How to Eat Your Way Through Shanghai in 30 Dishes: From Crab Roe Devotion to the Great Sheng Jian vs. Guo Tie Debate

In the video food YouTuber Joshua Weissman shot in Shanghai, at the 25:34 mark he's eating pancakes at a place called Pancake House tucked in a longtang alley entrance, and at 12:23 he's ducking into Shu Cai Ji, an old-school shop near the Bund, for potstickers. Both of those exact spots also show up on NOMFLUENCE's 30 must-eat dishes list for Shanghai — not because either restaurant paid for the placement, but because these are simply stops the writer already hits on their own daily route. That's what makes this list interesting: it's not chasing whoever tops the rankings, but honestly draws a line between "institutional landmark" and "the place I personally love."

The list opens by making it clear: crab roe is Shanghai's true religion, not some seasonal gimmick. Thanks to market demand, hairy crab is now available in some form nearly year-round. Crab roe noodles are called "the city's finest bowl of noodles," and Cejerdary near the Bund specializes in this dish, sourcing crab meat from their own farm near Yangcheng Lake — don't forget a splash of vinegar when you eat it. For crab roe over rice, one-Michelin-star Ren He Guan serves it in a stone pot that absorbs the oil and keeps everything warm; while you're there, order their scallion oil noodles and braised pork belly too. For a full crab feast, Cheng Long Hang is the old-guard restaurant that runs crab set menus year-round; for something more refined, one-Michelin-star Fu 1015 and Fu 1088 roll out their crab menus only from September through December. If you want the crab served whole and unadorned, Shaoxing restaurant Kong Yi Ji — known for its local specialties — also brews its own Shaoxing wine, the most traditional pairing for crab.

Sheng Jian vs. Guo Tie: outsiders can't tell them apart, locals never stop arguing

To outsiders, guo tie (potstickers) and sheng jian bao (pan-fried buns) look nearly identical, but Shanghainese people take firm, uncompromising sides on the two. Guo tie are half-moon shaped with thin wrappers, pan-fried in a cast iron skillet and steamed under a lid, usually filled with pork — Hong Yu Fang gets the bottoms golden and crisp, while Shu Cai Ji, the unassuming little shop near the Bund, is the same place that appeared in Weissman's video. Sheng jian bao, by contrast, are round with thick wrappers, and the crowd splits between leavened and unleavened dough camps. Decades-old Da Hu Chun represents the leavened-dough school, with skins soft enough to soak up all the juices; the chain Yang's goes unleavened, a good pick if you prefer a firmer bite.

On the noodle front, scallion oil noodles are the cheapest and most classic option — scallions slow-cooked until fragrantly charred, tossed with soy sauce and a touch of sugar, usually topped with dried shrimp, and available any hour at the 24-hour Dong Tai Xiang. Yellow croaker noodles split into two camps: milky broth or clear soy-based broth. Rongjia Noodles Soup, famous for its milky broth, is an old Bib Gourmand favorite, sourcing its yellow croaker directly from its sister restaurant, the Michelin-starred Xin Rong Ji. For sesame paste noodles, Wei Xiang Zhai, open since 1937, pioneered this style — add a splash of vinegar when eating. Yang chun noodles put a kitchen's broth skills to the ultimate test; Yi Gui He seasons theirs with house-aged soy sauce and keeps the noodles springy, though their cold noodle version costs two to three times as much. San Lin Tang, open since 1981, specializes in "topping noodles" where you pick your own topping; the signature is braised pork intestine with ground pork and fried gluten — skip it if organ meat isn't your thing.

Street-side breakfast stalls and the heavy hitters of Benbang cuisine

For breakfast, jianbing (savory crepes) are the most convenient grab-and-go option — egg, crispy cracker, scallion, and bean paste all rolled up together. The writer's own go-to is the Pancake House near home, the very same spot that took Weissman along. If you like your douhua (soft tofu pudding) savory, Taoyuan Village makes it clean and cheap; youtiao (fried dough sticks) are best fresh out of the oil, and you can find them at big wet markets or near metro stations like People's Square and Yu Garden. Scallion pancakes demand patience — the flaky dough is packed with scallions, flattened, then pan-fried before being baked to crisp up the layers. Xiao Yang Zhou, one of the few remaining street stalls downtown, represents the old-school method here. For wontons, go classic at Er Guang, or try the peanut sauce version at Dong Tai Xiang.

The heart of Benbang cuisine is hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly) — pork belly slow-simmered with soy sauce, rock sugar, and Shaoxing wine until it turns deep brownish-red and falls apart tender, representing the sweet-and-savory base flavor that runs through the entire Benbang tradition. Ren He Guan is the writer's personal top pick; for something fancier, Fu 1088 does a more refined version; if you want leaner meat, look for the rib-based version at Rui Fu Yuan. Smoked fish isn't actually smoked at all — it's coated in a soy-sugar syrup, deep-fried, then served cold as an appetizer, and sister restaurants Fu 1088 and Fu 1039 both do it beautifully. Braised yellow croaker head in scallion oil made old-guard Old Jesse famous — the gelatin rendered from the fish head is the perfect match for rice. Red-braised pork knuckle is basically the supersized version of hong shao rou; Dianping's top-ranked A Yue Bao serves it in a clay pot, braised until the meat can be "cut" apart with just a bone. Stir-fried eel needs to be cooked to order — the sizzle of hot oil hitting white pepper, scallion, and garlic is the whole point — and Xiao Ping Restaurant, an old neighborhood spot in the former French Concession, nails it; go early to avoid the line. Rice with preserved greens is the most homestyle dish on the list, mixing cured pork, potherb mustard, and lard into the rice, and both Shu Cai Ji and Hong Yu Fang do solid versions.

The original list didn't include specific prices or full operating hours — it's worth checking each restaurant's latest details directly before you go.