40 editor picks in Shanghai.
40 mid-range places in Shanghai, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Shanghai, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Shanghai food.
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.
Old Jesse on Tianping Road in Shanghai has served Shanghainese home cooking in a packed lane house since 2004, the original of several Old Jesse rooms.
OrderOrder the hongshaorou red-braised pork belly, plus the cod fish head braised with green onions if pre-ordered.
TipThe scallion oil noodles round out a table; in hairy crab season, add the crab roe mixed with rice if it is on the menu.
Huxinting Teahouse on stilts over the lake at Yu Garden in Shanghai has poured tea from the same mid lake pavilion since 1855, its oldest teahouse.
TipEvery Monday a pot of tea and a vegetarian bun still costs just 10 yuan, a holdover from 1990s pricing.
Café del Volcán on Yongkang Road in Shanghai roasts single origin Guatemalan beans from a family run estate for its own shelf of coffee bags.
TipThe roast on the shelf changes weekly; ask whoever is behind the bar what came out of the roaster that day.
VERIE Bakehouse on the ground floor of Xintiandi Style II in Shanghai bakes buttery viennoiserie under Quebec pastry chef Frederic Jaros, ex-Da Vittorio.
TipSit on the dog-friendly terrace outside; TING, chef Frederic Jaros's chef's table, is on the floor above.
O'Mills Sourdough Bakery & Bistro on Yongjia Road in Shanghai bakes sourdough loaves and sourdough pizza, with plant-based dishes and fermented foods.
TipThe sourdough olive bread is the loaf most often recommended; the bistro menu leans healthy, natural and plant-based.
Rongjia Noodles Soup with Yellow Croaker in Jing'an, Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for yellow croaker in a milky fish-bone broth over springy wheat noodles.
OrderOrder the yellow croaker noodle soup, its broth simmered from fish bones until milky and rich.
TipIt is a sister shop to one-Michelin-starred Xin Rong Ji, which supplies the premium yellow croaker used here.
Tan Sichuan Cuisine at Yu Gardens in Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for Chengdu-style Sichuan food with a Nine-Turn Bridge view from upstairs.
OrderOrder the saliva chicken in chili oil and the whole fish cooked yuxiang style.
TipIt carries backing from Chengdu's THE BRIDGE but runs its own menu; the dan dan noodles and mapo tofu are also strong here.
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.
BasdBan on Yuyuan Road in Shanghai bakes its popular croissants inside a design forward stainless steel and concrete storefront with a dog friendly patio.
TipSeasonal specials rotate often, but regulars keep returning for the plain, flaky croissant.
Sinan Books fills a historic building at Sinan Mansions in Shanghai with shelves and a cafe, naming its signature latte after a line in Yu Hua's To Live.
TipBeyond the cafe the 640 square metre shop has reading rooms and quiet rooms; author talks have been a Sinan fixture since 2014.
Rumors Coffee Roastery on Xingguo Road in Shanghai hand drips self roasted single origin beans inside a small, cozy Japanese style kissaten room.
TipRumors also sells filter coffee bags of its own roasts, handy if every table is taken when you arrive.
Blacksheep Espresso on South Maoming Road in Shanghai pours beans roasted at its own Terraform coffee facility across town in Minhang District.
TipTry the sheep-shaped latte or a cinnamon roll; each season brings four new beans in the Blacksheep Series.
Pony Up pours easy-drinking cocktail twists on Jinxian Road in Shanghai, a small, buzzy neighbourhood bar ranked No. 19 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.
TipCome for the corn dogs and patty melts as much as the cocktails; the bar food earns its own order.
Smokin' Hog on Wuding Road in Shanghai smokes Texas-style brisket and ribs, a project a husband-and-wife team grew from pop-ups into a brick-and-mortar.
OrderThe Texas-style brisket and the smoked pork ribs.
TipThe brisket smokes low for 16 to 18 hours and a 9 kg raw cut cooks down to about 3 kg, so order it first.
Lao Zheng Xing on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai has held a Michelin star for nine straight years, serving clay-pot yanduxian with bamboo shoots and pork.
OrderYanduxian, the clay-pot spring soup of salted pork, fresh pork belly and bamboo shoots.
TipFounded in 1862 and at this address since 1997, it now fills several floors; try the yellow croaker in wine lees sauce too.
3½ Coffee on Taiyuan Road in Shanghai takes its name from an Italian coffee-competition scoring system for a cup that beats merely being good.
TipMost seating is along a long L-shaped counter of wood, granite and cork, so it suits a focused cup more than a long stay.
The Union Trading Company has poured seasonal cocktails in Shanghai since 2014, first on Fenyang Road, now on Hengshan Road; a past Asia's 50 Best Bars pick.
TipAsk about the Snapshot of the Time menu; each drink is tied to a specific bartender's own story.
Egg on Xiangyang North Road in Shanghai has served all day breakfast and weekend brunch to a loyal crowd since long before brunch got trendy.
OrderA weekend donut, released fresh every Saturday alongside the regular breakfast menu.
TipWeekend mornings mean a wait for a table; each Saturday the kitchen releases two new donut flavours.
Lu Bo Lang at Yu Garden in Shanghai holds a Bib Gourmand for Shanghainese dim sum such as turnip pastry and eyebrow pastry, at fair prices in the Old City.
OrderOrder the Shanghainese dim sum: turnip pastry, osmanthus glutinous rice cake and 'eyebrow' pastry.
TipPrivate rooms on the second and third floors take groups; a 2019 refit added wavy silver ceiling panels to the main room.
Legend Taste on Kangding Road in Shanghai is a no-frills Yunnan restaurant serving southern minority dishes like black chicken salad from a covered terrace.
