Zhoushan's food is built entirely around seafood, and the freshness of the catch makes it reliably excellent. The archipelago specialises in yellow croaker, cuttlefish, hairtail fish, and various shellfish, all pulled from the surrounding sea and appearing on menus within hours of landing. The night market along Shenjiamen's waterfront is the best and most atmospheric place to eat — fresh seafood grilled over charcoal, clay-pot preparations, and cold shellfish, all available from open stalls that run until midnight.
On Putuoshan Island, the restaurants near the ferry terminal serve fresh seafood at reasonable prices; the restaurants deeper in the island toward the temples tend to serve vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, which is done well but represents a different kind of meal. For raw oysters and fresh crab, the wholesale market area in Shenjiamen is the best value.