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Here is a selection of some of the best restaurants in Shanghai. The selected restaurants have been divided into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations, and they are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.

These restaurants are divided into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over US$50)
$$$ (US$25 to US$50)
$$ (US$12 to US$25
$ (up to US$12)
The prices quoted are for an average three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they do not include tax or tip unless stated otherwise.

Gourmet

Jean-Georges
Enfant terrible Jean-George Vongerichten has wowed diners from Chicago to Hong Kong with his upscale Vong brand. Now he has opened a sublimely designed high-class restaurant, which serves new French cuisine. The dining room is chic and sensual and the food is sensational; an undoubted revolution in Shanghai cuisine.

Three on the Bund
3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu (entrance on Guangdong Lu)
Tel: (21) 6321 7733.
Website: www.threeonthebund.com
Price: $$$$
M on the Bund
Opened in the late 1990s, M remains a Shanghai pioneer - and the first upscale restaurant located along the Bund. Australian-owned, and sister to Hong Kong's M at the Fringe, the cuisine melds Mediterranean and Australian styles. The stylish atmosphere, unbeatable terrace views of the Bund and the night-time Pudong skyline and a good wine menu make this Shanghai's number one venue to impress visitors. Pre-dinner drinks at the adjoining Glamour Bar are, frankly, de rigeur.

7/F, No 5 The Bund (corner of Guandong Lu)
Tel: (21) 6350 9988.
Website: www.m-onthebund.com
Price: $$$

Trendy

Azul/Viva
New-Latino cuisine blended with Mediterranean and Asian flavors. It sounds surreal, but it really works. Located on two floors, both restaurants serve the same eclectic mix of tapas and main courses, to-die-for desserts and good wines. Though all dishes are carefully prepared and the Moorish-influenced interiors are super-chic, prices are well below comparable restaurants in more established locations, such as the Bund.

18 Dongping Lu (by Hengshan Lu)
Tel: (21) 6433 1172.
Price: $$$
Element Fresh
Resident expat haven for great salads, pasta, juices and comfort food as well as the most popular Sunday brunch in town. Clean, spacious and with a nice terrace for summer eating, Element Fresh serves good-sized portions and the waiting staff are extremely attentive. Now expanding across the city, this small chain now has six other venues across the city.

Shanghai Center 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu (by Xikang Lu)
Tel: (21) 6279 8682.
Website: www.elementfresh.com
Price: $$
Kommune
The smell of bacon, eggs and tomato frying on an open grill attracts punters to this courtyard restaurant on Sundays when home-style breakfasts are served all day - hashbrowns included. The barbecue also cranks up on Wednesday evenings. On sunny days it's best to get there early. Kommune also serves hearty lunch menu including salads and ciabatta.

The Yard, No.7, Lane 210, Taikang Lu
Tel: (21) 6466 2416.
Price: $$
New Heights
With one of the best positions on the Bund, New Heights has a casual relaxed dining atmosphere that mixes seamlessly with unpretentious food. The terrace is magical, overlooking a sea of Chinese flags, bright red against the Bund's grey colonial buildings. It is a coveted al fresco option on the weekends, especially Sunday when it serves a buffet outdoor barbecue grill lunch.

Top Floor, No. 3 The Bund
Tel: (21) 6321 0909.
Website: www.m-onthebund.com
Price: $$-$$$

Budget

Guyi Hunan
If you like your Chinese food tongue-scaldingly hot, Guyi is a good bet. A vast menu and ubiquitous use of chilli make this one of the hottest regional restaurants in town. Most people opt for a personal hotpot and a gallon of lager. The food is well-prepared, good value and always tasty. Expect to queue without a reservation on the weekends.

87 Fumin Lu (by Julu Lu)
Tel: (21) 6249 5628.
Price: $
Nan Xiang
Probably the best place to savour Shanghai's favorite food, xiao long bao (soup dumplings). These filling snacks consist of a flour dumpling shell filled with meat and soup. First-timers need to watch out for a) burning their mouth and b) spurting soup down themselves. Also serves Shanghainese dishes and noodles.

Yu Gardens, 85 Yu Lu
Tel: (21) 6355 4206.
Price: $
Noodle Bull
The sleek design and architectural ambience of this Taiwanese noodle restaurant belies its reasonable prices and down-to-earth fare. Diners can sidle up to one another at a communal table to chow down on a quick and easy bowl of hearty noodles doused in soup. This is a good option if you are on the move.

291 Fuming Lu (Puxi)
Tel: (02) 6170 1299.
Price: $
TMSK
TMSK stands for Tou Ming Si Kao, which means ‘transparent thinking', a nod perhaps to the elaborate colored glass bar and design elements not only in the restaurant and bar - but in the bathrooms too. Located in popular Xintiandi, this uber-cool establishment has a creative cocktail list and a menu best described as contemporary East meets West. Diners on Friday and Saturday night are treated to tasteful Chinese cultural performances.

