Sure, it may seem weird to read a book about the Shanghai World Expo now that we've got a little over a month before it ends, but The China Beat insists that this one is worth it. Nick Land's Shanghai World Expo Guidebook 2010 has "more in common with the grand tradition of literary travel writing than it does with, say, an American Automobile Association treatment of an interstate highway tour. Like the Expo itself, its style is both substantive and sensual, nineteenth century in its way, yet thoroughly “modern” in its central theme of Shanghai’s shifting, baroque, and often unique interpretations of modernity." In fact, with the Expo ending, what better time to put it and all its craziness in context with the rest of Shanghai, and the world's, history? more ›

Restaurant proprietor Cotton Ding has done such a good job with her establishments that people were inspired to document her life and offer her awards for having the best personality in F&B. So when she announced she would be opening a restaurant, showcasing authentic versions of her local cuisine (Hunan), I had to check it out. more ›

If it is what we can look forward to in 2012, then holy cow! I think Shanghai might have finally gotten its first absolutely must-see museum attraction. Designed by Perkins + Will, the "Shanghai Nature Museum" features a nautilus shell-like design shape and will contain 35,000 square meters of display space, as well as research space underground (which members apparently have access to). more ›

For bagel lovers across Shanghai, your prayers have been answered. Last month, a new shop dedicated to the simple yet satisfying bagel was opened in Shanghai's Jing an area. more ›

I think the first thing anyone hears about Yasmine's (located in the Expat enclave of Jinqiao, Pudong) is their massive two kilo burger. Chris St.Cavish went there sometime near the end of last year and watched two friends polish off one each. But there's more to the place than just that burger - and by more I mean, jeebus, EVERYTHING there is super-sized. more ›

Turns out this way of doing things was so easy that it almost feels a little silly making a post out of it. But in case you needed an extra little push to figure things out, nothing demystifies a process like pictures, I say. Here is photo documentation of what exactly you need to do to buy an Expo ticket with your own suave self. (For how to buy them by phone, check out this post here) more ›

With the Expo soft opening happening next week and the Expo itself drawing ever closer, even my procrastinating butt decided it was time to try and wrangle tickets. Then I read this article from City Weekend telling me that "single-entry ordinary day tickets are... sold out." Well, after calling around frantically, turns out that's not quite true (read on for more). But the calling around frantically also produced some interesting results. So if any of you want to try buying tickets by phone - so here's a short guide for what to. more ›

It was 8pm on a Thursday night and we were dying for a place that would give us a buzz to last into the weekend - yes, we're alcoholics like that. Luckily, located conveniently on Fumin Lu and Julu Lu was the prescription for our needs: Dr. Wine. more ›

Since we've finally hit warmer weather, it's time to emerge from hibernation - and to take the chance to escape the construction grind of the city. more ›

The Shanghai Tang Cafe opened a few weeks ago and, curious about the thought of a store opening their own restaurant (though, yes, I know, lots of "lifestyle pimping" stores do it), I went to check it out. Turns out the eatery is exactly like Shanghai Tang proper: expensive traditional Chinese dishes with twists(!) that ranged from nicely thought out to confusingly off. more ›

Shanghai is stylish. It can also be quite cheap. But let's face it: style and budget only rare go hand in hand in our cosmopolitan city. And whether you're dirt poor, really cheap or just plain hard on your digs, we can all agree that the only better than awesome clothing is awesome clothing that costs next to nothing. more ›

A friend of mine recently got an email that went something like this: "Hi [friend's name redacted], I'm coming to visit Shanghai in a few months and was put in contact with you by [redacted], as you've lived there a while! I've never traveled to Asia before - I'm quite excited, but also a little scared, so I'm asking for your advice. What are the essentials to put in my little backpack? Do I need water purification pills? Do you have any translation guides you recommend so that I can communicate with the locals? Are there any options for Western food - I like Chinese, but am afraid I'll get a little sick of it by the end of my stay. Do I need to bring toilet paper?" more ›

Last week, we asked you - our wonderful readers - to give Canadian songstress Julie Doiron some great recommendations for vegetarian food options. In return, we'd give the best choices a pair of tickets to her concert. You guys responded - and one of you even invited her over to your house for some home-made vegetarian cooking. more ›

For many, Shanghai can be an overwhelming stew of cars, crowds, and construction noise, which is why the serenity and industrial cool of the 1933 complex is so refreshing. We've covered 1933 and its artsy shenanigans before, but it's worth revisiting the place that might provide us sanctuary for the next 20 years - or be shut down tomorrow. more ›

I have come to a very sad realization as of recently: I am no speed demon. No, I'm ashamed to say that just days ago, I clutched my driving wheel in terror as my dreams of having an innate Initial D-like sense were hopelessly dashed and I spun, at what must of been a sound breaking 15 miles per hour, into a barricade of tires. Luckily, it was all on a go kart track. more ›

