Shanghai Food-Restaurants

Shanghai Food-Restaurants information

Fine dining

Mei Long Zhen ** 22, Lane 1081 West Nanjing Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6256-6688 Located opposite Jiangning Lu. Traditional, tranquil setting with elaborate decor, set in a small alley off the busy Nanjing West Lu. Past customers have included political leaders and celebrities. There is an English menu with pictures, and the cuisine is based on Sichuan food with a Shanghainese touch. Sichuan Court ** Hilton Shanghai, 39F, 250 Huashan Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6248-0000. ext 1890. Highly praised Sichuanese restaurant with great views of Shanghai's skyline.

Regional

Favourable Wind (Shunfeng) * 3rd floor, 227 North Huangpi Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6375-8999 Located opposite Shanghai grand theatre. Large and busy from early evening, the Shanghai/Hangzhou food here is consistently tasty and the extensive menu has something for everyone. Favourites include cucumber salad in chilli and garlic, deep fried bifengtang style aubergine, spicy hairy crab in special sauce (in season). China Moon ** 3rd fl, CITIC Sq 1168 West Nanjing Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-3218-1379 Sichuan/Hunan restaurant serving Dimsum lunches (lots of little snacks such as dumplings and spring rolls) and a la carte menu for dinner. Live music on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings until late. Metro: Shimeni Lu. Xian Yue Hien (shengyuexuang) * 849 Huashan Lu, near Wukang Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6251-1166 Quiet setting in a private residence next to a sculptured garden. Serving Cantonese dimsum and southern specialties. Open 07h30-22h00. Bifengtang * 1333 West Nanjing Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6279-0738 Chain of restaurants and tea houses open 24 hours, serving dimsum, simple meals and snacks. The large restaurant at this address has traditional decoration and good dimsum. Situated opposite the Portman hotel. Duck king (Ya Wang) *** 20 Tianyueqiao Lu, 2F, corner of Zhaojiabang Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6464-9169/6464-7396 Located near Metro city shopping mall, Xujiahui metro station. Peking duck with all the trimmings, as well as other well prepared northern delicacies. Good quick service, traditional décor and very reasonable prices. Food is fresh and not oily. Menu with pictures in English.

Taiwanese

Bellagio ** Gubei district, 101 South Shuicheng Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6278-0722 Modern and stylish, a real hit with the locals, so reservations are advised. Serves delicious Taiwanese variations of Chinese food. Keep room for dessert and order the Mango Ice shave - you won't regret it.

Chinese snacks

Wujiang Lu is the best foodie street, with fast Chinese food, noodles, dumplings as well as restaurants for all budgets. Nearest metro: Shimenyi Lu station. Yu Gardens (Yuyuan Shangcheng) on Yuyuan Lu sells a variety of Chinese savoury and sweet snacks.

International

Simply Thai ** 5C Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6445-9551 Good, unpretentious Thai cooking in pleasant, minimalist surroundings. thaithai * Zhongshan park branch: 1515 Dingxi Lu Fast food, Thai style. A limited menu provides a taste of Thailand to the budget conscious or those in a hurry. Tandoor *** 59 Maoming Nan Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6258-2582 ext. 9301 The first Indian restaurant in Shanghai, lavishly decorated and mixing Indian and Chinese influence. Relaxing ambience, attentive service and exquisite dishes represent the different regions of India, with the emphasis on Northern Indian food. Istanbul Restaurant & Bar ** B/F, Jiubai Plaza, 900 Huaihai Zhong Tel: +86 (0)21-6467-6666 Turkish cuisine and loud Turkish decoration, with live belly dancing.

Vegetarian/Healthy

Vegetarian Life Style * 258 Fengxian Lu, Jing An District Tel: +86 (0)21-6215-7566 A true vegetarian alternative, food is fresh, MSG free, lean on oil and uses some organic ingredients. For the health conscious, it comes complete with a vegetarian store and bakery downstairs. Wagas ** CITIC Sq, Room LG12A (downstairs), 1168 West Nanjing Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-5292-5228 Healthy sandwiches, salads, pasta and soups, eat in or take away. Element Fresh ** 2F, 112 at the Shanghai Centre, 1376 West Nanjing Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6279-8682 Nearby, and very similar establishment to Wagas.

