Opening Hours

In general, the Chinese eat earlier than Westerners. Restaurants serve lunch from 11am to 2pm and then often close until 5pm, when the dinner crowd starts arriving, and then carry on serving until 11pm. Smaller restaurants are more flexible though, and if you’re hungry out of hours they’re often happy to accommodate you.

Ordering

Almost all of the places listed in this guide have English and/or picture menus unless noted, although they aren’t always as comprehensive (or comprehensible) as the Chinese version. In any case, if you see a dish on someone else’s table that looks absolutely delicious, just point at it when the waiter comes – no one will think you’re being rude. For a Menu Decoder.

Tipping

Tipping is not done in the majority of restaurants. High-end international restaurants are another matter and while tipping is not obligatory, it is encouraged. Hotel restaurants automatically add a 15% service charge.

Reservations

At high-end restaurants or smaller places, it’s sometimes necessary to book a week ahead, particularly if you want a decent table with a view. Otherwise, a couple of days in advance is fine.

Sichuanese

Perhaps China’s most famous regional cuisine, Sichuan cooking relies on six basic tastes, which can be combined together to form over 20 distinct flavours, including favourites like ‘numbing spicy’, ‘sour spicy’, ‘fish-flavour spicy’ and ‘chilli-oil spicy’. One of the key ingredients of Sichuanese cuisine is the Sichuan peppercorn, which creates a characteristic tingling sensation (known as ma) when eaten. Although there are obviously a lot of spicy dishes, the key to a good meal, as with all Chinese cuisines, is to balance the different flavours, so even those who don’t like it hot will find something to savour.

Sichuanese cuisine uses ingredients that are inexpensive and relatively easy to find, hence a lot of restaurants across China – particularly tiny family-run places – have incorporated the standards in their menus. Look for classics such as kung pao chicken (gongbao jiding), mapo tofu (mapo doufu), fish-flavoured eggplant (yuxiang qiezi), twice-cooked pork (huiguorou) and dandan noodles (dandan mian). In Shanghai, one of the most popular Sichuanese dishes is a giant bowl of tender pieces of catfish or frog suspended in hot chilli oil.

Try this!

Some of the most common Shanghainese dishes include the following:

Smoked fish (xun yu) This cold appetiser is gingery sweet and absolutely succulent when prepared correctly.

Drunken chicken (zuiji) Another cold appetiser that consists of steamed chicken marinated overnight in Shaoxing rice wine.

Braised pork (hongshao rou) The uncontested king of Shanghainese home-cooking, this dish consists of tender, fatty pieces of pork stewed in sweet soy sauce.

Crystal shrimp (shuijing xiaren) They may not look like much, but these quick-fried shrimp undergo an elaborate preparation that results in a unique texture that’s both crispy and tender.

Lion’s head meatball (shizi tou) A large creamy meatball made of crab and minced pork, often presented as a single serving.

Crab and tofu casserole (xiefen doufu) Another dish that emphasises texture, this is a good way to indulge in crab without having to spend over-the-top prices.

Hunanese

Known as Xiangcai in Chinese, Hunanese is another chilli-driven cooking tradition from China’s heartland. It differs from Sichuanese cooking notably for its use of fresh chilli peppers (Sichuan cuisine often makes use of chilli paste), which are ladled liberally onto many dishes. The heat from the peppers helps to drive moisture out of the body, helping to combat high humidity in summer. Chicken, frog, freshwater fish and pork are key ingredients; some of the all-time classics include cumin spare ribs (ziran paigu) and smoked-pork drypot (ganguo tuirou).

Beef and pepper noodle dish
SEAN GALLAGHER / GETTY IMAGES ©

Cantonese

Cantonese cuisine shares some similarities with Shanghai cuisine, notably light seasoning, an emphasis on natural flavours and lots of seafood. Many of the fanciest restaurants in Shanghai (generally located in hotels) are Cantonese, though these cater primarily to Hong Kong tourists and businesspeople. The Cantonese restaurants that are most popular among everyday Shanghainese are entirely different; these are based on Hong Kong–style cafeterias known as ‘tea restaurants’ (cha canting). Tea restaurants have a casual, downmarket atmosphere that’s somewhat similar to an American diner, and feature an incredibly eclectic menu that ranges from Cantonese comfort food (beef with oyster sauce) to Italian pasta, Malaysian curries, sandwiches and an endless array of rice and noodle dishes.

Vegetables for sale at a street market
PHOTOSTOCK-ISRAEL / GETTY IMAGES ©

The other famous tradition associated with Cantonese cuisine is, of course, dim sum, which is served in a number of places in Shanghai, often incorporating local specialities (eg xiaolongbao) in addition to Cantonese standards.

Muslim

Most of Shanghai’s Muslim restaurants are run by Uighurs – Central Asians from Xinjiang, in China’s far northwest. A refreshing alternative to the seafood and sweetness of Shanghainese cuisine, Xinjiang dishes consist of lots of mutton (though chicken and fish dishes are available), peppers, potatoes, cumin and delicious naan bread. Charcoal-grilled lamb kebabs are the staple here. It’s not unusual for Uighur restaurants to offer evening performances of some kind (usually karaoke-style singing).

Shanghai’s other main Muslim food vendors are tiny noodle stalls that specialise in lamian (hand-pulled noodles), which are made fresh to order and can be served either in broth or fried.

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