Editor's words----Though comparatively speaking, Shanghai cuisine is the youngest among the ten major cuisines in China, it leads the catering business of the country. Both main courses and snacks embody the charm of Shanghai cuisine which stresses on using condiments and keeping the original flavors of the materials and has features of being fresh, smooth and crispy. Your trip will be incomplete if you tour around Shanghai without fully experiencing the food.
Shanghai was once cut apart by concessions of western powers, which makes it easier for Shanghai locals to accept delicacies from all over the world. The memories of foreign settlements can still be tracked in the city today, from those long-standing western restaurants and bakeries. Join in with ShanghaiFocus to find out the top dining places and most tasty delicacies in the city.
What to eat in Shanghai
Shanghai Snacks
Shanghai local snacks have received so much praise and compliment that in people's minds they take the place of those fancy main courses and become the symbol of Shanghai cuisine.
Small Steamed Bun (xiao long bao)
Existing over a century, Small Steamed Bun is one of the most famous and featured Shanghai snacks. The buns seem to be easy to make: wrapping pork filling (mix minced pork with pork skin jelly and other seasoning) with delicate pastry, then having it steamed in bamboo container, but only a few restaurants can create the tastiest buns. Small Steamed Buns should be eaten when they are still hot. After taking a bite at the wrapper, rich-taste soup will fill your mouth, leaving the smooth taste of the meat.
- Recommended Restaurant:
Nanxiang Snack
Address: No.85 Yuyuan Road
How to get there: take bus No. 64,930, 801 to the stop of Xinbei Road.
Editor's Words----The buns taste the best when they are just served, so do not wait until they cool down. Since the buns are filled with hot soup, you need some skills to help you avoid any unpleasant incident. The trick is to take a small bite at the wrapper, then sip the soup carefully instead of swallowing it as a whole. If you just wolf it down, I guess you will be needing an ambulance.
Fried Plain Bun
Here come the buns again, but Fried Plain Bun is quite different from the bun mentioned above, since it has juicy meat filled while the bottom part is crispy. The fragrance of meat, oil and sesame merges into a tempting smell that arouses your appetite immediately.
- Recommended Restaurants:
Xiaoyang Fried Dumpling
Address: No.54&60 Wujiang Road, Jing'an district
How to get there: take bus No.927, 104 to the stop of Shimen Road
Feilong Restaurant
Address: No.2002 Sichuan North Road, Hongkou District
How to get there: take bus No.21, 18 to the stop of Shanyin Road
Chicken Rice Soup
Chicken Rice Soup is a native Shanghai snack, featuring fresh and smooth taste. Chinese people believe that soup absorbs all the essence of the raw materials so Chicken Rice Soup is not only tasty but also nutritious.
Recommended Restaurant:
Xiaoshaoxing Restaurant
Address: No.475 Nanjing West Road, Huangpu District
How to get there: take bus 109, 933 to the stop of Nanjing West Road
Editor's Words----For many people in China, local snacks are much more than just food but some living memory that connects them with their childhood. With reconstruction going on and on, the city we live in has changed so much that we can barely recognize or find the place where we grew up, but luckily enough, the taste of these snacks can always help us pick up the memory we once lost along the way.
Where to eat in Shanghai
Top Restaurants for Genuine Shanghai Cuisine:
The restaurants recommended by ShanghaiFocus are all long-standing and recognized by Shanghai locals as the best places for genuine Shanghai delicacies.
- 上海老饭店 Shanghai Classical Hotel
Address: No. 242 Fuyou Road(福佑路242号)
- 老正兴菜馆 Lao Zheng Xing Restaurant
Address: No.556 Fuzhou Road(福州路556号)
- 梅龙镇酒家 Mei Long Zhen Restaurant
Address:No.22 Lane 1081, Nanjing West Road(南京西路1081弄22号)
- 杨家厨房 Yang's Kitchen
Address: No. 3 Lane 9, Hengshan Road(衡山路9弄3号)
Western Restaurants and Bakeries
- Red House----the best-known western restaurant
Address: No.845 Huaihai Middle Road, Luwan District
- Deda Restaurant
Address:No.359 Sichuan Middle Road, Huangpu District
- Red Ruby----renown for cream cakes
Address: No.1003 Xianxia Road, Changning District
- Kaisiling
Address: No.50 Shimen Erlu, Jing'an District
Recommended Shanghai Tours:
- Shanghai Highlights One-day Sightseeing-From: US $ 75.00
- One-Day Track of Old Shanghai-From: US $ 70.00
- Shanghai One-day Culture Experience-From: US $ 91.00
- One Day Religion Tour Around Shanghai-From: US $ 74.00
- >> see more Shanghai Tours
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