A Dining Table Where Shanghai People Bring Guests

Shanghai's authentic cuisine shines at tables where rich Hong Shao Rou, glazed with soy sauce, sugar, and wine, is shared alongside shrimp and fish dishes. We've curated a selection of actual restaurants. Even with the same menu, flavors can vary based on the thickness of the meat, broth, ratio of soy sauce to sugar, seasonal ingredients, and cooking order, so we've compared both the representative dishes and the characteristics of each restaurant.

Authentic Shanghai cuisine features large plates and bold flavors. Make sure to order a mix of meat, fish, and vegetables according to the number of people, and check the market price and service charge first. Operating hours, holidays, availability of ingredients, and payment methods can change frequently, so it's advisable to check the official restaurant notices and map information right before your visit.

Instead of trying to follow all five suggestions at once, choose one category that piques your curiosity between dumplings, noodles, breakfast, authentic Shanghai cuisine, and desserts, and plan your day around that. Even with the same menu, flavors vary based on the thickness of the meat, broth, ratio of soy sauce to sugar, seasonal ingredients, and cooking order, so we compared both the representative dishes and the characteristics of each restaurant.

After your visit, recording the taste, price, waiting time, and what you want to order again will serve as a reference for your next culinary journey in Shanghai. Operating hours, holidays, availability of ingredients, and payment methods can change frequently, so it's advisable to check the official restaurant notices and map information right before your visit. Instead of cramming too many places into one go, if you consider the travel time, portion sizes, waiting time, and storage times for takeout items, picking just two or three places will reduce waste and allow you to clearly experience the differences in Shanghai's flavors that each restaurant has preserved.