The idea is simple: take Taizhou home-style seafood and treat it like fine dining. Expect carefully sourced ingredients, precise cooking, and a menu that's heavy on seafood and classic Zhejiang flavors. In Shanghai, it's mostly a place for business dinners, celebrations, or when you want to seriously splurge on Chinese food.
High-End Chains
Xin Rong Ji 新荣记
Xin Rong Ji started in 1995 in Linhai, Zhejiang, as a small seafood restaurant before growing into one of China's best-known high-end Chinese dining names. Built around Taizhou cuisine and seafood from the East China Sea, it now has restaurants in cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, with several locations earning Michelin stars. Unlike most Chinese restaurant groups, Xin Rong Ji has expanded carefully, focusing on a smaller number of destination restaurants rather than opening everywhere.
The idea is simple: take Taizhou home-style seafood and treat it like fine dining. Expect carefully sourced ingredients, precise cooking, and a menu that's heavy on seafood and classic Zhejiang flavors. In Shanghai, it's mostly a place for business dinners, celebrations, or when you want to seriously splurge on Chinese food.
Per Person Average: 600–1,000rmb
Specialties: Crispy Ribbonfish (黄金脆带鱼), Braised Yellow Croaker (家烧黄鱼), Sea Garlic with Bean Noodles (沙蒜烧豆面)
Da Dong 大董
Da Dong was founded in Beijing in 1985 by chef Dong Zhenxiang, whose nickname became the name of the brand. What started as a traditional roast duck restaurant has grown into one of China's more recognizable modern Chinese dining names, with Michelin-starred locations in Beijing and Shanghai. Beyond its flagship restaurants, the group has also expanded into several other concepts and food-related businesses.
If you like roast duck but want something a little more polished than the classic Beijing banquet version, Da Dong is one of Shanghai's go-to options. Its signature "super lean" roast duck puts more emphasis on crisp skin and a lighter finish, while the rest of the menu mixes northern Chinese classics with more creative dishes. It's definitely not an everyday duck dinner spot, but for a first try at higher-end Beijing roast duck, it's a reliable choice.
Per Person Average: 400–600rmb
Specialties: Super Lean Roast Duck (酥不腻烤鸭), Braised Sea Cucumber (葱烧海参), Crispy Shrimp (大董脆皮虾)
Mid-Range Crowd Favorites
Si Ji Min Fu/Peking Chamber 四季民福
Si Ji Min Fu was founded in Beijing in 2008, starting as a small hutong restaurant before becoming one of the city's most popular roast duck chains. While Da Dong takes a more modern, fine-dining approach to Beijing cuisine, Si Ji Min Fu sticks closer to the classics: traditional roast duck, familiar Beijing dishes, and a more casual dining atmosphere. The brand has since expanded beyond Beijing to cities including Shanghai, where its locations are often known for long queues.
The appeal of Si Ji Min Fu is pretty straightforward: it does the traditional Beijing roast duck experience without the fine-dining price tag. The duck is prepared in the classic style, with crispy skin, thin pancakes, and the usual selection of Beijing dishes on the side. If Da Dong is the place for a more polished, special-occasion version, Si Ji Min Fu is the easier choice when you want a solid roast duck meal.
Per Person Average: 180-200rmb
Specialties: Beijing Roast Duck (北京烤鸭), Zhajiang Noodles (炸酱面)
Hai Di Lao 海底捞
Hai Di Lao started as a small malatang shop in Jianyang, Sichuan, in the 1990s, founded by Zhang Yong with a small initial investment. Since then, it has grown into one of China's biggest hot pot chains, even expanding overseas, turning its famously attentive service into a brand identity. The waiting experience is part of the show: manicures, snacks, and small gestures that turned a long queue into something people actually talked about.
The hot pot itself is fairly straightforward, but the appeal is consistency. You know what you're getting: reliable broths, familiar ingredients, and service that runs like a machine. In recent years, Hai Di Lao has also experimented with new formats, including late-night street food-style concepts that bring a more casual, chaotic atmosphere to the brand. Whether you love the service or find it a little too much, there's no denying Hai Di Lao changed how people think about chain restaurants in China.
Per Person Average: 120-150rmb
Specialties: Shrimp Paste (虾滑), Seafood Trolley Selection, Tomato Hot Pot (番茄锅)
Fan Lou 蘩楼
Fan Lou is a Cantonese tea house brand with roots in Guangzhou's Xiguan area, one of the historic centers of Cantonese food culture. Built around the traditional idea of yum cha, the brand focuses on dim sum, tea, and classic Cantonese dishes, bringing old-school tea house flavors to a more modern restaurant setting.
The menu is all about familiar Cantonese comfort food: steamed dumplings, baked pastries, rice rolls, and small dishes meant for sharing. It's less about reinventing Cantonese cuisine and more about recreating the feeling of a traditional tea house in a more comfortable space. If you're looking for a classic dim sum meal in Shanghai without going too experimental, Fan Lou is an easy choice.
Per Person Average: 100–120rmb
Specialties: Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺), Char Siu Buns (叉烧包), Steamed Rice Rolls (肠粉)
Putien 莆田餐厅
Putien was founded in Singapore in 2000, starting as a small neighborhood restaurant on Kitchener Road serving the founder's hometown cuisine from Putian, Fujian. What began as a local restaurant has since grown into an international Chinese dining group, with locations across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. The brand has also picked up Michelin recognition along the way, bringing more attention to the lesser-known cuisine of Putian.
