# 40 Amazing Dishes You Have to Try in Shanghai

> We rounded up 40 of Shanghai's best dishes, from street food to fine-dining delicacies. Find out what to order to truly savor the city.

- URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/40-chudovykh-strav-iaki-mozhna-sprobuvaty-v-shankhai/
- Language: en
- Published: 2024-09-15
- Categories: Culture, Leisure, Restaurants, Tours, China, Food & Drinks

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This city's greasy, sweet, soy-soaked cooking may not be the finest on the mainland, but we love our food here in Shanghai. In a city that serves up so many culinary options, from roadside stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants, we wanted to celebrate it.

So here's a list of 40 dishes you can find while traveling around Shanghai, the ones we simply can't live without.

## 1. Xiaolongbao (小笼包)

![Xiaolongbao soup dumplings](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-1-2024.jpg)

We just had to start with this one, because no list of Shanghai favorites is ever complete without a nod to our famous soup dumpling, the xiaolongbao. A dumpling that cleverly hides its soup inside a delicately pinched wrapper, it has reached cult-like levels of devotion in this city.

Even though it scorches the mouths and tongues of inexperienced dumpling eaters (note: you need to pierce the wrapper to let the steam out, then slowly sip the soup before popping the whole xiaolongbao into your mouth), we simply can't live without this Shanghai classic. We love it so much we've even run a few xiaolongbao tours around Shanghai.

## 2. Di Shui Dong Spare Ribs

These fall-off-the-bone ribs are as juicy as they are tender. Sweetly braised in soy sauce, they completely overshadow those tiny snack-sized ribs. And without the little bones you find in those ubiquitous nibbles, the meat on these hearty ribs can be devoured in seconds.

## 3. Braised Eggplant (红烧茄子)

Few people genuinely love eggplant before coming to China, but once they're here, almost everyone becomes a fan of this purple vegetable. Of all the eggplant dishes on offer in this city, the braised version of this hearty veggie is easily the most flavorful.

Braised in Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar, chili, and sometimes even pork, this Shanghai favorite has become a must-have menu item at most restaurants. It strikes the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and savory, and we don't feel quite so guilty eating it, because it's a vegetable.

## 4. Field Chicken: Frog (田鸡)

Don't be scared off. Beneath that slippery skin hides meat that outdoes chicken in every way. Frog is the soul mate of your ice-cold Tsingtao and Shanghai's four-legged answer to buffalo chicken wings. It's cheap and plentiful, and thanks to those qualities we've found that just about every restaurant cook can whip up a masterful frog dish.

Our favorite is the gan shao niu wa at Xiang Li Ba Ba: a pizza-sized platter piled high with spicy, tender frog meat, crunchy rice cakes, potato slices, and bamboo. If you're a first-timer, try the frog at San Gu.

## 5. M's Pavlova

To be precise, the famous M pavlova. Forget the cocktails, trade your yuan for a sweet slice of this meringue, topped with tropical fruit and finished with a tangy-sweet passion fruit glaze.

Dry and crisp on the outside and soft as angels within, M's pavlova is far tastier than any whipped egg whites have any right to be.

## 6. Grilled Oysters (烤生蚝)

Shanghai is a paradise for seafood lovers, and we've got a whole street devoted to oysters, mussels, scallops, crawfish, and abalone (at affordable prices, too!) to prove it. Every vendor on Shouning Street has a slightly different take on the three ways of grilling oysters: oysters with black bean sauce, oysters with butter, chili, and garlic, and mock-French oysters in a "cheese" sauce.

You really need to try every tiny stall to find your favorite. Lucky for you, Shouning Street is open 24 hours a day.

## 7. Choose Your Own Adventure... in Seafood

If you haven't visited the fish market on Tongchuan Street yet, go. Go right now. It's the place to test and sharpen your bargaining skills, since hunger will push you to a whole new level of motivation.

Once you've gathered a collection of fresh seafood (you can buy everything from scallops to sea cucumber at restaurant prices if you haggle, or bring along a friend who speaks the Shanghai dialect), take your catch to any of the restaurants on that street. The cooks will prepare it all so you can dig in right away.

## 8. "Chicken Without Sexual Experience" (童子鸡)

We appreciate tongzi ji, or spring chicken, if only for the hilariously awkward menu translations like the one above, and its nod to local slang ("tongzi ji" in slang refers to a young man dating an older woman, or another name for a male virgin).

Tongzi ji is eaten for its especially tender meat, which is stir-fried with green peppers or edamame (the Japanese can't keep it all to themselves) or turned into a medicinal soup.

## 9. Candied Strawberry Skewers (糖草莓串)

A descendant of the classic candied hawthorn skewer (糖葫芦), the appearance of these ripe, crisp-sweet strawberry skewers at vendors' stalls announces to Shanghai: "Spring is here."

