Yan Gege Vegetarian Restaurant is a vegetarian restaurant in Jingan, Shanghai.
Editorially verified September 27, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: Swapped its all-you-can-eat hotpot format for à la carte claypots, so its plant-based version of pork is easy to miss on the new menu.
5 hours
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Address: A4-1, 800 Show, 800 Changde Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai
Bastard, set in a former youth hostel in Jing'an, Shanghai, is best known for dinner small plates and natural wine, but its lunch noodles are the real find.
OrderLunch-only Scallion Aburasoba or the Bastard Wonton Noodles, both on Sapporo-style noodles.
Why locals goKnown for its dinner small plates and natural wine, but its lunch-only bastardized noodle bowls barely get a mention.
TipThe noodle bowls run at lunch only; after dark the room turns to small plates and natural wine.
Duli on Yanping Road in Shanghai packs bold, Sichuan-inspired plant-based dishes like mapo tofu hummus into a room small enough that seats go fast.
OrderMapo tofu hummus and the guabao sandwiches.
Why locals goJust a handful of tables inside, so the mapo tofu hummus and kungpow pizza go to whoever gets there first.
TipGo outside peak lunch and dinner hours if you want any chance of a table without a wait.
Bastard, set in a former youth hostel in Jing'an, Shanghai, is best known for dinner small plates and natural wine, but its lunch noodles are the real find.
OrderLunch-only Scallion Aburasoba or the Bastard Wonton Noodles, both on Sapporo-style noodles.
Why locals goKnown for its dinner small plates and natural wine, but its lunch-only bastardized noodle bowls barely get a mention.
TipThe noodle bowls run at lunch only; after dark the room turns to small plates and natural wine.
Duli on Yanping Road in Shanghai packs bold, Sichuan-inspired plant-based dishes like mapo tofu hummus into a room small enough that seats go fast.
OrderMapo tofu hummus and the guabao sandwiches.
Why locals goJust a handful of tables inside, so the mapo tofu hummus and kungpow pizza go to whoever gets there first.
TipGo outside peak lunch and dinner hours if you want any chance of a table without a wait.
Juke on Dongping Road in Shanghai is an 18-seat neo-bistro from chef Michael Janczewski, pairing Mediterranean cooking with playful Asian twists.
OrderThe hand-rolled udon with razor clams and Sichuan caviar, or the osso buco in mapo tofu gravy.
Why locals goOnly 18 seats in the old Pirata space on a quiet stretch of Dongping Road, with a menu built to trick the senses rather than announce itself.
TipThe menu runs 12 to 14 dishes built for sharing, so come with at least one other person.
Gubigubi on Yongjia Road in Shanghai serves Ningbo rice cakes and grilled Zhoushan mackerel from a Mediterranean-style lane house on a quiet corner.
OrderSeafood Ningbo rice cakes and the grilled Zhoushan mackerel.
Why locals goThe airy cafe downstairs reads as a brunch spot, so the Ningbo dishes served in the upstairs dining room are easy to miss.
TipThe airy ground-floor cafe is casual; climb to the upstairs dining room for a proper sit-down meal.
