The 6 Hottest New Restaurants in Shanghai
Today Eater returns to Shanghai, China, to spotlight the most in-demand restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the most crowded city in the world. To help, Eater asked Shanghai-based food writer Christopher St. Cavish to offer up his picks for the hottest openings of the past 12 months or so.To get more news about Best places to eat in Shanghai China, you can visit shine news official website.
On
his list, a Korean-style izakaya (Jeju), a glitzy Szechuan palace (the
Peacock Room), and a grocery store-cafe-wine bar from a
three-Michelin-starred chef (the Chop Chop Club). China’s coffee boom
continues, with new specialists ranging from hidden pour-over cubbies
(Hey There) to a 29,000-square-foot Starbucks — the largest in the
world. “At the same time,” says St. Cavish, “the city is reinventing the
way it drinks tea for a younger generation. It’s an exciting time to
eat and drink in Shanghai.”
1. Jeju Izakaya
1095 Yu Yuan Lu, Changning Qu, Shanghai Shi
China, 200085
A
Korean-style Japanese izakaya with influences from all over and a sort
of research mandate designed to benefit the parent company’s other,
bigger restaurants, Jeju Izakaya is a small (eight seats) but perfectly
formed eccentricity, with great food. Reservations can only be made
through WeChat, China’s ubiquitous text-messaging program.
2. Hey There
A
new contender in the sometimes-contentious world of cat cafes, Hey
There has three cute felines, one for each floor of the three-story
space. That space is comfy, done up like a nice friend’s house, with a
large sofa on the ground floor and Rolling Stones LPs displayed
upstairs, all decorated in warm wood and airy glass. The coffee itself
is mild, but as far as cat cafes go, Hey There is Shanghai’s new
champion.
3. 62 le Bec
After
winning two Michelin stars in his native Lyon, and setting up a
critically acclaimed bistro and fine dining restaurant in Shanghai,
Nicolas le Bec embarked upon his latest endeavor: a grocery-cafe-wine
bar. But given le Bec’s pedigree — and, more importantly, his
direct-import model — this is more than just a shop for dry goods and a
bottle of wine. Instead, it’s a tour through Old World wines at steep
discounts (again, the direct importing) for this part of the world, with
a menu of small bites to help temper the booze. Add 100 yuan for
corkage and a drink in his recreated cellar atmosphere.
4. RAC
When
scandal hit the popular Farine bakery chain in early 2017, forcing it
and all its related restaurants to close, its staff scattered across the
city. RAC is a triumphant return for many of them, who regrouped at
this small galette shop and cafe. The new store sits at the quiet end of
Expat Alley, a stretch of Anfu Lu known for its expatriate residents,
plus a good mix of restaurants, boutiques, bakeries, and coffee shops.
RAC is sort of a bridge between that world and the old residences that
surround it, with a hidden courtyard walled in by both offices for
creative-industry types and the old 1930s housing that typifies this
part of the former French Concession. It doesn’t hurt that they do an
excellent cup of coffee — probably the best on the street.
5. Diner
With
upgraded takes on comfort food from locally famous chef Austin Hu,
Diner has become a neighborhood fixture in the French Concession, known
for its beautiful plate glass windows and corner location. Perfect for
people-watching over a stack of pancakes with lemon curd and blueberry
compote or a delicious smashed and griddled wagyu burger.
6. Simply Better
This
Korean newcomer went viral in 2017 for its Dirty Coffee, a latte
covered in chocolate shavings. It was initially part of its monthly
series, but there was a collective coffee-fanatic outcry when the cafe
tried to take it off the menu, and so it remains, along with a
constantly revolving list of creative specials.
The Wall