You don't have to be a vegetarian to realize there are great things going on at Kush, one of Shanghai's newest arrivals and one of the edgiest restaurants to open its doors in recent memory. Tucked away on Yanping Road near Xinzha Road in the foreigner stronghold that is the Jing'an Temple area, Kush opened its doors about a month ago after much anticipation from the vegetarian, vegan, and eco-conscious community. more ›

Back (in the very recent past), when it was named Daojianghu, this little Japanese izakaya restaurant quickly became one of my favorite spots on Sinan Lu. It boasted a snazzy interior, a decently priced menu and 20rmb Asahi drafts. It's now been renamed Shoga (perhaps it thought its previous moniker was too confusing), but it retains all those things that made it great, only... the drafts have become even cheaper! more ›

The combination of free booze, bumping beats and a reason to celebrate proved nearly lethal Thursday night at Dakota's. The bar, which held the party in commemoration of its first birthday, was bursting at the seams from start to finish, with even its outside patio completely surrounded. Though the enormous crowd was a bit off-putting, everyone was kept happy and afloat with their free glasses of champagne and the two DJs' engaging choice of tunes, which ranged from disco house (Barbara Streisand!) to electronica. more ›

After opening up to much buzz last May, Avalon seemed to drift a little below expectations. Before the year had ended, the chef was out and the menu and the look was promised a revamp. Now, Sean Jorgensen (formerly of MAYA) has taken the lead - and I was incredibly pleased with the results. more ›

It's heeeeereeee - Shanghai Disneyland is breaking ground and beginning construction this Friday. more ›

They have done it again! The folks at the Rhone-Alps Pavilion have come out with their latest take on the sights and sounds of Shanghai. This one's entitled, Manger! (Eat! for you non-Francophones out there). Follow them as they glide around town hitting some classics like snack haven Nanjing Dong Lu, a savory xiaolongbao joint and the neighborhood meat-on-a-stick-guy. more ›

A couple of weeks ago, Christopher St. Cavish wrote a long expose on local Belgian restaurant Chambar after its owner threw one too many fake reviews and threats around. Now, just days after St. Cavish's retirement from food writing, a tipster's informed us that the piece suddenly missing from the SmartShanghai site. What's going on?! 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 ›

One of the biggest culinary events around the world, Restaurant Week is here for a second run in Shanghai. This edition will include even more restaurants at cheaper prices. Who can resist? Restaurant Week 2 starts September 6th but venues take reservations starting today. more ›

Shanghai sure has a plethora of ways to have fun for a good cause! Next weekend, on August 6th and 7th, various local artists and venues will be working together for FREXH - two days of, as they call it, "fresh food, fresh talent, fresh art, fresh music." more ›

Dining City, who hosted Shanghai's "first ever" Restaurant Week back in late April-early May, will be bringing the dining event back again in the fall. In a press release, they announced that Shanghai's "second ever" Restaurant Week will be from September 6 to September 12. more ›

I'm one of those people that always worries I'm missing out on a good meal by choosing a crappier location. While the Expo maps themselves have a listing of the food joints there, it's hard to tell details like whether Yun's Fusion Cuisine is fancy or if Yonho is not (assuming you'd never heard those names before). So I'll probably find this Expo guide from CNReviews pretty handy for the next time I head into the grounds. They've got mini-reviews, price ranges and other descriptors of restaurants on both the Puxi and Pudong sides. Yum! more ›

Oh, tis a shame. It seems like Boonna wasn't the only place with not-so-legal outdoor patio issues - Vargas-run Casa 13 is now in trouble as well. According to Smart Shanghai, annoyed authorities didn't enjoy them using apartment-zoned land for a restaurant garden area. To counter this objection, Casa 13 will be closing down the outdoor space for everything but catering/VIP private parties while relocating to Taikang Lu, where it will takeover Balthazar. So if you like the French brasserie, better eat there now before it's menu becomes more Mediterranean. more ›

The news that Gary Heyne, beloved co-owner of one of our favorite microbrew/food establishments in Shanghai, came as an incredible shock this weekend. Gary leaves his family - wife San San and daughter Gracie - behind. His family has requested that he be interred in Texas, so Boxing Cat Brewery is now holding a fundraiser to help with the funeral costs and offer assistance to his wife and child. more ›

Public voting has begun for the 2010 Miele Guide, which is basically Zagats, but for Asia. So if you're a dedicated foodie with a lot of opinions and a wallet that can afford to back them up, then you might as well register with them and let your will be known. Last year's guide included three restaurants from Shanghai in the Top 5, all from the Bund. Maybe this time, we'll get a slightly more district-diverse selection to represent our fair city. more ›

