9 Cheap Shanghai Food Stops Locals Have Eaten at for Years
Nine Shanghai counters and canteens where you can eat for under 70 yuan a head, most of them open for a decade or more, all of them the kind of place locals queue at rather than photograph.
Da Hu Chun Sheng Jian — The sheng jian here use a fully fermented dough, so the base comes out thick and crisp instead of thin and limp, and the pork filling is dense enough to burst. Regulars order the classic pork buns with a bowl of curry beef soup. Around 20 yuan a head. Branches on Yunnan South Road and Sichuan Middle Road, among others.
Gui Shu Di Chengdu Chuan Chuan — A Chengdu skewer pot in Pudong, with a broth that is numbing rather than merely hot. The bing fen is hand-rubbed and silkier than most; order the version with hand-pounded ciba. Skewers run 1–5 yuan each, and two people can eat their fill for under 100 yuan. The main branch is on Meihua Road near Century Park, and the other branches are all in Pudong.
Xian De Lai Pai Gu Nian Gao — Pork chop and rice cake, going since 1921. The chop is fried crisp outside and tender within, then covered in sweet bean sauce and paired with soft, sticky rice cakes. Around 30 yuan. The Yunnan South Road branch is the classic one.
Lai Lai Xiao Long — A small shop off Nanjing East Road on Tianjin Road, steamer to order, crab roe only. Around 60 yuan a head, which is low for pure crab roe dumplings. It holds its own against the tourist-facing crab dumpling places nearby.
Ding Te Le Zhou Mian Guan — Tucked in a lilong off Middle Huaihai Road, with a Michelin recommendation. The yellow croaker noodles are the reason to come: the broth is milky white and the fish is soft and boneless. Around 50 yuan. It runs late, and locals treat it as a night-canteen.
Chang Fa Can Yin — Ten yuan a skewer, and only three things on offer. The tenderloin skewer is wider than a face, thick and springy, fried properly and brushed with a house sauce. The queue is mostly aunties and uncles from the neighbourhood. On Yan'an West Road.
Wei Min Dian Xin Dian — Under a residential block on Huimin Road, selling only potstickers and soup. The bottoms come out golden and crisp; dip them in vinegar. Opening hours are 5:40 to 13:00, so this is a breakfast stop, not a dinner one. Around 30 yuan.
Hong Bao Shi — An old-line Shanghai cream cake shop. The fresh cream xiao fang is 17 yuan a square, and it is better eaten cold, straight from the fridge. Branches all over, including Wujiang Road and Hankou Road.
Hu Xi Lao Long Tang Mian Guan — Benbang noodles with toppings cooked in the dark, heavy soy-and-sugar style that clings to the noodles. The clam and pork liver noodles are the order: liver slippery, clams there for the savoury lift. Around 40 yuan. Branches on Dingxi Road and Guangdong Road.
Most of these sit between People's Square and Huaihai Road, so a hotel anywhere around Yunnan South Road or Middle Huaihai puts you within walking distance of four or five of them.
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