10 of the Best Foods, Drinks, and Sweets in Shanghai, China

Shanghai is gigantic. It’s the most populous city in the world, a global financial center, and is home to the world’s busiest container port. Given the massive amount of people, Shanghai is obviously filled with dining opportunities. Restaurants, bars, tea houses—there are thousands of each. With a long culinary history and a wide range of influences, Shanghai is a great city for the foodie to explore. Here are ten of Shanghai’s best foods, drinks, and sweets.

Jin Xuan Roasted Duck at Jin Xuan Chinese Restaurant

Winning a Michelin Star in 2017, Jin Xuan at the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong is the perfect place for a high-class dinner. Located on the Ritz-Carlton’s 53^rd floor, a window seat will give you a breathtaking view to accompany some expertly-prepared cuisine. Try the roasted duck, paired with black truffle and mushroom. Duck dishes are popular in Shanghai, and Jin Xuan’s is one of the best.

Xiaolongbao at Jia Jia Tang Bao

You can’t visit Shanghai without trying xiaolongbao. It’s essentially a soup dumpling—soft, thin dumpling skin containing juice and meat (traditionally pork). Such a beloved dish should be consumed at an equally-beloved location, so head over to Jia Jia Tang Bao. It’s an institution, with long lines and flexible closing time. Get there early, because they close when they sell out. Oh, and be careful eating xiaolongbao—they’re hot, so open the dumpling wrapper first to let the steam out, then drink up once the contents have cooled.

Chrysanthemum Tea at Cha Mi Living

It seems wrong to visit China without visiting a teahouse. Tea is a significant part of Chinese culture, as is evidenced by Shanghai being home to more than 4,000 teahouses. There are of course many different varieties of tea in China, but chrysanthemum tea is one of the most traditional. It’s refreshing and floral, consumed as a healing remedy as well as for pleasure. The staff at Cha Mi Living can tell you all about the origins and brewing techniques of your tea, which is always brewed exquisitely.

Frog at Xiang Li Ba Ba

Most Westerners are hesitant about trying frog, but this wariness is keeping them from a whole new world of goodness. With delicate meat like chicken, frog dishes can be found all over Shanghai. Xiang Li Ba Ba is a great place to start, uniting tender frog meat with rice cakes, potato slices, and bamboo.

Egg Tarts at Lillian Cake Shop

Egg tarts are a Shanghai favorite, and Lillian Cake Shop’s tarts top the list. Heck, they have a sign over the counter suggesting their egg tarts are the best in all of Shanghai. Take a bite of a tart and you’ll have no trouble believing them. The crust is perfectly soft and flaky, and the egg filling is just sweet enough to complement the custard. You can finish off a tart in a bite or two, and you’ll definitely want more than one. Just get a box.

Hairy Crab Niangao at Wang Jia Sha

Niangao is a beloved Chinese treat tied to Chinese New Year tradition. A soft, chewy, glutinous rice dish, Shanghai niangao is usually stir-fried with meat and vegetables. Grab a seat at Wang Jia Sha and try the hairy crab niangao—don’t worry, the texture is gooey and chewy, not hairy. This particular type of crab is another Chinese favorite, so hairy crab niangao kills two birds (or crabs?) with one stone.

Hongshao Rou at Fu 1039

If you’re partial to pork, you can’t miss hongshao rou, a Chinese classic. Pork belly is braised in soy sauce and seasoned with a variety of spices, making for a mouth-watering dish you can find all over China. At Fu 1039, the tender pork is served on a bed of bamboo shoots and hard-boiled egg. This is comfort food at its best, a pork dish you don’t want to miss.

Yangtze River Tea at Alchemist Cocktail Kitchen

China’s national liquor is baijiu, the most widely-consumed spirit in the world. It’s very strong, and often intimidates first-timers. This makes Alchemist Cocktail Kitchen’s Yangtze River tea a great bet—it combines baijiu with silver tequila, gold rum, and citrus compote. Served with a side of spiced jasmine tea, it’s a great way for people new to baijiu to get a feel for it.

Ma Xiang Pai Gu at Shunxing

Dinner at Shunxing is a real experience. A Chinese folk dance and opera is performed every night, in a building reminiscent of an old Chengdu teahouse. But your surroundings won’t overshadow the authentic cuisine. Serving up a wide variety of traditional favorites, their ma xiang pai gu (steamed spare ribs with a spiced rice coating) is always a good option.

The ‘Coconut’ at Alan Wong’s Shanghai

You’ve never had a dessert like this. It looks like a coconut cut in half—the ‘shell’ is made from dark chocolate, and coconut sorbet is molded inside. It’s then filled with seasonal fruits, such as kiwi, strawberries, and mangoes, and drizzled with a passion fruit sauce for good measure. It’s dessert, certainly, but also lots of fruit, so you can’t feel too guilty, right?

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