The Camel

Shanghai's newest addition to the incestuous, contentious, contestable community of "sports bars". It's got the space, it's got the buzz, it boasts the TV screens, and the beer is cold.

Mar 9th 10, by Morgan Short

Dr Wine

Dr Wine is making an ideological stand on Fumin Lu between the twin beasts of No.88 to the South and its rival-cum-brother in poor taste, Fame, to the North. It stands defiant, or rather crouches – its two floors waiting to rendezvous with the rest of the wine bar battalion it has come to save. The sky-blue coloured ..

Jan 29th 10, by Oliver Greene

el Coctel

el Coctel is an extension of el Willy, a fifteen-minute stroll away. It's an eminently comfortable cocktail lounge, with a Japanese obsession to the quality, ingredients, and methodology of bartending. Specially imported bartender, from Ginza, and a small menu of specially imported Spanish snacks -- marinated anchovies..

Jan 8th 10, by Christopher St Cavish

Sir Elly's

Sir Elly's is The Pen's fine-dining Euro restaurant, and it's the jewel in the hotel's stable of upper-crust F&B outlets (The Lobby, Yi Long Court, Salon de Ning, Compass Bar), set in the top two floors. Floor thirteen is the restaurant, a sedate affair with much gravitas, and a bar hugging one corner; floor fourteen i..

Dec 21st 09, by Christopher St Cavish

The Monkey Lounge

Oh, you know, just your average clandestine bar-club-lounge. What! It's the secret Volar, the underground Bling, the prohibition Richy... Basically, it's a hip-hop, ABC speakeasy with Philip Starck-ish design. But you're not supposed to know about it, BECAUSE IT'S A SECRET.

Nov 26th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Manchuria

Manchuria is a sophisticated Cantonese restaurant, by Edwin Ng. Ng traded in a long career in the fashion world for the world of F&B several years ago, now has a string of plush Southeast Asian restaurants to his name: Bali Laguna, Thai Gallery, and F.C.C.. But Ng is from Hong Kong, and Manchuria is his response to a p..

Nov 12th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Mr Willis

Craig Willis's homebase. Willis has spent the last several years as the group chef for Wagas and its related ventures. You might have guessed from the name -- this one's his own. He's taken all that hard-earned experience and applied it to something personal, an intimate, casual little restaurant that feels like an apa..

Oct 19th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Restaurant Martin

Restaurant Martin is Spanish fine dining, done with the help, and in the name, of Martin Berasategui. Berasategui's flagship restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain, has three Michelin stars -- 71 other restaurants in the world share that distinction. Until now, he's been working exclusively in Spain. He's picked Shanghai f..

Oct 13th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Bistro Burger

Gourmet burgers, and casual American stuff, from populist restaurateur Eduardo Vargas. There's also some milkshakes, some milkshakes with booze, and a craft-y beer selection. It's a simple formula. Chef Eric Brown is consulting on the menu, which is a good thing. He does a great burger.

Oct 9th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Lapis Thai

This Lapis Thai is the third in a series of sultry, romantic Thai restaurants. They share a partner, and a sensibility, with Lapis Lazuli, a sultry, romantic homewares-and-okay-Western-food restaurant on Dongping Lu, between Sasha's and Simply Thai. This foray into the world of spicy salads, curries, and a wine list, s..

Sep 30th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Shanghai Nightmare

A haunted house! Shanghai's, and ostensibly, mainland China's, first haunted house. Shanghai Nightmare has taken over a crumbling 1902 warehouse on the creek and turned it into a maze of fright, but only until Halloween.

Sep 23rd 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Gosney & Kallman's Chinatown

"Gosney & Kallman's Chinatown" is the Shanghai venture for two ex-New York-based staples in the recent burlesque / vaudeville revival in that city. Riding the heels of said revival, said club owners relocated to Shanghai with aspirations on importing burlesque to China, and began recruiting performers and dancers fro..

Sep 18th 09, by Morgan Short

Jing'an

Jing'an is a damn good restaurant. These Radar things are supposed to be completely objective and withhold from passing judgement, but screw it. Jing'An is a really nice restaurant, and food people are going to be talking about this place -- alot. Restaurants this ambitious and well-crafted don't open in Shanghai very..

Aug 31st 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Lost Heaven

Four floors of Exotic. Lost Heaven's original location on Gaoyou Lu is wildly popular for its super-romance, Exotic Asia vibe and its Golden Triangle food. This location builds on that restaurant/lounge formula -- dim lighting, piquant food, Ethnic Minority Grab Bag decor, cushions, cushions, cushions! It's mass..

