In discussions on street foods in Shanghai, xiaolongbao, xiaolongxia, and fried dumplings crop up the most. Slightly less discussed are grilled skewers, stinky tofu, sweet potatoes, potstickers, fried noodles, and others which may not even be Shanghainese per se, but have become so embedded in the city’s food fabric they might as well be. And if you really want to show that you’re street-food-wise, you might mention rou jia mo, niurou baozi, or gui hua lian’ou. Then there are foods that fly completely under the radar, the ones you reach past to nab one of the aforementioned eats at street stalls. They might be talked about, just not talked about enough, which is why today we’re biting into the five most overlooked street foods in Shanghai.
Related: Top 5 Shanghai food streets
Benjamin Cost is Shanghaiist’s Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news updates on Shanghai’s dining scene to [email protected].