Teahouses

There are many tea-houses all over town, serving a variety of Chinese tea. Normally payment is per person (around CNY20) and includes tea leaves of your choice with unlimited hot water. Many young students and retired Shanghainese spend hours in the tea-houses, chatting and playing cards. In most tea-houses the food is limited to snacks - peanuts, dried fruit, or dumplings. Shanghai Huxinting Tea House ** 257 Yuyuan Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6373-6950 A favourite of tourists and locals alike, this stilted pagoda-roofed traditional teahouse dating from the 1850s is an excellent place to soak up some of the olde worlde ambience of Shanghai. Jutting out into the water of a manmade pool near to Nine-turnings Bridge its aspect and air of tradition have earned it the reputation of being the most famous teahouse in China. Certainly no trip to Shanghai is complete without at least one cup of chai here.

Bars

The Shanghai bar scene is increasingly lively, with a fair choice of hip, new bars springing up around town (often to be replaced a few months later). Because many bars don't have a very long life, it's somewhat futile to recommend specific ones, but there are various stretches of the city where there is always plenty going on at night and if you head for any of these, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a drinking den. These vary from "ye olde Shanghai" type places to karaoke bars and ultra-trendy joints filled with Shanghai's most young and beautiful. Not surprisingly for a city with such a cosmopolitan history there are also numerous expat bars which attract a mix of tourists and Shanghai residents. One of the most popular areas to soak up some atmosphere (albeit somewhat sanitised) with your drinks is Xintiandi, a Hong Kong invested entertainment zone made up to look like Old Shanghai. It sounds a bit tacky, and in fact many traditional buildings were knocked down to make way for this mock-up of what city planners thought an "old street" should look like, but some of the original façades remain and it's at least a lively area teaming with upmarket bars, coffee shops, and Western restaurants. While you're here, try to make time to sit outside La Maison Patisserie with an espresso and chocolate hazelnut mousse, and engage in people watching. If you're after neon and dazzle, head for loud, bustling Hengshan Lu. The stretch from Wulumuqi Lu to Jianguo Lu has restaurants, bars, tea houses and karaoke bars in quick succession. Maoming Lu is the main expat hangout. Currently Blue Frog, Windows, Manhattan and Judy's Too pull in the majority of punters for generally fairly raucous nights of revelry. For a change of pace, walk into Ruijin hotel complex for the Face Bar - a slice of past Shanghai decadence still alive today - a far more civilised way of spending the evening. Here are just a few names to look out for. Arch 439 Wu Kang Lu, Near Huai Hai Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6466-0807 A real designer's den combining old colonial architecture with large arched (hence the name) windows on the outside, and modern, elegant and minimalist decoration inside. During the days you can hook up your laptop for free broadband internet access as you drink fresh coffee or healthy smoothies, or catch up on the latest in design and architecture in the many magazines freely available. At night, it's a relaxing bar to chat, listen to jazz music and sip cocktails with friends. Cosmopolitan food is served daily until 21h30. O'Malley's C3, 42 Tao Jiang Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6474 4533 Ten a penny as Irish-theme pubs are it doesn't seem to diminish their popularity. O'Malley's is a case in point, it might be a faux Irish bar, filled with dark wood, brass and replica weaponry but it doesn't stop the punters from flooding in and spending their hard-earned on a few pints of the black stuff. A not bad place to hang out if you're looking for expats, not quite so good if you're looking for local flavour. FACE Ruijin Guest House Gdns, 118 Ruijin Er Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6466-4328 The place in Shanghai to be seen in if you've got money to spend and a killer wardrobe to wear. Housed in a beautiful 18th century manor house, on warm summer evenings it's sundowners on the lawn and reviving the days of colonial Shanghai. Blue Frog 207-23 Maoming Nan Lu Tel: +86 (0)21-6445-6634 Famous for its music, which runs to avant garde acid jazz, the Blue Frog continues to be one of Maoming Lu's more popular hangouts for just about anyone.