Sign In

X

Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)

Vegetarian & Vegan | Xuhui

Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)

Vegetarian & Vegan
Xuhui

There’s a chance this listing is outdated!

Let us know if you see any errors or if this venue is no longer open.

  • Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)
  • Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)
  • Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)
  • Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)
  • Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)
  • Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)
1/6

Godly Vegetarian (Wuyuan Lu)

Vegetarian & Vegan
Xuhui
  • 303 Wuyuan Lu,
    near Wukang Lu

    Xuhui District

    五原路303号,
    近武康路

    15 mins from Shanghai Library
    6471 8909
    Daily, 6am-9pm

    Editor’s Description

    Last updated: Jun 10, 2019
    GODLY is Shanghai's OG vegetarian restaurant -- it's been around since 1922. The famous writer Lu Xun visited this place in the early '20s. As the place and concept grew in popularity, Godly expanded into chain restaurants and veggie snack specialty stores. Strong, strong flavors here (perhaps overwhelming for some), and a lot of mock meat. Go for the kao fu with mu'er, or the veggie crab spawn, vegetarian chicken, or the veggie moon cake. Nice spot. Hot dishes cost around 35rmb each. While the Wukang/Wuyuan Lu branch is in a cozy part of Xuhui, the branch on Nanjing Lu is still the most popular one, with traditional style and rosewood furniture.
  • Recommended By

    • The Godly restaurant brand has been around since 1922, and don’t they know it. The year is plastered all over the restaurant, like an incantation against rising rents and an increasing abundance of more interesting vegetarian options.

      I’m not knocking it; it’s hard to make something last almost 100 years. Look at the state of the EU after just 26. I’m just making the point because Godly has clearly enjoyed a lot of respect for a long time and – honestly – I’m not entirely sure why.

      They do mock meat, but it’s normally buried in some gelatinous sauce, like in the “beef” noodle dish we ordered. They promise spicy Sichuan dishes, but our tofu was saccharine and fangless. There are similarly disappointing curries, too, like the mushroom one we didn’t finish.

      Having said all this, it’s not a bad restaurant. The claypot vermicelli noodles were delicious, and the spring rolls – despite their gloopy, orange sauce – were nicely crispy. I’d also recommend the mushroom floss dish, too, although it was nothing like what I’d expected; it bears absolutely no resemblance to meat floss. In total, for four people with a beer, we paid around 400rmb.

      Godly is a good place to try classic Chinese vegetarian food. It’s worth a visit for the vermicelli noodles and the novelty of eating cruelty-free “eel”, among other things. There’s a fully bilingual menu, staff are helpful, and prices are fair.

      Read More

    • "Why are so many of my friends vegetarian?" is a question that keeps me up at night. Good meat is obviously the most important part of any meal, but when it's time to say goodbye to a veggie friend leaving Shanghai, I just had to mentally prepare to be disappointed with dinner.

      Two bites into the Stir-Fried Eggplant (RMB 46), which looked to be a bit more deep fried than stir fried with a delicious sweet and sour sauce, I figured this vegetarian restaurant might not be a total waste of my stomach space.

      One large bite of the Steamed Gluten with Black Fungus and Peanuts (RMB 29) and I couldn't even whine about being at a vegetarian restaurant as I was too busy stuffing my face.

      When the first fake meat dish came out, I was a little wary, but the Vegetarian "Steak" with Black Pepper Sauce (RMB 49) ended up being pretty filling. Turns out all this tofu has a pretty high protein content. I'd still choose actual steak over the fake stuff, but if I stop comparing this dish to real meat, the flavors really hold their own.

      Why were all of my favorite dishes so brown? I don't know.

      Typically, I enjoy leaving a good meal feeling almost sick-full, but all of the vegetarian food left me feeling content-full. This is probably how normal people function at a restaurant. If it hadn't been for the numerous Tsingtao Beer (RMB 18) rounds, we could have easily escaped feeling good about ourselves for under RMB 100 per person.

      The atmosphere inside is relaxed, with a mix of locals and expats alike. I'd be willing to guess that many of the patrons live in the area and decided to pop in for a quick bite. There's also an outside area available that I'm sure will be lovely when Shanghai stops being the temperature of a furnace

       

      Read More

  • Lunch Deal

    No lunch deal listed yet

    52

    User Favorites

    Users that added this venue to their Favorites

    • +37 more
    • Premium

      Liquid Laundry

      2/F, K.Wah Centre,
      1028 Huaihai Zhong Lu,
      near Donghu Lu
      Xuhui District

      嘉华坊2楼, 淮海中路1028号, 近东湖路

      6445 9589
      • Liquid Laundry Shanghai
      • Liquid Laundry Shanghai
      • Liquid Laundry Shanghai
      Popular gastro-pub / lounge by serial restauranteur Kelly Lee, the woman behind Sproutworks, iiiiit, Boxing Cat, and Cantina Agave. This one has a fully-functional brewery and they usually have a dozen of their brews on tap, which change...
      Dining
      American
      Xuhui
    • Premium

      Abbey Road

      3 Taojiang Lu,
      near Hengshan Lu
      Xuhui District

      桃江路3号, 近衡山路

      5466 2069
      • Abbey Road Shanghai
      • Abbey Road Shanghai
      • Abbey Road Shanghai
      Taojiang Lu sequel to one of Shanghai's most popular summer venues, named after that little street those wacky Beatles trotted across. Ample patio seating screened from the road, robust and comfortable seating, cheap beer on tap, friendly food...
      Bars
      Outdoor Seating
      Xuhui
      Swiss
      Xuhui
    • Premium

      Club Roza

      298 Xingfu Lu,
      near Pingwu Lu
      Changning District

      幸福路298号, 近平武路

      13621628037
      • Club Roza Shanghai
      • Club Roza Shanghai
      • Club Roza Shanghai
      The latest incarnation of that basement spot at Pingwu and Xingfu Lu is Club Roza, a chill, cozy, and approachable little disco club. They're scratching that itch for straight-up classic disco music that other venues kinda play around in but never...
      Clubs
      Changning

ADVERTISEMENT

Use Google Maps Use Gaode Maps