Shanghai’s fine dining scene is more exciting than ever. From refined regional Chinese cuisine to inventive plant-based fare, here are five standout restaurants worth booking
Shanghai‘s fine dining scene has never been more thrilling. In a city where the skyline shifts by the minute and the culinary landscape moves even faster – from Michelin-starred sanctuaries to boundary-pushing newcomers, serious food lovers are spoiled for choice.
The hard part? Getting a reservation. The reward? Unforgettable meals that linger long after the last bite. We navigated the chaos to curate five of the absolute finest.
Here’s your guide to the restaurants defining Shanghai right now, complete with the dishes you cannot miss.
Yong Fu North Bund (甬府北外滩)
Since 2022, Yong Fu has earned one Michelin star and Black Pearl Three Diamonds, placing it among China’s most revered fine-dining establishments.
The place
Perched on the 56th floor of Raffles City on The Bund, overlooking the Huangpu River, the flagship restaurant of the Yong Fu Culinary Group offers a sky-high dining experience.
Its modernist interior – a refined palette of marble and muted golds framed by dramatic city views – creates the sensation of floating above Shanghai. Nights are particularly magical, as the Pudong skyline flickers to life.
Industry veteran Weng Yongjun conceived Yong Fu as a love letter to Ningbo cuisine, a culinary tradition from Zhejiang province known for its bold, briny flavours and reverence for ultra-fresh seafood.
Yongjun flies in the day’s catch daily, ensuring that executive chef Xu Kunlei and his team work with ingredients that have been out of the East China Sea for just a matter of hours.
The food
The Ningbo Signature Red Cream Crab, cleaved into 18 bite-sized pieces, preserves the roe-laden shell’s gelatinous texture. Served with a vinegar-spiked dipping sauce, the cool, jelly-like flesh gives way to bright-orange coral roe that is sweet, briny and luxuriously creamy.
Hot dishes such as Pan-Seared Dalian Scallops with fermented soybean paste and Sautéed Mantis Shrimp with bamboo shoots and fermented cabbage capture the soul of Ningbo cuisine, pairing the brininess of the sea with deep, earthy umami.
Braised Brown Croaker Fish Maw with porcini mushrooms features prized dried fish maw, rehydrated to a spongy texture that soaks up the rich stock, while porcini mushrooms lend an earthy, woody depth.
The pan-fried Ningbo-Style Glutinous Rice Balls arrive golden and crisp, their delicate shells giving way to molten black sesame paste – a decadent twist on the traditional boiled version.
Multi-course set menus start from ¥2,000 RMB ($379.39). 56F, East Tower, Raffles City The Bund, 1089 Dongdaming Road, Hongkou
Amazing Chinese Cuisine (菁禧薈长宁)
Chef-restaurateur Du Jianqing, a leading figure in Shanghai’s modern Chaoshan dining movement, opened this intimate gem in 2015 to showcase the refined artistry of Chaoshan cuisine – a coastal Guangdong tradition prized for its pristine seafood and delicate sauces.
His philosophy is simple: “less is more”, reinterpreting tradition with exacting standards and a restrained approach.
The place
Tucked inside an exclusive villa in Changning, Amazing Chinese Cuisine offers just five private dining rooms, each individually designed with antique Chinese furnishings and soft mood lighting.
Dining here feels like being invited into a connoisseur’s private home. The restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars in this year’s Shanghai guide.
The food
Start with the Chiu Chow Marinated Goose Liver and Chaozhou Brined 36-Month-Old Goose Head and Neck, a prized delicacy traditionally reserved for the most respected tables.
Paper-thin slices of geoduck and courgette are delicately blanched in a clear Geoduck and Clam Soup, allowing the shellfish’s pristine sweetness to shine.
Braised Chanterelle Mushrooms with Annam male fish maw brings a touch of pure luxury. At its heart is a collagen-rich seafood stock, crafted from a treasured 10-year-old house recipe, that delivers wave after wave of deep umami.
Wok-Seared Conch with silken chicken fat glaze and sautéed Chiu Chow Marbled Beef with garlic sprouts showcase executive chef Chen Shaoxiong’s mastery of heat.
Finish with Stir-Fried Rice with 30-Year-Aged Preserved Radish and the decadent Glutinous Rice Balls with sweet mung bean paste and bird’s nest.
Multi-course set menus start from ¥2,000 RMB ($379.39). B5 Villa, 1665 Hongqiao Road, Changning
Meet The Bund Skyline (遇外滩 Skyline)
Meet the Bund Skyline is no stranger to accolades. It holds a Michelin star, ranked sixth on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026, was named The Best Restaurant in Mainland China 2026, and received three diamonds from the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide.
The place
Located high above Shanghai on the 56th floor of Raffles City West Tower, this fine-dining gem offers sweeping views of the Huangpu River and Lujiazui skyline.
Inside, clean lines, warm woods and floor-to-ceiling windows frame the historic waterfront, while intimate lighting and polished service create a sense of quiet warmth – like a sophisticated coastal home, only elevated.
