Legendary Shanghai Burger Joint Reopens!
Back in 2010, before burger joints flooded the streets of Shanghai and people started dicking around with putting meat patties on slabs of ramen there were only a handful of decent places you could grab a taste of home in Shanghai. In Jing’an, Piro was our go to burger spot, so when it closed down in 2014 to be replaced by a Shake Shack knock-off we were more than a little disappointed. Imagine our joy today then when we walked down the familiar Changshu Lu strip to find The Milkshake Bar gone and the old Piro sign hanging in its stead.
Unfortunately, our excitement was short lived. While the old Piro served a range of juicy burgers in a dimly-lit, dog-friendly sports bar, the new Piro, just a few doors down from its old address, serves a bizarre mix of food from all of owner Charles Zeng’s failed restaurant concepts.
Chipotle, KFC, and Shake Shack all rolled into one...
A quick glimpse at the menu shows logos and dishes from burger joint - Piro, chicken restaurant - Captain Rooster, the now shuttered Chipotle knock-off - Dos Locos, Chinese noodle house - Baobei Noodles, and milkshakes from The Milkshake Bar.
During our recent visit we ordered the Piro Bacon Cheese Burger only to find that it was almost exactly the same dish as you would find at Charlie's, and not the classic monster burger that the original Piro was known and loved for. To make matters worse, none of the classic burgers served at the original Piro have been brought over to the new location, a move management has confessed is partly due to Charlie’s burger (owned by the same restaurant group) being just a few doors away.
Piro's Bacon Cheese...seemingly hand delivered from Charlie's
On the inside, Piro hasn’t changed at all since its Milkshake Bar days. It still resembles a cross between a Pottery Barn and a bar and still serves up a wide selection of beers, cocktails, milkshakes and the majority of menu items from The Milkshake Bar.
If you're missing the Burrito Burger from the now extinct Charlies X Dos Locos concept at The Kerry Centre, you'll be happy to hear it's been rehoused and re-branded with the SHEX-approved Burgerito name and is now available for ¥95 here.
Those craving dishes from the long gone Captain Rooster, The Milkshake Bar, Dos Locos, and Baobei Noodles might find a taste of nostalgia at Piro, but those wanting to relive Piro's golden years should steer well clear until the management snaps out of it and decides to bring back the original menu.
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