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Dining in Shangai, China (cuisine, restaurants guide, et...)

Metropolitan Shanghai is now the perfect place to be called a World Gourmet Centre.
As well as being able to sample traditional foods from all of the regions of China: Bei-Jing, Cantonese, Chao-Zhou, Dong-Bei, Hang-Zhou, Hu-Nan (Spicy), Shanghainese, Shao-Xing, Si-Chuan (Spicy), Xin-Jiang, Yun-Nan, etc., diners in Shanghai can now enjoy a variety of tastes from around the world, including American, Cajun, Brazilian, French, German, Italian and Spanish...
And if your preference is for Asian food, then why not try the restaurants specializing in the delights of Japanese, Korean, Indian, Singaporean or Thai cuisines?
With such a widevariety to choose from in Shanghai, often called the City of International Flavours, are you at a loss for good restaurants, bars & cafes, etc? Don't worry, you can easily find what you want here.

Best Dining Bets

Best International Dining: Shànghai's world-class Mediterranean restaurant, M on the Bund, Guangdong Lù 20, 7th Floor (tel. 021/6350-9988), not only serves impeccable Continental cuisine, but features a knockout view of the Bund and riverfront from atop a colonial-era trading house. The darling of many of Shànghai's gourmands, T8 (tel. 021/6355-8999), located downtown at Xin Tiandì, continues to garner international acclaim for its highly creative "new world" cooking.

Best Shànghai Dining: The city abounds in restaurants serving tasty local fare, but the standout for contemporary Shànghai cuisine has to be newcomer Shànghai Uncle, Yán'an Dong Lù 222, Bund Center Basement (tel. 021/6339-1977), featuring creative spins on old classics, focusing on tender and flavorful pork dishes that can turn even the most diehard vegetarians into carnivores. Three branches already pepper the city. Another stellar choice is long-standing expatriate-favorite 1221, Yán'an Xi Lù 1221 (tel. 021/6213-6585), serving delicious Shànghai fare that's neither too sweet nor too oily. More traditional (sweeter and oilier) Shànghai cuisine is probably best sampled at Shànghai Lao Fàndiàn, Fúyòu Lù 242 (tel. 021/6355-2275), with a history dating to 1875 and the most meltingly tender eight treasure duck you'll ever taste.

Best Dining in a Colonial Mansion: These days it's easy to find an old mansion for dinner, but former favorite Sasha's has now been trumped by La Villa Rouge, Héngshan Lù 811 (tel. 021/6431-9811), located in a gorgeous red brick mansion on the edge of Xújiahuì Park that was the former EMI Recording Studio. The food is expensive French/fusion from award-winning Japanese chefs, but its grand staircase, antique wallpaper, and old gramophones are pure Shànghai nostalgia.

Best Hotel Dining: No hotel gives more high-quality choices (or a better view) than the Grand Hyatt in Pudong, Shìjì Dà Dào 88 (tel. 021/5049-1234, ext. 8898), with its Grand Café's international buffets (54th floor), the Canton's gourmet Cantonese dishes (55th floor), or the Grill's seafood and steaks, Kobatchi's yakitori, and Cuchina's Tuscan pastas and pizzas (all on the 56th floor) -- not to mention the 10 open kitchens that make up the Food Live "food street" on podium level 3.

Best Deli: Stock up big time at the Bauernstube on the second floor of the Sheraton Grand Tài Píng Yáng Hotel, Zunyì Nán Lù 5 (tel. 021/6275-8888), with its huge selection of cheeses, sausages, Norwegian salmon, breads, cakes, and roast chicken.

Best Places to Eat & Be Seen: Modern taipans, celebrities, and sophisticated locals can be found dining at the very chic restaurants in the French Concession's Lan Kwai Fong at Park 97 complex, Gaolán Lù 2 (tel. 021/5383-2328); or at downtown's Xin Tiandì mall on Tàicang Lù; and, increasingly, at the trendy and perhaps still-a-little-too exclusive Three on the Bund. The food in the restaurants at each site is, for the most part, as superb as it is varied.

Best Burgers: For big, authentic burgers with all the fixings, there's still no beating Malone's, Tóngrén Lù 255 near the Shànghai Centre (tel. 021/6247-2400), a Canadian-owned sports bar that's as American as it gets.

Best Light Lunch: Delicious fresh salads are now readily available in Shànghai at Element Fresh at the Shànghai Centre, Nánjing Xi Lù 1376, no. 112 (tel. 021/6279-8682). Wash it down with a fresh-squeezed carrot-apple-ginseng or your favorite smoothie.

Best Teahouse: The most famous teahouse in China, its eaves soaring over the pond by Yù Yuán (Yù Garden), is Shànghai's own Húxin Tíng (tel. 021/6373-6950), a welcome haven in the crunch of Old Town shopping and mass tourism.

