Showing 1-21 of 21 results
-
Bì Fēng Táng
At busy times, the clater of porcelain dishes and shouts of the wait staff resonate through this popular wicker- and bamboo-clad dim sum joint. There's a slack period in the late afternoon, but it's still bustling in the early hours as the late-night crowd file, or stagger, in. Winners here include steamed shrimp and chive dumplings, duck noodle soup and barbecued pork buns. It has fine outdoor seating.
-
Crystal Jade
If Xīntiāndì's most popular Chinese restaurant were any easier to find (it's in the mall) you'd probably have to queue up for a week to get a seat. What distinguishes Crystal Jade from other dim sum restaurants is the dough: dumpling skins are perfectly tender, steamed buns come out light and airy, and the noodles are just plain delicious. Go for lunch, when both Cantonese and Shanghainese dim sum are served. English menu.
-
Dī Shuǐ Dòng
Dī Shuǐ Dòng is the discerning local's choice for fiery Hunanese cooking. It's a refreshingly unpretentious and friendly place serving consistently good and authentic food. Try the chicken and chilli claypot or the classic boiled frog and cool down with plenty of beer. Milder dishes include spare ribs and braised spring chicken with ginger, plus the crowd-pleasing caramelised bananas for dessert. English menu. Reserve.
-
Dōngběi Rén
Dōngběi Rén, literally 'northeastern people', are known for their blunt, friendly ways and their fondness for hearty portions of meat and potatoes. Exuberant waitresses spontaneously break into folk songs while serving an outstanding assortmen of dumplings as well as spare ribs, endless beef, chicken and pork dishes and plenty of greens and veggies. Prices are very reasonable. English menu. There are five other branches around town.
-
Fēngyù Shēngjiān
Don't let the Stalinist service and orange plastic seats put you off at this nondescript canteen. It turns out some of the best shrimp and pork shēngjiān (fried dumplings) in town for a bargain around Y2 , as well as xiǎolóngbāo and a range of cheap noodle dishes.
-
Gōngdélín
Shanghai's second-oldest vegetarian restaurant (opened in 1922), Gōngdélín never fails to perplex Western vegetarians - nearly everything on the menu is prepared to resemble meat! Don't worry though, the beef with shacha sauce and the sesame chicken rolls are actually made of tofu, no matter how convincing they look. You can dine very cheaply here, or splash out on the big set menu. English menu.
-
Guyi Hunan Restaurant
Shanghai's foodies divide into those who back this Hunanese place to the hilt and those prefering the more laidback charms of Dī Shuǐ Dòng. There's a more comprehensive menu here, including great gānguō (hotpots) featuring your choice of beef, chicken, crab or frog, and they do stay open until for those who like to breakfast on chillies. The dishes are very hot here, so take it easy. Reserve or be prepared to queue. English menu.
-
Làokè Lè
In Shanghainese, the name of this friendly and clean noodle stop translates as 'upper middle class'. That's stretching the truth, but they do offer a selection of good and cheap noodle dishes, as well as solid smoothies (from around Y16 ). It's a convenient place for lunch if you're touring the area. Picture menu.
-
Lei Garden Restaurant
This is one of the more authentic dim sum places in town: a large, bustling restaurant good for lunch if you're on the shopping trail. The steamed shrimp dumplings are great, as are the pork ones, and they get through an awful lot of congee here, but there's a wide range of dishes to choose from. English menu.
-
Lùlù Jiǔjiā
Lùlù is fancy Shanghainese without the overbearing attitude - it's more popular with families and the ladies-who-lunch crowd than urban hipsters - and the prices are surprisingly reasonable. With over 20 aquariums on display, you'd be foolish not to try at least one of the braised seafood specialities, though steer clear of the fish heads. English menu. Reserve.
-
Advertisement
-
Méilóngzhèn Jiǔjiā
Perhaps Shanghai's most famous local restaurant, this fantastic old building has been churning out food since the 1930s. The rooms once housed the Shanghai Communist Party headquarters but are now bedecked in woodcarvings, huge palace lamps and photos of foreign dignitaries. The menu mixes Sìchuān and Shanghainese tastes and ranges from the pricey (the crab; around Y150 ) to the more reasonable, such as the Y45 fried fish slices. English menu.
-
Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
Despite being Shanghai's most famous dumpling restaurant, this place is overrated and overpriced. Hordes of tourists, both domestic and foreign, descend on the place and you won't even get near it on weekends. If you do get a table, the service is perfunctory and you can find equally tasty and cheaper xiǎolóngbāo (steamed dumplings) at street stalls around the city. The takeaway deal is better, but the queue snakes half-way around the Bazaar.
-
People 6
Number 6 is more of a dining option than its sibling People 7, with café-style window seating or upstairs dining with a bird's-eye view down on to the bar. But the menu is a similar mix of reasonably priced Asian fusion cuisine. The tables and moody low lighting make it a good place for an intimate dinner. There's a nice bamboo-lined approach down a winding path, before you reach the Star Trek -like door.
-
Sōngyuèlóu
Shanghai's oldest veggie restaurant, dating back to 1910, this place offers a far cheaper and more authentic dining experience than most of the tourist-saturated restaurants in the area. There's the usual mix of tofu masquerading as chicken and pork, as well as a good range of soups.
-
Vegetarian Lifestyle
These folks are surely improving their karma by making organic, vegetarian fare fashionable for the masses. There's a wide range of clever dishes, including soup served in a pumpkin, but best are the sweet Wuxi spareribs, stuffed with lotus root of course, and the hotpots. No MSG is used and cooks go light on the oil. It's nonsmoking too. Other branches in Old Town and near Carrefour in Gǔběi.
-
Wáng Bǎohé Jiǔjiā
Over 250 years old, this restaurant is a Shanghai institution and so a stop on the tour-group circuit. Famous for its extravagant selection of crab dishes, it also offers its own special Shàoxīng-style wine. The place is crammed during hairy-crab season between October and December. There's now an English menu, but it's not cheap and it's wise to reserve. The all-crabs-must-die set menus (around Y300 to around Y880 ) are the best options.
-
Wúyuè Rénjiā
Hidden in a side-street basement off East Nanjing Rd, this cool little place serves great bowls of Suzhou noodles in an old-style teahouse. Choose between tāng (soupy) or gān (dry) noodles; in either case the flavouring comes on a side plate. The excellent xiābào shànbēi miàn comes with shrimp and fried eels. English picture menu.
-
Xian Yue Hien
The Ding Xiang Garden, originally built for the concubine of a Qing dynasty mandarin, is now reserved for retired Communist Party cadres, so you'll have to eat at this serene restaurant if you want a peek. Sample classic Shanghainese and Cantonese dishes such as lion's head meatballs. The seafood dishes can get very expensive; the real draw is the dim sum, served overlooking the lawn on mornings and afternoons. Picture menu.
-
Xìnghuā Lóu
This old-school dinosaur has been pumping out quality Cantonese dishes and dim sum since the reign of Emperor Xianfeng (r 1851-61). There is something for everyone here, with a bakery selling steamed buns, a ground-floor canteen serving oily hot-and-sour soup and Cantonese dim sum (like shāomài - meat-filled pockets of noodle dough), and an upper-floor restaurant offering reasonably priced Cantonese food. Ask for the English menu.
-
Xīnyǎ Àocàiguǎn
It's refreshing to see a Shanghai restaurant that has avoided the temptation to go all chic and minimalist. Xīnyǎ (Sunya in Cantonese) is a huge restaurant, dating from 1927, now adjoining the Ramada Plaza. The 2nd floor serves dim sum during the day, while other floors dish up à la carte Cantonese cuisine. Try the roasted crispy duck and the dependable beef in oyster sauce, or go for the stewed snake in a secret recipe. English menu.
-
Advertisement
-
Zen
One of a number of good places located in the swish Plaza 66 shopping mall, Zen is arched around the horseshoe-end of the 5th floor, giving some tables a great night-time view of the Shanghai Exhibition Hall. The menu has lots of choice and prices are reasonable - dishes even come in half or full servings. Favourites include the sautéed chicken with ginger and spring onion in clam sauce and the baked chicken in rock salt. English menu. Reserve.
Showing 1-21 of 21 results
