Destination Guidebook for Shanghai, China, People's Rep of
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| Dining Overview | Top  |
Shanghai's tradition of culinary creativity has been revived after a half-century of communism, and since China's opening to the West and economic reform, it has become a city of international tastes.
Although Shanghainese is sometimes called a regional cuisine, akin to Cantonese or Sichuanese, it's really a fusion of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui cuisines. Most Chinese restaurants in Shanghai serve dishes from different regions, and many still serve true authentic fare. Typical dishes include jiachang doufu (home-style tofu), pao fan (a thick rice soup) and su ban dou (cold bean mash with vegetables). Dishes are usually built on foundations of oil, sugar and dark sauces. Fish is extremely popular, with river fish preferred over ocean varieties. Shanghai hairy crab is the region's pricey fall specialty, served in October and November. The city also has its version of Cantonese dim sum, such as the ever-popular xiaolong bao (pork or crab soup dumplings) and shengjian mantou (pan-fried pork dumplings). You can often find steamed buns and dumplings, you tiao (fried breadsticks), Shanghainese fried noodles, and baked and fried breads being sold by street vendors.
If you're not hungry for Chinese food, delicious foreign foods—from Japanese and Korean to Cajun and oven-fired pizza—are readily available. And new restaurants arrive on the scene monthly.
Many Chinese restaurants have English-language menus. Sometimes you have to ask for one, and you may find it difficult to order at eateries that don't have them. In those cases, if you can't find an English-speaking server, pantomime and drawings can suffice, but there is a good chance that mistakes will be made and adventurous surprises may be in store.
In Luwan, you could have every meal of your visit at Shanghai's ever-popular entertainment district Xintiandi. Fashionable—and usually expensive—eateries are housed in its old shikumen (stone gate) houses. If you find yourself doing business or staying at a hotel in the Hongqiao district, where the domestic airport is located, there are also some great restaurants there. And the Bund is home to a few excellent, if expensive, dining rooms. The main shopping thoroughfares of Nanjing Lu and Huaihai Lu are packed with hundreds of eateries of every hue and stripe. Expect to pay within these general guidelines for a two-course dinner for one, excluding tip or drinks: $ = less than 80 yuan; $$ = 80 yuan-160 yuan; $$$ = 161 yuan-350 yuan; $$$$ = more than 350 yuan. | Local & Regional | Top |
This place is a favorite with locals in need of a beer and a cheap, tasty bite to eat and a beer. The large establishment is bright and loud with a lively atmosphere. Cantonese dim sum and noodles are the main fare. The wonton soup noodles are reminiscent of those available in Hong Kong—and they'll cost you next to nothing. Daily for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. $. 1333 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6279-0738. Everything at this place is done with a flourish and is appropriately expensive. Owned by a former Hong Kong film actress, Fwu Luh serves glamorous Yangzhou food, a regional cuisine that utilizes a light, subtle touch with flavors. You'll find delicate dim sum and innovative Chinese fusion dishes unavailable elsewhere in town. Try the tender duck. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $$$$. Most major credit cards. 603-B Grand Gateway, 1 Hongqiao Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6407-9898. This Shanghai gem (often overlooked by visitors) is packed every evening with local diners seeking the fiery "hot pot" cuisine of Hunan province. Many chefs from the city's plusher joints vouch for the food, especially the green beans with minced pork. Reservations recommended. $-$$. No credit cards. 89 Fumin Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6249-5628. This simple two-story restaurant has only 12 tables. It's a local favorite, with a community feel, and it is the perfect place to sample home-style Shanghainese food, including river shrimp and jiachang tofu. The atmosphere is friendly and unpretentious. There is a second location with more seating in Xintiandi at House No. 9 (phone 6336-4746). Daily for lunch and dinner. $. Most major credit cards. 41 Tianping Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6282-9260. One of Shanghai's most famous (and oldest) restaurants, Meilongzhen dates back to 1938. The dining area is made up of traditional Chinese rooms with mahogany and marble furniture and intricate woodwork. Many of the dishes are Sichuanese, combined with Shanghainese flavors and cooking styles. The Sichuan duck is one of the more famous dishes. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $$. Most major credit cards. 