In order to combat the daily amount of food waste that comes out of restaurants here in Shanghai (around 1000 tons!), over 60 restaurants and hotels will be taking part of a program that seeks to encourage patrons to take leftovers home... or maybe just not order that much. While Shanghai Daily doesn't have that much information on how they plan on getting restaurants to pimp their menus less (and therefore, we'd assume, make less money), it did say that people taking food home could win little prizes (like World Expo tickets). What surprises us is that Chinese people needed to be encouraged to hoard leftovers in the first place. 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 ›

We checked out the Krispy Kreme grand opening today on Wujiang Lu, intending to take a few pictures and bite into a few donuts. No dice on the latter, as we were met on this rainy day with an annoyingly long queue of people waiting to get into the store for some donut giveaways. Judging from the huge LCD screen and the confetti and the Jason Mraz blaring from the speakers, we figured we missed out on a pretty ridiculous party. But hey, Jason Mraz and sweet donuts sure seemed to be a winning combination for the smiling Shanghai ayi's we saw leaving the store. Or it may just be free food that does the trick. 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 ›

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 ›

Twist is a tiny little depot that specializes in cold Taiwanese desserts. They've got smoothies and juices, but what you really need to go to Twist for is the shaved ice. Though we're sure there are similar offerings sprinkled around the Taiwanese enclaves Hongqiao/Gubei, we're positive that in Shanghai proper, Twist has the freshest and most authentic ingredients meant to sit atop a mound of shaved ice. more ›

A few weeks after Chris St. Cavish's epic breakdown of Stardog, we revisited Channel One mall to see how things have progressed for Shanghai's pioneer in the field of Asian contemporary hot dogs. more ›

Fans of China's roaring 50's and all its rosy cheeked proletariat propaganda may want to take a trip down to Shanghai Stadium to try 9 Che Jian (9车间). One of several restaurants that wrap around the rear of the stadium, this Sichuanese establishment decks itself out as a 1950's era Chinese factory; the name itself refers to a factory's internal segmented workshops. The place is quite a sight; huge windows stretch from its floor its very high ceiling, from which thick beams and industrial lights dangle. The wait staff wear factory overalls, socialist slogans pepper the walls (there's nothing like the words "unity is strength" to spur the appetite), and propaganda ditties blare incessantly from the overhead speakers. Oh, and a large statue of the esteemed Chairman Mao casts a serene look over all. more ›

Before one even gets out of the taxi, it's fairly evident who the celebrity is on the small restaurant stretch of Guyang Lu. Ji Heng (吉亨), an undersized eatery specializing in Taiwan-style beef noodles, is the only place on the block with a line of fans queuing up outside the door. more ›

Greek munching: The Fat Olive, another recent David Laris project, serves some pretty good food. It's just that there's not very much of it. We went there a couple of weeks back and became smitten with the burger, which is served open-faced on a pita that cushions the drizzling juice from the tender, glazed patty. The meat on the kebabs were big, succulent, with a hint of spice but overwhelming original in flavor. A basket of toasted pita and tangy tzatziki were able sidekicks. But as far as mains go, that's about it. The Fat Olive is more for imbibing than it is is for eating, what with that huge terrace and the glam view of Pudong. Snacking on some simple Greek offerings is probably the more operative term. Check it out. more ›

The new Barbie flagship store aims to capture the attention of more than just those with blonde ambitions, and nowhere is this effort more apparent than the Barbie Cafe. more ›

After some follow-up trips to Pho King, it appears the the pho there isn't quite the triumph we might have made it out to the be in an earlier review. Since then, we've visited Aniseed and revisited Pho No. 1, and our conclusion is that pickings are still slim when it comes to this beloved bowl of Vietnamese rice noodles. more ›

Issimo does lunch: The popular high-end Italian restaurant inside the JIA hotel is offering a lunch set dubbed 'Expressimo,' promising to get diners in and out within 45 minutes of ordering. 88 RMB (plus service charge of 15%) will get you a small salad, a pizza or pasta, and coffee. We love dining at Issimo, and this lunch set would be very seductive if only the pizzas were just as good during the day as they are in the evening. Hopefully, they'll get there before the deal ends at the beginning of May. more ›

Taiwanese food in downtown Puxi has traditionally been the purview of second cousins Charmant and Bellagio. Somewhat ignored is Qian Qiu Shan Fang (千秋膳房) on Baoqing road, a few blocks down from Charmant. What it lacks in decor and vibe it more than makes up for with competent basics and great value for money. more ›