The best Shanghai street food beyond soup dumplings

Photographs: Annie Lin

Tired of eating xiaolongbao and shengjianbao or don’t know where to bring your visitors who want to try local street eats? We feel you. Sure, you can hit up some of the best restaurants in town but we bet you haven’t tried everything on this list. From classic breakfast items to authentic festival delicacies, eat your way through Shanghai like a local. Here's the rundown of what to eat beyond the dumplings you already know (and love).

Niangao tuan (年糕团)

A traditional Shanghainese breakfast item sold by street vendors, in its simplest form, these glutinous rice cake are filled with fried youtiao (savoury cruller). This stall on Maoming Lu makes a complete package not just with youtiao, but also with pork floss and crumbled salted egg yolk wrapped inside a soft, warm sticky rice cake. Think of it like a super filling breakfast burrito, Shanghai-style. 

📍Hongkou Gaotuan, 131 Maoming Nan Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu.

Xieke huang (蟹壳黄)

This flaky sesame coated pastry directly translates to ‘golden crab shell’ – a pretty accurate description of the freshly baked goodies. Baked at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes, they are taken out of the oven at just the right amount of goldenness. Various fillings make-up the centre of the layered pastry, with meat or radish being popular choices. Xieke huang are very heavily salted however, so just make sure you have a glass of water beside you. 

📍Wang Jia Sha, 805 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu.

Rou yuebing (肉月饼)

A local Shanghainese favourite, meat mooncakes are unlike their sweet counterpart in every way. Somewhere in-between a baozi and a crab roll, the meaty juicy filling of the mooncake seeps its flavours into the flaky, yet not crumbly, pastry as it bakes until golden. Typically a Mid-Autumn Festival delicacy, its popularity means it’s now found all-year-round on every touristy corner in Shanghai. This particular laozihao (time-honoured brand) dates back to 1842 and has been at its Nanjing Dong Lu location since 1921. Talk about history. 

📍Zhen Lao Da Fang, 536 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Fujian Zhong Lu.

Paigu niangao (排骨年糕)

At yet another laozihao there's the famous paigu niangao: a pork cutlet, which has been battered and deep-fried in a wok, sitting atop of two pieces of glutinous rice cake drenched in a sweet, sticky sauce made of dark soy sauce, sugar and water. If you ask anyone in Shanghai where’s the best place for paigu niangao, the chances are they’re going to say Xian De Lai. The shop has been around since 1921 and moved to its current spot on Yunnan Nan Lu, named Shanghai’s official food street, in the 90s. While you might be drawn to the dozens of other restaurants along the street, don’t miss this one on your Shanghai food journey. 

📍Xian De Lai Paigu Niangao, 26 Yunnan Nan Lu, near Ninghai Dong Lu.

Cifan gao (糍饭糕) 

Simple but surprisingly addictive, this local breakfast staple is none other than deep-fried rice. The rice is cooked and shaped into blocks before being deep fried until crispy. The taste and texture are similar to that of the delightfully crusty bits of rice at the bottom of the pot or the underside of paella, but with cifan gao you get an entire chunk of it. Eat with a bowl of steamy hot, salty soybean milk for the ultimate Shanghai breakfast experience. At A'Wen, they take the meaning of all-day breakfast seriously, staying open 24 hours, seven days a week.

📍A’Wen Yeshi Doujiang, 51 Xizang Nan Lu, near Taoyuan Lu.

Youdoufu xifen tang (油豆腐细粉汤)

If a bowl of noodle soup is said to cure it all, this steaming hot bowl of tofu noodle soup has incredible healing powers. Ideal rainy weather comfort food, silky smooth glass noodles are doused with a rich pork bone broth, topped with a handful of scallions and an optional spoonful of chilli oil. Dig in and you’ll find pockets of meat wrapped in tofu skin and fried beancurd. Sitting on Madang Lu is an old-school shop with only two items on its menu, youdoufu xifen tang and shengjianbao, considered to be the perfect pairing. Manan Youdoufu Xifen Tang is one of those one-of-a-kind restaurants that's gained its reputation from doing only one dish and doing it damn well. 

📍Manan Youdoufu Xifen Tang, 359 Madang Lu, near Hefei Lu.

Rou tangyuan (肉汤圆)

Not what you might expect from tangyuan – gone is the sweet black sesame filling you're used to enjoying every Yuanxiao Jie (Lantern Festival). In its place is a juicy ball of meat. You’ll either love it or hate it. If you’re able to accept tangyuan in its meaty form, the glutinous rice neatly hand-wrapped around the filling will taste oh-so-very soft and chewy while juices from the meat flavour the clear soup as you bite into it. At Shengxing Dim Sum, the kitchen has been making tangyuan the traditional handmade way for 80 years, attracting a crowd of both young and old. This dish is a taste of childhood for many. 

📍Shengxing Dim Sum, 528 Shunchang Lu, near Yongnian Lu.

Cifan tuan (糍饭团)

Part of a quartet of famous breakfast foods that locals call the 'four big warriors' (四大金刚, sidajingang), or more loosely translated the ‘Shanghai Breakfast Four’, cifan tuan are tasty rice rolls shaped using a makisu bamboo mat. The main components are steamed rice and youtiao, with both sweet and savoury versions available – the savoury with pork floss and salted egg yolk, the sweet with a sprinkling of sugar. The others in this exclusive breakfast club of four are dabing (flatbread), youtiao (savoury crullers) and soybean milk – sorry xiaolongbao, you can’t sit with us. For a breakfast of champions, head to well-known Shanghai chain Taoyuan Village which serves all four of them.

📍Taoyuan Village, 1251 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu.

Shuita gao (水塔糕)

Originally hailing from Ningbo, this steamed sponge cake has won the hearts of locals in Shanghai and across the country. The slightly sticky dessert is fragranced with osmanthus flowers and a hint of rice wine. Made in tall stacks of steamers and with only five basic ingredients – rice flour, rice wine, yeast, sugar and water – 'water tower' cake can be flavoured with other classic Chinese ingredients besides osmanthus, such as sesame and brown sugar. A childhood favourite, many kids reminisce about snacking on this sweet treat at their grandparents' house.

📍Taoyuan Village, 1251 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Xiangyang Nan Lu.

Tiaotou gao (条头糕)

There's a trend here with glutinous rice as the main act and osmanthus flowers as a supporting character. This bite-sized rice roll is like a not-so-healthy energy bar that has you feeling like you’re sneaking in a candy bar into the cinema. The sweetened confection is filled with red bean paste and is best eaten warm when the sticky rice has a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. A popular alternative to a sprinkle of osmanthus is a dusting of desiccated coconut, known as the 'snowflake tiaotou gao' (雪花条头糕, xuehua tiaotou gao). The original flavour is sold alongside niangao tuan at Hongkou Gao Tuan as one of its bestsellers. 

📍Hongkou Gaotuan, 131 Maoming Nan Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu.

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