1081 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6253-5353. Established in the early 1900s, Nanxiang is one of Shanghai's premier places to savor the city's signature dumplings. Located in Yuyuan Bazaar, the restaurant's ground floor is constantly crowded with long lines of locals waiting to get their dumplings to go. Go upstairs for a more refined dining experience. You'll be served delicious xiaolong bao, little steamer dumplings filled with pork and crabmeat. (Here's the secret to enjoying xiaolong bao: Dip the dumpling in vinegar, bite a small hole off the top, and suck out the soup within before you eat the filling.) This is the real Shanghai deal. Daily for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. $. 85 Yuyuan Lu (in Yuyuan Bazaar, adjacent to the lake and the Bridge of Nine Turnings), Old City, Shanghai. Phone 6355-4206. Sichuanese food is known for its use of hot red chilies, and this restaurant uses them in volume. The most popular dishes are the stewed beef and crispy chicken, but the menu also includes 14 varieties of Sichuan dim sum, as well as such daring main ingredients as fish maw, turtle, snake, pigeon and frog. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $. Most major credit cards. 737 Dingxi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6281-0449. Decorated in a stunningly modern art-deco style, Three on the Bund's signature restaurant is one of Shanghai's most creative, observing Shanghainese cooking styles but incorporating many nontraditional ingredients into the menu. The results include Shanghai tea-smoked eggs with Sevruga caviar, and red dates with cinnamon, apple, fresh lily bulbs and seared goose liver. Private dining rooms are available, and there are three specialist tea rooms, complete with tea sommelier. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $$$$. Most major credit cards. Three on the Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6321-3737. http://www.threeonthebund.com. Set in a concession-era villa on a quiet lane far from traffic and noise, Yang's offers a rare opportunity to dine alfresco in Shanghai: The tables in the courtyard are prized in the spring and fall, when temperatures are comfortable. Excellent seafood dominates the menu, though the braised pork leg in brown sauce is also a must-have. Reservations recommended. $$. Most major credit cards. No. 3, Lane 9, Hengshan Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6445-8418. Popular both with business travelers and leisure tourists looking for regional cuisines served in an elegant retro Shanghainese setting. The food is a refined mixture of Jiangsu, Zhejian and Shanghainese cuisine. Naturally lit during the day, but at night the red lanterns and heavy, dark wood floors and wall paneling echo ritzy 1920s Shanghai. The highly rated seafood comes baked, poached, steamed, braised, sundried and drunken. Dim sum is excellent, and vegetarians also get a look-in—unusual for upscale Xintiandi. Reservations recommended. $$$. Most major credit cards. 338 Huangpi Nan Lu, Xintiandi, Shanghai. Phone 6311-2323. This place is a favorite of locals and expatriates alike, because it's one of the few places in Xintiandi where you can get an affordable meal. This is the place to chow down on a massive, quality burger. Daily for lunch and dinner (open late). $-$$. Most major credit cards. 181 Taicang Lu (Xintiandi), Shanghai. Phone 3307-0798. This unpretentious eatery's tasty Shanghainese food makes it an expatriate favorite. The simple but postmodern interior and great service offer an escape from the chaotic dining rooms of most Chinese restaurants. Creative dishes include you tiao (fried breadsticks) with shredded beef, crispy duck, garlic-fried shrimp and shredded pork served with scallions and pancakes. The homemade chicken soup with wontons is the real deal, and on top of all that, prices are reasonable. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $-$$. No credit cards. 1221 Yanan Xi Lu (near Fanyu Lu), Shanghai. Phone 6213-2441. A well-established Japanese restaurant with several locations around town, Itoya serves some of the most succulent, melt-in-your-mouth raw fish in Shanghai. The fish arrives fresh daily and makes for huge pieces of delicious sushi and sashimi. The salmon is especially good, but also be sure to try the broiled cod, tempura and udon noodles. The set lunches are good values. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$-$$$. Most major credit cards. 24 Ruijin Er Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6467-1511. These beautiful, relaxed and atmospheric restaurants serving Thai and Indian cuisine respectively are housed in a lovingly restored French villa on the manicured lawns of a guesthouse compound. Prices are high for Shanghai, but the food never disappoints, and service is attentive. