Minmon is an unique Chinese seafood buffet in Shanghai with a location in Shenzhen. It is located about 20 minutes from the Bund. We watch a video about this spot and wanted to give it a try. Decor is modern and nautical in theme. The selection of seafood items geared towards Chinese cooking are unparalleled! What a fun spot. No reservations.
Lai Lai is known for top rated Xiao long bao aka XLB or soup dumplings. We’ve been to Yu garden, Jia jia, Din Tai Fung and several other places on past trips, so it was time for a new place.
Top xiao long bao in Shanghai?
Jia Jia Tang Bao (佳家汤包) is a small but popular Shanghai steamed dumpling or Xiaolongbao shop in Shanghai established in 1986. Our first visit was in 2010, then 2014. Our most recent visit was in Summer 2025 when they had moved down the block to nicer location.
Dumplings worth flying across the Pacific Ocean for…
Yang’s Dumpling – Chinese name: 小杨生煎馆 or xiao yang sheng jian guan 生煎包 – is a popular fried dumpling shop serving pan fried pork bun or Sheng jian bao, a Shanghainese Chinese dish. It was formed in Shanghai in 1994 by Mrs. Yang, who still keeps her recipe secret. They have many locations in Shanghai and are opening more all the time even in Austrailia. We dined at the Shanghai Huanghe location nearest to our hotel by People’s Square.
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We recently finished a culinary tour of China in the Summer of 2025. Shanghai is a world class city full of great food. Most of the Chinese food was superior to that in the San Francisco Bay Area and even Vancouver, BC Canada.
Incredible Italian in Shanghai
Why did we dine here? – 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana is the sister restaurant to their Hong Kong location. They have been awarded 3 Michelin Stars in Hong Kong. We were getting sick of several weeks of Chinese food during our Asia trip and decided it was time for something different. Being huge fans of Italian food, we went for the number one bet.
Why did we dine here? – Fu Chun is well known as one of the most authentic Xiao long Bao restaurants in Shanghai. They have been in existence for many decades. They have many locations around the city, (10 stores, mostly in shopping centers) we chose the one that was the closest to our hotel near People’s Square. Note: this location is slated to close as a new high end shopping center is displacing it. More progress.
Why did we dine here? – Da Chun is an old school Sheng jian bao restaurant. We love Yang’s Dumplings (Xiao Yang) and try to eat there everytime we visit Shanghai, but made sure we visit the harbinger of this genre. This restaurant has several locations, yet we chose the Da Shi Jie outpost as it is supposed to be the best.
Nanling Restaurant in the French Concession is a restaurant in Shanghai, China serving Huaiyang cuisine, famous for its carving techniques using specialty knives. Nanling also serves Yangzhou specialties, including lots of fresh seafood dishes and the signature dish, roast duck. Interesting Asian art hugs the walls. Our excellent US$50 meal could feed six people or more. After dinner, hit one of the many bars down the block.
Subway: Hengshan Road Station
Fu1039 is a classic Shanghai restaurant that is mentioned in many tour books, making us cautious. It is located in the Hongqiao area of Shanghai not far from the subway. The restaurant is located down an alley from the 1039 address marker.
South Beauty is a very beautiful restaurant located in the Super Brand Mall in Shanghai’s Pudong district. The view of the Bund was awesome from this location making us worry about the quality of the food. You have to spend at least ¥200 per person to sit by the window. Dining on the outdoor deck is unparalleled. South Beauty, founded in 2000 by Zhang Lan, has over 40 high end restaurants throughout China including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chengdu, Suzhou, QingDao, Shenyang. They also run Steam, LAN Club, and SUBU. We had eaten at this location about two years ago and had mixed results. South Beauty Was picked this time because the other restaurants in the Super Brand Mall had already closed. They serve a combination of Sichuan and Cantonese Chinese food in stylish environments.
Din Tai Fung is a popular Shanghai dumpling restaurant with locations in Los Angeles, Taipei, Japan, China, Singapore, and several other countries. We dined at the location in Shanghai’s touristy Xintiandi. The Los Angeles location is in Arcadia with Yelp reviews unfortunately indicating it is a step down from the ones abroad.
This restaurant started in Taipei City and has expanded over the years based on the popularity of their Shanghai steamed dumplings. We decided not to visit the USA, Beijing, Tokyo or Hong Kong branch and eat at one in the heart of Xiao Long Bao dumpling territory, Shanghai, China. We were hoping that this would be the star location for dumplings.
Jardin de Jade or Jade Garden Restaurant (Chinese Name: 苏浙汇 – Su Zhe Hui) serves Shanghai cuisine and has locations in Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, and Beijing. They are part of King Mang Jade Garden Group’s high-end restaurant brand and launched in 1999. In the Summer of 2009, we visited the Beijing location for lunch, which was located in the Raycom Info Tech Park that is home to many technology companies. In the Summer of 2010, we had dinner at a Shanghai location near People’s Square, which was located above a Porsche dealership.
More Foodie delights from our recent trip to China.
What is a fast food place doing on the Foodnut.com? Eating fast food on a vacation? Sacrilegious! We visited KFC in a Beijing shopping mall when we wanted a small snack. We noticed some Egg Custard tarts on the menu and gave them a try.
We recently finished a culinary tour of China. Shanghai is a world class city full of great food. Most of the food was different from food in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Here are some quick mini reviews of places we ate at, so you can understand how Shanghai food compares, and so you select the best places on your visit. If a restaurant does not have a website, we link to their dianping page.