Advertisement

Advertisement

2021-08-04 15:00:00

[Even More Patio Porn]: The Rooftops

Dining and drinks on the best rooftop venues in Shanghai

  • Char

    Char

    Char is a contemporary steakhouse and bar in the Hotel Indigo, just up a bit from The Cool Docks. Although it’s been around for a minute, and it shows in places, they can still be counted upon for a hip, trendy, boutique hotel sort of feel. The upstairs bar is also an attraction with its panoramic, unobstructed riverside views. More chill than the options up the road. Deals: From 5pm to 7pm, Char offers a daily snack set for two. 198rmb gets you two glasses of wine or cocktails plus fries and chicken wings. From 2pm to 4.30pm, 428rmb gets you a daily high tea set for two.

    Char

    29-31/F, Hotel Indigo, 585 Zhongshan...
    Brandon McGhee
  • The Cathay Room

    The Cathay Room

    The Cathy Room is the Euro fine dining restaurant in the historic Fairmont Peace Hotel. The pro move is calling ahead and booking a terrace table for a classic Shanghai brunch. Big sweeping views in a posh but lived-in art deco style fine dining venue. Plenty of history. Plenty of style. Deals: A free-flow Champagne Seafood brunch is yours for 898rmb. Heavy on seafood delicacies of the world, it’s semi-buffet style — Boston lobsters, Alaskan king crab, sushi and sashimi, and more.

    The Cathay Room (Fairmont Peace Hotel)

    9/F, Fairmont Peace Hotel, 20...
    Brandon McGhee
  • Sir Elly's

    Sir Elly's

    Sir Elly's is The Peninsula’s Euro fine dining flagship restaurant, up on the 13th floor, and hosts stunning views across the river to Pudong. The restaurant is trademark Bund: prestigiously expensive fine dining tasty menus served in prestigiously expensive art deco environs. Achieving Bund patio dominance in 2009, the pair of terraces at Sir Elly’s offers devastating views. As opposed to the two-dimensional, direct perspectives you get from the Bund buildings, this place serves it to you in three dimensions: the Bund, the creek, Hongkou, and the elegant curve of the Huangpu.

    Sir Elly's

    13/F, The Peninsula, 32 Zhongshan...
    Angela Leung
  • La Terrazza at Bvlgari Hotel

    La Terrazza at Bvlgari Hotel

    Opulence. Luxury. Bvlgari. The first name in Italian fashion offers a first rate view in the form of "La Terrazza", their rooftop bar poised sumptuously on the 48th floor of the hotel. Taking cues from a Riviera resort, it comes with teak decking, ivory-cushioned armchairs, and candle-lit curtained cabanas. The view is 180 degrees of glittering Pudong — beating a lot of Bund venues even though they’re situated half a kilometer back on Suzhou Creek. Brunch Deal: SmartTicket.cn has your brunch hook-up right here for "Il Ristorante", starting at 11.30am Sunday only. "Ultimate Italian refinement" indeed.

    Il Ristorante - Niko Romito

    Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai, 47/F, 108...
    Brandon McGhee
  • POP Brasserie

    POP Brasserie

    Nothing says "American" like "Brasserie", right? Located at Three on the Bund, it doesn’t get more “classic Shanghai view” than POP. The menu at this long-running restaurant is mostly approachable comfort cuisine — braised short ribs, duck leg confit, steaks, and classics like oysters Rockefeller. You might be going for brunch. You might be going for their big, annual New Year’s Eve party. You might just be looking for somewhere hassle-free to take your parents when they visit. As always, the riverside views are impressive. Deals: POP hosts a workday lunch set from 11am to 2pm. 128rmb for a wagyu cutlet main, wagyu burger, or fish and chips with a drink (Corona, tea, coffee).

    POP American Brasserie

    7/F, Three on the Bund, 17 Guangdong...
    Brandon McGhee
  • Kartel

    Kartel

    Just north of the IAPM, French wine and wide views on Kartel's rooftop. It's where all the co-workers of Shanghai go after work on Friday. Place is solid, especially during happy hour... Happy Hour: From 6pm to 8pm, selected drinks for around 35rmb. Buy one combo snack (starting from 88rmb) and get 2 glasses of house wine.

    Kartel

    5/F, 1 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Julu Lu
    Angela Leung
  • VUE

    VUE

    All these places offer really great views, but Vue Bar is known for offering a really great view. Atop the Hyatt on the Bund, Vue is a classy option for after-work cocktails or lounge after a long Sunday brunch at their restaurant venue. Look for their larger parties hosted by MVP. But yeah. Vue bar. Amazing views of the Bund, woody interior, and jacuzzi on the outdoor terrace. Muah! Shanghai... Happy Hour: VUE's Happy Hour is Monday to Friday, 5.30pm to 8pm, free-flow selected drinks 200rmb per person.