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations highly recommended. $$-$$$. Most major credit cards. Building 4, Ruijin Guesthouse, 118 Ruijin Er Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6466-4328. Located in an unpretentious two-story building on a small and unprepossessing street of interior-decor shops and tailors, this is one of the best Thai restaurants in town. The food is always excellent, though service can be hit or miss. Daily for lunch and dinner. $$. Most major credit cards. 5-C Dongping Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6445-9551. This restaurant has made a splash in the Xintiandi entertainment area with its slick, trendy identity. A dining area fitted in glass and traditional Chinese furniture surrounds an open kitchen. People go there to be seen and to dine on creative fusion dishes, such as caramelized, salted salmon with green mango and longan salad; Sichuan seared king prawns with octopus; garlic cream and crab spring roll; and rabbit prepared three ways. Open daily for dinner, Wednesday-Monday for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $$$-$$$$. Most major credit cards. House 8, North Block, Lane 181, Taicang Lu, Xintiandi, Shanghai. Phone 6355-8999. This place is unlike any other restaurant in Shanghai. Top-grade French cuisine with a local accent is served in a thickly carpeted old-world interior, offering a stunning view of the Bund. The variety of foie gras on the menu makes it difficult for diners to escape without trying at least one dish. Desserts are highly recommended. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations required. $$$-$$$$. Most major credit cards. Fourth Floor, Three on the Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu at Guangdong Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6321-7733. This charming, intimate wine bar serves simply prepared French bistro fare: crepes, salads, quiche and sandwiches. It's a relaxed setting, with greenhouse seating for those sunny but cold Shanghai days. The best thing about Le Bouchon is its wide selection of quality wines. Open Monday-Saturday for dinner only. Reservations recommended. $$. Most major credit cards. 1455 Wuding Xi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6225-7088. This little, unassuming Italian restaurant is a favorite of the Italian expatriates in town—everything tastes just like Mama used to make it. Try the penne arriabata and the seafood risotto. The chef's signature stuffed mussels are delicious, too. $$. Most major credit cards. 62 Yandang Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6385-5998. This dimly lit restaurant housed in a charming old French villa serves authentic (despite its name) Spanish fare in a chic and upscale setting. The homey decor is warm and inviting, and large windows frame the surrounding trees and old mansions. Prices are reasonable. After dinner, enjoy a cigar in the intimate bar. Daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended. $$-$$$$. Most major credit cards. No. 3, Lane 9, Hengshan Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6445-7970. Shanghai's most famous (if not the best) vegetarian restaurant has been open for more than half a century. The chefs combine cuisines from all over the country to make the faux-meat creations. A great example is the mock duck made of tofu—a delicious vegetarian delicacy. Daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. $-$$. Most major credit cards. 445 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6327-0218. Zao Zi Shu's tasty Chinese vegetarian cuisine is rated as firmly in the mainstream. Clean, friendly and eschewing MSG, trans-fatty acids, alcohol and smoking diners, it's the real veggie deal. Most of the dishes are fashioned—using tofu, gluten and mushroom protein—to resemble meat and fish favorites. The spicy Sichuan-style chicken with peanuts is excellent, as are the gingered chicken and vegetarian xiaolongbao. Also serves a broad range of Chinese teas and fresh juices. Daily for lunch and dinner (until 9 pm). $. No credit cards. 258 Fengxian Lu (near Jiangning Lu), Shanghai. Phone 6215-7566. This restaurant represents everything that Shanghai's return to glamour is all about. It is situated on the seventh and top floor of the former Nisshin Kisen Kaisha Building, which was erected in 1925 for a Japanese shipping line. It features Mediterranean-influenced cuisine in a chic modern-meets-retro interior. The terrace overlooking the river is a perfect spot for brunch. Try the crepes parmentier with caviar, followed by the famous slowly baked lamb. And leave room for the pavlova. Daily for dinner, Tuesday-Friday for lunch, Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Reservations required for dinner. $$$-$$$$. Most major credit cards. Five on the Bund, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, Shanghai. Phone 6350-9988. http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com.
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