Buy these strawberries at the peak of the season in May. If you're lucky, you'll find a vendor who glazes them right before your eyes in a wok of bubbling sugar.

Try it: Fruit skewer vendors usually gather in front of shopping malls, near park entrances, or in tourist spots. Check for freshness and pick the ones that are individually wrapped, if any.

## 10. Raw Drunken Crab (醉蟹)

Don't let the crab's translucent parts and clumps of orange roe intimidate you. Drunken crab, made from spotted sea crabs, is a must-try for its texture: the meat is soft like cold sashimi, and the roe is creamy yet firm.

The complex flavor of Shaoxing wine can be a little unusual at first (especially in drunken crab), so try it with a bit of rice or congee to start.

## 11. Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐)

![Stinky tofu](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-2-2024.jpg)

Easily the smelliest food in the city, stinky tofu, fermented and downright offensive to the nose, is one of Shanghai's beloved snacks, and plenty of foreigners love to hate it. Our take: you can't hate it until you've tried it.

Deep-fried and drizzled with soybean paste and red chili sauce, the crispy outer shell of this surprisingly soft food (given its stench) conceals a crumbly, almost sweet tofu inside. You know you've become a real Shanghainese when you catch a whiff of this stuff two blocks away and start running toward it, and discover that the truly good version doesn't actually smell all that bad.

## 12. Element Fresh Miso-Yogurt Dressing

This dressing is liquid ecstasy. The first few times we tried the salad with lavash bread, we got instantly hooked on its miso-yogurt dressing. Now, whenever we order the salad, we don't think twice about asking the waiter to bring an extra serving, just so we have enough for dipping the lavash. Who said salad is eaten because it's good for you?

## 13. Niangao (年糕)

Soft and chewy slices of Shanghai-style niangao are an old-fashioned treat that remains a lifesaver for bachelors making dinner, as well as a popular lunch order at local noodle shops. Stir-fried with leeks and pork, or for special occasions tossed with pieces of hairy crab in a sweet brown sauce, niangao is devilishly delicious. We love the sweet, sticky, chewy niangao with hairy crab at Wang Jia Sha.

## 14. Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

![Mapo tofu](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-3-2024.jpg)

Although mapo tofu is technically a Sichuan dish, Shanghai has embraced this temptingly spicy creation as its own, since you can find it in most restaurants here. Legend has it that a shunned old woman with a pockmarked face (mapo) created this dish using the tongue-numbing kick of huajiao, or flower pepper. Just be sure to eat it with a bowl of rice, a tall glass of milk, or, more likely, an ice-cold Tsingtao, because this stuff can be painfully, if addictively, spicy.

## 15. Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish (松子鲑鱼)

Also known as sweet-and-sour mandarin fish, this dish hails from Suzhou, not far from Shanghai. At first it was simply what Shanghainese ordered while vacationing there, but it became so popular that it made its way onto the menu of every trendy Chinese restaurant in Shanghai. The mandarin fish is scored, deep-fried into its signature "squirrel" shape, and topped with tomato sauce, shrimp, pine nuts, and bamboo.

## 16. Late-Night Street Noodles

![Late-night street noodles](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-4-2024.jpg)

Nothing caps off a great late-night stroll better than a hearty bowl of street noodles of just about any kind. Stir-fried with greens, sprouts, Spam or pork, egg, and a generous helping of MSG and sugar, there's honestly never a bad time to enjoy them. And even with a few former famous food streets shutting down, these carts can still be found at night, scattered through alleys and streets all over the city.

## 17. Hanging Roast Duck

![Hanging roast duck](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-5-2024.jpg)

This is Shanghai's answer to Peking duck: honey-glazed roast ducks that you can find at almost any wet market in the city. We love to grab a bird and watch the butcher deal with it, quickly and almost seamlessly chopping through the bones and laying the juicy pieces into foam containers. This duck is wonderful in soups, with rice, with noodles, heck, we love eating it straight out of the takeout box.

## 18. Hedonistic Champagne Brunch

Nothing captures Shanghai's luxury better than waiters pouring sparkling wine and a spread of over 100 dishes from around the world. We're talking hours of epic eating. Taking part in a massive buffet with bottomless champagne is something you have to try at least once in Shanghai, especially when views of the Bund are involved. Fortunately, nearly every five-star hotel offers its own version of the champagne brunch.

## 19. Sticky Rice-Stuffed Red Dates, Xin Tai Ruan (心太软)

The name "Xin Tai Ruan" is a play on words from a classic Chinese pop song about a soft-hearted woman. In this case, the soft heart is a rice cake, that is, sweet dates stuffed with mochi and served in a sweet glaze. Most Shanghai restaurants offer some version (only in Shanghai, with our sweet tooth, does this dish scream "appetizer!" rather than "dessert!"). The best ones are made fresh when you order.

