Food is essential in your journey to Shanghai. Shanghai style cuisine enjoys a high reputation in the Chinese culinary industry, with the title of one of the most distinctive regional cuisines in China.

Shanghai style cuisine, also called “Benbang” cuisine. “Benbang” means local in Chinese.  Shanghai “Benbang” cuisine has two main features: braising in red sauce and cooking with scallion oil, while soy sauce and sugar are essential seasonings for Shanghai “Benbang” cuisine. Braised red sauce should not be overly salty but with a hint of sweetness. Scallion oil is not supposed to be greasy, but gives an extra smell. Further, the five spices are not spicy at all, entirely different as what they are called. The beauty of seasoning also lies in the usage of small scallions and ginger instead of green onions and garlics. A finished “Benbang” dish is characterized by, an artful balance between saltiness and sweetness, covered by sticky oily soy sauce but maintaining the original flavor, as well as thick and delicious taste.

While enjoying the beautiful urban scenery to the fullest, you can also deeply experience the local culture through dietary habits. We have gathered the six most authentic dishes in Shanghai, as well as six restaurants with profound historical heritage that set each of these five dishes as the specialty. Let’s keep going and have a bite!

Eight-Treasure Duck is a famous local dish in Shanghai and one of the main characters on the Shanghai New Year’s Eve dinner table. Although the Eight-Treasure Duck is just a duck on the appearance, it contains secrets inside. The belly of the duck is filled with various delicious ingredients such as sticky rice, ham, chicken, shrimp, etc. After being soaked in duck oil, these ingredients evaporate their delicious taste to the fullest, and the aroma of the cooked dish lingers in the whole room.

A duck, sticky rice, diced bamboo shoots, diced chicken, diced pork, duck gizzards, Gingko, chestnuts, ham, diced shiitake mushrooms, etc.

• Put the entire duck into boiling water for blanching, then apply seasonings such as soy sauce, white sugar, and yellow wine, with the duck belly facing up and clasped in a large bowl.
• Heat up the wok and add oil. Stir fry the scallions and ginger in the wok for a while, add cooking wine, diced shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ham, chestnuts, and chicken. Then add soy sauce and white sugar, cook until the smell comes out. Mix the ingredients with sticky rice and fill the duck belly with the mixture.
• Seal the large bowl with cling film, steam the duck in a steamer. Then, remove the duck into a large plate. Next, pour the original brine in a pot, boil with shrimps and peas, and thicken the sauce with starch. The cooking is not done until several dips of clear oil are poured over the duck to strengthen the flavor.

Shanghai Classical House
Other specialties: Sea Cucumber in Shrimp Sauce, Pork with Preserved Tofu
Opening Hours: 11:00-14:00 & 17:00-20:30
Average Cost: RMB 231/person
Address: No. 242, Fuyou Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Sauteed Shrimps is a classic dish that originated in Suzhou and Wuxi 100 years ago, and later went popular on the Bund. It is also one of the indispensable eight cold dishes fixed on the banquet table. The Shanghainese are particular about not spitting out the shell when eating Sauteed Shrimps, which is also a criterion to check whether the dish is authentic and whether the diner is a real foodie. When the shrimps cooked, the shells are crispy and the meat is tender, with a moderately salty and sweet flavor in a brightly red color. Most importantly, there is not supposed to have sauce in the plate.

• After cleaning green-shell river shrimps, which are the main ingredients, heat oil up in a pot. Add the river shrimps when the oil reaches the proper temperature, and then fry the shrimps until the shells turn red.
• Next step is to make the sauce. Mix in another hot pot yellow wine, soy sauce, white sugar, vinegar, chopped scallions, and ginger juice with oil. Stir until the sauce thick. Finally, add in the fried shrimps and stir a few more times before serving.

Old Man Sauteed Shrimps
Other specialties: Dry Fried Hairtail, Sauce Fried Frog in Stone Pot
Opening Hours: 10:30-14:00 &16:30-21:00
Average Cost: RMB 111/person
Address: 5F, No. 299, South Nanjing Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Shrimp and black sea cucumber is one of the most well-known specialties in Shanghai, created by the chef of the prestigious Shanghai cuisine restaurant “Dexing Restaurant” in the 1930s. Black sea cucumber, commonly known as “Zhu Po sea cucumber” in Hong Kong, is particularly large when soaked in water. When served, the black sea cucumber lies in a plate, beneath the sprinkle of dried shrimps, soaked in a thick shiny black sauce. The taste is so tender and soft that cannot be picked up with chopsticks but only with a spoon. Even just think about the dish, one will water his mouth. However, sea cucumbers captured in Dalian are not qualified for this dish.

