New & Hot: Juke, A Neighborhood Eatery on Dongping Lu

Sponsored by Juke

Juke is an intimate 18-seater neighborhood eatery on Dongping Lu serving a chef-driven menu of Mediterranean food with Asian accents alongside wines.

Located on Dongping Lu, Juke is one of the first venues to open on the once-closed strip. The street was once a popular destination, home to many restaurants and bars, and got shut down in 2018. Now there is a brand new facade and a new mix of tenants. A revival!

Juke is a tiny, intimate space with seating for 18 people. It is cozy, almost like a private kitchen. There’s also a gorgeous patio in the back. That’ll be fully utilized come warmer weather.

In the kitchen is Michael Janczewski, who’s back in Shanghai for Juke, his first independent project. He spent most of his formative years with Black Sheep Restaurants at Ho Leek Fook (Hong Kong), then Canton Disco (Edition Shanghai), and most recently Belon (Asia's 50 Best, Michelin 1-star, Hong Kong).

Michael Janczewski

The Food

What's On The Menu

The food at Juke is neo-bistro, Mediterranean foundations peppered with Asian flavors, using high-quality ingredients. On the menu are 12-14 dishes with some specials. It’s mostly to share, not so much a course-by-course dinner menu. Some dishes are more delicate with very fine flavors like the crudo, while others are punchy with rich sauces like the beef shank. Then you have the simple yet excellent three-ingredient calamari.

Here’s what to expect:

Tartare Bites (¥48/two) – Diced veal seasoned with anchovies, garlic, butter, oil, and a heavy helping of punchy, fresh horseradish. Served on crispy hash browns with shaved parmesan.

Yellowtail Crudo (¥98) – Seasoned yellowtail over finely shaved fennel, drizzled over with smoked olive oil and yuzu. The smoky aroma from the oil engulfs your palate, giving way to fatty, oily fish.

Today’s Stracciatella (¥68) – A rotating dish based on their love for stracciatella. This version has white cloud mushrooms, citrus lead, and fermented black beans.

Raviolini (¥78) – Handmade fresh raviolini filled with fresh ricotta, drizzled over with fermented chili and brown butter.

Calamari (¥80) – I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “simple is best.” The sauce is only made with three ingredients: tomato, butter, and sake. There’s a drizzle of arugula oil over the quick-poached calamari, but that’s it. It’s a bright, velvety sauce that’s extremely addictive. It’s a highlight and will most definitely become a signature dish.

Beef Shank (¥148) - Beef shank braised with cardamom and Yunnan coffee beans, served with pomme purée.

The beef is fork tender, steeped with the herbal spice of cardamom and a pinch of bitterness from the coffee beans. The sauce, a reduction of the braising, is ever luscious. A rich dish, definitely to share.

Buttery pomme purée

Rice Pudding (¥68) – Koji rice pudding studded with raisins macerated in shaoxing rice wine with caramelized white chocolate, a bit of sea salt, puffed rice, and shaved Yunnan black truffle. A very unique and enjoyable dessert.

As for drinks, Juke mostly does wine. Their wine list, entitled “The Acre Project” is a selection from boutique wineries chosen based on “parcel size,” meaning wineries with an acreage of less than 50 acres. Yeah, it’s pretty complex, but hey, it’s a way to stand out. The winemakers are also given due credit with bios and fun facts in the menu. That said there are about 50-60 labels, wines by the glass from ¥68, by the bottle from ¥350. 

They also have a small selection of cocktails by a featured guest bartender. The current drinks, classics with an Asian twist, were fashioned by Ilya Gorshkov of Italo Trattoria.

Popcorn Old Fashioned (¥80) - bourbon, popcorn sugar, and sesame cracker.

Manhattan (¥88) - rye whiskey, Antica Formula, oolong bitters, and dried Chinese plum for garnish.

Martini No.1 (¥98) - Vodka, Noilly Prat vermouth, black 'atom' infused with kumquat.

All in all, the food is very tasty, the prices are approachable, and it's all done in a unique setting. It's a nice addition to this part of town, where for the longest time has been a bit quiet.

Lunch hours to come early spring. Outdoor seating will open around the same time. Average check for dinner is about ¥350-400 per person with a drink.

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Juke

Address: 9-11 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu 东平路9-11号，近衡山路

Tel: [phone] / WeChat: T-ttttt

Soft Opening Hours: 5:30pm-midnight, last order 11pm

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