Explore some of Shanghai's oldest restaurants, and read about the most famous traditional dishes from the people who make them.
Shanghai Classical Hotel 上海老饭店

Shanghai Classical Hotel was established in
1875, specialising in homely Shanghainese
dishes. Originally operating with only two
bamboo tables, its humble beginnings are
hard to imagine today, considering the large
bustling space it currently occupies beside
Yu Gardens. Having become a culinary
destination in the city, it’s appeared on the
CCTV documentary A Bite of China, and
in November 2014 was added to China’s
Intangible Cultural Heritage list under the
category of cooking skills and techniques.
The current vibe here is slightly old-fashioned
– it’s not called the Shanghai
Classical Hotel for nothing – but it works
well, and come meal time, the dining room
is buzzing. Lining the walls are photos of old
Shanghai, and the wait staff are jolly and will
tell you fun stories about the food (including
one mythical account of Bill Clinton loving
the osmanthus cakes – it’s not true, but
easily could be because these sweet
glutinous rice bites are mighty tasty).
Ren Defeng, general manager and head
chef, has worked at the Shanghai Classical
Hotel for more than 20 years (with over 40
years’ experience as a chef) and believes
the restaurant’s fame and legacy are
intertwined. ‘We insist on tradition,
on our values, on putting quality
first. We insist on passing down
Shanghainese cuisine to the next
generation. For more than three
centuries, the more we cook the
better we get.’
He explains that there isn’t
a secret formula for their best
selling dishes, rather it’s the
careful sourcing of quality
ingredients that helps set
their food offerings apart.
‘Shanghai is a city that has
four different seasons and
that has an impact on how we
choose the ingredients,’ he says,
adding that the heat at which
these ingredients are then cooked
is closely controlled. ‘For 100 years,
there has been no change in that.’
Ren’s love for the Shanghai Classical
Hotel runs deep. He says that the brand and
the restaurant aren’t passed down based
on family lineage, but rather on a shifu-tudi
(master-disciple) system. And although
he’s a way off retiring, he’s already thinking
about how he can pass down his passion
for traditional Shanghainese cuisine to the
next generation.
Key dishes
If you want to experience a range of classic
Shanghai dishes, this is a good one-stop
shop. The xiaolongbao with pork and crab
(36RMB for six) are light and flavoursome
(eat while they’re still steaming), and the
thick soup with crab meat and shepherd’s
purse (35RMB per person) is rich and
soothing. Other highlights include stir-fried
eel (68RMB), quick fried shrimps (88RMB)
and the braised bamboo shoots (58RMB).
Unless you’re dining solo, the Eight
Treasure Duck (158RMB) is a must-order.
This dish is a true feast for the taste buds
(although not so much the eyes) and takes
approximately five to six hours to create
behind the scenes. Swimming in a thick
and slightly sweet soy-based sauce with a
few florets of broccoli, the large marinated
duck is stuffed with eight ingredients (dried
shrimps, ginkgo nuts, duck gizzard, dried
ham, chestnut, bamboo shoots, chicken
cubes and pork cubes) for a unique and
multi-dimensional mouthful.
Shanghai Classical Hotel is at 242 Fuyou Lu, near Lishui Lu, Huangpu district.
Wang Bao He Restaurant 王宝和酒家

Dating back to 1744, Wang Bao He was
originally situated in the Xiaodongmen area
of the old city, before moving to its current
Fuzhou Lu location in 1936. Known for being
one of Shanghai’s oldest restaurants, and
for its diverse and delicious preparation of
crabs, there aren’t many Shanghainese who
haven’t heard of, or eaten at, Wang Bao He.
Outside of crab season, which peaks in
early October, it’s still worth paying a visit to
this institution – which has more than 270
years of experience to draw on – to sample
their zongzi (bamboo-wrapped rice parcels,
traditionally created for the Dragon Boat
Festival) and their savoury moon cakes with
hairy crabmeat, among other specialties.
