First an introduction:
We ate very well at very reasonable prices in Shanghai. We had big dinners for US$20, with tea (no wine or beer). Preparing this list, however, was a challenge because there were many restaurants with names only in Chinese characters so all we know is the location of it in English. If we wanted it on this list and didn’t know the name of it in English, we just named the place “eatery” and provided an address.
We stayed in Shanghai for a month and ate mostly at local restaurants and eateries near our serviced apartment at the intersection of Xietu and Ruijin in the southern part of the Luwan area (click here to read about it). We were challenged by the absence of English menus from time to time. However, we foodies overcame that hurdle by pointing to other people's dishes that looked good.
Smoking was generally allowed in restaurants which was annoying sometimes.
Okay, here goes with our restaurant reviews!
(Exchange rate ¥6.8 = US$1)
1. Huangpu
1.1. Shanghai Islamic Hong Chang Xing Dining Food Co., 288 Guangxi St. (actually at the corner of Yan'an Rd. E. and Yunnan St., Tel. (86-21) 6352-9700, e-mail: hcv288@vip.163.com. We spent ¥ 163 for two and enjoyed ourselves. The room is large and the service was good. We spoke to the people at a neighboring table and really had fun talking to them. This was the first time we had ever had food from Xinjiang and we really liked it. This is what we ordered: Beer ¥18, Xian jiang vegetables: ¥28, Black pepper foie gras ¥38 (that was excellent), Explode the beef steak ¥32 and for dessert: Milk fragrant sesame seed cake ¥18. On the menu was the following item (which we didn’t order): “cooks the bull’s penis cu ¥28”. Our friend at the next table told us that it really wasn’t a bull’s penis.
1.2. Fish Restaurant on Yunnan on the east side of the street just before the corner of Jinling. We don’t have a name for this eatery but it was too good to omit from the list. We feasted and amazingly it wasn’t touristic even in this area! We spent ¥268 total and we had (¥42) for 2 hairy crabs; 1 penis-looking fish, 4 tiny fish that were fabulous, 4 oysters, 3 veggies (seaweed and 2 others) and 1 dessert.
We wasted no time in finding the famous Shanghai hairy crab in season at this time. However, we were rather non plused - crab too small, too much work...
1.3. Cheng long Hang xie wang fu, 216 Jiujiang Rd., tel. (21) 6321-2010. We attended a feast at this very famous and atmospheric restaurant (with traditional entertainment).
The musicians at Cheng long Hang xie wang fu
English wasn’t spoken much even though it was full of foreigners willing to pay the high prices. There were six of us and we had the hairy crab feast: appetizer plate, crab salad, shark’s fin soup with crab roe, crab shelled for us, peanut soup, and many, many other dishes.
The appetizer plate at Cheng long Hang xie wang fu
Cheng long Hang xie wang fu wasn’t worth the price. But the evening was really fun.
1.4. Quanjude (Shanghai Huai Hai Quanjude) Roast Duck Co. Ltd., 786 Central Huai Hai Rd., 4th Fl., Shanghai, Tel. 21-5403-7286, web: www.shanghaiquanjude.com. We spent ¥192 for two people. Our waiter (#11) was very good and even though he didn’t speak English we communicated. The room is dated but nice; the costumes of the seaters are a bit over the top. It was full and people who were smoking but it wasn’t too annoying. We had ½ duck and the soup that accompanies the deluxe version ¥69 (extras cost extra).
We also had one Field Snails ¥38, Vegetable dish: fried agaric & yam bowl ¥26, Pu Er tea and 1 small “duck” dessert.
It was all very good.
Our duck being prepared at Quanjude in Shanghai
We also had one Field Snails ¥38, Vegetable dish: fried agaric & yam bowl ¥26, Pu Er tea and 1 small “duck” dessert.
At Quanjude our appetizer of snails (on the table) and we are eating them with the gloves provided. Also note the cover on the back of Dimitri's chair--it is put there to protect his jacket.
It was all very good.
2. Old Shanghai Town Area
The chefs preparing food before your eyes in Old Town
2.1. Yu Yuan Global Food Court. For lunch we had 4 deep fried crab for ¥30 and Tea ¥5. It was really fun (and all of the tourists were fun too)!
