Food · Shanghai · China
What to eat in Shanghai
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Shanghai, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
Start with Soup dumplings, Pan-fried pork buns and Red-braised pork belly. Join locals at a breakfast stall for the classic set of dabing flatbread, youtiao dough sticks, cifantuan rice rolls and warm soy milk. Mobile payment through Alipay or WeChat Pay is the norm; both apps accept many foreign bank cards, but carry some cash as backup.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Soup dumplings
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 2
- Tipping
- Tipping is not expected in restaurants, taxis or most hotels.
- Food experiences
- 4
10 foods to try
Dish
1.Soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao)
Thin-skinned pork dumplings filled with hot broth, steamed in bamboo baskets of eight or ten and eaten with black vinegar and ginger. The style comes from Nanxiang, a town in Shanghai's northern suburbs.
Where: Old dumpling houses around Yu Garden and People's Square, and the dumpling shops along Huanghe Road; queues signal turnover and freshness.
Street food
2.Pan-fried pork buns (Shengjian bao)
Thick-skinned buns filled with pork and broth, fried in wide iron pans until the bottoms are crisp, then scattered with sesame and scallions. Bite a small hole first to let the steam out.
Where: Specialist shengjian chains and corner shops across the city, especially at breakfast and lunch.
Dish
3.Red-braised pork belly (Hongshao rou)
Cubes of pork belly slow-braised in soy sauce, rice wine and rock sugar until glossy and soft, the signature of Shanghai's sweet-savoury benbang cooking.
Where: Long-established benbang restaurants in Huangpu and the former French Concession; order it with plain rice.
Dish · Vegetarian
4.Scallion oil noodles (Cong you ban mian)
Thin wheat noodles tossed with soy sauce and oil in which scallions have been fried until dark and crisp. Simple, cheap and very Shanghainese.
Where: Neighbourhood noodle shops; often served alongside a bowl of wontons.
Dish
5.Hairy crab (Dazhaxie)
Freshwater mitten crabs, prized for their golden roe and eaten steamed with ginger vinegar and warm yellow wine. The season runs roughly from late September to November, and crabs from Yangcheng Lake near Suzhou command the highest prices.
Where: Specialist crab restaurants and wet markets in autumn; set crab menus are common in the season.
Breakfast
6.Sticky rice roll (Cifantuan)
Glutinous rice pressed around a piece of fried dough stick, pickled vegetables and pork floss, rolled tight and eaten on the go. It is one of the 'four heavenly kings' of the Shanghai breakfast with dabing flatbread, youtiao and soy milk.
Where: Morning breakfast stalls near Metro stations and in residential lanes, usually until mid-morning.
Dish
7.Shanghai wontons (Huntun)
Large wontons filled with pork and shepherd's purse greens, served in a clear broth, plus smaller thin-skinned wontons in a seaweed and dried-shrimp soup.
Where: Noodle and wonton shops throughout the city, often open from breakfast.
Dish
8.Smoked fish (Xun yu)
Despite the name, this cold appetiser is fried fish steeped in a sweet soy and spice marinade. It appears at the start of most Shanghainese banquets alongside drunken chicken.
Where: Benbang restaurants and deli counters in food halls.
Dish
9.Drunken chicken (Zui ji)
Poached chicken chilled and steeped in Shaoxing rice wine, served cold with the skin on. Light and fragrant, it is a classic summer starter.
Where: Shanghainese restaurants, especially as part of a set of cold dishes.
Snack · Vegetarian
10.Crab shell pastry (Xiekehuang)
A flaky, sesame-crusted baked pastry, named for its round golden shape, with sweet or savoury fillings such as scallion or pork.
Where: Old bakeries and snack shops in the Old City and around Huanghe Road.
Food experiences
Four heavenly kings breakfast
Join locals at a breakfast stall for the classic set of dabing flatbread, youtiao dough sticks, cifantuan rice rolls and warm soy milk. Stalls are busiest before 9am and many sell out by mid-morning.
Huanghe Road and Yunnan Road eating
Huanghe Road just north of People's Square is lined with dumpling and shengjian shops, and Yunnan South Road nearby is a long-standing food street; both make an easy evening crawl from the Bund area.
Hairy crab season
From late September into November, restaurants run crab menus and wet markets sell live crabs tied with string. Eating one is a slow, hands-on ritual best shared with a local or a guide.
Benbang banquet
Order a spread of cold starters such as smoked fish and drunken chicken, then red-braised pork, river shrimp and seasonal greens at a traditional Shanghainese restaurant; dishes are designed for sharing.
Quick bites and street food
- Pan-fried pork buns — Specialist shengjian chains and corner shops across the city, especially at breakfast and lunch.
- Sticky rice roll — Morning breakfast stalls near Metro stations and in residential lanes, usually until mid-morning.
- Crab shell pastry — Old bakeries and snack shops in the Old City and around Huanghe Road.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 2 are usually vegetarian: Scallion oil noodles and Crab shell pastry. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Mobile payment through Alipay or WeChat Pay is the norm; both apps accept many foreign bank cards, but carry some cash as backup.
- Many restaurants use QR-code ordering at the table; a translation app with camera mode helps with Chinese-only menus.
- Dishes are served family-style and meant for sharing; order one dish per person plus rice or noodles.
- Lunch is often served from about 11am and dinner from 5:30pm, earlier than in Europe.
- Popular dumpling shops have high turnover; queuing is usually quick and worth it.
Tipping
Tipping is not expected in restaurants, taxis or most hotels. International hotels and some upmarket restaurants add a service charge of about 10–15% to the bill.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| Xièxie | Thank you |
| Duōshǎo qián? | How much is it? |
| Mǎidān | The bill, please |
| Bú yào là | Not spicy, please |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Shanghai famous for?
Soup dumplings, Pan-fried pork buns, Red-braised pork belly and Scallion oil noodles. Thin-skinned pork dumplings filled with hot broth, steamed in bamboo baskets of eight or ten and eaten with black vinegar and ginger.
+Is Shanghai good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Scallion oil noodles and Crab shell pastry.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Shanghai?
Tipping is not expected in restaurants, taxis or most hotels. International hotels and some upmarket restaurants add a service charge of about 10–15% to the bill.