I’m a big fan of Chinese food, but this will be a mixed bag of a review – mainly because I didn’t try too much local food while I was in Shanghai – it was either fried chicken feet or exceptionally greasy. I also feel like I didn’t actually eat that much as I was mainly cycling through the city and didn’t stop off for food. My local eatery was a fruit shop close to my hotel that was open until 2 in the morning, so I stopped in there to pick up a snack for bed and some breakfast.
Dingxing Road Jianbing
I went here twice during my time in Shanghai as it was surprisingly really nice. There is normally a queue and I can see why. These egg pancakes (Jianbing) are stuffed with a crispy cracker, potatoes, lettuce, scallions and a sauce that I have no clue what it is!
Sapar Uygur Restaurant
We ate in an Uygur restaurant on my first night which Lucy was a fan of, so I had a look for some others around Shanghai and this was always the top recommendation. I’ve no idea what we got, but we got a lot of food, most of which was pretty good – especially the noodles and rice!
Yaya’s
Yaya’s is a small pasta restaurant with a Chinese twist. We didn’t make a reservation but got seated at the bar overlooking the kitchen. Lucy got the lamb ragu and I got the Raviolo All’Uovo which was ravioli with ricotta, mascarpone, parmigiano reggiano and egg yolk, sage butter and truffle cheese – both of the dishes were amazing. I also had a Paper Plane, as it’s not a cocktail you often see on a menu.
Habibi Lebanese Shawarma
Not the most traditional of Chinese dinners, but on our bike route through the city we stopped off here as it’s one of Lucy’s favourites. It was exceptional – I debated going back for another before I’d even finished this one, and knowing I won’t be in Shanghai again, I wish I had gotten another.
Bottega
I feel I need to give this a mention as every member of my family spoke about this restaurant before I flew to Shanghai. Apparently a distant cousin, who I never knew existed until May is part owner of this chain of pizza restaurants in China. They have won a massive amount of awards, so after my day of cycling through the city, I decided to go here as I was hangry and knew what to expect. It didn’t disappoint and was great after a full day of cycling. I wouldn’t have gone here had it not been for everyone mentioning it, and I probably wouldn’t recommend it as a must visit – but if you’re in Shanghai and wants a decent pizza for lunch, its a good option.
The Cocktail Tourist 