## 20. Hand-Pulled Muslim Noodles

What could be better than noodle soup? Easy: noodle soup where the waiter creates the noodles right before your eyes. Boiled in an instant in a fragrant broth, these noodles will suit your taste to a tee. A ball of dough is quickly stretched, twisted, and stretched again until it becomes perfectly thin noodles.

## 21. Fish Boiled in Spicy Oil (水煮鱼)

The "boiled in water" part of this dish's name is a total lie; the water is actually oil. We're talking tender slices of fish (often wild catfish), fully submerged in a huge bowl of chili oil, with bean sprouts and even more dried red chili, just in case. Don't be scared off, most versions of this famous Sichuan dish are spicy but bearable. Just be sure to go to a reputable restaurant so you don't risk swallowing questionable oil.

## 22. Shengjianbao (生煎包)

![Shengjianbao pan-fried dumplings](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-6-2024.jpg)

What could be wrong with a fried dumpling full of fatty pork? Nothing at all. This local snack made our list of Shanghai's greasiest dishes... the ones we'll never give up. Yang's is, of course, the go-to spot in the city for this sage-seasoned, greasy snack. Even though Yang's moved from its stall on Wujiang Street, don't worry, you can still find them on the newer (western) side of the same street. We love them so much we even took a class at the Chinese Cooking Workshop to learn how to fry the perfect 'bao.

## 23. Hongshao Rou (红烧肉)

![Hongshao rou braised pork belly](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-7-2024.jpg)

Love hongshao rou? You've got that in common with Chairman Mao and 90% of everyone who has ever tried this dish of pork belly braised in soy sauce. A dinnertime staple, the amount of hongshao rou cooked every evening in Shanghai's home kitchens and restaurants must be enormous.

Our favorite version is the signature hongshao rou from Jesse restaurant, served in a fairly sweet soy glaze and with just the right fat-to-meat ratio (clearly more meat than fat). It's a secret recipe, but if you look closely, you'll notice they add diced cuttlefish to offset the porkiness of the meat. A classic.

## 24. Mini Wontons in Soup (小馄饨)

Hot bowls of tiny wontons floating in broth, garnished with cilantro, dried shrimp, and strips of egg, regularly kick off our mornings. When you step outside, you can find wet-market grandmas turned xiao wonton vendors, making these little treats at incredible speed, pressing mini wrappers and pork filling in their hands.

## 25. Crawfish (小龙虾)

![Spicy crawfish](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-8-2024.jpg)

Here we are, back on Shouning Street for the food that drives Shanghainese wild in summer: crawfish. The 35-degree heat is simply unbearable without these weekend buckets of crawfish, seasoned with chili and washed down with cold, cheap Tsingtao in the company of a bunch of friends. Don't be afraid to sit face-to-face with the locals, challenging them to a crawfish-peeling battle on their own turf.

## 26. Drunken Chicken (醉鸡)

Forget enjoying your food while slightly tipsy, some of the best dishes in Shanghai have beaten you to it. Of all the drunken variations of dishes in Shanghai, our absolute favorite is the cold drunken chicken. After the chicken is steamed and cut into pieces, it's marinated all night in a bowl of strong baijiu or other stiff drinks. Served chilled, the bird is an intoxicating, savory pleasure.

## 27. Afternoon Tea

There's afternoon tea, and then there's High Tea Shanghai-style. Shanghai's elite, of course, prefer the latter. As one of Shanghai's greatest gifts from the British, High Tea at the ceremonial Lobby Tea at the Peninsula is both lavish and delicious.

Complete with the 18-string Lobby Strings, the light meal features a collection of the Peninsula's signature teas, best complemented by a luxurious selection of sandwiches, breads, and petits fours. Many thanks to the Duchess of Bedford for introducing us to this traditional and fashionable, not to mention rather aristocratic, experience.

## 28. Skewers

![Grilled skewers](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-9-2024.jpg)

If it's food, we'll stick it on a stick and grill it for you in Shanghai. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even at 3 a.m., skewers are always a safe bet for something tasty and appetizing. Whether we're eating squid, lamb, or green bean skewers, they always make a great snack.

Our favorites are the Xinjiang yangrou chuanr (羊肉串), mainly because the chunks of skewered meat alternate with pieces of fat and are seasoned with a delicious cumin-based blend.

## 29. Whisk Hot Chocolate with Homemade Marshmallows

Before Whisk came along, we couldn't find a decent hot chocolate in Shanghai, let alone a hot chocolate with magical, fluffy homemade marshmallows. So even though Whisk took a lot of flak from disgruntled customers, we still nostalgically remember those cozy mugs and that thick chocolate soup, though it's now easier to get a cup at hof and Charmant. Still, credit where credit is due.