A pretty amazing choice at Yu Yuan Global Food Court in Old Town Shanghai
2.2. Shanghai xiaochi renja Famous Chinese Restaurant 59-61 Yayuan Classical Street, Yuyuan Bazaar, Old Town, Shanghai. We hope that you can find this eatery based on this description of where it is: Hubing food building [the Chinese on the receipt], Shanghai xiaochi renja [the English on the table] Famous Chinese Restaurant [the English words on the window], 59-61 Yayuan Classical Street, Yuyuan Bazaar, Old Town, Shanghai. It is next to the very touristic Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant at 85 Yuyuan Classical Street, Yuyuan Bazaar that always has long lines and can’t be worth it. Shanghai xiaochi renja Famous Chinese Restaurant was fabulous (are we repeating ourselves?).
See if you can recognize this eatery at 59-61 Yayuan Classical Street, Yuyuan Bazaar, Old Town, Shanghai--it is terrific!
We started out with deep fried tiny crabs that we ate whole. We had deep fried prawns and tiny fetus-like chickens, also fried. We had a delicious hot and sour soup and a chawan mushi type egg dish. We had the big xiao long bao dumpling draped over a small bamboo steamer containing a hot soup that you eat/drink out of a straw (which I think is called tang bao) and that Audre scalded the roof of her mouth sipping. We had a gelatinous dessert and something else.
We're not sure what these are but they were delicious. The could be deep-fried embryos or very, very young chicks. We had them at the eatery at 59-61 Yayuan Classical Street, Yuyuan Bazaar, Old Town, Shanghai
And we had a dessert there that was worth photographing:
This gooey dessert was quite tasty at our eating in Old Town
3. Super Brands Mall
3.1. Noodle Plus, Level 5, Super Brands Mall Tel. (21) 5047-1758. We spent ¥32 for a stir fried noodle and a cold udon. We'd recommend it.
4. Food Street at Wujiang & Shimen No. 2
4.1. Eatery at Wujiang & Shimen No. 2 (NE corner of Wujiang) on Food Street, Tel. 135-1102-8897. Man, did we have a great time eating here! We had Clear noodles in chili sauce ¥8; Carbon grilled Zhanjiang style oyster x2 = they were delectable; Carbon roast Dalian scallop in shell x 3 they were delectable; Grilled eggplant 10 for ¥10; Grilled mushroom; Gastronomy frog ¥48 and 2 desserts and a mango milkshake ¥32.
5. Qingpu
5.1. Crystal Jade, Unit 2F - 12A&B, House 6-7, South Block Xintiandi Lane 123, Xinye Road, Tel. 6385-8752 We spent ¥300 each for two couples. We didn’t have high expectations for this chain that has outlets in Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Tokyo. But we had a very good meal.
6. Luwan (mostly the southern Luwan area near Xietu Road and Ruijin where our apartment was at Rayfont Hotel & Apartment Shanghai Celebrity, 1077 Xietu Road, Shanghai 200032)
6.1. Harvest Festival Ningbo Seafood Restaurant, LuWan Branch, DaPuqiao Business Center, 1-2F, No. 68 Da Pu Road (close to XuJiahui Road), tel 5302-8777, web: www.fsrjt.com We spent ¥123 for two. The dishes we ordered were modest: preserved egg and crepes with deep fried potato slivers but the cost was high.
6.2. Bi Feng Tang, corner Dapu and Zhaojiabang, 403 Zhaojiabang, tel. (21) 6304-8766, www.bifengtang.com.cn We spent ¥135 for two for delicious noodle dishes.
6.3. e + e, corner of Dapu & Quxi; a neighborhood eatery where we spent ¥32 for noodles for DM, rice and dumplings for ALE. It was good!
6.4. Hangzhou Xinkaiyan Hotel Co. Ltd., Xujiahui/Zhoajiabang Rd. & Dapu Rd., Tel. (21)6466-5588, www.newkaiyuan.com. We spent ¥109 for a very good meal. We had Dyadic stewed chicken with 3 cups sauce of Hangzhou ¥32, Fried tofu home style ¥20 and Egg pudding and clams (and tea of course).
6.5. Uighur Restaurant, 2 South Shanxi Rd., Tel. (21) 6255-0843. We spent ¥263 for three people and had a nice dinner with our friend and with the entertainment provided by the restaurant.
Audre with our friend, Risalet and one of the entertainers at the Uighur Restaurant
Dimitri was photographed at the Uighur Restaurant too:
Dimitri with one of the entertainers at the Uighur Restaurant in Shanghai
6.6. Vegetarian restaurant that we don’t know the name of but was very good. It’s on Ruijin between Xietu, 768 Dapu Rd, Tel 021-5302-7783 Tel 021-5302-7783. We spent ¥99 for lunch. The restaurant is modern with clean lines. The service is excellent and we went back again to try it for dinner. It’s good and a bit unique.