Acclaimed chef-turned-restaurateur Wu Rong, a visionary who has spent more than two decades championing Fujianese cuisine, founded this temple to Fujian cooking and became the first chef to earn a Michelin star for the cuisine in 2021.
His protégé, Chen Zhiping, now helms the kitchen, elevating the subtle, umami-rich flavours of coastal Fujian – often overshadowed by Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines – to fine-dining heights.
The food
The legendary Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is the undisputed centrepiece – a refined, shark fin-free rendition featuring abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber and bird’s nest, simmered over the course of a week. The amber-hued broth alone requires two days of preparation, combining premium chicken, duck and pigeon with wine in a sealed earthenware pot.
Equally iconic is the Xiamen Steamed Glutinous Rice with Mud Crab – fragrant sticky rice steamed beneath roe-rich wild crab, with every grain absorbing the rich flavours of the sea.
The Original Scallion Oil Gravy Baked Lipu Taro, named “Dish of the Year” in the 2024 Black Pearl Guide, uses only the two prized core slices of Guangxi-grown taro – once presented as a tribute to Emperor Qianlong – baked in a rich braised pork gravy. Equally unmissable is the Fujian Red Wine Chicken, slow-cooked in aged local rice wine until meltingly tender.
Multi-course set menus start from ¥1500 RMB ($282.94). 56/F, West Tower, Raffles City The Bund, Hongkou
Fu He Hui (福和慧)
Nestled along Yuyuan Road, a historic 1920s thoroughfare lined with elegant villas under plane-tree canopies, Fu He Hui stands as a serene sanctuary. Its name Fu He Hui – Fortune, Harmony, Wisdom – embodies a philosophy of cultivating blessings and wisdom.
The place
Designed by distinguished local designer Lyu Yongzhong, the serene interior features raw stone, natural timber and soft textiles, evoking an Eastern Zen aesthetic of understated elegance.
The restaurant has been listed among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for 12 consecutive years, retained a Michelin star for a decade and earned two diamonds from the Black Pearl Guide.
Chef Tony Lu’s tasting menus elevate vegetarian fare beyond mere sustenance, using refined techniques to honour the integrity of each ingredient while nourishing the spirit.
The multi-sensory journey unfolds like a gradual awakening of the seasons, beginning with delicate starters such as Perilla with Golden Fungus and Peach, Ginger and Plum, before progressing through an interplay of textures and flavours.
The food
The signature Dou Bao features a pouch of layered tofu skin, braised in soy milk until tender and filled with broth, then topped with white kidney beans and crushed olive kernels.
The Quanzhou-style Popiah delivers a symphony of crunch and umami, with ganba fungus, Swiss chard, water bamboo, snow peas, carrot and dried daikon wrapped in a delicate, paper-thin skin. Luffa is paired with bamboo pith and dried bamboo shoots, while wontons filled with shepherd’s purse, cordyceps flower and rattan pepper offer a burst of complex flavours.
Beyond its inventive presentations, Fu He Hui’s signature Tea Pairing draws on the clean, mellow qualities of fine teas to complement and elevate each course. This is plant-based dining at its most inspired.
Classic and seasonal multi-course set menus start from ¥998 RMB ($189.25). 1037 Yuyuan Road, Changning
The House of Rong
The House of Rong is the high-end private dining concept by Xin Rong Ji, one of China’s most revered restaurant groups.
Its philosophy is simple: “In a place with stories, with people who have stories, eat a table of stories.” Chefs source seasonal ingredients daily, allowing creativity and spontaneity to shape the menu and ensuring that each dining experience brings an element of surprise.
The place
The prestigious two-Michelin-starred concept is housed within the historic Bei Mansion on Nanyang Road, which once belonged to financier Tsu Yee Pei, father of legendary Chinese-American architect IM Pei.
Completed in 1934, the mansion evokes the nostalgia of old Shanghai, with a design that recalls the elegance and grandeur of the city’s upper classes during the Republican era.
The food
Raw Marinated Wild-Caught Shrimp celebrates plump Qingdao prawns and their rich roe in a traditional brine, while Amber-Wine-Soaked Mantis Shrimp sees the crustacean steeped in house-made Huadiao wine.
The Braised Yellow Croaker in Home Style has been a Xin Rong Ji classic for more than two decades, featuring a rich fish broth best enjoyed with rice or rice cakes. The Rong Roll, meanwhile, reimagines Peking duck with rice wrappers infused with the earthy flavours of Yunnan mushrooms.
Another highlight is the Fish Maw and Yellow Croaker Potage, a broth simmered with croaker bones and layered with silky fish fillets, fish maw, bamboo shoots and Tibetan fungus. A sensation since its debut, the dish encapsulates the restaurant’s approach: rooted in a sense of place and tradition, yet quietly inventive.
Multi-course set menus start from ¥2,000 RMB ($379.39). Pei Mansion, 170 Nanyang Road, Jing’an
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