OrderBlack chicken salad with lemon chili and the wild vegetable pancake.
TipThe terrace out front is the more relaxed seat; the dining room inside is cozy and can feel tight.
Di Shui Dong on Maoming South Road in Shanghai is a loud, busy Hunan restaurant whose cumin-cooked spare ribs keep weekend queues forming at this branch.
OrderCumin spare ribs, shredded pig ears with chilli and the steamed jiaozi.
TipExpect a wait on weekends even at this bigger second location, and a buzzing, loud room once you are seated.
Jianguo 328 on West Jianguo Road in Shanghai cooks MSG-free Benbang classics, drawing crowds for its dried-shrimp scallion oil noodles and pork belly.
OrderScallion oil noodles and the red-braised pork belly.
TipReserve ahead and aim for off-peak hours; the noodles pair well with the crispy pork chop.
Mao Long on Jinxian Road in Shanghai has served no-frills Shanghainese home cooking since 1989, run out of a five-table room by a mother and her daughter.
OrderThe braised pork the family is proudest of, plus whatever seafood came in that morning.
TipIt seats about 20 across five tables, so a short wait for a table is normal at peak hours.
Easeful Cuisine on South Shaanxi Road in Shanghai earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its Zhejiang cooking, served from a second-floor dining room.
OrderThe boneless smoked cod fried to order and the charred brown sugar walnut rice cake.
TipBeyond the main dining room there are six private areas, useful for a group; the seafood comes mostly from Zhejiang.
Garlic Barbecue on Jianguo East Road in Shanghai smokes beef brisket over lychee wood for 18 hours, then closes for the day once the meat is gone.
OrderBeef brisket carved to order and the smoked beef short ribs.
TipShow up early on a weekday; the brisket and ribs can sell out by early afternoon.
Crave Cafe & Wine Bar on Xinle Road in Shanghai bakes pastries and pours coffee by day, then turns the same patio into a natural wine spot by night.
TipWeekend brunch on the patio fills up fast; book ahead or come on a weekday for the same pastry case.
% Arabica Shanghai Roastery inside the historic Rockbund district roasts its own beans on a visible Probat machine behind the ground floor bar.
TipSeats line the glass wall of the roasting room so you can watch the Probat at work; both entrances have outdoor seating.
Bar Rock is a Tibetan-run cocktail bar in Shanghai from the OHA Group, its menu built around highland barley and Tibetan Buddhist practice stages.
TipShoes come off at the door; the carpeted floor seating suits a slower, no-rush session.
Bar S-Otto hides in the basement of Atelier No. 3 on Fumin Road, an omakase-style Shanghai speakeasy pouring eight classics and eight signatures.
TipLook for the hidden door inside Atelier No. 3 and take the stairs down; a private room is kept for whisky.
Mingri Brewing ferments small-batch beer beside the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, a Chinese-owned taproom known for its Hazy Dream NEIPA and gose.
TipOrder the Plum Gose as a palate cleanser between rounds of the flagship NEIPA.
Kingichi Ramen near People's Square in Shanghai serves just five kinds of ramen, led by a rich tonkotsu, from one bar counter, plus Iberico pork cutlets.
OrderTonkotsu ramen and Iberico pork tonkatsu, served from a single counter
TipOrder the Iberico pork tonkatsu alongside the original tonkotsu; it is the shop's other standout dish.
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.
TipGo outside peak lunch and dinner hours if you want any chance of a table without a wait.
Head in the Clouds on Zhenning Road in Shanghai serves brunch every single day, its eggs Benedict ranked a local favourite since it opened in 2019.
OrderThe eggs Benedict, top ranked on Dianping since the restaurant opened in 2019.
TipWeekdays are the calmer option; book ahead for the terrace on weekends when it gets busy.
Rui Fu Yuan on Maoming South Road in Shanghai has served home-style Shanghainese cooking since 1994, drawing local regulars for its hongshao rou pork belly.
OrderYellow croaker wonton soup and the red-braised pork belly.
TipThe yellow croaker soup with pork wontons can run out; reserve it with your table or arrive early.
Shanghai Old Restaurant by Yuyuan Garden, founded in 1875, guards Shanghai heritage cooking techniques and steams its eight-treasure duck for eight hours.
OrderEight-treasure duck and the red-braised pork belly.
TipThe eight-treasure duck is steamed overnight and served the next day, so reserve it a day ahead.
Hao Sheng on Guangyuan Road in Shanghai serves home-style Shanghainese cooking with no fixed menu, letting the chef choose dishes by what is fresh that day.
OrderSauteed river shrimp and the blanched pork liver.
TipCall ahead; the kitchen manages its own bookings and does not take walk-ins reliably.
Deda Western Restaurant on West Nanjing Road in Shanghai opened in 1897 in Hongkou and here in 2007, serving the Haipai pork chop, borscht and potato salad.
OrderFried pork chop with Worcestershire-style sauce, borscht, and potato salad, Deda's old three.
TipMost diners are Shanghainese regulars there for nostalgia; the room by the Nanjing Road window doubles as a coffee house with a cake shop.
Money Shops on historic, protected Yuyuan Road in Shanghai bakes a Hong Kong sized egg tart alongside French breads, tarts and cakes every day.
TipThe Pudding Français egg tart, about ¥42, could feed a family of four; the first-floor counter handles coffee.
RAC Cafe Bar on Anfu Road in Shanghai serves crêpes, galettes and coffee by day, then switches to a French-Asian bistro menu and natural wines at night.
TipExpect a queue on weekend mornings. It sits in Building 6 of 322 Anfu Road, at the junction with Wukang Road.
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