Three breakfast staples for Sanya locals: Hainan rice noodles (hainanfen), Baoluo noodles, and Lingshui sour noodles. Hainanfen is thin rice noodles tossed in a broth of pork bone + dried shrimp + spices, topped with fried peanuts, pickled vegetables, and cilantro — savory-sweet, 8-12 RMB a bowl. Baoluo noodles are thicker, served with beef jerky, peanuts, and bamboo shoots in a richer broth, 10-15 RMB. Lingshui sour noodles lean sour-spicy with sandworm and dried squid — a Lingshui specialty popular in Sanya. Recommended shops: Zhengzong Baoluo Fen (Shengli Road), Hainanfen Old Shop (Xinjian Street), A'san Liangtang (Qunzhong Street).
Qingbuliang is Hainan's summer lifesaver. Coconut milk shaved ice base + red bean + mung bean + barley + coconut shreds + taro balls + watermelon + quail egg — 15-25 RMB a bowl. Two shops locals swear by: Yenai Qingbuliang (Shengli Road, 15 RMB, #1 on local Dianping) and Dengge Qingbuliang (Qunzhong Street, 18 RMB, generous toppings). At 3-5pm in peak summer heat, one bowl brings you back to life.
Other local specialties: ① Wenchang Chicken (Hainan's top dish, white-cut, dipped in signature sauce); ② Jiaji Duck (crisp skin, tender meat — Wenchang Chicken's rival); ③ Dongshan Goat (Wanning specialty, braised or white-cut); ④ Hele Crab (packed with roe, best steamed); ⑤ Coconut Rice (sticky rice steamed inside a coconut, 10-15 RMB each); ⑥ Zaopo Vinegar Hotpot (sour-spicy, locals' winter favorite). To try them all at once, hit a Hainan specialty restaurant near First Market — 60-100 RMB/person gets you 5-6 dishes.