27 editor picks in Shanghai.
27 cheap eats places in Shanghai, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Shanghai: the places editors actually return to. All Shanghai food.
Park Hotel Bakery inside the Art Deco Park Hotel on West Nanjing Road in Shanghai draws block-long lines every day for its bagged butterfly crackers.
TipEach bag holds five crackers for about ¥30, from some 2,500 bags made a day; buy two if one is a gift.
Da Hu Chun on Middle Sichuan Road in Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for the fluffy pan-fried shengjian bao that built its snack food culture.
OrderOrder the pork, prawn or crab roe shengjian bao with a side of beef curry soup, the customary pairing here.
TipIts qingshui buns use fully fermented dough and no added aspic, so they come out soft and bread-like over a cracker-crisp base rather than bursting with soup.
Hong Yu Fang Guotie, a Shanghai name since 2009 now in a mall basement on Xizang South Road, pleats its guotie to order and fries them in a cast iron pan.
OrderPan-fried pork guotie
TipThey stop handing out queue tickets at 13:30, so arrive well before then to eat.
Wei Xiang Zhai on Yandang Road in Shanghai is an old noodle house famous for sesame paste noodles with chili oil, served in a congested, well-worn room.
OrderSesame paste noodles with chili oil
TipPay at the front desk, then hand your ticket to the server; the spicy pork noodles are best ordered dry, as ban mian.
Shen Da Cheng on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai has sold glutinous rice pastries, dim sum and spring qingtuan since 1875, with a queue at its street counter.
TipIn spring pick red bean paste for the classic qingtuan, or salted egg yolk with pork floss for the savoury one.
Xing Hua Lou on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai is the flagship of a century-old Cantonese brand, known for its mooncakes, dim sum and seasonal qingtuan.
TipIn spring the pork floss and salted egg yolk qingtuan draws long queues, with a limit on boxes per person.
Yu Du Lao Wei on Liyuan Road in Huangpu District, Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for a decade of yellow croaker noodles from a Zhoushan-born owner.
OrderOrder the braised yellow croaker noodles, served dry or in soup with thick, thin or rice-cake noodles.
TipThe braised belt fish noodle is another signature; the counter display of fresh seafood shows what else the kitchen stir-fries.
Dong Tai Xiang on North Chongqing Road in Shanghai is the only shengjian shop whose semi-fermented technique holds intangible heritage status.
OrderOrder the shengjian pan-fried pork buns; the dough-making skill keeps every bun plump even once it cools.
TipIt is the only shengjian shop whose semi-fermented technique carries intangible cultural heritage recognition.
Kaisiling on Nanjing West Road in Shanghai has sold its whipped chestnut cake since a 1928 copycat of a Tianjin cafe opened at this address.
TipBeyond the chestnut cake the case holds eclairs, cream horns and millefeuille; this is the original site, now in a newer building.
Taikang Foods on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai is a long-standing counter for freshly fried pork mooncakes, plus red bean and malted milk qingtuan in spring.
TipIn spring look for the red bean and malted milk qingtuan, a local favourite alongside the pork mooncakes.
A Da Scallion Pancakes near the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, famous since a BBC feature, reopened here in April 2025 with handmade cong you bing.
OrderHandmade scallion pancake
TipExpect a wait of 30 minutes to two hours; A Da and his son still cook every pancake to order.
Huxi Laolongtang Noodle Shop on Dingxi Road in Shanghai is known for chewy scallion oil noodles heaped with dried shrimp, and for clam and pork liver noodles.
OrderScallion oil noodles with dried shrimp
TipWeekday lunch queues run past 30 minutes; on weekends arrive before 11:00, and ask for extra scallion oil.
Jingmei Wuxi Noodles on Yanping Road in Jing'an, Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for sweet-leaning Wuxi noodles in a small, cramped dining room.
OrderOrder the Wuxi braised pork rib noodles, dressed with soy sauce and scallion oil and dried shrimp.
TipAlso try the chili and soy-braised pork bone noodles or the Taihu three white dumplings filled with egg and shrimp.
Lao Xiang Zhai on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai bakes a looser, crumblier butterfly cracker, sold by weight, that travels better for gifting.
