Shanghai is one of the best food cities in Asia, and the most rewarding way to eat here is to follow the day. Breakfast is a street-level ritual, lunch is often noodles or dumplings, dinner can be anything from a family-run Shanghainese restaurant to a modern tasting menu, and the evening ends in a bar with a view or a speakeasy behind an unmarked door. This guide covers the dishes worth looking for, the neighbourhoods where they are easiest to find and a few habits that make eating out smoother.
The Shanghainese table
Local cooking leans towards the sweet and savoury, with soy sauce, sugar, rice wine and slow braising doing much of the work. Look for red-braised pork belly, glossy and tender, and for lion's head meatballs, which are large, soft pork meatballs usually served in a clear broth or a braise. Drunken chicken, cold and steeped in rice wine, appears as a starter, and river fish and shrimp are cooked simply to show off their freshness. Vegetables are treated with care, often stir-fried with garlic or served with mushrooms, and a bowl of rice is the proper way to finish. Order several dishes to share and let the table choose.
Dumplings and soup dumplings
The famous xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings, are thin-skinned parcels of pork and hot broth, eaten with black vinegar and ginger. The technique is to lift one gently, bite a small hole, sip the soup and then eat the dumpling. Pan-fried pork buns, known as shengjian, are the other classic, with a crisp base and a soft top, and they are a fixture of the morning. Both can be had in a simple shop with plastic stools or in a polished restaurant, and a cooking class is a good way to learn how they are made.
Breakfast
Shanghai takes breakfast seriously, and the best way to see why is to walk a lane in the old city or the French Concession early in the morning. Look for stalls selling soy milk and fried dough sticks, sticky rice rolls, savoury pancakes, steamed buns and bowls of noodles. A guided breakfast food tour is an efficient way to try many things in a short time, since a local guide knows which stall is worth the queue and can explain what you are eating. Go hungry and pace yourself.
Noodles and small plates
A bowl of scallion-oil noodles is one of the simplest and best Shanghai dishes, and a good shop will make it in minutes. Wontons, fried rice cakes and cold noodle salads are everywhere, and the department store food courts on Nanjing Road are a good place for a quick lunch with plenty of choice. In the old city around Yu Garden you will find a dense cluster of snack stalls and tea houses, which are busy and touristy but fun, and it pays to look at the places with locals queueing.
Autumn specialities
If you visit in autumn, look for hairy crab, a seasonal delicacy served steamed with ginger and vinegar. It is a messy, patient meal that locals treat as a ritual, and restaurants advertise it prominently from roughly October into the winter. Sweet osmanthus appears in desserts and drinks around the same time.
Tea, coffee and cocktails
Shanghai has a deep tea tradition, and a tea house is a pleasant way to rest in the old city. The French Concession is the centre of the coffee scene, with independent roasters and small cafes on almost every lane. In the evening, the city is known for its bars, from the long bar and the jazz room in the grand Bund hotels to modern rooftop terraces with skyline views and small cocktail bars hidden in the Concession. A drink on the Bund is not cheap, but it is the best place to see the lights, and a table by the window is worth reserving.
Practical tips
Alipay and WeChat Pay work almost everywhere, but carry some cash for small stalls. Many restaurants use QR code ordering, so a translation app helps, and photo menus are common. Tipping is not expected. Tap water is not normally drunk, so ask for bottled or boiled water. If you have dietary needs, a short note in Chinese on your phone makes ordering far easier. Eat early to avoid queues, and do not be afraid of the places with plastic stools, because some of the best food in Shanghai is served there.