    VUE (Bar)

    32-33/F, Hyatt on the Bund, 199...
    Angela Leung
  • Bar Rouge

    Bar Rouge

    Here comes Big Red. Still the face of Shanghai Bund nightlife, even after all these years. (It opened in 2004.) Terrace view, classy sleek interiors and a French-Shanghai identity. Lately, they've added mechanical bull riding to the assemblage of hip hop / Top 40 / EDM-oriented parties, which is a fine idea indeed. Deals: Special promotions tied to specific events are frequent and they’ve also got a standing cocktails deal. Two for 150rmb.

    Bar Rouge

    7/F, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi...
    provided by BR
  • Tops at Banyan Tree

    Tops at Banyan Tree

    The rooftop bar at the Banyan Tree is called "Tops" and they’re serving an "urban oasis", tropical paradise sort of vibe. They offer a pretty unique side view of Lujiazui that's equally as impressive as the head-on view from the Bund — maybe even better for the novelty. On the menu is tapas and all the fancy cocktails you'd expect from a rooftop bar with views of Shanghai's skyline. Deals: Afternoon tea sets are also available from 2.30pm-5pm, which make it an ideal afternoon hangout for the rich and unemployed.

    Tops (Banyan Tree)

    13/F, Banyan Tree on the Bund, 19...
    Brandon McGhee
  • Roof at Edition Hotel

    Roof at Edition Hotel

    Roof is Shanghai EDITION's seasonal rooftop bar, enclosed by wooden trellis and climbing ivy, with an open-air lounge area and a big old view of Pudong. The top bit only has three spaces available for lounge seating and is hard to secure if you don’t book ahead. Chic. Exclusive. Bougie. The floor underneath it has a larger bench and table seating for those in a slightly lower tax bracket.

    Roof

    29/F, Main Building, 199 Nanjing...
  • Roof 325

    Roof 325

    "Roof" — it’s right there in the name. Perched on top of the newly restored Shanghai History Museum, Roof 325 has an expansive terrace with a great view out over the top of People's Park, which, don’t you know, used to be a racecourse. The history museum itself used to be the Race Club building. Cuisine is broadly "international," and is in the 500rmb-700rmb range for two people (before booze). Deals: From 2.30pm to 5pm it's 258rmb for two for daily high tea. Lunch sets, available from 11.30am to 2pm, are 168rmb per person.

    Roof 325

    5/F, Shanghai History Museum, 325...
    Yiqing Zheng
  • Flair

    Flair

    Brought to you by the Ritz Carlton in Pudong, Flair is situated on the 58th floor of the IFC tower that the luxury hotel occupies. The real kicker is the split-level outdoor terrace with views directly across to the big ball of the Pearl Tower, and then beyond to the Bund, the Hongkou shore, and downtown Puxi. Prices, naturally, are astronomical. Naturally. It’s one of the top locations in Pudong if you’re looking for a bar with a view into Puxi, though. Happy Hour: Flair hosts a discount Happy Hour Menu from 5.30pm to 8.30pm every Monday to Friday, with cocktails, wine, and mixes priced in the 60rmb to 90rmb range.

    Flair Rooftop Restaurant & Bar

    Ritz-Carlton Pudong, 58/F, 8 Shiji...
    Brandon McGhee
  • Bellagio

    Bellagio

    The marquee restaurant from the Shanghai Bellagio, Lago is modern Italian fine dining from acclaimed Spanish chef Julian Serrano. Cuisine is traditional continental, filtered through the chef’s idiosyncratic, bubbly, molecular prism. "Small Plates. Bold Flavors." is the tagline. But we’re here for the terrace, which is ivory, elegant, art deco-y, and beautifully positioned on Suzhou Creek. Lago regularly hosts larger, club-style rooftop parties in the summer time — look for those. Deals: From 5.30pm to 10pm on Thursday to Sunday, they offer a lush menu for two at 2,688rmb, which gets you some chef's specials and a bottle of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut. Service charge is excluded and booking needs to be made one day in advance.

    LAGO

    6/F, Bellagio Hotel, 188 Bei Suzhou...
    Brandon McGhee



Tagged With

F&B
Share this article

You Might Also Like


Brand Stories



SmartShanghai.com is the longest-running English online magazine in Shanghai. We are an independent media publication created by a team of long-term, opinionated, and knowledgeable writers. We provide English-speaking residents and visitors with a curated guide to explore and celebrate the best of Shanghai.

NAVIGATE

GET LISTED

Made in and for Shanghai since 2003
Operated by 上海煌飞商务咨询有限公司 - 沪ICP备08111777号-9

Open Feedback Box