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Eating Out
Guide to Drinking and Dining in Shanghai
The Shanghainese are known
in China for their cosmopolitan culture. With the added appetite of
the expat community, Shanghai is brimming with international
cuisine. Japanese and Korean restaurants are aplenty, as is anything
Western which is heavy on meat, such as South American BBQ.
You will still find street stalls selling dumplings, fried bread,
barbecued meat and other local snacks - although sadly they are
slowly giving way to Western style fast food joints. There are
obvious health concerns with street food, though, so avoid anything
that looks like it has been left out too long.
Shanghai caters to all budgets: cheap meals consisting of rice,
vegetable and meat range from CNY6 to CNY20, while top restaurants
with fusion cuisine serve individual dishes at CNY100 or more. Note
that most restaurants open for lunch and dinner, but many close for
a few hours in the afternoon between sittings, so plan your
mealtimes accordingly.
PRICE GUIDE: (average cost of a main course):
= less than CNY50,
= CNY50-100,
= CNY100+
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.
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