info@irelochina.com
Living in Shanghai
Ni hao and a warm welcome to our expat community in Shanghai! Get to know this city before you start your real life here. From accommodation to kids’ education, from banking and internet connection to where to shop and eat, see advice and information from iReloChina’s experts here.
Shanghai’s restaurants, entertainment, and nightlife can rival any city in the world. There are many world-class restaurants, a decent amount of which are Michelin starred, in any cuisine imaginable. Xuhui, Jing’an and Huangpu district are full of international and Western restaurants. At the Bund, you will find many gastronomic restaurants such as Mr. & Mrs. Bund, T8, M on the Bund, Ultraviolet, Jean Georges, and Alan Wong’s. If you want to experience Shanghainese cuisine, such as soup dumplings, braised pork, and seafood, you are recommended to try Jian Guo 328, Jesse, 1221, Baoluo Jiulou, Yang’s Fried Dumplings, and Din Tai Fung.
Of course, you will also have the opportunity to taste some other Chinese specialties. Especially Sichuanese, Hunanese, Cantonese, and Hotpot. For the noodle lovers we recommend Weixiang Zhai or Wuyue Renjia.
There are several elegant, comfortable and stylish fashion bars located on the top of famous hotels, such as Hyatt on the Bund (Vue Bar) and Ritz Carlton Pudong (Flair Bar), which have breathtaking views of both sides of the Huangpu River—the Bund on the Puxi side and the colorful skyline of the Lujiazui area on the Pudong side—each with good atmosphere and music.
We also recommend Bar Rouge, considered to be one of the best bars in the world. Bar Rouge has it all: amazing views, international DJs, and a chic crowd. It can be a good place for a drink after work, or a place to stay late into the night.
Shanghai’s vibrant nightlife scene fuses global and local. Some of the more popular clubs, with a guarantee of great drinks, good music and an exciting crowd are M1nt, Unico, Fusion, Hollywood, Taxx.
For a more laid-back atmosphere, Shanghai also has many bars where you can enjoy listening to live music. For instance, you can try JZ Club or Brown Sugar if you like Jazz music. There is also the Melting Pot, which has live bands playing a variety of different styles of music, depending on the day (Latin, Hip hop, R&B and reggae hits).
