The Best Shanghai Restaurants - Something for Everyone

Shanghai has a vast range of restaurants catering not only to local palettes, but also serving dishes from all over China and all over the world. If you want to eat it you can probably find it in Shanghai!

This page covers the best of Shanghai's mainstream Chinese restaurants. For other tastes and restaurant styles click below.

Shanghai Cuisine

If you're in Shanghai, you'll want to be sure to add a Shanghainese restaurant to your agenda. It's been argued that the city doesn't have a unique cuisine all of it's own, but to it's credit, it blends of some of the best flavors of the surrounding regions to create it's own style. Read more about Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines to understand the local influences on the city's unique fare.

Lü Bo Lang Restaurant

Shanghai-style food, Shanghai-style snacks, shark's fin dishes and a crab feast. English Menu available. Reservation recommanded. It is featured for its 4 distinguished food series of Shanghai-style food, Shanghai-style snacks,shark's fin dishes and crab feast. The restautant has hosted heads of state from more than 40 foreign countries such as President Clinton.

• Chinese name: 绿波廊 Lü Bo Lang /lyoo bo lung/
• Average price per person: 114 yuan
• Address: Inside Yuyuan Garden, 238 Fuyou Road, Huangpu District (黄浦区福佑路238号豫园内)
• Tel: 021-63280602

Lü Bo Lang Restaurant

Lü Bo Lang Wenchang Road Branch (文昌路店)

• Average price per peson: 110 yuan
• Address: Inside TownGods Temple, 10 Wenchang Road, Huangpu District (黄浦区文昌路10号城隍庙内)
• Tel: 021-63550500

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Revolving Restaurant

Located on top of Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Oriental Pearl Revolving Restauran is considered to be the highest one in Asia, with its unique spectacle, outstanding cuisine and leisurely environment it is open to be a giant in Shanghai. Hundreds of Chinese and western food are placed on marvelously decorated buffet tables, alluring landscape is revolvingly changed per two hours, it definitely leaves you a deep impression while dining there.

Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower

• Chinese name: 东方明珠塔 Dongfang Mingzhu Ta /dong-fung ming-zhoo ta/
• Average price per person: 132 yuan
• Opening hours: 8:30am–9:30pm
• Address: Inside the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 1 Pudong Century Avenue, Pudong New District (浦东新区浦东世纪大道1号东方明珠塔内)
• Tel: 021-58791888

Zhu Jia Jiao Hong Lou Restaurant

This 200 seater restaurant is located in the center of Zhu Jia Jiao Town, an ancient place in Shanghai, which specializes in authentic local cuisine. Homemade decoration creates an atmosphere of water town, and the popular dishes delight your taste buds with genuine flavors and ingredients.

• Chinese name: 红楼酒家 Honglou Jiujia /hong-loww jyoh-jyah/
• Averge price per person: 45 yuan
• Address: 18 Zhujia Jiao Sijing Yuan Road, Qingpu Distric t (青浦区朱家角泗景园路18号)

Wujiang Road Snack Street

Wujiang Lu (吴江路 /woo-jyang loo/) Snack Street, located in Jing'an District, is famous for snacks. Wujiang Road Snacks Street has the same status as the prosperous and parallel business street of Nanjing West Road (南京西路 /nan-jing sshee loo/), but different in style.

Shanghai snacks

The Business Street is well-to-do fashionable, while the Snack Street is very close to the fashion of ordinary people. Some of the small shops there are so attractive to the ordinary Shanghainese customer that they unconsciously open their hearts, and no longer remember losing weight or going on a diet! Everything is under the control of the taste buds.

On this street, some of the well-known restaurants have been Base (a Chinese and Western restaurant), MR COFFEE (where foreigners often have a cup of coffee in the open air), and Jiro (characterized by curry and coffee, as well as afternoon tea, a good place for leisure and relaxation).

