Eating My Way Around Shanghai | 2 Girls Who Travel

Hey yall! Val here.

Recently I traveled to Shanghai, China for work and you know ya girl was on the hunt for some delicious local cuisine.

So naturally I figured I’d compile a list for you! So keep reading to see where I ate, what I ate and what I recommend!

Four Seasons Shanghai

This is the hotel I stayed at while in Shanghai and my hosts were so kind to book a room with breakfast every day.

Now hear me well. This buffet breakfast is the one you need in your life! I’m not even a traditional breakfast person, but this one was so good and so varied. Jellyfish salad, sushi rolls, hash browns, curry vegetables, fresh fruit and muffins. Repeat.

The Four Seasons also has a steakhouse and a Chinese restaurant. I dined at the Chinese restaurant Si Ji Xuan for lunch and basically sampled the entire menu lol.

It’s an upscale restaurant that serves lunch and dinner and has a pretty extensive menu. My faves were both the pork dishes.

M on the Bund

The Bund is a popular waterfront in Shanghai. Tourists flock there for the beautiful waterfront and cityscape views. One of its restaurants, M on the Bund, is super swanky. We were told this restaurant is frequented by big-time business professionals – basically where you bring your out-of-town guests to impress them.

I had a couple of cocktails – out of the two, I most enjoyed the Sangria. M on the Bund also has an extensive wine list, so if you’re a fan of wine, you’ve got options!

For my entree, I opted for the crab cake which was very good – not the best I’ve had, but a solid contender.

My dessert was a brownie sundae…it didn’t come how I expected, but it was actually very good! Americans typically have oversized portions, so this one felt more appropriate lol.

I recommend a stop at M on the Bund, if for no other reason than the beautiful views.

Din Tai Fung

As soon as I touched down in Shanghai, I saw signs and advertisements for hairy crab everywhere. And being in China, I knew I wanted dumplings. Sooooo….I was on a mad hunt for crab dumplings.

After getting the opinions of several locals, I was told to visit a restaurant in the mall, Din Tai Fung.

This is a Taiwanese-based restaurant chain with locations all over the world.

I ordered the crab and pork dumplings and shrimp fried egg rolls. You can order the dumplings at a full order of 10 or half-order of five. They were pretty good and I had a chance to flex my chopsticks skills.

Zizzi

If you’re looking for a break from Chinese food, Shanghai has a ton of other restaurant options, one being British-born Italian restaurant Zizzi.

We went there for lunch. Their lunch menu – crazy! They have like pick two and pick three for very affordable prices.

I ordered the wagyu meatballs (came with three) and the duck lasagna. The meatballs were okay. The real standout for me was the lasagna.

If you’re a fan of duck meat (which I am), it was a nice change from the usual ground beef typically found in lasagna. It’s tender and flavorful. After I added a little salt and pepper (don’t judge me), it was absolutely delicious.

Tea House at Yu Garden

Listen, China is well-known for its teas, so naturally we had to visit a teahouse.

We visited the Yuyuan Tourist Mart to purchase souvenirs and to see the nearby Yu Garden and Huxinting Teahouse. It’s all really pretty amazing.

The Teahouse is surrounded by water and you’ll know you’re in the right place because you’ll see a ton of people lined up taking pictures.

Now ya girl doesn’t drink tea (hot or cold), so I didn’t get any. However, the kumquat lemonade I ordered was sweet and delicious. My colleagues seemed to enjoy their tea. We sat on the wooden chairs and were feeling very authentic sipping.

And in the markets, they have tons of teas for sale – more flavors than I could even begin to count. The aromas smell wonderful and they even have samples to taste at some shops. Also, the cans of tea make the cutest gifts and souvenirs.

So there you have it…literally me eating my way through Shanghai! Have you been? What are your favorite spots? Let us know in the comments.