Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Xiaolongbao are Shanghai's soup dumplings, a thin pleated wrapper holding minced pork and a spoonful of broth that turns to liquid in the bamboo steamer, eaten with black vinegar and shredded ginger.
Xiaolongbao trace back to taixue mantou, a stuffed bun popular among scholars in Bianjing, now Kaifeng, during the Northern Song dynasty. Cooking techniques travelled south as northern migrants settled in Jiangnan. In 1871, Huang Mingxian, owner of the Ri Hua Xuan pastry shop in Nanxiang, now part of Jiading district, shrank the meat bun, thinned the wrapper and added meat jelly to the filling, so the dumpling released hot broth when steamed. The result became known as Nanxiang xiaolongbao and spread through Shanghai's tea houses and breakfast shops.
4 editor picks for Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in Shanghai, ranked by editorial score. All Shanghai signature dishes · Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) across every city.
Also in: Taipei.
Wu You Xian on South Maoming Road in central Shanghai holds a Michelin star for xiaolongbao, folded 32 times inside a duck-egg-yolk wrapper.
OrderOrder the tasting set of crab roe, paste and meat xiaolongbao, made from crabs prepared fresh that same day.
TipEach dumpling has 32 folds and a duck-egg-yolk wrapper for extra elasticity; it is a short walk from the Huaihai Road shops.
Lai Lai Xiao Long on Tianjin Road in Huangpu, Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for hairy crab xiaolongbao wrapped to order since it opened in 2006.
OrderOrder the hairy crab and crab roe xiaolongbao, available year-round, with ginger in vinegar on the side.
TipPork and pork-crab versions and wonton are also on the menu; expect a line out the door at this small, tightly packed shop.
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.
Nanxiang Steamed Bun at City God Temple is the Yu Garden shop of the brand founded in 1900, holding a Bib Gourmand for pork and crab xiaolongbao in Shanghai.
OrderOrder the pork or crab-and-pork xiaolongbao, or the supersized version meant to be sipped through a straw.
TipExpect a queue and tourist crowds; Nomfluence rates Lai Lai and Jia Jia's xiaolongbao higher if you have time to go elsewhere.
Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) makes more sense with someone from Shanghai explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
4 hours
Immerse yourself in Chinese culture with a Kung Fu class and a soup dumpling workshop in Shanghai. Choose between Tai Chi or Wing Chun, then learn to make dumplings fr...
Day trip · 9 hours
Discover the beauty of Suzhou on a day trip from Shanghai. Visit the Humble Administrator's Garden, stroll through Shantang Street, and learn to make dumplings with a ...
2 hours
Step into Old Shanghai glamour at a 1933 Art Deco heritage hotel nestled in the heart of French Concession. This intimate 3-hour experience blends hands-on cooking wit...
