3 Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancake) Stalls in Shanghai

Cong You Bing (葱油饼) or scallion pancake, is a popular savory Chinese snack made with wheat flour dough that’s been twisted and rolled with fistfuls of scallions. It’s usually pan-fried or griddled, resulting in a crispy, flaky crust with thin, chewy layers of bread.

The King of Bing used to be a hunchback grandpa named A Da, who cooked so slowly (and by himself) that he drew long lines to his Nanchang Lu takeout window. He upgraded and moved to Yongjia Lu in 2016, but that shop has since closed as well.

I went when the hype was at its peak and queued three hours for five bings, the maximum number of pancakes you were allowed to purchase. (A Da is still alive and may come back in a new location but it's complicated.)

Side note: Most cong you bing stalls have a vat filled with you su (油酥), traditionally made by cooking flour with hot scallion-infused vegetable oil into a roux. However, the bright yellow color is a bit suspect, and I'm going to assume it's combined with a type of shortening.

Here are three places that are scallion pancake destinations of their own.

Cong You Bing

Xiao Yang Zhou
小扬州特色葱油饼

📍 644 Fengyang Lu, near Datian Lu凤阳路644弄, 近大田路
📞 15900691757
🕒 Daily, 8:30am-5:30pm

This husband-and-wife stall has been making cong you bing for more than 50 years, since 1967. They are literally an old school-style cart on the street on Fengyang Lu, folding big handfuls of scallions and pork fat into dough and then griddling and baking them into pancakes.

Take a moment to look around when you’re there, and you'll see that every other person on the street has a bing in hand, a pretty good indicator of their quality. Plus, you’ll find plenty of neighbors ordering up bings or even step in to help with customers.

The couple is crazy about scallion pancakes—it’s their life’s work. Even their dog is named Cong Cong (葱葱), a friendly Chihuahua that hangs around the stall. When I asked how long more they intended to keep it running for, they said it was not certain, but at least for a couple more years.

It’s a five-minute walk from Taikoo Hui's Starbucks Roastery. My top pick for taste and location. It’s ¥7 for one, which they’ll kindly reheat to piping hot for you.   

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Cong You Bing

Tilanqiao
提篮桥老摊头葱油饼一号

📍 533 Dalian Lu, near Kunming Lu 大连路533号, 近昆明路
📞 13564231796
🕒 Daily, 6:30am-8pm

This is a destination bing. It’s the number one scallion pancake place on Dianping, and has thousands of reviews.

This anonymous-looking shop on the side of a wide road used to be an actual street food cart, and it had a big reputation. There are actually multiple stores of Tilanqiao, but this one is the flagship, and the husband and wife owners directly oversee all outlets.

A little backstory: chef-owner Yuhua Shi moved from Yancheng, Jiangsu, with her husband to Shanghai in 1994 to sell scallion pancakes. Thirty years on, they still make cong you bing according to the original recipe, using lard from their hometown.

The bing are griddled but not baked, making them a little extra greasy here. Though if I’m being honest, it's not worth the trek out here just for this bing, but if you live in the neighborhood, or are going to the Jewish Refugee Museum or to see the old prison gates, which are both around the corner, then add this onto the itinerary.

¥7 per bing, ¥8 at some other locations.

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Cong You Bing

Mu's
 穆氏葱油饼

📍 269 Wuyi Lu, near Anxi Lu 武夷路269号, 近安西路
📞 13601855887
🕒 Daily, 6am-7pm

Right across the street from the new Mix320 development, Mu's has been selling scallion pancakes for about 25 years. This location has been around for 15 years, and is popular with Changning residents.

Even when they are not fresh off the griddle, they are still pretty delicious, with flaky layers interspersed with chopped green onion. Another bonus to buying ones that were made ahead of time—and I know, this is heresy to some—is that they are just a little less greasy. ¥5 per bing.

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Other popular locations:

Wang Ji Old Shanghai 王记老上海葱油饼 (multiple locations)
A1, 201 Ningbo Lu, near Shandong Bei Lu 宁农路201号A1,近山东北路
18221152578
Daily, 6am-7:30pm

Li's 李向阳葱油饼
558 Xietu Lu, near Luban Lu 斜土路558号, 近鲁班路
15821123948
Daily, 6am-6pm

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