The 7 hottest bars and restaurants this month
Summer is on its way out, but here in Shanghai, the awesome eats and boozy delights never stop moving in. Swanky hotel cocktails, Taiwanese street food, fine cuisine from world-renowned chefs with Michelin cred, crispy falafel and more – here's what we're craving from September's hottest tables.
1. DEUS
The Found 158 cocktail bar seemed to get off to a bit of a slow start, but that’s been remedied by bringing in bartender Aaron Feder to consult on the menu and run the show for a time (which he’s done for other notable spots like Heyday, Candor and el Ocho). His personal concoctions and revamps of DEUS’s signatures are complex and memorable – amidst a saturation of venues, this is where to find high-calibre cocktails at Found 158.
DEUS Found 158, 158 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu (5352 0809).
2. The Purple Garlic
Opened just last month in the more southern end of Xuhui district, The Purple Garlic is half delicious and reasonably priced eatery, half import food market – both from the same team behind Taiwanese specialty chain Chun Store. Sourcing local ingredients for farm-to-table dining, the restaurant side offers up a big menu of classic Taiwanese dishes and street-food favourites. Try the sanbeiji (three-cup chicken).
The Purple Garlic First Floor, 108 Wanping Lu, near Zhaojiabang Lu (5427 0335).
3. W Shanghai's WOOBAR, WET BAR and Liquid at YEN
The W Shanghai's killer views, modern beats and Shanghai street-inspired design elements are together turning the hotel into one of the city’s hottest spots for a nighttime drink. Find the vibes and tracks of a hip nightclub with the drinks of a top-notch cocktail bar at ultra-modern WOOBAR, or head to WET BAR's fly terrace lounge with poolside-appropriate drinks and full Bund and Pudong skyline views. Or, if you're feeling classy, check out sophisticated Jazz Era-style lounge Liquid at YEN, where you can sip cocktails bearing stories from Shanghai’s history matched with a particular flavour profile.
W Shanghai, The Bund 66 Lvshun Lu, near Dongchangzhi Lu (2286 9999).
4. le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire
With 13 restaurants under his name and an impressive 17 Michelin stars between them, world-renowned chef Pierre Gagnaire makes his Mainland culinary debut with le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, an upscale but relaxed French brasserie located in the newly opened Capella Shanghai urban villa resort in the Former French Concession. Famed as one of the world’s greatest chefs, Gagnaire’s 50-year career has seen him open award-winning restaurants all over the world, making le Comptoir one of the most exciting fine dining openings of 2017.
le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire Capella Shanghai, 480 Jianguo Xi Lu, near Yueyang Lu (5466 6688).
5. The Antique by Taste Buds
Daniel An moves his excellent drinking den Taste Buds Cocktail Palace to a new venue and gives it a new name. Though the same concept at heart, find a fresh roster of crafted cocktails in cool and cosy Former French Concession lane house space filled to the brim with Chinese antiques, from gorgeous furniture to old-time artwork and trinkets.
The Antique by Taste Buds Second Floor, Antique Café, 44 Sinan Lu (138 1802 1597).
6. Eli Falafel
Just when you thought Wulumuqi Zhong Lu couldn't get any better... it does, thanks to Lebanese joint Eli Falafel. On the menu, find all the stuff you know and love from Middle Eastern cuisine: doner kebab wraps and pitas, kebab platters, stuffed vine leaves, tabouleh salad, a range of dips like hummus, baba ghanoush and muhammara (red pepper), and of course, falafel.
Eli Falafel 294 Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, near Wuyuan Lu (5401 7778).
7. Cobra Lily
Chef Simon Sunwoo's creative new fusion lunch menu and bartender Ruslan Kaplan's new line of cocktails with sexy Asian flair make Cobra Lily the place to be afternoon and night. Try the Easy Peasy Japanese-y burger (with Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce, pickled ginger, Kewpie mayo, seaweed-flaked buns, shiso leaf – you get the idea) and pair it with a Li-Li-Ling, a delicious take on Singapore Sling with a base of hibiscus-infused Bombay Sapphire.
Cobra Lily Xintiandi North Block, No. 19, Lane 181 Taicang Lu, near Madang Lu (5351 0116).
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