• Wash the main ingredient, water-soaked big black sea cucumber, repeatedly, and when the lard in the pot is 80% hot, fry the sea cucumber in the pan, with its skin up. About ten seconds later, remove the black sea cucumber and drain the oil.
• Pour scallion oil and the fried black sea cucumber into the pot, still, with the skin upwards. Then, add cooking wine, soy sauce, white sugar, and concentrated soup. Then, sprinkle the dried shrimps evenly on top of the big black sea cucumber. Heat the mixture over fire until it comes to boil.
• Steam the dish in a container for around half an hour until the black sea cucumber is tender. Then, remove it into a pot. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about 4 minutes. Next, transfer the black sea cucumber into basin, skin upward.
• Thicken the sauce with water chestnut powder in the original sauce and scallion oil, add scallions on top of it. The final step is to pour the mixture over the surface of black sea cucumber to serve.

Dexing Restaurant
Other specialties: Steamed buns, Braised Pig Hooves and Potherb Mustard Noodle
Opening Hours: 6:30-20:30
Average Cost: RMB 67/person
Address: No. 471, Guangdong Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Sweet and sour pork ribs is one of the representatives of classic Shanghai cuisine, which must be tasted by anyone visiting Shanghai. The ribs consist of both fat and lean meat, tasting sweet and sour, crispy and tender, in red and shiny sauce, addicted by people of all ages.

• Chop pig thoracic vertebraes into small pieces, clean thoroughly, drain the water. Mix starch, soy sauce, sugar, and yellow wine, and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil to around 160 degrees Celsius, put the chopped ribs into a pot, fry 3 times, and remove from the pot to drain the oil.
• Put the fried pork ribs into a pot, add soy sauce, yellow wine, refined salt, vinegar, and other seasonings, then add a small amount of water and leave it over high heat to boil. Use a shovel to flip up and down and braise for 20-30 minutes. Add white sugar and turn to high heat for another 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and penetrates the meat. Then, it’s ready to serve.

Shanghai Tan Restaurant
Other specialties: Pan Fried Hairtail, Braised Veal Over Low Heat
Opening Hours: 11:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:00
Average Cost: RMB 580/person
Address: 5F, Building N3, North Area, No. 558, East Zhongshan 2^nd Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Bamboo Shoot Soup with Fresh and Pickled Streaky Pork is a seasonal specialty in Yangtze River Delta, originating from Ningbo cuisine, and gradually taking place on the table of Shanghai families. This dish has a salty and delicious flavor coming from the extract of the natural ingredients. The taste of it is both crispy and tender, given by the bamboo shoots and pork. Remember, this dish is only available in spring when bamboo shoots thrive. It would be a pleasure to taste the fresh while taking a walk in the spring sunshine.

• Clean the main ingredients including pork, spring bamboo shoots, and salted meat, and then chop the ingredients into cubes.
• Put pork cubes, and salted meat slices in a clay pot, add water, and heat over high temperature to boil, along with yellow wine and scallions. Simmer over medium heat until the meat is half cooked; then add bamboo shoots, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Keep simmering until the meat is fully cooked, skim off the foam on the surface, and remove the scallions.

Jinshidai Shunfeng Restaurant
Other specialties: Crispy Roast squab, Shrimp Dumplings
Opening Hours: 10:00-15:00 & 17:00-22:00
Average Cost: RMB 139/person
Address: 7F, Area B, No. 500, Middle Xizang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Shanghainese like to eat chicken, especially poached one, which dominates the local cuisine. Poached chicken is made out of Sanhuang chicken due to its extremely smooth and tender texture. The dipping sauce that mixed with ginger powder is the best match to enjoying the Poached Chicken.

• As mentioned, the main ingredient is Sanhuang chicken. After cleaning, put the chicken’s mouth under its wings, and soak it in hot water for 30 minutes. Low heat will do so that the water does not boil. It is the heat of the water that keeps the meat tender. Pay attention to lifting the chicken twice in the middle of cooking, to make sure the meat inside is cooked well enough to eat.
• When the water in the pot cools down, remove the chicken, and wipe off the water. Then, apply sesame oil to prevent the skin from drying out.
• The last part is the to make the sauce, which is a simple but essential practice. Take a small plate, mix soy sauce, chicken soup, chicken oil together, and it is ready to serve.

Sue Hsiao Liu Artisan
Other specialties: Shrimp Egg Noodles in Soy Soup, Yellow Croaker Spring Rolls
Opening Hours: 10:00-21:30
Average Cost: RMB 68/person
Address: 4F, East Area, No. 829, East Nanjing Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai