Soup Dumplings
Xiaolongbao
Thin-skinned pork dumplings filled with scalding-hot broth. Nibble the top, slurp the soup, then eat. The definitive Shanghai dish.
Food & Dining
Shanghai Food Guide
From steamy baskets of xiaolongbao to Michelin-starred tasting menus. What to eat, where to find it, and how to eat it right.
How to eat like a local in Shanghai
Embrace breakfast culture
Shanghai's breakfast scene is the city's best-kept secret. Between 6:00 and 9:00 AM, street corners fill with vendors selling jianbing (savory crepes with egg and crispy wonton), cifantuan (glutinous rice rolls stuffed with pork floss and pickled vegetables), and fresh soy milk both sweet and savory. The best breakfast spots are unmarked — look for a queue of locals and join it. A full breakfast for two costs under RMB 30.
Learn to eat xiaolongbao correctly
First-timers burn their mouths. Here is the method locals use: pick up the dumpling with chopsticks, dip it in the black vinegar with ginger slivers, place it on your spoon, nibble a small hole in the skin, slurp the broth, then eat the rest. Never pop a whole xiaolongbao into your mouth — the broth inside is near-boiling. At Jia Jia Tang Bao or Din Tai Fung, order one basket per person plus a bowl of clear soup on the side.
Venture beyond the English menu
The best meals in Shanghai are often at places with no English menu, no decor, and no TripAdvisor sticker on the door. Download Pleco or Google Translate's camera feature. Learn three phrases: zhège (this one — point at a picture or someone else's plate), mǎidān (the bill), and hǎochī (delicious). These three words, plus a willingness to eat whatever arrives, will unlock a side of Shanghai's food scene that most visitors never see.
Why Shanghai's food scene is unlike anywhere else
Shanghai does not have a single cuisine — it has a culinary identity built on migration, trade, and obsessive refinement. The city's signature dishes draw from the surrounding Jiangnan region, known for sweetness, soy, and Shaoxing wine. But Shanghai's historical role as a treaty port and commercial capital means you will also find world-class Sichuan, Cantonese, Hunanese, and Western food within the same few blocks. What unites it all is a distinctly Shanghainese attention to detail: the thickness of a soup dumpling's skin, the precise ratio of soy to sugar in red-braised pork, the exact moment a scallion pancake should leave the griddle.
Eating well here spans every budget. A plate of four shengjianbao from Yang's costs under RMB 10 and rivals anything served on white tablecloths. At the other end, Paul Pairet's Ultraviolet is a RMB 6,000-per-person sensory experience. Between those two extremes lies the real Shanghai food culture: neighborhood noodle shops where you point at what the next table is having, mid-range Shanghainese restaurants in restored lane houses, and rooftop bars where a good meal comes with a skyline view.
The Essentials
5 dishes you cannot leave without eating
Pan-Fried Pork Buns
Shengjianbao
Thicker than xiaolongbao, pan-fried until the bottom is golden-crisp. Sesame seeds and scallions on top. Yang's Fried Dumplings is the chain to beat.
Dazhaxie
Hairy Crab
Autumn-only obsession. Steamed whole and eaten with ginger-vinegar dip. Shanghai goes mad for these from September to November.
Red-Braised Pork
Hongshao Rou
Pork belly slow-cooked in soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine until it melts. Rich, sweet, and deeply savory.
Scallion Pancakes
Cong You Bing
Crispy, flaky, and layered with chopped scallions. The best ones come from street-side griddles in the former French Concession.
Where to Eat
Best restaurants, every budget
Shanghainese $$$
Fu 1088
Set in a restored 1920s mansion, this is old-Shanghai fine dining at its best. The drunken crab and braised pork belly are standouts.
Dumplings $
Jia Jia Tang Bao
No-frills, legendary soup dumpling joint near People's Square. Queues form before opening. Cash only, pork or crab, that's the whole menu.
Avant-Garde $$$$
Ultraviolet
Paul Pairet's 10-seat, 20-course sensory experience. Projections, scents, and sounds accompany each dish. Book months ahead; it's RMB 6,000+ per person.
Hunanese $$
Di Shui Dong
Spicy, rustic Hunan cooking that has been a Shanghai institution for decades. The ribs coated in cumin are legendary.
Street Food $
Yang's Fried Dumplings
The gold standard for shengjianbao. Multiple locations. A plate of four costs less than RMB 10. Grab a ticket, wait in line, burn your mouth.
Italian $$$
Mercato
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Bund-side Italian restaurant. The ricotta and the pizzas are exceptional. Views of the Pudong skyline from the terrace.
Food Streets
The best food neighborhoods
Yunnan Road
The old-school food street. Everything from hot pot to hairy crab. Locals still eat here.
Metro Line 1/2/8, People's Square
City God Temple
Touristy but essential. Snack alley with every Shanghainese street food imaginable in one chaotic loop.
Metro Line 10/14, Yuyuan Garden
Xintiandi
Upscale dining and brunch in restored shikumen houses. More international than local, but the setting is beautiful.
Metro Line 1, South Huangpi Road
Wujiang Road
Pedestrianized strip near Nanjing West Road. Yang's Fried Dumplings flagship is here. Great for a quick food crawl.
Metro Line 2/12/13, West Nanjing Road