Background
Shanghai has a lot to offer — but it’s surprisingly easy to miss the best of it, especially if you’re relying on guides written by people who visited for a long weekend.
I first came to China in 1999. After five years in Beijing, I moved to Shanghai in 2005 and haven’t left since. Over twenty years of living here, I’ve watched this city transform beyond recognition.
In that time I’ve also been on the other side of the pass. I’ve owned and operated restaurants in Shanghai — including a Cantonese restaurant and an Italian restaurant and wine bar — which means I understand the economics of running a food business here in a way most reviewers don’t. I know what good food costs to source, what rent does to margins, and what a kitchen is actually dealing with on a busy Saturday night. When I praise a restaurant, it’s not just because the food was nice. And when I raise a concern, it’s not because the portions were smaller than I expected.
Before this site, I wrote restaurant reviews for Shanghai Family magazine — four reviews per edition, monthly, with my own photography.
This isn’t a list compiled from other websites. Everything here comes from personal experience. If I recommend it, I’ve been there.
What’s Inside
The site covers everything you’re likely to need — food and drink recommendations, things to do, practical travel essentials (eSIMs, getting around, where to stay), supermarkets and grocery shopping, and day-to-day life for those settling in longer term. The Blog carries newer discoveries and shorter updates as I find them.