## 30. Shanghai Smoked Fish (熏鱼)

We already love their clothing, but another reason we love Shanghai Tang is their modern take on the classic Shanghai liangcai (cold dish): Shanghai smoked fish, offered on their weekend brunch menu at the cafe. Delicately fried, the cold fish is bathed in a sweet-and-salty brown sauce and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

## 31. Hi-Chew

So simple yet so delicious, you can buy Hi-Chew, those incomparably sweet, chewy fruit-flavored candies, at practically any convenience store in Shanghai. Out of half a dozen or so flavors, we can't bring ourselves to stop chewing the peach one. Better than any Starburst, peach is the perfect blend of sweetness and artificial deliciousness that keeps us coming back for more. And more.

## 32. Paul Pairet's Lemon Tart

This tart is incredible. It's a candied lemon filled with lemon sorbet, lemon curd, and vanilla Chantilly cream. It's then served with a lemon sablé. With one pierce of the skin, the luscious tangy-sweet filling flows out, and the three-day process of making it is complete.

Don't even try to share it, you'll end up in the middle of a fierce spoon war. It's the best dessert in the city.

## 33. Hairy Crab (大闸蟹)

This type of crab is so popular that many fake versions of the Shanghai crustacean can be found even out of hairy crab season (which is in autumn). It's believed to have a cooling yin effect (of yin and yang) on the body, the female crab's roe is where all the magic is (though this is the subject of rather heated local debate), and it really is quite delicious.

Don't be embarrassed if you don't know how to take this delicacy apart, just ask the restaurant staff for help.

## 34. Congee (粥)

There's one place you can always count on to satisfy a congee craving: Dingxi Street. While this food street is packed with tasty dishes from all over China, every restaurant, whether it specializes in Cantonese, Shanghainese, or any other cuisine, also makes congee. Chaoshan Sha Guo, a must-visit for seafood-in-congee lovers, lets you pick your food while it's still swimming in tanks. Then they cook it in a big clay pot and voila, creamy, umami-rich congee.

## 35. All-You-Can-Eat Japanese Buffets

Shanghai has by far the best Japanese buffets in China, in large part thanks to the Japanese expat community in Hongqiao, which we're told is the largest in the world outside Japan.

The quality and variety of sashimi, sushi, tempura, and izakaya-style snacks available here is impressive (and also varies wildly in quality), especially considering that a sushi buffet in Beijing translates to a sad set of California rolls plus fake juice. All-you-can-eat-and-drink offerings usually cost around $20 (150 yuan) per person on average.

## 36. "Lion's Head" Meatballs (狮子头)

![Lion's head meatballs](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-10-2024.jpg)

What's not to love about giant Chinese meatballs? "Lion's head" meatballs may not be as big as a lion's head, but they're delicious all the same, something like the foie gras of meatballs, with luxurious crab meat and a creamy texture. The delicate, porky nuances of these meatballs are simply impossible to resist with rice (and plenty of it). We bet the Italians are kicking themselves for not thinking of it.

## 37. Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)

The best scallion pancakes are made by little grandmas (and grandpas) who get up at 6 a.m. to cook, knead, and slap these little bing in many of the city's nongtangs. If you're lucky enough to stumble upon someone like this in the morning (long lines leading to residential buildings are a clue), be sure to grab a scallion pancake.

## 38. Dry-Fried Green Beans (炒青豆)

To add a little green to most Chinese tables, many Shanghai restaurant-goers order a plate of these tasty, dry-fried beans. Stir-fried with bright red chilies and ground pork, these veggies are then lightly drizzled with soy sauce and a splash of sesame oil.

Tang, a regular at Nanxiang Steamed Bun restaurant, tells us he simply "can't eat without this dish." It's got two of Shanghai's favorite ingredients: sugar and spice... and all things nice.

## 39. Portuguese Egg Tarts (蛋挞)

![Portuguese egg tarts](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-84-11-2024.jpg)

We love Portuguese egg tarts, and in Shanghai, Lillian Cake Shop is synonymous with this forever-popular pastry. And with the motto "We probably have the best egg tarts in the city," who can resist this sweet treat?

Lillian makes consistently delicious Portuguese egg tarts with a soft, flaky crust and a crème brûlée-like filling. They fly off the shelves during the 5 p.m. rush hour. On top of that, they seem to be at every busy intersection in the city center (the reason for Shanghai's eternal traffic jams, or sweet relief? We'll keep pondering that one).

## 40. Shanghai Fried Noodles

Shanghai cumian, thick-cut pasta, is Shanghai's gift to the wonderful world of noodles. Served at most dumpling spots, Shanghai fried noodles are usually stir-fried with beef, chicken, or pork (sometimes even shrimp), then with cabbage and onion.

As with most Shanghai dishes, a soy base is a must. You can find these noodles in most restaurants in the city, so there's no shortage of them. But the best can be found at Ming Ming Can Ting.