Top 10 Traditional Shanghainese Restaurants

In Shanghai, hidden among all the top 5-star international restaurants are the traditional places that the Shanghainese love! Here you can find the dishes that made Shanghai famous.

Fu 1015

Won the “Asian Best 50” award for 2 years in a row

The restaurant is a located in a family home with huge gardens and terraces, featuring the traditional old Shanghai art deco design. In 2012 and 2013, it won the “Asian Best 50” award.

The owner, Fu Yafen, said that the idea behind this restaurant is to give customers a sense of the way the old Shanghainese used to live. There are plenty of pork dishes on the menu, which is one of the key ingredients in old Shanghai cuisine.

Where: 1015 Yuyuan Lu, near Jiangsu Lu, Changning district

Tel: [phone]

Ming Xuan

Won the award for “Full crab feast”

There are four Ming Xuan restaurants in Shanghai, each boasting a highly-esteemed reputation - so much so that they’ve even hosted celebrities from at home and abroad!

The Xuhui branch is located in a typical Spanish garden house. Most of the menu is made up of Cantonese cuisine with lots of vegetables, but their signature crab dish is the most popular

Xuhui

Where: No 1, 46 Anting Lu, Xuhui district

Tel: [phone] 3777

Pudong

Where: 679 Shangcheng Lu, near Shiji Da Dao, Pudong district

Tel: [phone] 9177

Radisson New World

Where: 3/F, 88 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Xizang Zhong Lu, People’s Square district

Tel: [phone] 0388

Luwan

Where: 3/F, 5-7 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Julu Lu, Jing’an district

Tel: [phone] 8883

Yongfoo Elite

Private club for bankers, 2018 Michelin 2-stars

Yongfoo Elite is located in an old garden villa house. It’s one of the top private clubs in Shanghai, but it also serves non-members

The restaurant is decorated with thousands of pieces of artwork and antiques, leather sofas and bookshelves. Every dish is inspired by Old Shanghai, so expect lots of crab, shrimp, and even sharks fin!

Where: 200 Yongfu Lu, near Hunan Lu, Xuhui district

Tel: [phone]

Xiao Nan Guo

The old taste of Shanghai

With the combination of deliciously mouthwatering Shanghai cuisine alongside the stunning view of the Bund, it’s no surprise that even Vladimir Putin has dined here! The dining area has breathtaking floor-to-ceiling windows and can accommodate up to 26 groups, on top of a few private rooms. 

Xiao Nan Guo also has a number of classic signature dishes, including “Grandmother’s pork”, “Fried river shrimp”, and “Southern country noodles”. 

Where: Oriental Riverside Hotel, 7/F, 2727 Binjiang Da Dao, near Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Pudong district

Tel:  [phone]

Maison de l’Hui

Top restaurant on The Bund

The sole goal of Maison de l’Hui is to provide their guests with top quality cuisine and professional service. They offer their own signature dishes as well as a number of traditional Cantonese dishes. In this way, they’ve transformed tradition into fashion.

A wide variety of exotic ingredients from Hong Kong are used in the preparation of the food in this Michelin-standard restaurant.

Where: 3-4/F, 97 Yuanmingyuan Lu, near Beijing Dong Lu, Bund Area

Tel: [phone]

Shanghai Tang

Fashionable and traditional in one

Shanghai Tang aims to create a nostalgic atmosphere for all the Shanghainese that were born and raised throughout Shanghai’s transformation into the city it is today.

It’s incredibly busy at lunchtime thanks to the variety of small dishes, such as dumplings and fish cakes, that it has to offer!

Where: 373 Huangpi Nan Lu, near Hubin Lu, opposite the General Assembly of the Communist Party of China, Xintiandi district

Tel: [phone]

Yong Yi Ting

Huaiyang with and Jiangnan fusion cuisine

Shanghai’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel is located on the east coast of the Huangpu River, providing the perfect backdrop for a sweet taste of Shanghai. 

The ingredients are meticulously selected - only the best pass the test! They also like to provide you with a number of different snacks, which is rare in Chinese restaurants. These snacks will change with the seasons to ensure you’re always getting top fresh ingredients!

Where: LG/F, 111 Pudong Nan Lu, near Yincheng Lu, Pudong district

Tel: [phone]

Su Zhe Hui Flagship Store

Blend of western concepts to create Jiangsu flavors

The ‘Su’ represents Jiangsu, while the ‘Zhe’ represents Zhejiang, so you can guess which combination of flavors are on offer here. While it offers traditional old cuisine, it’s fused many of its dishes with western concepts to appeal to all taste buds!

Where: 3/F, 288 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Xinchang Lu, People’s Square district

Tel: [phone]

Yuan Yuan

Long history

Yuan Yuan has enjoyed a fantastic reputation in the food industry, be it in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan and even Southeast Asia! Here it offers traditional Shanghai cuisine. It’s quite an intimate restaurant, with no similarities whatsoever to the European restaurants you might be used to.

The menu changes with each of the four seasons to ensure that all the ingredients are fresh and scrumptious. Aside from that, all the dishes are cooked and prepared in a very traditional Chinese way.

Where: 201 Xingguo Lu, near Tai’an Lu, Xuhui district

Tel: [phone]

Jesse

The “star” of Old Shanghai restaurants

Jesse has been featured on TV, in magazines, and on WeChat as one of the top foodie recommendations in Shanghai. It’s even attracted a number of Chinese celebrities! It’s cited as having an ambiance that can only be found in Shanghai, as well as absolutely mouthwatering Shanghai dishes.

Where: 41 Tianping Lu, near Huaihai Xi Lu, Xuhui district

Tel: [phone]

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