These days in Shanghai, it feels like it's easier to get a latte and croissant than youtiao and doujiang, as the bistro-ification of the city continues unabated. But next to East China University of Science and Technology, one heaven of cheap grease remains: Jialing Market, or as it brands itself, Carb Road.
Here, over 30 stalls sell the entire guidebook of Shanghai street food staples. There are shengjianbao, crispy on the bottom, pillowy on top, and with enough pork juice to stain your shirt. There are qiangbing as thick as your forearm. There are multiple types of pancakes with every variety of filling. Youtiao, glistening with oil straight out of the fryer, mantou by the pallet, fried curry beef buns, zongzi, fried fish, shaobing; if you have heard of it as a must-try snack food in the city, it is probably here.
On a Sunday morning, the sidewalk is packed, with some stalls so busy that people dress their own jianbing with plum sauce and chili oil as the stall owners crank out the next customer's order. The crowds mean that fresh batches of food are constantly being prepared, with nothing sitting around long enough to go stale. This also accounts for some of the lines, as people wait for a new batch of food to be ready. The longest lines (and thus the tastiest food, in the local logic) are at Panji Qiangbing and Li Family Egg Pancakes.
While a few stalls had a handful of stools inside for people to sit down on, for the most part, you eat on your feet.
Inside is a clean and well-lit two-story wet market, selling not only fruit, vegetables, raw meat, and seafood, but also roasted duck, salted chickens, and other prepared meats.
Check it out if you are looking for some of that old China market magic, or needing to try all of Shanghai's snacks in one sitting. Make a day of it and head to the excellent Shanghai Botanical Gardens to burn off some calories after, less than a kilometer away.
How to find it: The snack stalls are located outside of Jialing Wet Market (嘉陵菜市场). The market and food stalls are most energetic in the morning, with vendors shutting down as the afternoon winds on. The closest metro stop is East China University of Science and Technology, around a ten-minute walk away.