Head chef Gong Xiaohua has witnessed
significant change in the Shanghainese
dining scene since he started working at
Wang Bao He 24 years ago. ‘Back then there
were more people in Shanghai’s culinary
scene, it was a popular job. But nowadays,
there are fewer people in this profession.’
Nevertheless, this hasn’t affected the
Shanghainese chef’s love for his work:
‘Cooking is not just my profession but also
my passion. I find it interesting, therefore
I spend time on it. If you see your job as work
only, you won’t be able to excel at it but if you
treat it as your hobby, you will do well. The
company’s growth is my own growth.’
Chef Gong believes messiness is part
of the pleasure involved in eating crab for
the Shanghainese, saying, ‘We don’t finish
eating it quickly; we will bite a bit, try it, and
taste a bit of rice wine. It’s a leisure activity
for us. You might ask why make eating so
complicated? It’s actually a form of culture,
and eating is a big part of our culture.
When we’re eating a meal together, we are
enjoying the time spent together. Chinese
food might not be the best in the world, but it
is the best way to express our feelings.’
And as we sit together and tuck into
some crab while donning plastic gloves and
making a particularly satisfying mess, chef
Gong laughs and adds: ‘You can go to fancy
restaurants where the food is served in a
way that is easier to consume but you will miss out on the simple pleasures of life.’ As
we suck the crabmeat out of the legs with
glee, it’s hard not to agree.
Key dishes
Although best known for their crab dishes –
including crab tofu (38RMB), crab and pork
xiaolongbao (30RMB) and fried noodles
with crabmeat and diced fish (88RMB)
– Wang Bao He Restaurant also offers
delicious seasonal specialties throughout
the year.
During May, ask if there is any stir-fried eel
(响油鳝丝 Xiangyóu shànsi) or bamboo
(竹笋 zhúsun) available; although neither is
on the bilingual menu, often the kitchen has
these ingredients in stock and will happily
rustle up a tasty dish for you upon request. Another popular dish at Wang Bao He is
the Southern China-style fried shrimps
(48RMB). These small shrimp are quick
fried in a little soy, sugar and either white
(grape) wine or traditional baijiu, depending
on their size. The best way to eat them is
shell and all.
Wang Bao He Restaurant is at 603 Fuzhou Lu, near Zhejiang Zhong Lu, Huangpu district.
Xiao Shaoxing 小绍兴

Perhaps the best way to describe Xiao
Shaoxing is utterly chaotic. This restaurant,
the name of which literally means ‘little
Shaoxing’, has been present in our city
since the 1940s, when founder Mr Zhang
arrived in Shanghai from the eponymous
Zhejiang city, birthplace of Lu Xun. At first,
Zhang etched out a living for himself selling
snacks, but as time went on, his tender
boiled chicken grew in popularity and it is
now the restaurant’s signature dish.
To the uninitiated, things can seem
confusing here. Heavy wooden chairs
clatter and bang as they are moved about
the stark dining room. Waiters push carts
piled high with dishes and chicken bones
get scattered about on the tables. Given
how busy this place gets at meal times,
you might have to hover next to a table
and wait to sit down, or share a table with
other diners. But it’s an authentic type of
no-frills Shanghai dining and this raucous
environment is home to some of the best
tender-boiled chicken in the city.
When you get to Xiao Shaoxing, you’ll
need to order at the counter in the middle
(it might be useful to have the Chinese dish
names handy). Then take your receipt to
the counter on the left, grab a plastic tray
and you’ll be unceremoniously handed your
chicken. If you’ve ordered anything other
than the chicken, you’ll need to head to the
counter on the right for collection.
If you’re after a more sedate experience, head up to the second floor where you can
sit and order from a menu. Prices are slightly
more expensive (with the chicken priced
from 36RMB for a small, and 60RMB for a
regular-sized platter) however it’s not a bad
option if you’re keen to avoid the bustle on
the ground floor.
