A relative newcomer to the Shanghai restaurant scene, this unassuming booth on Yangqing Lu offers takeaway and delivery only. Delivery is available over the phone or through Sherpa’s. Choices range from simple salmon nigiri to the mighty Philharmonic maki roll.
34 Yanqing Lu, near Donghu Lu, 150 0082 0420
A byword for quality, imaginative California-style sushi, Beijing transplant Haiku is a perennial favorite. Their Moto-roll-ah maki has been copied by just about every other sushi restaurant in Shanghai, but Haiku still does it best.
28B Taojiang Lu, near Hengshan Lu
Oyama is one of the best known sushi chefs in Shanghai, and his 14-seater eponymous restaurant on Donghu Lu is a great place to try his creations. The set menu changes daily, as Oyama selects the best fish of the day to put your meal together.
2/F, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Lu
This Japanese restaurant has minimalist concrete walls, hip urban décor, and some decent sushi amongst its menu choices.
803 Julu Lu, near Fumin Lu
If you’ve got some money to spend, try this upscale Japanese restaurant at Bund 6. Look out for the impressive shark aquarium.
2/F, Bund 6, 6 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu
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1. People’s Park
What Central Park is to Manhattan, People’s Park is to Shanghai. Dotted with museums and concert halls, Renmin Guangchang sits bang in the center of downtown surrounded by skyscrapers.
231 Nanjing Xi Lu
2. Lu Xun Park
Dedicated to revolutionary writer Lu Xun, this pretty park behind Hongkou Football Stadium contains his mausoleum as well as a lake, cherry trees, and rocky outcrops around which locals play chess and fly kites.
146 Dongjiangwan Lu, near Sichuan Bei Lu
3. Xujiahui Park
Located at the south end of Hengshan Lu, this green space sits at the tip of the Xujiahui commercial hub. Look out for the mysteriously glowing elevated path that cuts through the trees.
Between Hengshan Lu and Zhaojiabang Lu
4. Century Park
The big daddy of Shanghai parks, Shiji Gongyuan is the green lung of Pudong. Ride a bike along its wide boulevards, hire a boat on the lake, or commandeer a section of the lawn for lazing.
1001 Jinxiu Lu, near Minsheng Lu
5. Fuxing Park
Built as a park for the city’s French population in the 1900s, Fuxing is one of Shanghai’s prettiest parks. You may have staggered through it on your way home from Richbaby, but head down during the day and see it in a different light.
105 Yandang Lu, near Nanchang Lu
6. Changfeng Park
It’s worth the trek out to Changfeng for an afternoon of relative tranquillity. There’s also Changfeng Ocean World and a karting rink if you get bored of trees and grass.
525 Zaoyang Lu, near East China Normal University
7. Jing’an Sculpture Park
Get some art with your park time at Jing’an Sculpture Park, with its rotating displays of giant installations.
128 Shimen Er Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu
8. Shaoxing Park
As well as the Vienna Café and Old China Hand reading room, Shaoxing Lu has the city’s smallest park.
62 Shaoxing Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu
9. Zhongshan Park
Escape the crush of the shopping malls at this huge park with its lawns (most of which you can’t sit on, but they’re pretty to look at…), rock gardens and pavilions.
780 Changning Lu, near Kaixuan Lu
10. Gongqing Forest Park
Take a day trip up to the northerly reaches of Yangpu for a slice of true wilderness. Horses, wooden chalets, pine forests, and a panoramic view of the Huangpu.
2000 Jungong Lu, near Yinhang Lu
And a hidden gem you may not have heard of….
Guilin Park
This secluded park with its bridges, rock gardens and pavilions, was bankrolled by an infamous 1930s Shanghai gangster.
188 Caobao Lu, near Guilin Lu
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Everyone's favorite Fumin Lu people-watching spot, Cantina Agave has a huge outdoor terrace and cozy interior where you can enjoy reasonably priced Mexican food. Shanghai, dress to impress.
A Mansion, 291 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu
Cantina Agave's Mexican food
Frequently winning awards for the quality of its food, Mexican restaurant Maya is an upscale option for gourmet tacos, burritos, and an excellent choice of tequilas. We recommend it as one of the very best places to get Mexican food in Shanghai.
