Classic Street Snacks (Must-Try Cheap Eats) Menzi (Pan-Fried Sweet Potato Jelly) Dalian’s city symbol snack. Steamed sweet potato starch jelly is cut into cubes and pan-fried until golden and crispy outside, soft and bouncy inside. It’s tossed with sesame paste, garlic sauce, vinegar and chili oil. Seafood menzi with clams or shrimp is also popular. Seafood Menzi Salted Fish with Corn Pancakes (Xianyu Bingzi) A traditional fisherman’s staple. Air-dried salted small sea fish are paired with crispy golden corn flatbreads, salty and fragrant, a signature old Dalian dish. Salted Fish Pancakes Grilled Squid / Iron Plate Squid Night market staple. Fresh local squid grilled with cumin, chili and soy sauce, tender and smoky. Cold Seaweed Jelly (Banhai Liangfen) Made from wild rock seaweed, boiled for hours to form translucent jelly. Shredded and mixed with coriander, garlic and vinegar, light and refreshing for summer.