Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Hong shao rou is Shanghai's red-braised pork belly, cubes of skin, fat and lean meat simmered slowly in dark soy and rock sugar until the sauce turns glossy and the pork holds three distinct, tender layers.
Early Chinese texts describe meat simmered slowly in seasoned liquid as far back as the Qimin Yaoshu, an agricultural manual from around the sixth century, and the technique is closely tied to Dongpo pork, the braised dish associated with the Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo in Jiangnan cooking. Shanghai's version settled on pork belly, dark soy sauce for colour and rock sugar for a balanced sweetness, summed up locally as cooking with a soy sauce bottle in one hand and a sugar jar in the other. Restaurants across the city serve their own versions today, some adding bean curd knots, bamboo shoots or quail eggs to the pot.
3 editor picks for Hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly) in Shanghai, ranked by editorial score. All Shanghai signature dishes · Hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly) across every city.
Fu 1015 on Yuyuan Road in Changning holds one Michelin star for Shanghainese cooking in a historic villa where all 15 private rooms carry old Shanghai flair.
OrderOrder the sauteed river shrimp with crabmeat and crab roe, and the shrimp-and-pine-nut stuffed duck.
TipSave room for the minced date cake and the cashew seaweed puff pastry among the dessert options.
Ren He Guan on Zhaojiabang Road in Shanghai, here since 2014, holds one Michelin star for hong shao rou and crab dishes from a brand over 200 years old.
OrderHong shao rou, red-braised pork belly cut into neat cubes with a braised egg.
TipDim yellow lights, 1930s memorabilia and singers in qipao set the room; book ahead or expect to wait.
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.
Hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly) makes more sense with someone from Shanghai explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Private tour · 8 hours
A gentle, beginner-friendly private day from Shanghai into Shaoxing's tea country. Stroll a quiet 5km loop of tea terraces and bamboo, sip tea in an old mansion and un...
2 hours
Step into the world of legendary Shaolin warriors with a hands‑on, 90‑minute self‑defense experience designed exclusively for inbound travelers.
5 hours
Join a private team challenge in central Shanghai with a local lunch. Solve clues, complete missions, and explore the city with a private vehicle hotel pickup and drop-off.