On our recent visit, we were joined at our
downstairs table by fellow diners Mrs Qian
and her sister and mother. They’ve been
going to Xiao Shaoxing for almost 30 years,
since Mrs Qian was a little girl.
In the beginning, she tells us, the taste of
the chicken was better. ‘Nowadays we are
spoilt for choice. There are just too many
things for us to try and the quality of life has
risen. But the price here is reasonable; it
hasn’t really increased much.’
As for the atmosphere, Mrs Qian says she prefers the renao environment downstairs.
‘It’s ordinary, like any other restaurant,’ she
says. ‘You can’t compare it with the fancy
places especially when the food is such
good value for money.’
And it’s true, Xiao Shaoxing is a great little
place to chow down on affordable, tasty
Chinese food, not to mention brush up on
your Shanghainese with some locals.
Key dishes
If you’ve managed to navigate a seat
downstairs, the tender boiled chicken (小绍兴白斩鸡, Xiao Shàoxing báizhanji, 42RMB
for regular size) is a must order. It’s soft and
succulent, and you can see why people get
hooked. One serving is easily enough for
a few diners, especially if ordered with a
soothing – albeit somewhat bland – chicken
congee (鸡粥, jizhou) for a ridiculously
affordable 2RMB per bowl.
Elsewhere on the menu, the spicy chicken
noodles (鸡骨酱面(辣), jigu jiàng miàn [là],
again cheap at only 13RMB), are tasty and
satisfying, but it’s really the chicken that’s
the draw here.
Xiao Shaoxing is at 69-75 Yunnan
Nan Lu, near Ninghai Dong Lu,
Huangpu district.
Xian De Lai 鲜得来

On the same street as Xiao Shaoxing, you’ll
find another little casual eatery with a long
history. Famous for their pork ribs and rice
cakes, Xian De Lai was established in 1921
by He Shide and his family who started out
by selling milk, bread and toast on Xizang
Nan Lu. After realising that these Western
dishes weren’t that popular with the locals,
they started selling the paigu niangao (pork
ribs and rice cakes) instead, and the brand
hasn’t looked back since.
When ordering at the counter, the
receptionist, who has been working at Xian
De Lai for more than 30 years, proudly tells
us that they sell at least 10,000 portions of
the paigu niangao every day. Their normal
sales are 20-30,000 portions per day,
climbing to an incredible 40-50,000 a day
around Spring Festival. The open kitchen is
testament to their output productivity, with
huge vats of oil and giant woks all part of the
production line.
Senior Chef Le Kefeng, who has been
working at Xian De Lai for close to 40 years,
is pretty relaxed about the popularity of their
paigu niangao, and about life in general.
‘People keep returning because they are
familiar with the brand,’ he says matter-of-factly.
‘Also because when they walk into the
restaurant, they see that the chefs who are
cooking are those who have been here for a long time, so they
know the quality
of the food will
be reliable and
they keep
coming
back.’
There
aren’t any
secret
formulas or
fancy tricks
here, just the
same recipes
and methodology that
has served them well for almost a
century. For Chef Le, ‘it’s just that the way
we make it is different. Other places will fry
the niangao, but for us, we boil it in water
and then marinate it in our special sauce.
It’s precisely because we boil it in water
that the chewy texture remains the same
even after a few hours.’ And the sauce is
Xian De Lai’s own recipe, made up of sugar,
assorted jams, tomato sauce, sweet sauce,
chilli oil, starch, salt, and dried chilli – it’s
mouth-wateringly addictive.
Key dishes
The paigu niangao (排骨年糕, pork ribs
with rice cakes) is what you’re here for. They can be ordered in a set with an
accompanying bowl of soup with meat
dumplings wrapped in tofu skin for 19RMB,
or solo for a bargainous price of 11RMB.
The ribs are doused in Xian De Lai’s slightly
sweet and wonderfully rich sauce and the
rice cakes are slippery but chewy, pairing
well with the juicy fried pork ribs. It’s not
high-end dining here, but simple and honest
food cooked by humble chefs that care
about their product.
