Shanghai Street Food Guide

Shanghai's best everyday food is not in grand restaurants but in tiny shops and street stalls, where cooks make the same few things from before dawn. Breakfast is the key meal for street food, and a short walk from almost any metro station will find a queue of locals waiting for something hot. The dishes are cheap, filling and full of flavour, and eating them is one of the great pleasures of a visit.

Breakfast classics on the street

A typical breakfast might be a crisp scallion pancake, a bowl of soy milk and a stick of fried dough. Soy milk can be sweet or savoury, with pickles, dried shrimp and chilli oil in the savoury version. The fried dough sticks, known as youtiao, are often dipped into the milk. A sticky rice roll, wrapped around a crisp cracker and pickles, is a heavy but beloved morning snack that will keep you full until lunch.

Pan-fried pork buns

Shengjianbao are small pork buns, fried on the bottom until crisp and topped with sesame seeds and spring onions. Like soup dumplings, they hold a spoonful of hot broth, so bite carefully. They are sold in busy shops where a cook tends a wide pan, and the line is a reliable guide to quality. Read our xiaolongbao guide for the steamed cousin of this dish.

Jianbing savoury crepes

The jianbing is a thin savoury crepe, cooked on a hot griddle with egg, spread with sauce and filled with a crisp cracker, herbs and sometimes sausage. It is not a Shanghai invention, but it is found at street corners across the city, and it makes a great breakfast to eat on the move. Watching the vendor spread the batter in one smooth sweep is half the fun.

Snacks through the day

Later in the day, you will find sweet rice cakes, steamed buns, fried wontons, tea eggs and grilled skewers. Evening stalls grill lamb, chicken and vegetables over charcoal, usually with cumin and chilli, and serve them hot in paper wrappers. In some places, you can also try stinky tofu, which smells strong but tastes milder than it smells. Try one thing and see whether you want another.

Where to look for food stalls

The best street food is in residential areas, around wet markets and near lane entrances. The old city and the lanes of Hongkou are fine hunting grounds, and the side streets of the French Concession have a growing number of small shops. Tourist streets have snacks too, but prices are higher and quality varies.

Paying for your meal

Many stalls now accept only phone payments, using a QR code on the counter. If you have linked a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay, you can scan the code, and if not, ask whether cash is accepted. Carry small notes, since vendors may not have change for large ones. It is a sensible idea to set up payments before your trip, because it makes everything easier.

Staying well while eating out

Choose busy stalls where food is cooked fresh in front of you, and avoid anything that has been sitting out. Carry hand wipes, since many stalls have no sink. If you have a delicate stomach, start with cooked foods and avoid raw ice. Most visitors eat on the street without trouble.

Morning hours and evening slots

Go early, between about seven and nine in the morning, for the best breakfast stalls. Evenings are solid for skewers and snacks. Many stalls close by early afternoon, and some are closed on public holidays.

Alternative meal choices

You do not need to eat on the street for every meal, and you can skip stalls with no customers. If you want a sit-down version of these dishes, our Shanghainese cuisine guide suggests what to order.