The grumblings of “where can I get a decent taco in this town?” have long been echoing throughout the Shanghai expat crowd since basically the dawn of the Shanghai expat crowd. To ease this age-old gripe, there have been plenty of “solutions” cropping up over the years: hearty Cantina Agave, classy Maya and the down-and-dirty Togo, to name a few. Well, here’s another remedy to add to the mix: Mi Tierra - where authentic ingredients are given an upscale twist. But by upscale, don’t you dare go thinking Mexican “fusion,” because, as the name suggests, this restaurant is all about recreating the Mexican food of “my land…my family…my tradition.” more ›

I have a lot of friends back in New York who've never been to China, but if they were coming here and I gave them any one of the food recommendations Global Times has so (un)helpfully listed for "foreign visitors," they'd cock an eyebrow, mutter something impolite and go ask someone else. Honestly, kung pao chicken? Wontons? DUMPLINGS?! The whole point of recommending something is to give someone the chance to try something they haven't before. Rather than just rip to shreds this laughable article, however, I've had a quick brainstorming session with other China hands and come up with eight better recommendations. more ›

When Blue Frog moved away from its Tongren Lu location, we shed a single tear for the Jing'an district's best burger bargain. Little did we know that three months later, an even better deal would pop up... at Malone's of all places. more ›

Recently, we were invited to go to a winter menu tasting by a restaurant called Aqua Bar. The only way we would have ever gone was to be invited, since not only is the place out in Pudong, it's smack dab in the middle of a residential complex, making it near impossible for us to ever have discovered or tried to discover it for ourselves. That having been said, the food was good enough to write about... and so we shall. more ›

In Shanghaiist's somewhat monthly Hotelist feature, we take a sneak peek at the various hotels around town that have caught our fancy. This week, a hotel worthy of being called a home away from home: JIA. more ›

Maybe it's because we're American and therefore required to make fun of Canadians about everything, but when we walked into the Pudong Julie's Food Experience, located off the Science and Technology Museum stop, the jokes started pouring out. But like a good ol' Northern Neighbor, the restaurant didn't let us deter it... and by sheer force of niceness and thoroughly decent food, shamed us into feeling a little guilty about it afterward. more ›

In our ongoing Threesday feature, Shanghaiist takes the time to count out three of....well, whatever catches our fancy that week. And this week we're all about boozy all-you-can-eat-and-drink brunching. Because, really, health is sooo overrated. more ›

Shanghai has an ephemeral nature: with the breakneck pace of modernization, it seems like the city is a little bit different every day, changing right under our noses. With all that constant progress comes an ever changing cast of cultural venues: every year, we find our favorite places to rest and relax going the way of the collective farm, only to be replaced with entirely new and fascinating ones that catch our attention. We spend a lot of our time exploring the great things our city has to offer, especially the ones that serve us alcohol: to top off our year of intrepid boozing, here's a list of our favorite new bars, clubs and lounges that have popped up over the past year. more ›

2009 saw a few new truly great restaurants open up, dining trends hardening into the fabric of local eating culture, chefs making hops within and without Shanghai, and several welcome and unwelcome closings. But, list-wise, this is well-trodden territory, and I'd rather refer you to our esteemed media peers for great reporting and great writing of all the goings-on in the Shanghai food scene. Instead, check out the 5 restaurants that I frequented the most in the past year. None of them are western, none of them are fine dining, all of them I love. more ›

Second in our winter series of hotpot reviews is Aberdeen (春秋火锅), a Cantonese style hotpot located in a renovated old house on Fuxing Lu. For us, Cantonese hotpot has always connoted clean and uncomplicated broth spread across a variety of regions. Want a spicy or satay stock? Aberdeen's got it, but don't expect anything more than a mild tang. What they do have is an assortment of seafood and premium meats that you wouldn't find at your local Little Sheep. more ›

In Shanghaiist's monthly Hotelist feature, we take a sneak peek at the various hotels around town that have caught our fancy. This week, China's tallest hotel: Park Hyatt Shanghai at the SWFC. more ›

Looks like Shanghai’s Year of Pho will soon have its first cage match. Yes, our pleas for decent pho through the years have been thoroughly drowned out by the sound of so many pho restaurants popping up left and right, front and back. But something intriguing is happening on Wujiang Lu, where Pho Sizzlin’ has, up until now, laid claim to its pho-main with is colorful personality but decidedly average noodle offerings. A challenger has set up shop on the same street, and Pho26 is no glass-jawed pretender. more ›

Hotpot season is upon us, and the first in our series of hotpot reviews this upcoming winter is Three Travellers [sic] (三人行骨头王火锅), a chain that recently opened its newest baby smack dab in the middle of the fantastic restaurant corner that is Fumin/Julu Lu. more ›

In our ongoing Threesday feature, Shanghaiist takes the time to count out three of....well, whatever catches our fancy that week. And this week it's for the ladies (and single men looking for action). We present you with three ladies nights to check out. more ›

In our ongoing Threesday feature, Shanghaiist takes the time to count out three of well... whatever catches their fancy that week. This week: Places to get that warm bowl of healthy something now that flu season is upon us. more ›