6.7. Shu Di Lazi Yu Guan, 187 Anfu Road, tel. 5403-7684, [Sichuan La Zi Yu Restaurant]. We had a nice hot and sour soup for lunch there for ¥18 and it was big enough for two. While there is an English menu, some of the most interesting dishes we saw were not on it!
6.8. Xinwang Restaurant, Dapu Branch, 550 Zhaojiabang Rd./Xujiahui Rd No. 101 on a lane off of Zhaojiabang Rd./Xujiahui Rd., Tel. (21) 6445-8505, web: www.xinwang-sh.com. It’s a trendy casual restaurant where we spent ¥123. We had a fish stuffed with something like fish ball described as: Stuffed whole fish thai tangy sauce ¥43; assorted fine vegetables with lotus root; Scallops baked with garlic ¥22; Lotus and fungus ¥18; and, for dessert Sago with mango and pomelo ¥18. A fine meal.
6.9. Hunan Restaurant, corner of Dapu Rd. and Quxi St., 2nd Fl., tel. (21) 6304-8766. We spent ¥84 and boy was it good. There was no English speaker but the menu had pictures. This is what we ordered and what we spent (in more detail than you probably want): Clams in egg soufflé which was tasty with a soy sauce addition; Short ribs ¥42; Cucumber ¥18; Tiny fish ¥12; Rice; Tea ¥10 and Towels ¥2.
6.10. Shang Wei (Classical Sichuan Style Dishes; Hot Pot & Chinese Cuisine), 1228 Quxi St., tel. (21)6305-1915. We spent ¥99 and had a very good meal. The place looks new and clean with modern furniture and an upstairs that is supposed to be a non-smoking area but isn’t. The service was good but there was no English whatsoever. We had a fish in a chili oil soup with Chinese lily flowers (the same vegetable used in moo shoo pork). Then we had corn kernels that have been lightly coated in a feathery-light batter and deep fried to perfection. Each kernel is separate and eating a plateful one-by-one with chopsticks was a rapturous experience in patience and perfection. We have never had this dish before and probably will never find it again. It will live in our memories and eating lore.
6.11. Heji Xiaocai Restaurant, Jin Yu Lan Square, 1 Dapu Rd, 3rd Floor, Shanghai, Tel. 5396-0577, web: www.hjxc.ocm and www.shduyi.com We spent ¥108 and had a really good meal. We order Spicy & sour kelp ¥12; Spicy & sour sizzling assorted seafood with crispy rice ¥ 36; Braised fungus with seafood ¥ 48; Rice ¥4; Tea ¥4 and Towels ¥4.
6.12. Youth Restaurant [The Taste of My Love], 159 Xujiahui/Zhoajiabang Rd., Shanghai, Tel. 921)6417-7999, e-mail: zhongxing.qn@163.com, web: www.qnct.net. We spent ¥123 for a very good meal.
Our last evening in Shanghai we ate at Youth Restaurant. On the table is our appetizer called Delicious sauce turnip (¥8)
On another evening we also had a very enjoyable meal at Youth Restaurant. On that night we spent ¥114. We ordered: Roast Lamb Leg ¥38; Thick Soup Mountain Medicine Yu Milk ¥22; Country Cousin bun An Eggplant ¥15; and The Words Plum Yun Bean ¥8. What an endearing menu! It's rare for us to repeat a restaurant when we are in a city for a short time so Youth Restaurant should be very proud of itself.
6.13. Pin Chuan Sichuan Cuisine, 47 Tao Jiang Road (near Wu Lu Mu Qi Road), Shanghai 200031, Tel. (8621) 6437 9361. We spent ¥179 and had a nice meal. We went by Bus 96 from our apartment. They serve a pickled cucumber and carrot amuse bouche and charge ¥2 for it. We ordered: Tian fu Noodle Salad (Sichuan Fern Noodle Salad) ¥19; Mouth watering chicken ¥39; Homemade soft bean curd ¥39; Fried rice Yangzhou style ¥39; and Pan Fried Pumpkin cake with black sesame paste ¥19. We had Westlake green tea (¥9 x 2 = ¥18) and were charged for Towels ¥4. All very nice.