TipBuy by the 500 gram bag, about ¥110 to ¥130; the lower-moisture recipe keeps longer for travel.
Art Bookstore on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai added a coffee counter and light meals to its shelves of art and design titles during a 2026 renovation.
TipTables inside are named after writers and artists; ask staff which one is free if that matters to you.
Jia Jia Tang Bao on Huanghe Road near People's Square in Shanghai has hand-wrapped xiaolongbao since 1986, now a chain with several shops across the city.
OrderOrder the pork xiaolongbao or the crab and crab roe version, both made to order rather than pre-frozen.
TipMany locals stop here after buying the famous palmiers from the nearby Park Hotel; the Huanghe Road branch is the best known.
Lan Xin, known locally as Lyceum Restaurant, on quiet Jinxian Road in central Shanghai holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for wok-braised red pork belly.
OrderOrder the red-braised pork belly, reduced sauce, soft but firm texture.
TipIt holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and does not take reservations, so queues are common; go outside lunch and dinner peaks.
Auntie Huang Guotie on Wanhangdu Road in Shanghai has pan-fried potstickers since 1997, making its own dough wrappers for a crispy, porky bite.
OrderPork guotie with house-made wrappers
TipRaw, uncooked guotie are sold to go if you would rather fry a batch at home.
Yang's Fry-Dumpling on Huanghe Road in Shanghai fries shengjian in thin unleavened dough with plenty of broth, a style the chain has popularised since 1994.
OrderShengjian pan-fried pork buns
TipJia Jia Tang Bao is also on Huanghe Road for xiaolongbao, so pace yourself between the two queues.
Yatai Ramen is a permanent wooden ramen cart tucked into a quiet lane in Shanghai's Xuhui district, styled after a Fukuoka curbside food stall.
OrderEr-Lang Ramen, a tonkotsu broth with thick egg noodles, bean sprouts and thick-cut chashu
TipGrab a terrace table if the counter seats are full; the cart itself only fits a handful of diners.
Pojeong in Shanghai's Hongqiao Koreatown makes its Korean-style mul naengmyeon fresh daily, chilled buckwheat-potato noodles in icy beef broth.
OrderMul naengmyeon, chilled buckwheat-and-potato-starch noodles in iced beef broth
TipAsk for some warm broth on the side to taste the noodles both ways.
Butanchu Ramen down a warehouse alley in Shanghai draws a daily rain-or-shine queue for its Hakata-style, extra-thick tonkotsu pork bone broth.
OrderHakata-style tonkotsu ramen with a sauce-thick pork bone broth
TipArrive early: the queue forms rain or shine, and the shop sells out once the day's broth is gone.
Er Guang Wonton on Huangjiaque Road in Shanghai serves pork wontons in clear broth or dry with sesame sauce, plus a crisp pork chop, from 07:00 until 02:00.
OrderPork and vegetable wontons in broth and the deep-fried pork chop.
TipThe dry wontons dressed in sesame paste or chili oil are worth ordering alongside the soup version.
Kebaba on Jinxian Road in Shanghai builds chicken doner kebabs to order from a tiny street-side stall, staying open past midnight on weekends.
OrderThe Classic chicken doner and the Champion's fries.
TipThe Berliner kebab adds grilled vegetables and feta if you want more than the classic version.
Ramen Mitsuyoshi's very first shop on Liyuan Road in Shanghai traces its roots back to two Michelin-recommended ramen shops in Tokyo, Japan.
OrderTonkotsu ramen, including a black garlic version
TipOrder and pay at the vending machine first, then take a seat at the wraparound bar to watch the broth being stirred.
Ding Te Le down an alley off Middle Huaihai Road in Shanghai serves thick yellow croaker noodle soup, congee and five-spice pork chops around the clock.
OrderYellow croaker noodles and the scallion oil noodles.
TipOrder the fried pork chop on the side; it is a house favorite alongside the noodle bowls.
Shu Cai Ji on Middle Zhejiang Road in Shanghai has fried shengjian and guotie since 1980, and husband-and-wife owners Shu and Cai still run the counter.
OrderShengjian and guotie
TipOrder a plate of caifan, rice fried with bok choy and salted pork, alongside the dumplings.
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