Shanghai Eats: Xiaolongbao, Street Food & Fine Dining

Shanghai's food scene is one of the most diverse and exciting in Asia. The city's culinary identity is built on a foundation of sweet, rich Shanghainese (Benbang) cuisine, layered with influences from every province in China, colonial-era European traditions, and a rapidly evolving fine dining revolution. Here's your complete guide.

The Xiaolongbao Holy Trinity

No visit to Shanghai is complete without a xiaolongbao pilgrimage. These three spots represent different styles:

1. Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant (Yu Garden) The original, dating back to 1900. Three floors with different price points. The ground-floor takeaway window is the most authentic experience — eat standing up at the counter like the locals do. The pork filling is rich and traditional.

2. Jia Jia Tang Bao (Huanghe Road) A tiny, no-frills shop famous for crab roe xiaolongbao with impossibly thin skins. Anthony Bourdain ate here. Arrive before 11 AM or expect a 30-minute queue. The pure crab version is extraordinary.

3. Din Tai Fung (Multiple Locations) The global chain from Taiwan brings precision engineering to dumplings — exactly 18 folds per bun, consistent perfection every time. The truffle xiaolongbao and chocolate xiaolongbao are unique innovations.

Street Food Essentials

Yang's Fried Dumplings (Xiao Yang Sheng Jian) Shanghai's other dumpling masterpiece — pan-fried buns (shengjianbao) with a crispy golden bottom, fluffy top, and a scalding burst of soup inside. Four buns for about ¥15. The Wujiang Road and Huanghe Road branches near People's Square are the most convenient.

Yu Garden Bazaar Food Stalls The Yu Garden area is a street food paradise. Must-tries include: guotie (pot stickers), scallion oil noodles (congyu banmian), stinky tofu, and five-spice tea eggs. Budget about ¥30-50 for a filling food crawl.

Classic Shanghainese Cuisine

Fu 1088 Set in a gorgeous 1930s villa, Fu 1088 is the ultimate Shanghainese fine dining experience. Signature dishes include hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly), drunken chicken, and seasonal hairy crab (September-November). The setting alone — crystal chandeliers, antique furniture, private garden — is worth the visit.

What to Order in Any Shanghainese Restaurant:

• Hong shao rou (红烧肉) — Sweet soy-braised pork belly
• Zui ji (醉鸡) — Cold drunken chicken in Shaoxing wine
• Cong you ban mian (葱油拌面) — Scallion oil noodles
• Song shu gui yu (松鼠桂鱼) — Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish
• Xie ke huang (蟹壳黄) — Flaky crab shell pastry

Fine Dining & International

Mr & Mrs Bund Paul Pairet's accessible French restaurant on the Bund. The truffle pizza, chili lobster, and lemon tart are legendary. Spectacular Pudong views. Reserve window tables well in advance.

Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (Historical) Though now closed (March 2025), Ultraviolet was Shanghai's most famous fine dining experience — a single-table, multi-sensory 20-course journey. Its legacy lives on in the city's ambitious dining culture.

SpaceLab (Gravity-Free Restaurant) Food delivered via rollercoaster rails from the kitchen above. More spectacle than gastronomy, but a genuinely fun experience for families and Instagram content creators.

Food Tour Tips

• Breakfast: Shanghai locals eat out for breakfast. Try soy milk (doujiang) with youtiao (fried dough sticks) and a shaobing (sesame flatbread) from any neighborhood stall.
• Lunch Rush: Popular dumpling shops have the longest queues between 11:30-13:00. Go at 11:00 or after 14:00.
• Hairy Crab Season: October-November. Shanghai goes crab-crazy. Order steamed hairy crab with black vinegar and ginger dip.
• Food Streets: Yunnan South Road and Huanghe Road (near People's Square) are the best concentrated food streets.
• Tipping: Not customary in China, even in fine dining restaurants.