Xian De Lai is at 46 Yunnan Nan Lu, near
Ninghai Dong Lu, Huangpu district.
Dahuchun 大壶春

This classic shengjian bao joint was opened
back in the 1930s by Tang Miaoquan and
was originally known as Dahuchun Mantou. One of the city’s most famous dumpling
spots, you’ll often find long queues here
(though with Xiao Shaoxing and Xian De
Lai on the same street as this branch,
you at least have alternatives). We
love Dahuchun for its no-nonsense
menu prices. You can pick up four
pork shengjian for 6RMB, or four
pork and shrimp shengjian for
12RMB. The store is clean and
nicely designed, with wooden
furniture laid out below red lanterns.
You can also order your soup on the
side, meaning you’re less likely to
squirt bao juice everywhere.
Key dishes
The shengjian bao don’t need much
introduction here, with a succulent and juicy
pork filling available at 6RMB for four (鲜肉
生煎, xian ròu sheng jian), or a mixed pork
and shrimp filling (大虾鲜肉生煎, dà xia xian
ròu sheng jian) at 12RMB for four. Delicious,
affordable and wonderfully unhealthy.
Dahuchun is at 71 Yunnan Nan Lu, near Jinling
Dong Lu, Huangpu district.
Hong Chang Xing 洪长兴

The history of Hong Chang Xing has been
passed down through the generations.
Zhang Zhihua, the current manager, who
has been working at this popular spot near
People’s Square for ten years, eagerly tells
us the story of the restaurant being founded
in 1891 by the famous Peking Opera star
Ma Lianliang’s second uncle, Ma Chunqiao.
At the time, the mostly Muslim Peking
Opera troupe had trouble finding suitable
restaurants in Shanghai. Worried about
their throats and concerned that the team
would not be able to sing, Ma Chunqiao
rented a house and opened a restaurant
called Ma Jia Ban Huofang, selling sesame
biscuits, mutton pies, zhajiang mian
noodles and mutton dumplings. Soon after
opening, they added mutton hotpot, which
garnered a reputation as their specialty.
When the original owners returned to
Beijing, they passed the joint to Hong
Sanba, who renamed it Hong Chang Xing.
Zhang describes the original, rustic,
single-storey restaurant on Lianyun Lu. ‘They only had one big hotpot. So it wasn’t
that you would wait for a table, what you
would do is order your meat and vegetables,
then you sit with a group of strangers and
share the hotpot. We might not know the
person sitting beside us, but we’d cook
our meat in the same pot. The soup in the
hotpot would also not change at any point
during the day, but the froth from the meat
would be removed. This was a special
characteristic of Hong Chang Xing in the
past. But now, it has changed because
people might find that a little unsanitary and
wouldn’t want to eat with strangers. Back
then, people liked it because it was livelier.’
The Yunnan Nan Lu incarnation, which
you’ve likely spotted from Yanan Dong Lu
courtesy of its mosque-inspired minaret,
has moved on from the communal pot, and
now offers multiple tables on the ground
floor, or individual sized hotpots on the
second storey. Unsurprisingly, the interior
here is steamy – mostly thanks to the pots
being constantly replenished. Service is friendly and relaxed, and the space
feels open and clean. The crowd is older;
something Zhang puts down to the long
history of the brand.
Hong Chang Xing prides itself on the
quality of its ingredients, and boasts that by
using a traditional water base for the hotpot
they are able to truly show off their produce.
‘Using this clear broth is very healthy, and
you can taste the real flavour of the mutton
and beef,’ says Zhang. ‘With clear water,
you can immediately taste the original
freshness of the meat.’
Key dishes
Although there’s a bilingual menu that
resembles a Russian classic in length, it’s
really all about the hotpot here. That said,
there are a couple of other key dishes worth
the stomach space, including the niurou
jianbao (牛肉煎包, pan-fried beef buns for
3RMB each) – the restaurant apparently
sells between 1,500-2,000 of these daily –
and the boiled mutton dumplings (羊肉水饺, yángròu shuijiao 7RMB for six).