2/F, Grand Plaza Club House, 568 Julu Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu
Another high-end choice for Mexican food, Shanghai restaurant Mi Tierra is a sit-down-and-eat venue rather than a grab-a-bite Mexican restaurant.
17 Yongjia Lu, near Maoming Lu
This eastside restaurant provides quality Mexican food to Pudong's Biyun community.
777 Biyun Lu, near Lan'an Lu
Hard to pronounce but easy to like, this unassuming Mexican restaurant and bar is a solid choice for a cheap feast in Shanghai.
580 Yuyuan Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu
Teotihuacan Shanghai
Have more favorites for Mexican food, Shanghai? Tell us about them in the comments.
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Ladies Night: Tuesday
Everyone’s favorite dive bar comes over all feminine on Tuesday nights. Ladies drink for free between 8pm and 1am. Free entry.
I Love Shanghai, 2/F, 1788 Xinzha Lu
Ladies Night: Wednesday
Girls get 35 cocktails every Wednesday night, all night, at Sinan Mansions’ coolest Mexican-themed bar. Come with three girlfriends and you get a free bottle of Champagne. Free entry.
Yucca, 3/F, 26F Sinan Mansions, 45 Sinan Lu
Ladies Night: Wednesday
The oldest and arguably the most fun, Zapatas’ Ladies Night goes on until midnight, with free-flow margaritas. Free entry.
Zapatas, 5 Hengshan Lu
Ladies Night: Wednesday
Maison Pourcel’s Studiobar hosts a night devoted to all things sweet every Wednesday between 9pm and midnight. Girls get drinks, snacks, manicures and hair-dos for free. Free entry.
Maison Pourcel, 8/F, 85 Shaanxi Nan Lu
Ladies Night: Wednesday
Tired of the sickly sweet cocktails served at regular Ladies’ Nights? Try Kaiba’s Wednesday night event, which sees Vedetts at 25 RMB, and fruit beers two-for-one. Free entry.
Kaiba, 739 Dingxi Lu and 528 Kangding Lu
Ladies Night: Wednesday
Free cocktails for girls at this lakeside bar in the park between 9pm and midnight. Musical accompaniment from DJ Perseau. Free entry.
231 Nanjing Xi Lu, inside People’s Park
Ladies Night: Thursday
Champagne cocktails flow freely for ladies between 9pm and 11pm. Guys get them for 48 RMB. Free entry.
Dakota, 39 Donghu Lu
Ladies Night: Thursday
Channel Blair Waldorf and her cronies on Thursday nights at the Apartment, and catch up on the news over free sparkling wine between 9pm and 11pm. Free entry.
The Apartment, 3/F, 47 Yongfu Lu
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The buzz: A new bar from Everwines, the China-wide wine import and delivery company that has shops in Wujiaochang and Gubei.
The look: A wide deck looks out onto tiny Taizhou Lu (the one that links Changping and Kangding) just down from Tongji Gardens serviced apartments, and the stretch of restaurants that includes Legend Taste and Chiang Mai. On the deck are boxy black wicker chairs and couches with white cushions, and low tables. Inside is minimalist, with sharp lines, pale wood units and a slinky chrome sliding door to reach the bathrooms.
The music: None that we could discern, save for the gentle clink of wine glasses.
The crowd: Lots of laowai live in this area, so we reckon Everwines is going to be popular with the Jing’an expat crew over the summer. Wine is getting more and more popular in China, so it ought to be successful with local enthusiasts too.
The drinks: Everwines’ motto is “wine for everyone”, and their menu is inclusive, covering New and Old World vineyards and every varietal you’d expect. The wine by the glass list starts at 40 RMB for both white and red, and prices per bottle are similar (if not slightly lower) than Enoterra.
Why you’ll be back: Great wine at good prices, a beautiful terrace, and well-informed staff who are friendly too. We braved the late April chill to sit outside, and the thoughtful fuwuyuan lent our drinking partner her jacket.
Everwines, 200 Taizhou Lu, near Kangding Lu. 3208 0293. www.everwines.com
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1. Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore
This Fuzhou Lu book paradise has English fiction and study guides at ground level, and more English books on the top floor.
