For 27 years, Bifengtang has grown from a humble Hong Kong-style canteen into a 50-location national empire built on Cantonese dapaidang classics, dim sum, and its signature Golden Garlic Crab.
Chances are you’ve eaten there at least once.
About Bifengtang | Past & Present
Bifengtang’s story begins with founder Ye Ximing. In the 1980s, Shanghai had no real Hong Kong-style dining, and Cantonese cuisine was strictly high-end. While working for a Hong Kong-based company, Ye decided to bring the flavors he knew to a city that had nothing like it. The first Bifengtang opened in 1998 at 175 Changle Road, serving non-local, non-Shanghainese dishes, a bold move that made it an instant hit.
The name “bifengtang” comes from the typhoon shelters where fishermen cooked fast, wok-fried seafood with garlic, chili, and black bean, a style that shaped the restaurant’s early menu. The brand expanded and picked up a few firsts along the way, including becoming one of the earliest Chinese restaurants to open 24/7.
Changle Road even featured booths modeled after fishermen’s boats — ones you could sit in — you could say it was Shanghai’s first wave of wanghong interiors.
Today, though, the restaurants are taking on a more modern aesthetic, thanks in large part to the vision of its second generation leader.
Now under CEO Judy Ye Junyao, the brand is moving toward a more modern, youth-minded future while staying grounded in its roots.
As the founder’s daughter, she stepped into the role in 2021 and carries the legacy with a mix of responsibility and optimism. Her approach blends sentiment and strategy: using Bifengtang’s scale to continue to keep prices low, taste-testing every dish with her father, and pushing for continuous store redesigns. However, she says the changes are still far from complete.
The Golden Garlic Series
One of her major initiatives is the Golden Garlic Series, a strategy that highlights signature dishes anchored by the Golden Garlic Crab, a dish on the menu since day one.
The preparation of the crab is straightforward: fresh large crab, wok-fried and blanketed in a mountain of chili-laced crispy garlic.
C’mon, how can you not like that?
Multiple dishes get the garlic treatment, including duck and chicken.
A signature that also falls under the series is the Prawns with Garlic and Vermicelli (¥54, 金蒜鲜虾现焗粉丝煲). A claypot arrives at the table with prawns, luffa gourd, vermicelli, and garlic, served raw to emphasize the prawns freshness.
Then, a house soy seasoning is added and it cooks for seven minutes into a saucy, aromatic tangle where the vermicelli absorbs the umami from the prawns and garlic, crisping on the bottom. It’s so damn good and oh-so garlicky.
Bifengtang Signature Dishes
Other signatures remain staples for regulars. The Assorted Roasted Meat Platter (¥79, 烧腊拼盘) combines roast duck, sesame oil chicken, and honeyed barbecued pork onto one delicious plate. Each roast item is also available a la carte and served over rice, an item that’s also popular for delivery.
Stir-Fried Beef with Onion & Ginger (¥48, 粤式葱姜炒牛肉) hits Cantonese comfort notes, as does the Tofu Mushroom Stew (¥38, 杂菌豆腐煲), which arrives bubbling with tofu, salted pork, and black fungus mushrooms.
And of course, don’t forget the dim sum. Favorites include the Crispy Prawn Red Rice Noodle Roll (¥39, 金沙海虾红米肠粉), bouncy prawns and crispy garlicky bits wrapped in rice noodles, and the Crispy BBQ Pork Bun (¥12, 霸王酥皮叉烧包), filled with honey barbecued pork.
New Seasonal Dishes
In addition to having their signatures going strong, they also source seasonal market-fresh ingredients like hairy crab and mantis shrimp, as well as refreshing the menu with new dishes every season.
This season’s new entries see the Golden Garlic Crispy Beef Cubes (¥88, 金蒜脆皮牛肉粒). Tender beef cubes are black-peppered, served on a hot stone, and flambéed table-side. It’s showy and delivers on flavor: garlicky, peppery, and beefy.
Nostalgia returns in the updated Sweet & Sour Pork (¥45, 情怀咕咾肉). For something lighter, the Double Egg Consommé with Pea Shoots (¥28, 金银蛋上汤豆苗) combines crunchy greens in a chicken broth enriched with salted egg and century egg.
And they’re not afraid to go off-piste either. On the menu is also a Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip (¥49, 菠菜热洋蓟酱), cheesy and creamy, served with toasted baguette. It’s this generation’s café-era comfort food. It’s a limited special, available at Shanghai locations until Dec 28.
Dessert stays gentle with the One Pear (¥25, 一颗梨), a tender stewed pear in lightly sweetened broth with white snow ear mushrooms. Wash it all down with a Hong Kong-style Milk Tea (¥21, 姜饼人港式奶茶), which comes dressed in the season’s festive look.
In a city crowded with affordable restaurants and global cuisines, Bifengtang proves they still got it, reiterating comfort, consistency, and a sense of place built steadily over 27 years.
Bifengtang
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