Shanghai Restaurants

1. A Da Scallion Oil Pancakes

The scallion-oil pancakes at this shop are incredibly popular, with long lines forming from the 6 am opening time until closing—around 3 pm, which is when the pancakes usually sell out. Indeed, demand for A Da's delicious take on this traditional Shanghai street food is so fierce that the owner has placed a limit on the number of pieces each customer can order.

2. Bellagio

Taiwanese expats pack the Bellagio (which also has branches in Hongqiao and downtown), so you know it offers an authentic taste of Taiwan. Carrying classic dishes such as three-cup chicken, waitresses with short, chic hairstyles move efficiently between the closely spaced black tables and red fabric–covered chairs.

3. Bellagio

4. Brut Eatery

This branch of Brut Eatery is a good choice if you're staying near Century Park and/or are traveling with children. The casual café offers a good selection of Western-inspired dishes, with the occasional Asian touch, and has a large play area where kids can run about while you relax and sip coffee.

5. Da Hu Chun

This hole-in-the-wall shop makes traditional Shanghaiese shengjianbao (fried soup dumplings) with wrappings that are pillowy and soft rather than thin and chewy. Take care not to scald your mouth with the piping-hot soup inside the dumplings, and try to come off-hours to avoid the inevitable morning and lunchtime crowds.

6. Egg

Laptop-equipped freelancers and other trendy locals frequent this petite, friendly, Australian-style café. The menu focuses on breakfast/brunch fare; small plates, often featuring local ingredients; and, of course, delicious hot- or cold-brew coffees.

7. Fuchun Xiaolong

Outfitted to evoke 1920s Shanghai, Fuchan regularly appears on lists of the city's best soup-dumpling restaurants. This branch was renovated in 2018, making it a particularly pleasant place to soak up a retro atmosphere over breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

8. Ginger by the Park

Ginger is a Southeast Asian eatery with a strong European flavor. The food is excellent, and the intimate indoor space, the patio, and the relatively tranquil park-side setting make it a good place to enjoy quiet conversation over a meal or a cup of coffee.

9. Jia Jia Tang Bao

The soup dumplings here are arguably the best in town; once the kitchen runs out of them, the restaurant closes for the day. It's a proper local hole-in-the-wall, with orange plastic chairs and grimy tabletops and floors, but eating here is an authentic, delicious, not-to-be-missed experience.

10. Jianguo 320

Locals and visitors alike are drawn to this restaurant for its relaxed, casual atmosphere; its home-style Shanghainese classics; and its no-MSG policy. It's often packed, so consider calling ahead, especially if you plan to order the signature "duck with eight delicacies" dish, which must be ordered in advance as it's limited to five per day.

11. Julie's

A wall of picture windows looks out onto leafy Anfu Lu, so you can watch passersby from this simply furnished dining room. Wash down your pickled mashed potatoes, ru bing (rectangles of panfried goat cheese), or other home-style Yunnan dishes with a Belgian beer or one of the house juices.

12. Madam Zhu's Kitchen

Mall shoppers appreciate this mid-range, sit-down Chinese chain for its expansive menu of excellent contemporary dishes inspired by flavors from across the country.

13. Nanjing Impressions

It feels like old Nanjing at this restaurant—part of a Chinese chain—where glowing bamboo and paper lanterns swing from the ceiling, and food stalls are set against the walls. The authentic dishes are great, and though the menu's English translations leave something to be desired, the pictures will help muddle your way through ordering.

14. Paradise Dynasty

While written off as gimmicky by some, this Singaporean chain's playful eight-color, eight-flavor take on xiaolongbao draws a steady stream of locals. Steamers of the soup dumplings come with small cards identifying each variety—from black truffle to garlic to foie gras.

15. RAC

The tiny RAC empire occupies a courtyard at the juncture of Anfu Lu and Wukang Lu. Streetside, it has takeaway coffee and ice cream (summer only) windows; in the courtyard, it has a relaxed French eatery that serves delicious sweet or savory crepes, as well as other casual brunch and lunch fare.

16. Sumerian Specialty Coffee

As the bags of beans sitting out, the variety of offerings, and the high prices indicate, coffee is serious business here. But the expertly prepared hot or cold brews are served without a hint of pretension, as are the salad bowls, sandwiches (on house-made bagels), and baked goods.

17. Yang's Dumplings

Yang's, which has 150 branches around town, specializes in the highly addictive shengjianbao (meaty soup dumplings panfried on one side and sprinkled with sesame seeds), which come in sets of four or six. Like all the other shops, this one is a casual, in-and-out, fast-food-style place, where you order at the counter under harsh neon lights.

18. Yu Xin Chuan Cai

Locals love the spicy Sichuan food at this restaurant inside an office building (take the escalators or elevator to the third floor). Book ahead, or be prepared to wait 30 to 60 minutes for a table.