Aug 27th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Dada

Dada is Michael O., a long-time Shanghai-based music/events promoter (Antidote, PAUSE, various other stuff) stepping into the bar biz. He's managing and co-owning the place, along with a few other Shanghai-experienced investors (they of Captain's Bar / Hostel). Dada could be classified as bar, lounge, and/or club, bec..

Aug 21st 09, by Morgan Short

Gourmet Cafe

Gourmet Cafe is less of a cafe than a persistent attempt to turn everything in the world into a hamburger. Or, now, a milkshake. This is the second location and if you've had their burgers, you know the deal: 150 grams of ground Australian beef and a million variations. There are a few differences with this, the swanke..

Aug 6th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Rhumerie Bounty

It’s a pirate-themed bar and a pirate’s life for thee. Everythin' at th’ Rhumerie be t' do wi' sea dogs, an' the'r alchohol o' choice: rum. Th’ rum be Havana Club, an' 't’s macerated fer tides wi' fruit an' spices from exotic an' tropical ports. Ye buy 't t' sip on, yarrrr, an' thar be different flavours t' ..

Jul 21st 09, by Cap'n Morgan

Hof

Hof is a boutique dessert and cocktail lounge, doing all kinds of interesting, premium things at non-premium prices. Their pedigree is in their name -- "Hof" is from the people behind House of Flour, another dessert destination out in Zhangjia..

Jul 15th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Cha's

Cha's is a brilliantly unabashed dedication to, and faithful recreation of, the old-time Hong Kong cha canting. Cha cantings are basically the Cantonese version of a diner, doing greasy Canto classics late into the night. Xinwang and Bi Feng Tang, Changle Lu's refuges of the drunk and out-too-late, are both ..

Jul 10th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Brick

Brick takes two previously separate, emerging middle-class tropes -- jazz and wine -- and fuses them together into one brilliant whole. It's split into two areas, one a more restaurant-like space, and the other a darker, jazzier lounge. Or that was the brief. In reality, the whole place has a nice lackadaisical feel to..

Jul 9th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Not Me

Not Me used to be a "talking bar", but it's recently come under new ownership (an Indonesian coming to Shanghai via California, this is his first venture in Shanghai). Said ownership is looking for a decided change in direction for the place, and they've enlisted the services of one-half of local rock promoters S.T.D. ..

Jul 2nd 09, by Morgan Short

Southern Belle

Managed by Sean Fitzgerald (he did a stretch with Bourbon Street on Hengshan Lu and Big Bamboo), Southern Belle is a bar paying homage to the culture of the southern U.S. It’s a smaller place, drinks being their main focus (heavy handed pours), but they also have a small kitchen doing sandwiches (Lone Star Corned Be..

Jun 16th 09, by Oliver Greene

Boxing Cat Brewery

Boxing Cat Brewery is a comfy, American-style brewpub. It fits in with the rest of owner and serial restaurateur's portfolio -- Cantina Agave, Closed Door, iiiit! -- with its casual vibe and uncomplicated food. There's already one out west, in Minhang, but they've just opened in a handsome, three-story garden home in t..

Jun 10th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

South Beauty Private Kitchen

South Beauty Private Kitchen is in the Xintiandi. The name is more of a reference to Hong Kong's one-time craze with small-scale restaurants in people's homes than a door policy. Shanghai never really got the whole private restaurant thing. But Shanghai gets exclusivity and that's where they're going with this one. Sou..

Jun 4th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Steam

Steam is a new direction from the people behind South Beauty, the upscale Sichuan chain. This time they graft, eh, every steamed Chinese dish ever conceived to a Western health-conscious sensibility. There's a fresh fruit juice bar, a wine list, and a cocktail list with Champagne cocktails and a raspberry Cosmo. The f..

May 20th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

The Cottage

It's a quaint cafe with a bit of style. Old Mike, the owner, made his bucks in the banking industry and wanted a place where he could hang out with his photographer friends, drink vodka-spiked coffee (30rmb, first thing on the menu), and store his collection of old tchotckes/antique stuff. So he took over a three-story..

May 12th 09, by Christopher St Cavish

Vargas Grill

Vargas Grill is an unflinching dedication to the art and act of grilling -- everything on the menu is grilled by either one big gas grill or two smaller charcoal grills, even the desserts. The chef is the same from Azul and the menu is very straightforward; steak is the main aspect of their "Soft Opening Menu", and th..