Compared with heavier regional Chinese cuisines, Putien is all about lighter flavors, fresh seafood, seasonal ingredients, and simple cooking techniques that let the ingredients do the work. The restaurants are polished without feeling overly formal, making them a good choice for family meals, business dinners, or when you want Chinese food that's less oily and less aggressive in flavor. If you're curious about Fujian cuisine beyond the usual seafood restaurants, it is an easy place to start.
Per Person Average: 120-150rmb
Specialties: Fujian Seafood Lor Mee (福建海鲜卤面), Freshly Baked Yellow Croaker (鲜焗大黄鱼), Fried Heng Hwa Vermicelli (兴化米粉)
Budget Everyday Eats
Lao Xiang Ji 老乡鸡
Lao Xiang Ji started in 2003, with roots going back to 1982 in Anhui. What began as a regional comfort food brand has grown into one of China's biggest fast-casual chains, built around a simple idea: familiar home-style dishes served quickly and consistently. Its signature is still the chicken soup, the kind of dish people order when they want something that feels closer to a home-cooked meal than a typical fast-food lunch. Today, it operates more than 1,600 stores across China and has also expanded into Southeast Asia.
The format sits somewhere between a canteen and a casual restaurant: self-serve rice, trays of stir-fried dishes, steamed eggs, soups, and braised items, all designed for a quick and easy meal. It's the kind of place you go when you don't want to think too hard about lunch.
Per Person Average: 30–50rmb
Specialties: Feixi Old Mother Chicken Soup (肥西老母鸡汤), Stir-Fried Pork (小炒肉), Steamed Egg (蒸蛋)
Da Mi Xian Sheng 大米先生
Da Mi Xian Sheng was launched in 2011 under Chinese fast-food group Xiang Cun Ji (乡村基). Similar to Lao Xiang Ji, it focuses on everyday Chinese meals: freshly cooked dishes, a self-selection format, and a wider variety of flavors. The brand has expanded across major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, where it has become a popular choice for quick weekday lunches.
The biggest difference from Lao Xiang Ji is in the style of food. While Lao Xiang Ji feels closer to a home kitchen, with Anhui dishes, soups, and a more family-style positioning, Da Mi Xian Sheng is built around small portions of stir-fried dishes that you mix and match yourself. The menu leans more toward Sichuan, Hunan, and other regional flavors, with plenty of options.
Per Person Average: 30-50rmb
Specialties:Braised Pork Ribs with Potatoes (土豆烧排骨), Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐), Seasonal Stir-Fried Dishes (时令小炒)
Hefu Noodles 和府捞面
Hefu Noodles started in the 2010s as part of China's growing wave of premium noodle chains, taking a simple bowl of noodles and giving it a more polished restaurant setting. It has since grown into one of China's better-known noodle brands, with 600+ stores across 80+ cities. The concept is built around herbal broths, buckwheat noodles, and a menu of braised toppings and side dishes.
It's not trying to reinvent noodles, but it does a reliable job of filling the gap between a casual noodle shop and a mall restaurant. Good for a quick lunch when you want something warm, filling, and predictable.
Per Person Average: 50–80rmb
Specialties: Herbal Broth Noodles (草本汤面), Braised Beef Noodles (红烧牛肉面), Buckwheat Noodles (荞麦面), Black Vegetable Sides (黑塌菜)
Gui Man Long 桂满陇
Gui Man Long takes its name from "Manlong Guiyu," one of the famous West Lake scenic spots in Hangzhou, known for its osmanthus trees and autumn fragrance. Since opening, the brand has built its identity around Hangzhou cuisine and Jiangnan aesthetics, with restaurants designed to recreate the feeling of old Hangzhou through traditional architecture, water features, and a heavy dose of atmosphere.
The menu focuses on classic Zhejiang dishes, from West Lake favorites to Jiangnan snacks and desserts. The food is only part of the experience here. The real draw is the setting, which turns a regular meal into something closer to a mini Jiangnan-themed outing. It's a popular pick for visitors, family meals, or anyone who wants a more scenic version of Hangzhou cuisine.
Per Person Average: 80-100rmb
Specialties: West Lake Vinegar Fish (西湖醋鱼), Dongpo Pork (东坡肉), Beggar's Chicken (叫花鸡)
Fei Da Chu 费大厨辣椒炒肉
Fei Da Chu started in Hengyang, Hunan, built around one very specific dish: stir-fried pork with chili peppers. While many Chinese restaurant chains try to cover a huge range of dishes, Fei Da Chu keeps things focused, with chefs cooking its signature dish to order in every store. The brand has expanded to 200+ locations across major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, mostly in busy shopping districts.
Beyond its famous chili pork, the menu covers other Hunan favorites like smashed eggplant with green pepper, claypot tofu, and crispy crucian carp. With no delivery and no franchising, the brand has kept a more controlled dining experience, and it has recently started looking overseas, including plans for a US opening.
Per Person Average: 80-100rmb
Specialties: Stir-Fried Pork with Chili Peppers (费大厨辣椒炒肉), Smashed Eggplant with Green Pepper (皮蛋青椒擂茄子), Claypot Tofu (砂锅嫩豆腐)
