Budget
Wujiang Road
Short, twisty alleyway packed with fiercely competitive shops selling snacks and small meals. Very Chinese, with English menus basically unknown.
Xiaoyang Shengjian
Shanghai's most famous purveyor of shengjian çç , basically fried xiao long bao, and easily spotted thanks to the yellow signs and never-ending but fast-moving queue outside, with over 10,000 served daily. Pay at the cashier, then join the queue, get your buns either on a plate to eat in, or packed in a box for take away. For those eating indoors, three types of soup are also available.
Da Niang Shui Jiao
Part of a chain of dumpling ï¼é¥ºå "jiaozi") restaurants around the country. Think of it like the McDonalds of Chinese dumplings. Some of the cheapest food on the Nanjing Rd, pedestrian mall, but be prepared with either a phrase book or a Chinese friend. Dumplings are ordered in "fen". "San fen" ä¸å = three fen = a normal sized plate. To order dumplings: number + "fen" + filling pork, vegetable, etc.. Soup is also available.
Saizeriya
One of a Japanese chain of Italian restaurants. Menus are available in English.
Top end
K5
Located on top of the old Shanghai Horse Racing Club the bullseye of Shanghai capital, now being restored as the Shanghai Art Museum. The menu offers gastronomical global cuisine with French influence. The views from the glass-encased rooftop and garden terrace are spectacular.
Huanghe Road
Assembly of good seafood restaurants in the Chinese style, geared more for larger groups and featuring fish tanks, meters of red plush and golden dragons encrusted on all available surfaces.
CoCo Ichibanya
One of a Japanese chain of curry restaurants, with seafood, meat, and vegetarian curries available and variable levels of spiciness. There will be seasonal items on the menu that change depending on time of year.