Apr 30th 09, by Oliver Greene

La Verbena

After a three-year stint as a traditional Spanish pavilion restaurant, La Verbena went back to the drawing board, renovating the place (they secured the services of Spanish architect Santi Parramon), re-opening this month (April 2009). New look. New menu. New direction. They’re going chic Spanish contemporary, offe..

Apr 29th 09, by Janice Bae

The Fat Olive

The Fat Olive is David Laris descending the Bund (slightly), and partnering with the people who brought you Maya and the Velvet Lounge to open up a wine & mezze bar. Partnering with Torres Wine (the "Not Just Another China Winery" -- you might remember them if you've had a meal at el Willy's or Sushi Oyama lately), Th..

Apr 21st 09, by Oliver Greene

Factory

Assuming the namesake of Andy Warhol's Factory in New York in the 70's, the Factory in Shanghai is... sort of hard to condense into one sentence. Basically, it's a restaurant and a lounge (these take up the majority of the space on the bottom floor), but they've also got a fully geared recording studio in there, a gall..

Apr 15th 09, by Morgan Short

Mr & Mrs. Bund

"A modern French eatery by Paul Pairet" is the tagline. It's also brought to you by the VOL group, Shanghai's famous purveyors of "high-end hospitality." Pairet is the Shanghai-based, avant-garde French chef erstwhile of Jade on 36, and probably the one chef in town most associated with the term "genius" in various m..

Apr 9th 09, by Morgan Short

Little Face

For those of you who have mourning the loss of Face Bar on Ruijin Lu, the Face Bar Group has brought you a little something to hold you over until they find a new venue. Ever-stylish, ever-thirsty Shanghai glamazons, meet aptly named Face Bar offspring -- “Little Face Asian Kitchen & Bar.” Inheriting the antique wo..

Mar 23rd 09, by Janice Bae

Tsui Wah

The first restaurant of the Hong Kong Tsui Wah chain to break into the mainland, Tsui Wah Shanghai appears to be a rendition of the HK staple with Shanghainese characteristics. Down south, Tsui Wah is known to specialize in “Cantonese café cuisine”, which includes dishes like fried crispy egg noodles, thick toast ..

Mar 17th 09, by Janice Bae

Pinnacle Peak

Pinnacle Peak is an Old West-themed steakhouse chain from the States, specializing in big steak portions at workin' man's prices. Their main dish is "The Cowboy Steak," which is a 21oz monster, grilled over mesquite charcoal. A significantly smaller chain than the globally dominating fast food joints, Pinnacle Peak on..

Mar 12th 09, by Oliver Greene

Icons

Besides all your wildest fantasies come true? What isn't it really. Coming from Singaporean interests, Icons is three things in one -- restaurant, club, and café. More than that, it's a concept and live performance venue, featuring local and foreign wait staff dressed up like 20th century pop culture icons. ..

Mar 3rd 09, by Oliver Greene

Tai Thai

The new Thai bar/ restaurant from one of the property barons of Taikang Lu (he’s also got a yoga studio and an art gallery), Tai Thai serves fine Thai food, and is angling to be one of the top three Thai restaurants in the city. A modest and rickety wooden staircase (and small bar on first floor) leads up to a wonde..

Feb 26th 09, by Oliver Greene

Sichuan Citizen

Sichuan Citizen is the Sichanese restaurant/ cocktail bar/ tea house expansion of the popular Citizen CafE. Quiet, serene, and unassuming when looking from the outside in, entrance into the restaurant reveals a massive dining space, and the eating area stretches out into the back and onto a second floor. They can sea..

Feb 19th 09, by Oliver Greene

Baskin-Robbins

A subdivision of the Dunkin Donuts corp., Baskin-Robbins lays claim to being the world's largest ice cream parlour chain, with stores in over 30 countries in 5,800 locations around the world. But the majority of them are in the States, and a brief check with my non-American expat chums reveals that Baskin-Robbins is pr..

Feb 11th 09, by Oliver Greene

Sushi Oyama

Sushi Oyama is a new fourteen-seat Japanese sushi restaurant that offers a multi-course custom menu that changes nightly for reservation-only guests. All their seafood is imported directly from Tokyo and Nagasaki, and the menu changes with what's in season. Light jazz is on the stereo, front row seating for groups to ..

Feb 7th 09, by Oliver Greene