390 Fuzhou Lu, near Fujian Lu
2. Shanghai Booktraders Used Bookstore
This hidden gem has some great finds if you’re prepared to dig around.
36 Shanxi Lu, near Fuzhou Lu
3. Foreign Language Press
It’s a hike if it’s out of your way, but the bookshop attached to the Foreign Language Press up in Hongkou sells some great, cheap English books.
Dalian Xi Lu, next to the Foreign Studies University
4. Garden Books
Books, study guides, notebooks, and a coffee shop and gelateria too. Perfect.
325 Changle Lu, near Shaanxi Lu
5. Shanghai Book City
This behemoth of a store has English books on the top floor.
465 Fuzhou Lu, near Fujian Lu
6. Confucius Temple Market
Rise with the lark and get your hands on some second-hand bargains at the Confucius Temple book market every Sunday between 7.30am and 3pm.
215 Wenmiao Lu, near Zhonghua Lu
7. Can Books
Take home a souvenir next time you visit the galleries of M50. Can Books sells some great coffee-table tomes.
Building 3, M50, 50 Moganshan Lu, near Suzhou Xi Lu
8. Old China Hand Reading Room
Run by local photographer Deke Erh and historian Tess Johnston, this atmospheric café also sells some decent books.
27 Shaoxing Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu
9. Chaterhouse
Tucked into a corner of the Shanghai Centre, Chaterhouse is right next door to Starbucks, so you can take your new purchases for a spin over a coffee. They sell mainly English books – fiction, local interest, history, biography, and kids’ stuff.
Shanghai Centre, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Xikang Lu
10. Arbre du Voyageur
Whether you’re actually French, or just enjoy posing with a dog-eared copy of Les Fleurs du Mal, this shop is the place for you. It operates on a card system, so you have to buy credit to make purchases.
4/F, 155 Wuyi Lu, near Yan’an Xi Lu
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1. SHANGHAI STUDIO
Beloved of locals and laowai alike, Shanghai Studio is so much more than just a bar. With regularly rotating art exhibitions, themed nights, and the ever-popular 100 RMB open bar on Thursdays, it’s a staple.
No.4, Lane 1950 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Xingguo Lu 淮海中路1950弄4号, 近兴国路, 6283 1043
2.VOGUE IN KEVIN’S
This blink-and-you-miss-it backstreet bar serves up Thai food, and welcomes L, G, B and T clients to enjoy a quiet drink. The terrace is an added bonus.
No.4, Lane 946 Changle Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu, 长乐路946弄4号, 近乌鲁木齐路 62488985
3. FOCUS
The city’s lalas gather at this low-key, candlelit venue, which is a café by day.
1/F, Harbour Ring Plaza, 730 Yan'an Xi Lu, near Xizang Zhong Lu 延安西路730号, 近西藏中路, 1685 7806
4. EDDY’S
The eponymous owner of this neighborhood bar provides a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for the pre-clubbing crowd, or anyone who fancies a quiet drink surrounded by Zen-like wall-hangings and statues.
877 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Tianping Lu 淮海中路1877号, 近天平路, 6282 0521
5. CLUB D2
With three distinct vibes across three rooms (Cruzy, Lazy and Crazy), D2 is a lounge, a club and a bar all rolled into one.
505 Zhongshan Nan Lu, near Fuxing Dong Lu 时尚老码头, 中山南路505号, 近复兴东路, 6152 6543
6. RICE BAR
In gay slang, a rice queen is a gay guy who likes Asian men. This bar caters to their tastes, and is a nice, low-key location for a drink before hitting the clubs.
532 Fahuazhen Lu, near Dingxi Lu 法华镇路532号, 近定西路, 2110 9881
7. RED STATION
Shanghai’s young lalas flock to Red Station for dancing and late night drinking.
4/F, 200 Taikang Lu, near Sinan Lu 泰康路200号4楼, 近思南路, 6415 8695
8. TRANSIT
Formerly located on top of Shanghai Studio, Japanese gay bar Transit has a new address.
141 Tai’an Lu, near Huashan Lu 泰安路141号, 近华山路, 6283 3051
9. LAI LAI DANCEHALL
Favored by Shanghai’s older gay men (who are usually married to women), Lai Lai Dancehall in Hongkou offers ballroom dancing and regular drag shows.