Best Xiaolóng bao (Dumpling): The traditional favorite establishment for Shànghai's favorite dumpling has always been Nánxiáng Mántou Diàn, Yùyuán Lù 85 (tel. 021/6355-4206), near Yù Yuán in the old Chinese City. Patrons line up here for hours. But the new Crystal Jade Restaurant in Xin Tiandì, Xìnyè Lù 123, Nánli 6-7, 2nd Floor, 12A & B (tel. 021/6385-8752), can now rightfully claim the crown with the thinnest dumpling wrapper in town, and perfect xiaolóng bao that are served at just the right temperature. Crystal Jade also serves an excellent dan dan miàn (noodles in spicy peanut sauce), not that you need another reason to head straight there.

Best Cantonese: Any hotel worth its salt in Shànghai has a Cantonese restaurant (the second most popular Chinese regional cuisine in town after Shànghai's own), but the two top choices are the long-presiding Dynasty, Yán'an Xi Lù 2099, in the Renaissance Yangtze Hotel (tel. 021/6275-0000); and the 55th-floor Canton restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Shìjì Dà Dào 88, in Pudong (tel. 021/5049-1234, ext. 8898; reserve 3 days in advance). These elegant restaurants feature top chefs from Hong Kong.

Best European: Danieli's, at the St. Regis Shànghai, Dongfang Lù 877, 29th Floor, Pudong (tel. 021/5050-4567), is the best option, out of a crowded field and some fine competition, for Italian, with excellent pastas, panoramic views, and exquisite service. The purple-themed French restaurant La Seine, Jì'nán Lù 8 (tel. 021/6384-3722), offers superb entrées and sinful desserts, and is a favorite with its international clientele. Jean Georges, Zhongshan Dong Yi Lù 3, 4th Floor (tel. 021/6321-7733), opened at press time and promises to be a hit.

Best Asian (Non-Chinese): Simply Thai, Dongpíng Lù 5, Unit C (tel. 021/6445-9551), in a quaint French Concession cottage, offers the most authentic Thai food in the most pleasing environment. The best nouvelle Japanese cuisine comes by way of an uber-hip Bauhaus bunker known as Shintori Null II, Jùlù Lù 803 (tel. 021/5404-5252), while the best place for more traditional hearty Japanese favorites is Itoya, Nánjing Xi Lù 1515, 1st Floor (tel. 021/5298-5777). Indian Kitchen, Yongjia Lù 572 (tel. 021/6473-1517), is your best source for tasty Indian fare that is also easy on the wallet.

Best Decor: The trove of Asian artifacts, Buddha statues, and Míng Dynasty furniture inside the incense-filled loft of a Tudor-style mansion makes the fine food at The Door, Hóngqiáo Lù 1468, 3rd Floor (tel. 021/6295-3737), secondary to its decor.

Best for Kids: Overall, most Chinese restaurants are very child-friendly. The staff at 1221, Yán'an Xi Lù 1221 (tel. 021/6213-6585), tends to dote on children and give families the private rooms. O'Malley's, Táojiang Lù 42 (tel. 021/6437-0667), has a children's playground on the front lawn that's a hit with both kids and parents.

Best Tongue Twister (Due to Spicy Food): Two of the spiciest Chinese cuisines are well represented here: Ba Guó Bù Yi, Hóngqiáo Lù 1676 (tel. 021/6270-6668), is one of the most authentic Sìchuan restaurants in town and will introduce neophytes to the Sìchuan peppercorn. At Di Shui Dòng, Màomíng Nán Lù 56 (tel. 021/6253-2689), you'll get chilies straight up by way of Húnán Province. Either place will have your sweat glands working overtime.

Best Chinese Restaurant Undiscovered by the Masses: Lao Tán, Xìngfú Lù 42, 2nd Floor (tel. 021/6283-7843), squirreled away on the western edge of the French Concession, serves the spicy and sour cuisine of Southwestern China's Guìzhou Province. Its signature sour beans with smoked bacon and its fiery chicken dishes are probably not what you're used to, but they are definitely worth trying. Light on the wallet as well.

Best Crab: Wáng Bao Hé, Fúzhou Lù 603 (tel. 021/6322-3673), a Shànghai institution that claims to be the oldest restaurant in town, brings political and business leaders and crab aficionados to their knees with its multitude of crab dishes, but especially during hairy crab season (autumn). You'll be on your knees, too, when you see the bill.

Best Vegetarian: The French Concession Zao Zi Shù, Songshan Lù 77, 1st Floor (tel. 021/6384-8000), takes its mission seriously (its name is also a pun that exhorts diners to become vegetarians as soon as possible, zao chi sù). There's no smoking, no MSG, no alcohol, and no dairy, but plenty of organic tea, fruit appetizers, flavorful vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu doubling as meat.