Qingchun Perma impressed me on more than one front. This vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai runs like a factory, as dishes arrive almost as soon as you order, yet everything is fresh-made. The ingredients are mostly organic. It’s genuinely tasty. And it’s absurdly affordable — you can eat like it’s Reunion Dinner for under ¥100.
Vegetarian in Shanghai: Qingchun Perma
The brand was founded in 2016 by veteran restaurateur Yan Jianjun, with the first location near Hangzhou’s Lingyin Temple. It has since expanded to multiple Chinese cities; Shanghai has two, in Taikoo Li and Xintiandi. Yan’s vision? “Conveying goodwill” through health and sustainability by offering accessible, plant-based cuisine.
Walking into Qingchun Perma’s newer second Shanghai location in Xintiandi Galleria, I was surprised. Tucked in a corner on the upper floors, the restaurant makes a bold first move: you pass the open kitchen before you even reach your table. That’s rare for any restaurant, let alone a Chinese one, where the kitchen is usually hidden behind walls.
Fresh ingredients sit on display, a proof of their ethos. Vegetables marked with organic and farm-fresh labels. A product lineup touting good-quality Italian extra virgin olive oil. Pans flip and toss. Pots of water boil. A brigade of chefs works an assembly line: chopping, frying, stirring, folding.
And it is not a small space. The modern, tastefully designed restaurant is probably 300 square meters, which is huge for any restaurant in Shanghai, let alone a vegetarian one. No problem for them, though. At lunchtime, it was absolutely pumping, every table fully seated. Yet the speed at which food arrives is incredible: within minutes of ordering.
Is there a term for upscale fast food? Because this feels like it.
The Food: Healthy Vegetarian in Shanghai
The menu is largely based on Chinese cuisine with a few international dishes like pasta.
The food itself is all very tasty, though nothing too crazy in terms of flavors or invention. The restaurant practices the Buddhist cooking philosophy of no garlic, no chives. Everything is well seasoned, though, a little lighter on the salt, but not muted. Just clean and healthful. Soy sauce appears often, but dishes also hit sour, tangy, umami, and sweet notes.
Another health note: everything except the deep-fried dishes is cooked with extra virgin olive oil. Most dishes utilize tofu, fresh vegetables, and mushrooms — as most vegetarian restaurants do.
Sweet Lipu Taro (¥6) embodies the founder’s mission. For just six kuai, you get a filling starter. It’s almost too honestly priced, especially factoring in sourcing, cooking, plating, and rent. The starchy steamed taro is coated in a light layer of osmanthus syrup. Straightforward.
Mushroom dishes are aplenty, including Stir-Fried Mixed Mushrooms (¥38) and Stewed Matsutake & Bamboo Fungus Soup (¥42).
But the must-order is the Fried Rice with Black Truffle (¥56), made with organic rice, black truffle paste, white button mushrooms, sweet peppers, and olive oil. Truly satisfying.
Dim sum options include Crystal Dumplings with Black Truffle Sauce (¥42/five), wrapped with seasonal vegetables, Anji bamboo shoot skins, and firm tofu. Light-bodied yet satisfying. The Sheng Jian Bao (¥32), filled with courgettes and mushrooms, offers more texture with its crunchy pan-fried bottoms.
For something with kick, there’s the Quinoa Spicy Tofu (¥24), made in the style of mapo tofu. It’s oily (all mapo tofus are) but it tastes clean. Dried red chilies and lantern chilies deliver heat. A perfect combo with that fried rice.
The Sweet & Sour Lotus Root (¥24) works as a bright appetizer. The Avocado Sashimi (¥32) is…just a whole avocado served in a pool of soy sauce with diced tomatoes.
Another signature: Truffle Sea Salt Rolls (¥28). Freshly made bread rolls, which you can see proofing at the entrance, are made with organic coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil, then filled with truffle paste. Worth the carbs.
In Summary
Overall, it’s an impressive restaurant on all fronts. As a business, they’re gunning for volume. The prices are unbelievably low for what you receive in terms of flavor, quality, and ambiance, but so is their food cost (except for olive oil, I’d imagine).
I just find it honest and praiseworthy. Add this to your list of solid restaurants for vegetarian in Shanghai.
Qingchun Perma
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