Wujiang Road Snacks Street has been largely "relocated". Many patrons said they were reluctant to see its shops go. No matter how Wujiang Road changes, it is hard to shake its reputation as a paradise of snacks. For every visitor to Shanghai, Wujiang Road Snacks Street should not be missed. Read How to Eat Like a Local in Shanghai by Day for the latest on Wujiang Lu.

Getting there: Take the metro, or bus 20 or 37, to Nanjing West Road.

Jade On 36

Jade on 36, on the 36th floor of a five-star hotel called Shangri-La Hotel, is located at No.33 Fu Cheng Road, Pudong New Area. The chief chef in this restaurant is a Frenchman. Ranging from the environment to dishes, Jade on 36 is a symbol of top grade. Inside the restaurant, there are decorations of emerald glass and purple-colored interior leather, making the restaurant looks gorgeous.

On one side of the restaurant, the view of the Bund will take you back to the 1930s, when Shanghai was known as the "Oriental Paris". On the other side of the restaurant, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the high-rises in Lujiazui financial business district, constantly remind you of the fact that the current Shanghai has opened a new chapter. Exquisite dishes, exceptional design and the breathtaking landscape, will leave you special feelings.

Especially at night, when enjoying the night view of the Bund from distance, you may feel that you are standing on the most prosperous land in the world. It can be said that tourists can experience an unusual visual and gustatory venture at Jade on 36.

• Chinese name: 翡翠36餐厅　Feicui 36 Canting /fay-cway 36 tsan-ting/
• Average price per person: 880 yuan
• Address: Floor 36, Zijin Building, Grand Shangri-la Hotel, 33 Fucheng Road, Pudong New District(浦东新区富城路33号香格里拉大酒店紫金楼36楼)
• Tel: 021-68828888
• Transportation: You can get there by taking No. 2 subways and get off at Lujiazui Station, or taking No. 01, 82, 81, 85, 583, 621, 776, 778, and 795 buses.

M On The Bund

The Bund

M on the Bund continues to wow Shanghai with its delectable cuisine, stylish service and a sophisticated, yet comfortable ambience and it is the only restaurant in mainland China twice named to the Miele Guide Top 20 List (2008 and 2009).

M on the Bund is located on Shanghai's historic riverfront Bund, on the top floor of the seven-storey former Nissin Shipping building. The building is created with re-imagining the 1927 structure, an award-winning modernist interior blending 21st century touches with hints of Shanghai's past. Both the Dining Room and the Crystal Room offer spectacular vistas overlooking the Bund, the Huangpu River and the skyscrapers of Pudong.

Besides European dishes, M on the Bund has introduced new flavors from the cuisines of the Middle East and North Africa, in response to increasingly sophisticated palates, while remaining true to its culinary roots: even the most unfamiliar dishes are filtered through the prism of classical European technique. The combination of cuisine, ambience and view has made it a modern Shanghai icon.

Note: If you can't get a table, enjoy the scene at the very cool Glamour Bar.

• Hours
  Lunch: Monday – Friday, 11:30am – 2:30pm
  Brunch: Saturday – Sunday, 11:30am – 3pm
  Afternoon Tea: Saturday – Sunday, 3–5pm
  Dinner: Every evening, 6–10:30pm
• Address: 7/F 20 Guangdong Road
• Tel: 021-6350 9988

Xian Qiang Fang

The restaurant mainly serves Shanghai style dishes, which feature exquisite, creative, fresh, fragrant and delicious. Besides its dishes, the restaurant is famous for its unique design and decoration, which shows you the typical and luxurious Shanghai lifestyle in 1930s. The unadorned floor, wooden tables, cane chairs, hollowed-out doors and windows, all of which create the in-store overwhelmed by a holiday atmosphere elegant with classic simplicity. The most unique is that there are performances of opera and Pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect) in the evening.