Unit 2, House 11, North Lane, Xintiandi, Lane 181, Tai Lang Lu
Tel: (21) 6326 2227.
Website: www.tmsk.com
Price: $$$

Personal Recommendations

Arugula
The wrought iron gates and colonial walkway enhance the style and tranquility of this quaint little cafe in a quite walled courtyard. The menu features a fresh selection of lunch choices such as steak and frites, salads and quesadillas but the frothy cappuccinos are reason enough to venture in.

House 2, Lane 49 Fuxing Xi Lu
Tel: (21) 6433 8577.
Price: $-$$
Bund Brewery
Just around the corner from the famous Bund, this revitalized brewery with a 1920s-esque décor serves up big glasses of home brewed dark, larger and wheat beers. The lively pub atmosphere is matched by the food, which can be described as gastropub or bistro. Menu items include German sausages, hamburgers and calamari. The portions are big, like the beers.

11 Hankou Lu, near Zhongshan Lu, Puxi
Tel: (21) 6321 8447.
Price: $$
KABB
Smart-yet-friendly bar and grill which welcomes after-work diners, tourists and business visitors in equal measure. Gently lit interior and open terrace in summer provide a balanced eating environment. The eclectic menu, ranging from burgers to pasta and Tex-Mex to stir-fry, is neither particularly cheap nor earth-shattering, but the unthreatening ambience is perfect for unwinding, people watching or staring into the eyes of the one you love.

5 North Block, Xintiandi , Lane 181 Taicang Lu
Tel: (21) 3307 0798.
Website: http://kabbsh.com/  
Price: $$
Vegeatery
A recent addition to Shanghai's burgeoning Chinese meat-free scene, Vegeatery manages to combine good food with stylish surroundings. The excellent value lunch buffet is complemented by a large evening menu, helpful staff and a bright, airy dining space. Though located on the second floor of a shopping mall, it rises well above the usual 'food court' cliché.

3/F Central Plaza 381 Huaihai Zhong Lu (by Madang Lu)
Tel: (21) 6391 5589.
Price: $
Pho No. 1
Named after Vietnam's coveted broth - pho - this Vietnamese restaurant, in the labyrinth of streets around Taikang Lu, is an excellent substitute for the real deal. The big bubbling bowls come with noodles and rare beef and are accompanied by a side order of beanshoots, chilli and herbs, which should be promptly sprinkled on top. Other Vietnamese favorites include fresh rice paper rolls and papaya salad.

Lane 248, No. 13 Taikang Lu
Tel: (21) 5466 1707.
Price: $$



Nightlife:

China's nightlife capital, Shanghai has a frenetic nightlife scene, with a proliferation of venues. An eclectic, international strain in the nightlife scene makes it very welcoming to outsiders. Bars and clubs seem to be everywhere, and pop up with increased regularity in Xintiandi and along the Bund, Tongren Lu, Nanjing Lu and Huaihai Lu. As ever, the major hotels (Grand Hyatt, Hilton, JW Marriott, Four Seasons, Portman Ritz-Carlton and Westin, in particular) have fine high-class bars. Bar prices can be surprisingly hefty, though many bars offer happy hours and one-price-all-you-can-drink deals in response to increased competition. There is no fear of passing a Sunday or Monday without action.

Details of the best venues are carried in That's Shanghai (www.thatssh.com) and City Weekend (www.cityweekend.com.cn) city listings magazines.

Bars: Face, Building 4, Ruijin Guest House Gardens, 118 Ruijin Er Lu, is one of the loveliest buildings and bars in Shanghai - a dark-panelled 1930s mansion filled with pan-Asian artifacts and a cosmopolitan herd of drinkers. It has a delightful beer garden away from the busy streets. Glamour Bar, 6/F, No 5 The Bund, is Shanghai's most sophisticated cocktail lounge with a distinct 1930s ambience. KABB, Lane 181, Taicang Lu, is a great terraced vantage point for watching the chic street crowd in Xintiandi. TMSK, Unit 2, House 11, North Lane, also in Xintiandi, has a dazzling glass bar and an equally vibrant cocktail list.  Mesa/Manifesto, 748 Julu Lu (near Fumin Lu), is a smart and elegant bar in a leafy part of the French Concession.

Clubs: Wynn Win, Room 506, 1266 Nanjing Xi Lu (near Shaanxi Lu) is an elegant, all-white club and lounge and hot spot for clubbers. California Club/Park 97, 2 Gaolan Lu, Fuxing Park, is part of the Shanghai Lan Kwai Fong strip imported from Hong Kong and sells itself on cosmopolitan sophistication. Next-door, Guandii offers specialist trance and drum and bass nights and is popular with the moneyed local set. Mint, 2/F, 333 Tongren Lu, by Beijing Xi Lu, is still the hottest spot for partying expats and upwardly mobile twenty-somethings seeking European club music and an always-rocking dance floor.

Live Music: Live bands are regular features of the Shanghai bar and club scene. The Cotton Club, 1428 Huaihai Zhong Lu (near Fuxing Lu), offers superb nightly jazz and blues. House of Blues & Jazz, 158 Maoming Lu (near Fuxing Zhong Lu) is also popular, especially at weekends.

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