The 8 hottest bars, restaurants and cafés in Shanghai this month

New year, new me, new must-visit restaurants opening up in Shanghai. That's how it goes, right? Take this Chinese New Year holiday to relax and destress in the form of treating yo'self to one of the many new restaurants and menus in town. From the very trendiest French café experiences to gastropub beers, warm noodle bowls and innovative Japanese shochus, here's what we're craving from Shanghai's hottest tables. We'd advise checking holiday opening hours in advance.

LAGO by Julian Serrano

Lago at Bellagio draws upon the luxurious and avant-garde decor from its sister branch in Las Vegas – there are only two Lagos in the world and one is right here in Shanghai. With a menu from award-winning chef Julian Serrano, LAGO presents a menu of creative Italian cuisine – think vitello tonatto, crispy calamari, tomahawk aged beef steak, and some show-stopping desserts. Long press and extract the QR code in the image above to book a table.

LAGO Bellagio Hotel, 188 Bei Suzhou Lu, near Sichuan Bei Lu (5156 6888).

Bombay Bistro (Found 158)

The charming Yongfu Lu Bombay Bistro relocates to Found 158, offering the same trendy set-up: dim lighting, ambient music and solid Indian flavours. Choose from a list of well thought-through cocktails, the Mumbai Chai (55RMB) being an absolute flavour bomb, and a menu of authentic Indian dishes that do not disappoint.

Bombay Bistro Found 158, 58 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu.

Little Creatures

Hailing from Australia, Little Creatures is the new cool kid on the Found 158 block. A craft beer gastropub, it's got an industrial vibe with its wooden plank tables, brick walls, and bronze beer tanks. Dig into sharing plates like fried chicken wings and pork sliders while making your way through the 12 beers on tap.

Little Creatures Found 158, 58 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Er Lu.

RAC Coffee

With people lining up outside its doors for brunch (even in the snow), there's no denying the popularity of this casual French café. Helmed by Simon Briens – formerly of Far West, whose doors shuttered after it got caught up in the Farine flour scandal – one of the main attractions here are the crepes and galettes, though there's more to the menu with a selection of sandwiches and classic egg dishes, plus a strong list of natural wines.

RAC Coffee 322 Anfu Lu, near Wukang Lu.

Xime Japanese Restaurant

Modern, chic and detail-oriented, Xime is the Changle Lu restaurant serving up contemporary Japanese dishes and interesting drinks. Quench your thirst with innovatively flavoured shochus and highballs (who knew shiso leaf was a drink flavour?) otherwise get full off of hotpot, sashimi platters, and curry.

Xime Japanese Restaurant First Floor, 989 Changle Lu, near Changshu Lu.

Specters

Lao Lu from Yuyintang and Shanghai rock scene stalwarts Lao Bi and Morgan Short are some of the interests behind this relaxed hang out in Jingan district. Expect a music policy of '(arguably) dead' genres – like (proto and post) punk rock, 'vintage' rock 'n' roll and Northern Soul – with musicians, freelance writers, and artsy types slumped at the bar. Drinks are cheap (eg Tiger on draft for 25RMB, Asahi bottles for 10RMB and shots of Bulleit bourbon for 20RMB).

Specters 1485 Beijing Xi Lu, near Changde Lu.

Brut Cake Café

Focusing on their interior just as much as their food, this second location of Brut Cake Café provides healthy fusion bites (60-80RMB), decent coffees (18-37RMB), and plenty of cartoon drawing-filled, wood-centric Instagram photo opportunities. The Australian-style café is run by a food blogger, a chef and the owner of Brut Cake furniture store, and never falls short on their all-day brunch.

Brut Cake Café 238 Zhaojiabang Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu (6408 6783).

ban ban by Sproutworks (Winter menu)

To keep things fresh, casual Asian fusion eatery ban ban has added four hot n hearty winter specials to the menu. Based on a Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup, Take Me To Taipei hits the spot with its lightly spiced tomato and beef broth; while the Kan Na Sri Lanka sees chunks of sea bass slathered in a rich lightly spicy and sour curry sauce served on a bed of multi-grain rice. For something with a little extra heat, 24 Hours in Bangkok is a tom yum soup with shrimp, mushroom, rice noodles and a healthy amount of fresh and dried chillis (all 68RMB).

ban ban by Sproutworks Fifth floor, Room 518, IAPM, 999 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu.

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