2/F, 235 Anguo Lu, near Zhoujiazui Lu 安国路235号2楼, 近周家嘴路, 2174 7399
10. G8
The new incarnation of Frangipani, G8 is a small, friendly club on one of the city’s most popular restaurant streets.
399 Dagu Lu, near Chengdu Bei Lu 大沽路399号, 近成都北路 5375 0084
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Shanghai Repertory Theater is fast gaining a well-deserved reputation as the city’s finest purveyor of high quality drama, and their recent collaboration with Irishtown Productions proves that they are on top of their game. Cork playwright Cónal Creedon’s gritty soliloquy The Cure saw Irish actor Aidan O’Hare command the stage as a man left behind by a racing economy and changing city.
It’s difficult to quantify the effort and talent required to carry off a one-man show, but Aidan O’Hare achieved it with aplomb. From the moment he sauntered onto the stage in his dishevelled suit until the moment the lights went down an hour or so later, he engaged the audience and elicited emotions ranging from sympathy to exasperation. Never did he overplay the character’s drunkenness, nor milk the man’s unfortunate situation.
Moments of bittersweet humor peppered the narrative, including tales of a smarmy old school friend named Mickey who rose up the social ladder. Regular mentions of a priest indicate a darker element in the backstory.
Creedon’s use of language is dizzyingly attractive. He manipulates repetition to great effect, bringing the opening lines back several times in chilling sonata form. As for the staging, the Ke Center’s stark space was the perfect backdrop for a bleak but redemptive piece of drama.
For anyone who missed The Cure but needs a drama fix, SRT is performing Twelfth Night at the Ke Center until April 3rd.
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The original Kaiba sits among some great bars and restaurants in the Kangding 528 complex, and serves a huge array of imported beers, many of which are Trappist brews from Belgium.
528 Kangding Lu, near Xikang Lu, 6288 9676
康定路528号， 近西康路
Now with three branches across town, Kelley Lee’s Boxing Cat Breweries are a go-to when it comes to micro-brewery beer. This branch is the most picturesque thanks to its leafy terrace.
82 Fuxing Lu, near Yongfu Lu, 6431 2091
复兴路82号, 近永福路
The newly opened Kerry Parkside hotel in Pudong has an on-site brewery complete with a three-story brew room and plenty of indoor and outdoor space.
Kerry Parkside, 1388 Huamu Lu, near Fangdian Lu, 6169 8888
花木路1388号, 近芳甸路
The BREW at Kerry Parkside hotel
A Yunnanese restaurant might not be synonymous with beer, but Southern Barbarian has a surprisingly prolific stock.
2/F, Ju'Roshine Life Arts Space, 169 Jinxian Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu, 5157 5510
进贤路169号2楼, 近茂名南路
The original expat bar caters to the appetites of the laowai crew with imported beers on tap.
42 Taojiang Lu, near Wulumuqi Lu, 6474 4533
桃江路42号,近乌鲁木齐路
Classier than its rivals (and pricier), the Paulaner chain serves up its own brew along with imported selections.
150 Fenyang Lu, near Fuxing Lu, 6474 5700
汾阳路150路, 近复兴路
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Ironically, this place is better known for its gastro snacks than its beer, but its homebrews of wheat lager hit the spot.
11 Hankou Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, 6321 8447
汉口路11号, 近中山东一路
A family favorite thanks to its outdoor space and location in the middle of Hongqiao, Papa’s serves a variety of imported beers.
22-24 Hongmei Entertainment Street, Lane 3338 Hongmei Lu, near Yan’an Xi Lu, 6465 8880
虹梅路3338号虹梅休闲街22-24号，近延安西路
Another Hongqiao staple, Bubba’s serves a good selection of beers along with his eponymous barbecue.
2262 Hongqiao Lu, near Jianhe Lu, 6242 2612
虹桥路2262号, 近剑河路
With several locations around town, Blue Frog is a beacon on the expat nightlife scene. The Xujiahui branch pairs quality burgers with beer on tap.
131 Tianyaoqiao Lu, near Xingeng Lu, 3368 6117
天钥桥路131号, 近辛耕路
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