We’ve already delved deep into the best Chinese restaurants to dine by yourself in Beijing, and now we’re here for all the solo travelers to Shanghai.
It can be tough to find dining options suited for one, as Chinese restaurant cuisine is often eaten family-style. Noodle houses and dumpling shops are great for solo dining – and are some of our favorite restaurants for a bite anyway – and you can’t come to Shanghai and not try the city’s famous soup dumplings (xiaolongbao). Shanghai is also famous for leading dining trends in the country, so we’ve got a modern restaurant you’ll love! And of course, our food tours are an excellent way to taste many different dishes, even if you don’t have a group to travel with. Join our Street Eats Breakfast or Night Eats tour, and explore the city with other food-focused travelers!
Xiaolongbao Specialty Shops:
Jia Jia Tang Bao 佳家汤包
127 Huanghe Rd, near Beijing West Rd. 黄河路127号近北京西路。Hours: 7:30am-8:30pm.
Lin Long Fang 麟笼坊
338 Zhapu Rd, near Haining Rd. 乍浦路338号近海宁路。Hours: 7am-10pm (might sell out of some stuff by 10).
Order (these are sister restaurants so you can order the same from either):
- Quanjiafu xiaolongbao 全家福小笼包 (includes a selection of pure pork xiaolongbao 纯肉小笼包, pork & shrimp xiaolongbao虾仁鲜肉小笼包, and pork with salted duck egg yolk xiaolongbao 蛋黄鲜肉小笼包- you can also order these individually if you prefer, but it’s nice to try them all!)
- Ginger strips marinated in vinegar (to dunk your xiaolongbao in) 品牌生姜丝,
- Shrimp & pork small wontons 虾仁鲜肉小馄饨
- Scallion noodles 葱油拌面.
- Also, it’s hairy crab season, so the hairy crab & pork xiaolongbao 蟹粉鲜肉小笼包 are worth getting!
Dumplings Shops:
Dong Tai Xiang 东泰祥
Shengjianbao (生煎包) are the pan-fried cousin of xiaolongbao. This specialty fried soup dumpling shop offers pure pork (特色生煎包) and pork with shrimp (虾肉生煎) and also has great Shanghainese wontons (虾肉小馄饨) and scallion noodles (葱油拌面).
309 South Shaanxi Rd, near Jianguo West Rd. 陕西南路309号近建国西路. Hours: 6:30am-8:30pm.
Wenxiangzhen Manchurian Dumpling House 温香镇满族风味饺子铺
This northeastern style dumpling house serves up the original jiaozi: boiled. Fillings include classics like pork and cabbage (白菜肉) and mushrooms and bok choy (香菇青菜) and specialties like Spanish mackerel (鲅鱼). Don’t miss the cold salads.
265 Wulumuqi Middle Rd, near Fuxing West Rd. 乌鲁木齐中路近复兴西路. Hours: 7am-9pm.
Noodle Houses:
Wei Xiang Zhai 味香斋
A Shanghainese classic! They only serve a few dishes here and the star of the show is the sesame noodles (麻酱面). Expect to share a table.
14 Yandang Rd, near Huaihai Middle Rd. 雁荡路14号近淮海中路。Hours: 6:30am-9pm.
Liu Tang Men 六樘门
If you like spicy food, this Sichuan noodle house can’t be beat! Both the dandan noodles (担担面) and tianshui noodles (甜水面) are snack size so one person can easily eat both with room for spicy pork Wontons (红油抄手). But our go-to order is the dry wanza Noodles (碗杂拌面).
419 Xinhua Rd, near Dingxi Rd. 新华路419号近定西路. Hours: 11am-9:30pm.
Hong Kong Diner:
Grand Goldfinch 上金雀华人餐厅
This classic HK cha canting serves up excellent fried chicken wings (炸鸡全翼), pineapple buns (菠萝包), and wok-fried beef rice noodles (干炒牛河).
247 Wulumuqi Middle Rd, near Wuyuan Rd. 乌鲁木齐中路247号近五原路. Hours: 11am-10pm.
Modern Chinese Dining:
Huma 胡麻
This avante garde, but low key Yunnan restaurant has a menu that changes regularly. Grab a few skewers from the bbq section, and order a rice or noodle dish. While these staple dishes can be shared, they also work great as full mains unto themselves.
1/F, East Block, Jing’an Kerry Center, 1515 Nanjing West Rd, near Tongren Rd. 静安嘉里中心东区1层, 南京西路1515号, 近铜仁路. Hours: 11am-9pm.
And don’t forget! Our Shanghai food tours are an excellent way to taste many different dishes, even if you don’t have a group to travel with. Join our Shanghai Street Eats Breakfast or Shanghai Night Eats Tour, and explore the city with other food-focused travelers.
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