6.14. Shen Da Cheng, 1120 Xietu, Shanghai, tel. 6416-9692. We spent ¥224 and it was okay. We ordered Hot mushrooms ¥22; Clams ¥18;Turbot ¥117; and Asparagus ¥32.
6.15. Sichuan Restuarant 1370 Xietu Road, Shanghai, Tel. 6404-9052. We spent ¥118 and thought it was good. We had Fish in chilli pot, a mushroom dish, 4 scallops, 4 oysters and rice.
6.16. Hei Tu Qing, 1370 Xietu St., Shanghai, Tel. (21)6404-3021. We have forgotten how much we spent. The restaurant has a “no smoking” sign but everyone ignored it. It’s a Northern Chinese food restaurant and it was packed. We looked at the meal another table was having; it looked great so we ordered the same thing. It was very good. We had Chicken in a small and adorable wooden bucket. It had lots of vegetables: zucchini, carrots, chestnuts in a kind of sweet sauce. We also had a soup with glutinous rice-like tofu that was good. It also had sandwich meat in it. We had a deep fried dough item that was also slightly sweet. For dessert we had sweet potatoes in syrup.
6.17. Feng Yu 41 Ruijin Road No. 2, Shanghai, Tel (21) 5306-1742. We had 4 dumplings for ¥3, Soup ¥6, and Shanghai dumplings ¥5. It’s a very popular place and we enjoyed going there. Here’s a review: “Feng Yu Restaurant with black characters on orange board is not spacious but snug. “On an early morning of autumn or winter, you may ‘hang on in here’, served with hot fried stuffed bun with chives plus fired tofu rice noodle soup. You can’t wait to use chopsticks. The white skin broken once bit, warm delicious soup and golden dough crusts are so luscious that you ignore the grease of buns. Inexpensive and tasty, Fengyu is fairly popular in Shanghai. Specialties: fried stuffed bun, rice noodle soup and fried tofu.”
6.18. Eatery at 1179 Xietu Street, Shanghai. We spent ¥8 for a soup for lunch. It’s a hotpot restaurant at night. The decorations are traditional and wonderful. There’s red lattice work on the windows and a traditional chandelier overhead. The soup was tasty. It’s a wonderful place it you are staying at the Rayfont Hotel & Apartment Shanghai Celebrity, 1077 Xietu Road, Shanghai 200032.
6.19. Another Eatery close to 1179 Xietu Street, Shanghai.
6.19. Another Eatery close to 1179 Xietu Street, Shanghai.
A half block away from our apartment on Xietu, a Uighur chef prepares our noodles
7. Pudong
7.1. Tai Sheng Yuan Restaurnt, 1112 Biyun Lu, Pudong, Tel. 5854-7869. This is a perfect restaurant for newbie foreigners. We had lots a Mandarin fish and lots of other yummy dishes that were easy to order.
7.2. AGX (A Gan xuan Restaurant) No. 2002 Century Ave., A-P New Xiang Yang Market CO6-07, tel (21) 6854-9583. We spent ¥18 for soup and 4 buns and it very good.
8. Jiang’an
8.1. Din Tai Fung, Shanghai Center, 1376 W. Nanjing Rd., corner W Nanjing Rd. and Xikang Rd., tel. (21) 6289-9182, www.dintaifungsh.cn : www.dintaifung.com.tw. Man do we like this restaurant. We have eaten at their branches in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and now Shanghai. What they do, they do excellently! For lunch we ordered: Steamed pork & shrimp shao mai 5 pieces ¥40, Steamed mini pork xiao long bao 10 pieces ¥39, Steamed sticky rice dumpling stuffed with red bean paste ¥25, Steamed peach-shaped bean bun ¥6 and tea.
The very sensual peach-shaped bun at Din Tai Fung in Shanghai (that makes 4 cities in which we have enjoyed this restaurant: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai)
Everything was yummy and fun, with terrific service!
8.2. Waya Udon & Cafe, Nan Zhang Bdg., Chengdu & Nanjing Rd. (Chengdu/Chongqing Rd. entry on Nanjing) We had a nice lunch. We had one cold udon ¥20 and one udon with assorted soup ¥25.
8.3. Zinjiang eatery at the corner of Shaanxi & Jianguo, 596 Shaanxi Rd., Shanghai. We had delicious handmade noodles for ¥18 and were very happy.
A Xinjiang cook "shaving" our noodle strands into boiling water. We have never seen pasta created this way and it was the perfect thickness, al dente and delicious
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