a diverse collection of restaurants filled with a rich variety of dishes and snacks. Here, you can try juicy soup dumplings, pan-fried pork, stuffed buns, light casserole congee, and much more. You can also try snacks like crispy pizza, mango and durian desserts and drinks, and Korean hotpot in this area. There is something for everyone at Wansongyuan.

Places around CCNU (华中师范大学周边)

CCNU is surrounded by great places filled with local delicacies and snacks capable of satisfying any late night craving. Between Jiedaokou (West Gate) and Guangbutun (North Gate), there are many places to eat. There are also many places to buy snacks near Huquan (East Gate).

For diners who are particular about their surroundings, Creativity City and Chicony, two shopping complexes located near Jiedaokou (街道口), are good choices. The bright and clean restaurants are air-conditioned, and they offer a variety of choices. You can enjoy Korean, Japanese, French, Indian, Thai, and American food. There are also restaurants offering Sichuan, Guangzhou, and Hunan cuisine.

A large collection of affordable restaurants can be found on Culture Street (华师文化街), a little shopping area near CCNU's West Gate. This area is home to both Chinese and foreign restaurants, making it popular with both Chinese and international students. The Chinese students tend to order dishes like grilled fish and hotpot; international students like Japanese curry, kebabs, pizza, and other foreign dishes. At the bars and pubs, people can enjoy imported beers and live music. In order to better serve students, who have rather irregular schedules, many of the restaurants are open late.

Huquan (虎泉夜市) is another place that is popular with students. Fresh, grilled seafood, such as fish, prawns, scallops, and oysters, sell very well. Fruit stands selling watermelons, mangos, pineapples, and other kinds of fruit can be seen scattered about.

Yanjiang Avenue (沿江大道)

Many younger residents enjoy spending their nights in Bounded Cubic Creativity Park (界立方), a park created from five repurposed factory buildings located on Hezuo Road. This park was built on the former site of the Russian Asiatic Trading Co. Ltd. (新泰洋行). The ancient brick walls, doorways, and wooden beams have all been preserved. There are more than a dozen restaurants in this area; they offer French food, pizza, baked goods, hotpot meals, barbecue, and casseroles. Most of the restaurants here are not chain restaurants; therefore, they cannot be found anywhere else in Wuhan or China. There is a water bar which sells mineral water and purified water from around the world. It is very popular among people who like to collect bottles. There are also film studios, tea houses, pubs, and music bars in the park. And, if you walk over to Yanjiang Avenue by way of Hezuo Road, you can feel the cool breeze coming off the river. Also, you can find a pub or a café and spend your time with family and friends there.