5 authentic Shanghai restaurants that locals love and visitors need to try
From xiaolongbao to crab roe noodles, and braised pork and duck, we share five Shanghai restaurants offering authentic local flavours
China’s food delivery system is among the world’s most advanced and affordable, but for residents of Shanghai, nothing beats visiting a local diner where the food is freshly cooked, the service prompt and atmosphere cosy.
With temperatures starting to fall after one of the hottest ever summers in Shanghai, now is the ideal time to think about going out to eat.
Here are five local food spots – from the self-proclaimed home of crabs to a vegetarian restaurant tucked behind a Buddhist temple – that any visitors who appreciate authentic Shanghainese cuisine should try.
1. Lyceum Restaurant
The 37-year-old Lyceum Restaurant, Lan Xin in Chinese, is on Jinxian Road in Huangpu district, 420 metres (460 yards) long and packed with restaurants and bars.
Lyceum Restaurant serves traditional, homely Shanghainese food, such as braised pork and duck, crabmeat fried with egg white, yellow croaker in sweet vinegar, and a selection of comforting soups that one would expect to find in a local household, but with stronger flavours.
The modest-looking establishment has been featured in the Michelin Guide Shanghai every year since 2018, so expect to queue and to share one of the five tables inside with fellow foodies.
The Lyceum has opened numerous branches in Shanghai’s top shopping malls, which have extended menus and upgraded service. However, its authenticity, evident in the annoyance servers occasionally show towards slow and indecisive diners, can only be experienced at its original location.