Braised pork in brown sauce

• Chinese name: 鲜墙房 /sshyen qyang fung/
• Recommended dishes: Fried shrimps with sauce (桑拿虾), smoked duck breast (烟熏鸭), tofu cooked with minced crab meat (蟹粉豆腐) and braised pork in brown sauce (红烧肉)
• Average price per person: 2128 yuan
• Address: Floor 4 and 5, 600 Jiujiang Road, Huangpu District (黄浦区九江路600号4-5楼)
• Tel: 021-6351 5757
• Transportation: Take Subway Line 1, get off at People Square (人民广场) and get out from Exit 4, the restaurant is about 10-munite walk from the exit.

Xian Qiang Fang Hongqiao Road Branch (鲜墙房虹桥路店)

• Average price per person: 197 yuan
• Address: 1468 Hongqiao Road, Changning District (长宁区虹桥路1468号)
• Tel: 021-6295 1717 or 6270 9615
• Transportation: Take Subway Line 10, and get off at Yili South Road (伊犁南路).

Xian Qiang Fang Pudong Branch (鲜墙房浦东店)

• Average price per person: 202 yuan
• Address: Floor 4, Lekai Mansion, 660 Shangcheng Road, Pudong New District (浦东新区南城路660号乐凯大厦4楼)
• Tel: 021-5888 9797
• Bus routes: 1, 130, 818 and 985

Waipo Jia

• Why it's recommended: delicious food, friendly waitstaff, sleek interior
• Try the... ma po dofu
• Environment: contemporary
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address:

  818 Mall Rm 701, 818 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu

• Chinese Address: 南京西路818号701室, 近石门一路
• Closest Metro Station: Nanjing Rd. (W), Line 2

Da Zha Xie

The Dining Room

• Why it's recommended: a little out of the way, but if you're in the area you'll want to try their version of 'smart Shanghai snack food'
• Try the... shrimp with carmelised Longjing leaves
• Environment: trendy
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address: No A-003, LG2, L'Avenue, 99 Xianxia Lu, near Zunyi Lu
• Chinese Address: 南小馆 长宁区仙霞路99号尚嘉中心LG2层A-003号铺, 近遵义路
• Closest Metro Station: Loushanguan Lu, Line 2

Lynns

• Why it's recommended: An upscale Shanghainese eatery in a great location
• Try the... RMB 88 all-you-can-eat dim sum on the weekends
• Environment: Sleek and Stylish
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 250
• Address: 99 Xikang Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu
• Chinese Address: 西康路99号, 近南京西路
• Closest Metro Station: Jing'an Temple, Line 2 & 7

Heyuan

Heyuan is a buffet restaurant that mainly serves barbecue and hot pot. The prices are quite reasonable, and the hot pot is all you can eat within a period of two hours. You are strongly advised to order barbecue first and then enjoy the hot pot, as the house hot pot is a great palette cleanser after eating barbecue.

The hot pot, made of crucian carp with chrysanthemum (菊花鲫鱼锅), consists of several ingredients that can help to fend off sickness, including chrysanthemum, white fungus, wolfberry and rock candy. The dish is quite healthy. It has a fresh and sweet taste and can help remove the greasy feeling of the barbecue. The crucian carp and fish balls that are blended into the hot pot base are very nutritious as well.

Address: 2nd Floor, Changhang Building, 800 Zhangyang Road, Pudong New Area (浦东新区张杨路800号长航大厦2楼).

Barbecue Master

Barbecue

As a buffet restaurant that mainly offers barbecue and hot pot, this location provides you with several different buffet options at different prices.

Besides the buffet dishes, you can also order a special dish of fried rice that you can cook yourself at the table for a little extra entertainment. If you want to experience the fun of cooking by yourself - or to let your children do so without having to clean up afterward! - feel free to order this house specialty.

• Chinese name: Kao Boshi （烤博士）
• Address: 2nd Floor, Agriculture-Industry-Commerce 118 Square, 1685 Jingshajiang Road, Putuo District (普陀区金沙江路1685号农工商118广场2楼), near to Zhenbei Road (靠近真北路).

