Most Shanghaiist readers are familiar with legendary dive bar C’s and with the music pub Logo too. Darkness, taxi rides and alcohol make the rest of the area a bit of a blur but we have the benefit of living there.
The area, called The Xinhua Community, is centered around Xinhua Lu’s heritage architecture and greenery. We covered this a bit by introducing J. G. Ballard’s old home in a previous post. It also has the Shanghai Film Art Centre, a City Shop, Redtown, rooftop soccer, Yuyin Tang (in the top corner) and it’s very own ‘cool café’.
Sofa Bar and Café is tucked away in the heart of the area roughly halfway between C’s and Logo. It has …wait for it … sofas. A lot of them. It also has wireless net, food, music and all your café needs, of course. It hasn't been 'discovered' yet so you can always get the best sofa there and act out your ultimate fantasy — such a high level hipster that no one even knows where you are. Until now that is. Damn.
Sofa Bar and Cafe: 41 Xiang Hua Qiao Lu (off Xinhua Lu).



suck my balls you scum.
you've ruined sofa bar.
:)
I should keep my discoveries to myself. I'll never be a true hipster
glad to see xinhua road is getting more and more recognized :)
I have my apartment there ^_^
Hey ShopGirl
I've lived in that area for 5 of my 7 years in Shanghai. These days all these new places are popping up here.
that's great, will see how many new things have been popping out this summer, have been away for almost a year by then.
^_^ excited
You can make a night of drink and ma la tang. The malatang place down the street is pretty decent.
That mala tang place is legendary to Xinhua residents - and it delivers until around 3 am.
what what? haven't heard about this place!!! i live very close to that starbucks on dingxi road.
It's just inside Xiang Hua Qiao Lu nearest the Xinhua entrance, by the Lianhua supermarket. Sofa Cafe is about half way up, just past the convenience store.
Another tip for this area --- just up Dingxi Lu from Starbucks ...on a building corner by a magazine stall ... is a great place for computer software, especially applications in English. There's a regular games shop just there too. You've gone to far if you reach Fahuazhen Lu.
I used to live right around there for ages but last year I went down the lanes near to Redtown and Huaihai Xi Lu. Still walking distance from Xinhua Lu though.
ahh thanks for the info! :)
DOH! Damn you Shanghaiist, now I won't be able to sip quiet martinis at a table by myself anymore. Another reason to quit this stinky gray dismal city. Where's my Octopus card? I'm headed to the Big Lychee.