The hotpot is priced at 18RMB for the
soup base, with fatty mutton at 40RMB
a plate and delicious wafer thin beef at
108RMB. Accompaniments are also well-priced,
with fried bean curd going for
18RMB and a generous assorted
mushroom platter for just 45RMB.
Health claims about the base
aside, the sauce at Hong Chang
Xing is delicious, and should
be embraced. A ‘secret recipe’
that has, like the origin story,
been passed down through
the generations, the mix
includes peanuts, sesame,
honey and soy sauce, with
the option of adding spring
onions, coriander, garlic
and chilli.
Hong Chang Xing is at 1 Yunnan
Nan Lu, near Yanan Dong Lu,
Huangpu district.
Wang Jia Sha 王家沙

Since opening in 1945, Wang Jia Sha
has developed a reputation for their
shengjian bao (pan fried buns), qingtuan
(sweet green rice balls), shrimp wontons,
red bean pastries and shrimp noodles.
In 2008, they were awarded a spot on
China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
List for their technique and skills in dim
sum- making.
Although everybody has their favourite
qingtuan spot – Xing Hua Lou made
the news in March when their queues
prompted the police to enforce crowd
control – Wang Jia Sha is exceedingly
popular, with lines regularly forming
around the block during Qingming, which
is when the qingtuan are at their most
sought after. And what started as a single-storey
small business has now morphed
into the huge multi-branch operation it
is today.
Liu Chongliang, deputy general manager
of Wang Jia Sha, seems unfazed by their
popularity, telling us that during peak
periods they can sell up to 180,000 of
the small green treats. ‘During Qingming,
the lines for our qingtuan went from the
front door to the back door, and from the
back door to the entrance of the metro
station. No other stores sell as well as us.
We made them 24 hours a day during that
period.’ On a ‘normal’ day, it’s more likely
they’ll sell around 30,000.
Following renovations at their main
outlet on Nanjing Xi Lu in 2015, you can
now head to the ground floor, which is set
up like a ‘dumpling supermarket’ making
it convenient for customers to grab food
to go. As you navigate the busy counters,
you’ll likely jostle with determined ayis
battling their way to the front of the line.
Wang Jia Sha’s dumplings are handmade
in the third-storey kitchen and Liu tells us
that freshness and innovation are their
key selling points. ‘At Wang Jia Sha, in
comparison to our competitors, we strive
for innovation in our products, to create new
products. What we have, others do not. But
what others have, we do better.’
For a (somewhat) quieter and (slightly)
more refined dining experience, head to the
second floor where you can sit and sample a
host of simple but well prepared home-style
dishes. Although not in English, the menu
shows all the classics in picture form, and
the servers are helpful and patient.
Key dishes
From the ground floor, pick up six plump
qingtuan filled with a sweet red bean filling
for 24RMB, or the newer signature flavour
of egg yolk and pork floss for 48RMB. These
green dumplings are made using glutinous
rice mixed with Chinese mugwort, which
gives them delicate savoury notes. They’re
also sticky and filling – one goes a long way.
On the second floor, sit down and feast on
rich crab xiaolongbao (精致蟹粉小笼,
jingzhì xièfen xiaolóng) for 22RMB for four,
slurp up some freshly-peeled small shrimp
wontons in soup (现剥虾肉小馄饨, xiàn
boxiaròu xiao húntún, 15RMB), swirl some
crispy shrimp noodles on your chopsticks
(虾仁两面黄, xiarén liang miànhuáng,
38RMB) and chomp on sticky and crunchy
seaweed rice cakes (苔条粢饭糕, tái tiáo ci
fàngao, 9RMB for three).
Wang Jia Sha is at 805 Nanjing Xi Lu, near
Shimenyi Lu, Jingan district.