MATSURI123

This buffet restaurant specializes in Japanese cuisine. When you enter, you will notice 12 food windows with different styles of food, including sushi, stretched noodles, izakaya (居酒屋), fried shrimp and many more Japanese specialties.

Even though this is a buffet, the dishes are cooked quite carefully. The boiled pumpkin with five vegetables (五金蔬菜南瓜煮), for example, though made up of five common vegetables, is specially dealt with beforehand. The shitake mushrooms are stewed with pork belly, while the bamboo shoots are boiled in chicken soup. The pumpkin is blended with fish and kelp to freshen the palate. Such cooking methods not only retain the individual taste of each vegetable, but they also add a layer of animal fat, making the nutrition more balanced. It is especially suitable for ladies and children.

Be sure to make a reservation here, as the restaurant fills up quickly.

• Address: 4th Floor, 951 Hongxu Road, Changning District (长宁区虹许路951号4楼), near to Yanan West Road (近延安西路)).

Northern Cuisine

Dumplings

Typical of colder-climate locales, the cuisine in the North is starch-heavy with a reliance on root vegetables and hearty meats. Notable for it's noodles, dumplings and rice dishes, Northern fare will fill you up and keep you warm long past meal-time. Read more on Northern Cuisine.

Dongbei Four Season Dumplings

• Why it's recommended: it's cheap and incredibly delicious
• Try the... dumplings. While the menu is chock-full of other flavorful dishes, the dumplings are a must-try here
• Environment: local eatery, wooden chairs and a boisterous crowd
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 50
• Address: 1791 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Wanping Lu
• Chinese Address: 淮海中路1791号, 近宛平路
• Closest Metro Station: Shanghai Library, Line 10

Cantonese Cuisine

Typically braised, stewed or sautéed, Cantonese cuisine is a lighter fare compared to it's regional counterparts. Full of flavor and leaning more towards the sweet end of the spectrum, Cantonese is an easy entry point to sampling some of the South's fantastic fare. Read more about Cantonese Cuisine.

Hengshan Cafe

Cantonese Cuisine

• Why it's recommended: with a laid back vibe, this Cantonese eatery is a great alternative to some of the pricier options around town
• Try the... rice with beef and seasonal greens
• Environment: casual and unpretentious
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 50
• Address: 308 Hengshan Lu, near Wuxing Lu
• Chinese Address: 徐汇区衡山路308号, 近吴兴路
• Closest Metro Station: Hengshan Lu, Line 1

Y2C2

• Why it's recommended: high-quality dining in a great location
• Try the... Chinese bacon in Pu'er tea (appetizer)
• Environment: contemporary, sophisticated
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 200
• Address: 5/F, 579 Waima Lu, near Xinmatou Jie
• Chinese Address: 黄浦区外马路579号5楼, 近新码头街
• Closest Metro Station: Xiaonanmen, Line 9

Hunan Cuisine

Hunan Cuisine

The food in Hunan is praised for it's balance between salty and sweet but is also distinct for it's use of chilis (but not the mouth-numbing peppercorns found in Sichuan) as well as it's emphases on seasonal produce. Read more about Hunan Cuisine.

Di Shui Dong

• Why it's recommended: this is a favorite spot amongst locals and expats alike and after a few bites, you'll understand why
• Try the... cumin-spiced ribs, they're legendary here in Shanghai
• Environment: A large dining hall area with a rustic charm and a vibrant crowd
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address: 2/F, 56 Maoming Nan Lu, near Changle Lu
• Chinese Address: 茂名路56号2楼, 近长乐路口
• Closest Metro Station: Shanxi Rd. (S), Line 1 & 10

Hunan House

• Why it's recommended: the setting is intimate, the food is outstanding and the prices are reasonable
• Try the... woodear mushroom appetizer
• Environment: a remodeled lane house that gives off a cozy ambience
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100-150
• Address: Lane 49, Fuxing Xi Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu
• Chinese Address: 复兴西路49弄2号, 近乌鲁木齐路
• Closest Metro Station:Shanghai Library, Line 10

Sichuan Cuisine

Sichuan cuisine

Famous for it's spicy dishes, if you're looking for a meal with a kick, you'll want to find a Sichuanese restaurant to dine at while you're in town. Read more about Sichuan cuisine.

