The 9 hottest bars, restaurants and cafés in Shanghai this month
Crispy bacon burgers heating things up between sugared doughnuts, sandwich 'boats', a New York-style deli, a granny-chic cocktail den and hotpot horrors to make your blood run cold in time for Halloween... here's what we're craving from October's hottest tables.
Chihuo Xiaoyaohu
It's the most spooktacular month of all and no, your eyes aren't playing tricks... this is, in fact, a horror-themed hotpot restaurant. At Chihuo Xiaoyaohu in the growing Fengsheng Li complex, paranormal activity plays out at a pantomime level, but who says that's a bad thing? Go for the cheesy dress up, stay for decent hotpot.
Chihuo Xiaoyaohu Second Floor, Fengsheng Li Building, No 16, Lane 193, Maoming Bei Lu, near Weihai Lu (6148 8278).
Alimentari
Take out a map, find the intersection between Wulumuqi Zhong Lu and Anfu Lu, and mark with a heart. The market and deli – by the same guys behind Gemma – is a cool 'n casual neighbourhood grocer-meets-eatery with Italian meats, cheeses, fresh olives, bottled cocktails and more. Grab a bottle of wine, some truffled cheese and a loaf of fig bread and make an afternoon of it.
Alimentari 158 Anfu Lu, near Wulumuqi Zhong Lu (5403 6991).
Moka Bros
The vibe at Beijing import Moka Bros is 'eating well and feeling good', and if you’re thinking 'snore, click away, and order me a pizza' then hold right there: there's liquor too. This is healthy eating at its most fun, with lazy breakfasts, free-flow brunches, a Latin-inspired terrace and events from South American street food vendors to intense workout sessions.
Moka Bros K.Wah Centre 108 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu.
Keep It Quiet
This sincere little hideaway’s hideaway and charming new venture of a bar from YongFoo Élite has vibes hovering unintentionally between granny-chic and almost-shabby: a hodgepodge of ageing furniture, heavy curtains framing large tarnished oval mirrors, a corner walled-papered in a brown '70s vinyl print. Drinks are equally as unpretentious, with a smattering of simple signature cocktails, long drinks and classics.
Keep It Quiet 200 Yongfu Lu, near Hunan Lu (5466 2727).
Fresh-Off
The spark behind Fresh-Off's sandwiches come 'fresh-off-the-boat' from Taiwan – hence the shop's name – inspired by popular stall Ying Yang Sanmingzhi ('Nutritious Sandwiches') at Taiwan's street food haven Keelung Miaokou Night Market. The globally inspired bread 'boats' – or shall we say deep-fried canoes of carbolicious joy – are crisp and golden on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside, really verging on the edge of savoury doughnut.
Fresh-Off Inside Hongqiao Park, 9 Ziyun Xi Lu, near Zunyi Lu (136 8167 4264).
OH MY BURGER!
Dig our your stretchy trousers and forewarn your arteries, OH MY BURGER! (you remember, the place with the ramen burger?) just got even crazier. New on the menu of the delightfully offbeat burger joint is this: a bacon doughnut burger. Seriously. Two fluffy sugared doughnuts, loads of uber-crispy bacon, cheese and a super-flattened beef patty that together make some sweet magic happen.
OH MY BURGER! 691 Jianguo Xi Lu, near Hengshan Lu.
THE CUT Rooftop
You may not yet be sold on bars and restaurants in malls, but they're spreading like wildfire in Shanghai and we’d all do well to accept it. THE CUT Rooftop, for example, is sheltered from the rest of the mall in a way that lets you quickly forget you’re in one, with stellar views of Jingan's skyscrapers. The space is cool and comfortable, the music is right and the location is convenient, making it the sort of place you'd want to swing by for a cocktail and a bite with coworkers from the after work-style menu.
THE CUT Rooftop Seventh Floor, IAPM 999 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu (6443 5136).
Deli Boys
Current talk-of-the-town Dingxi Lu sandwich shop looks a lot like your classic NYC deli and appropriately slings large-and-in-charge American-style sandwiches and all-day breakfast. The real standout on the Deli Boys ticket is the house-brined and smoked beef brisket, which plays a starring role in the Classic Montreal Beef Brisket sandwich typically spread with yellow mustard – or dill Dijon if you're a rebel (medium for 73RMB/large for 88RMB) – and the New York Reuben with coleslaw, melted cheese and 'secret sauce' (85RMB). Those come accompanied by heaping sides of coleslaw and fries.
Deli Boys No 20, Lane 710, Dingxi Lu, near Panyu Lu (6212 1722).
Le Bouchon
Shanghai's oldest French restaurant, Le Bouchon just got a full 20th-anniversary makeover, renovated to feel like a 1960s retro country home with a revitalised menu of dishes that don't betray the original's vibe. This is homestyle food that you'd find in a French grandmother's kitchen, with no-fuss, hearty dishes to enjoy time after time. Le Bouchon has emerged from the past, and while the menu has gotten a refresh, the team is keeping its footing firm in the classics, 'cause short-lived food trends aren't what's kept it around for two decades. If you're going for dinner, skip lunch and expect lots of cream, foie gras, pastries and all that other good stuff.
Le Bouchon 1455 Wuding Xi Lu, near Jiangsu Lu (6225 7088).