Shanghai’s Spanish dining scene is an incestuous affair. Loco, the new kid on the southernmost block of Wulumuqi Lu, offers largely the same safe blend of tapas and drinks in a comfortable environment that put its popular siblings on the map.
Apparently, a few years ago, two Moroccan restaurants in Shanghai were two too many. Now the original owner of both (El Wajh, now closed) has launched a new restaurant in Tianzifang and it’s fine, authentic business as used-to-be.
The slightly run-down mall at 818 Nanjing Xi Lu doesn’t look like it would have a pretty good modern Italian restaurant up on the fifth floor, but there actually is.
Nestled in a lane behind Shanghai’s most notorious bar strip, Bonne Café is a relaxed, welcoming spot serving fresh Italian bites.
This café-restaurant hybrid serves as a bastion of China’s mid-’00s approach to Western dining. It is what Time Passage is to live-music venues here, the Lianhua of supermarkets. Almost staunch in it’s refusal to move with the beat of Shanghai’s progress, it stands firm against the city’s evolving dining scene.
Tentekomai | Japanese
You know you’ve either struck gastronomic gold or epicurean egotism when the entranceway of a restaurant is littered with photos and books from the chef. But in the case of Mikuni, it’s the marking of some slightly expensive, slightly understated Italian classics in an otherwise superbly tranquil environment.