South Beauty

• Why it's recommended: they offer a stunning selection of food with a more-refined spice level compared to other Sichuanese restaurants
• Try the... their fish dishes are all outstanding and elegantly, if not creatively, presented
• Environment: Colonial Mansion with heavy wooden interiors, reminiscent of an old Gentleman's Bar, a throwback to old Shanghai days
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 200
• Address: 881 Yan'an Zhong Lu, near Tongren Lu
• Chinese Address: 延安中路881号, 近铜仁路
• Closest Metro Station: Jing'an Temple, Line 2 & 7

Sichuan Citizen

• Why it's recommended: fun atmosphere, large menu, great drinks (also great option for vegetarians)
• Try the... sweet and sour tofu and the kung pao shrimp
• Environment: a favorite with expats and Chinese alike, this place holds the feel of a local-hangout with a fun, casual ambience
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address: 30 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Lu
• Chinese Address: 东湖路30号, 近淮海中路
• Closest Metro Station: Shanxi Rd. (S), Line 1 & 10

Xinjiang Cuisine

Noodles

A muslim region, the cuisine from this Western province is lamb-heavy and famous for it's pulled noodles, dried fruits and full-flavor dishes. 

Spice Bazaar

• Why it's recommended: They offer a variety of classic and re-invented Uighur dishes in a clean, modern setting
• Try the... lunch sets during the week offer a great value for money
• Environment: rustic yet modern
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address: 29 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu
• Chinese Address: 东平路29号, 近衡山路
• Closest Metro Station: Hengshan Rd, Line 1

Xibo

• Why it's recommended: incredible food, chic interior and affordable prices
• Try the... big plate chicken and the pumpkin dumplings
• Environment: chic and cozy
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address: 3/F, 83 Changshu Lu, near Julu Lu
• Chinese Address: 常熟路83号3楼, 近巨鹿路
• Closest Metro Station: Jing'an Temple, Line 2 & 7

Yunnan Cuisine

Sour soup fish

As a southern province, it's no surprise that the cuisine here is slightly reminiscent of Thai cooking and holds a flavor profile quite different from the rest of the country. Largely rice-based, this cuisine is simple and hearty.

Lost Heaven

• Why it's recommended: with an enchanting interior and delicious food, this is arguably one of the best Yunnan Restaurants in the city
• Try the... Fermented Black Bean Fish
• Environment: Romantic ambience, exotic vibe
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 200
• Address: 38 Gaoyou Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu
• Chinese Address: 高邮路38号，近复兴西路
• Closest Metro Station: Hengshan Rd, Line 1

Mia's Yunnan Kitchen

• Why it's recommended: a more affordable, home-cooked counterpart to some of the upscale Yunnan restaurants
• Try the... grandma's potatoes
• Environment: rustic and casual
• Avg. Price/person: RMB 100
• Address: 45 Anfu Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu
• Chinese Address: 安福路45号, 近乌鲁木齐路
• Closest Metro Station: Changshu Lu, Line 1 & 7

More Chinese Food Options

Still hungry? Good. There are plenty more Shanghai restaurants to try.

If you're strolling around the French Concession, here are a few lunching and munching options to chew on.

If you want to eat like a local, here's our pick for the best local daytime and nightime eats, and if street food is what you seek, here's a good list of where to search for road-side bites in Shanghai.

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Want more help? Our expert travel advisors can help arrange your itinerary to make sure you catch all the best eateries while you explore the city. Or you can see our most popular Shanghai tours as follows:

• 2-Day Essence of Shanghai and Watertown Tour: most classic Shanghai tour
• 5-Day Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou Bullet Train Tour

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