Hidden on the roof of Captain's Hostel, The Captain sportingly provides a cheaper alternative to some of its neighboring bars along The Bund. Comes with a roof terrace and a very nifty view. Nautical-themed decor and a drinks menu averaging in the 70rmb range. Food... Read more
A simple Italian restaurant driven by a wood-fired oven hiding out in the kitchen. The short menu is mostly antipasti, pizza and pasta, with a couple salads on flat bread, and is not fancy but decent stuff. The real highlight is the environment: a bombed-out... Read more
Cotton's chilled-out villa atmosphere is also the place to go if you're not used to Chinese food and don't plan on becoming acclimated. They've done a good job of creating a pretty spot where foreigners can feel like they are in any city. The old outdoor dining area... Read more
This concept by the Jing'an Shangri-la de Mediterranean cuisine with a sharp focus on Italy and Spain. A densely packed menu features handmade pasta dishes, risottos, authentic Neapolitan pizzas, and primo cuts of Wagyu beef from Australia. The building itself is of... Read more
Bella Napoli is an institution, already several years past its first decade in Shanghai. It is busy almost every night of the week, in every type of weather, from cold and rainy Tuesday evenings to hot summer weekend nights. The crowds are here for simple and... Read more
Fine Italian dining on the Bund. An expansive menu spans many regions of the boot, with the kind of down-to-earth, casual fare Italians might eat any day of the week. Standouts include the Tuscan chicken liver terrine and the pici alla Toscana. Pizzas are somewhere... Read more
Bustling, buzzing neighborhood Italian restaurant and bar from the same people behind Gemma. It's designed to evoke the main eatery in every Italian train station (hence the name). It's affordable, directly... Read more
The sequel to the Dongping Lu location, D.O.C. is Camel Group's take on the eternal Italian bistro. Read more
Formerly "Must Wine", Must Grill focuses on meats, burgers, and red wine. Dark wood decor and a nice glassed-in patio area with heat lamps during the winter. It's a casual spot; good for a date, friends, or a bite with the coworkers. They have some unique burger... Read more
An intimate, casual little bistro from Craig Willis. Looks like an apartment, cooks simple, tasty dishes like the friend who's always showing up everyone else at the dinner party. Read more
Long-time Italian restaurant from an even longer-time resident. A street-side Italian bistro on a leafy stretch of Huashan Lu, Seve delivers the higher end of traditional Italian cuisine; Calamaretti alla Griglia, Melanzana Panata, Ravioli alla Zucca e Tartufo,... Read more
Da Marco is a perennial expat favorite for Italian. Its simple formula -- inexpensive, decent Italian -- has kept this, its original location, going for years. The menu is mostly pizza and pasta, with a few more ambitious mains, but generally, the simpler, the... Read more
Henkes is Aussie chef Craig Willis's homage to the other side of his family; it's his mother's maiden name. By his own account, he's extracted the DNA of his first namesake restaurant Mr. Willis and... Read more
This reincarnation from Kangding Lu has been updated with a stylish decor and upgraded with a better menu. Food offerings include thin-crust pizzas, grilled steaks and antipasti like prosciutto and melon. To drink, there is a solid selection of imported beers, wines... Read more
Set up by three guys who opened Bella Mia, Palatino offers Roman-style cuisine, authentic pizzas and a wide selection of wine in a nice little spot with some outside seating. It's on a stretch of Changle Lu that can feel busy with traffic, but Palatino's set back a... Read more
Mamma Mia is an Italian restaurant by chef/restaurateur Enzo Carbone of Capo and formerly Issimo fame. Unlike his previous higher-end concepts, this one is more casual with food served family style. Expect handmade pastas, and of course Carbone's signature pizza... Read more
UVA is an Italian wine bar owned by a producer who specializes in wines northern Italy's Langhe region. There is a kitchen serving Italian pizzas, salads, paninis, bruschetta, and imported Italian cheeses and cold cuts. Read more
The Jing'an Shangri-La's spare-no-expense steakhouse concept follows a "farm to table" ethos with artisan-produced steaks and chops and other creative cuisine. The menu riffs off of film production terms with section names like "Cold Open" and "Act One, Scene One."... Read more
Slightly out of the laowai loop, this cozy, 60-seat Italian trattoria does deeply satisfying pizzas, pastas and grilled meats. Dishes range from familiar favorites like linguine with clams to slow roasted pork short rib glazed in honey, rosemary and fennel. Read more
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