Northwestern flavors, fire cooking, and Chinese wine take the spotlight at Cila Shanghai, a contemporary Chinese restaurant built on serious sourcing, open-fire cooking, and the spirit of the region.
Dive into their spice-rich menu of cumin grilled lamb chops and modern skewers, and find out what happens when you cross dapanji with hand-cut noodles and truffled cream.
Complimentary welcome drink for Nomfluence Readers.
Cila Shanghai | The Space
Opened in early 2024, this Chinese bistro and wine bar recently relocated to Shaanxi Nan Lu in Huangpu district. It’s tucked onto the side of City Hotel, just on the border of Jing’an.
The space is airy and relaxed with lofty ceilings that stretch toward a skylight. Purple veils soften the windows, and screens and curtains divide the room into semi-private pockets.
Indigenous paintings, raw natural textures, and even the bones of a goat suspended above add character. These are subtle reference of the landscapes of Northwestern China, also known as Xibei, which includes provinces Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxi, Qinghai, and Shaanxi.
Throughout the space you’ll find Cila’s guardian spirit, a mascot and symbol of the brand’s identity. Originally a gentle sheep, the founders decided a mythical beast would be more fitting, embodying the raw energy behind their cooking: fire-grilled, bold, and unfettered.
The Food: Modern Northwestern Chinese
Cila is part of a growing wave of contemporary Chinese restaurants in Shanghai, where regional cooking meets modern design and an open-minded approach that draws freely from fusion and cross-cultural inspirations.
The project is led by first-time F&B owner-operators from different industries, united by a shared passion for Northwestern cuisine and wine.
Chef Mario Chen, formerly sous chef at Jean Georges Shanghai, heads the kitchen, while co-founder Ai, formerly a digital designer, calls upon regional sourcing networks to bring in top-quality beef and lamb from Ningxia and Gansu, wines, and more.
Speaking of lamb, Cila’s charcoal-grilled chops are sourced from Yanchi County, widely considered the heartland of China’s lamb production. The restaurant uses Tan sheep, indigenous to the Ningxia plateau for over 1,500 years and prized for its clean flavor and balanced fat.
The Charcoal-grilled Ningxia Lamb Chops are available at ¥145 for two chops or ¥275 for four, the dish reflects Cila’s ingredient-first approach.
The rest of the menu highlights the spices of Northwest China, much of it grilled, roasted, or slow-cooked over open fire.
Bright chilies and cumin-forward aromatics are supported by hearty noodle dishes. Heat levels generally sit between mild and medium, and most dishes can be adjusted for spice tolerance. Subtle Western influences are woven throughout, but some dishes remain wholly traditional.
New Dishes
One such East-West example is the new Dapanji (¥138), a dish that gives the options for a contemporary twist.
Xinjiang’s classic “Big Plate Chicken” bubbles in a claypot. Chicken and tender potatoes simmer in a deeply aromatic gravy built from soy sauce, sesame oil, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and chilies. There’s even a side of dry spice mix for those seeking a stronger profile.
Then, you have the option for an add-on: Thick wavy noodles and truffled cream for ¥50. After finishing the flavorful chicken, cream is stirred into the remaining sauce, emulsifying it into a richer coating for the noodles.
It’s an undeniably rich result, one that’s highly satisfying.
Also New: Skewers (Great Wine Snacks)
New skewers have also joined the menu, designed with late-night drinking in mind to pair well with their wines.
The “New Style” Scallion Lamb Skewer (¥42) with fresh herbs and citrus stands out. Pork belly is grilled until chewy and crisp at the edges, topped with thin slices of sweet white onion and bright herbs dressed in lemon vinaigrette that cuts through the richness.
The Sipingtou Big Plate Chicken Skewer (¥26) follows closely behind, using juicy thigh meat glazed in sweet chili sauce and finished with crispy sweet peppers (lapizi 辣皮子).
Meanwhile, the Beef Rib & Preserved Vegetables Skewer (¥42) delivers quality flavor in the form of chunky cubes paired with a lemony hollandaise, a dusting of furikake, and thinly sliced shiso.
To help with the season’s chill, Cila also has a Pigeon Soup (¥52), a milky broth with tender pigeon, red dates, and herbal notes from traditional Chinese ingredients.
Signature Dishes
Beyond the new additions, it’s the signature plates that truly define Cila’s identity.
The Air-Dried M9 Wagyu Beef (¥58) is an essential starter. These paper-thin slices are air-dried in-house and crusted with cumin, chili powder, and spices. Brittle and crisp, they shatter with each bite.
Ricotta Cheese (¥68) arrives with homemade sea buckthorn jam and buckwheat crisps dusted with rose salt. Sea buckthorn, often called the “vitamin C king” of Northwestern berries, brings a naturally sweet-tart brightness. Buckwheat, commonly eaten as noodles, are now delicate coin-sized chips for scooping. It’s a contrast of creamy and tangy, with crisp textures.
Then there’s the Crispy Pork with Sautéed Chili (¥68), a dish that’s both flavorful and addictive. Black pork brisket is coated in spiced rice powder and fried to a chewy-crisp finish. Roasted Zhangshugang green chilies accompany the dish, which are mostly mild, but occasionally fiery if you’re lucky.
Not everything leans meat-heavy. The Ningxia Cabbage (¥58) combines milky-sweet raw cabbage with roasted Egyptian dukkah spices, cumin seeds, sultana grapes, and Cila vinaigrette, finished with Moravia cheese. Fresh, textured, and balanced, it offers a refreshing crunch.
Finally, the Spicy Oil-Splashed Noodles (¥78), Cila’s most ordered dish, are thick, house-made, hand-pulled noodles topped with Qin chili powder, bean sprouts, spinach, diced vegetables, pork mince sauce, and a creamy onsen egg. Fragrant and comforting, it’s a dish you’ll see at nearly every table.
For dessert, simplicity goes a long way. The Dried Persimmon (¥42), sourced from Fuping, Shaanxi, is topped with house-made mascarpone flavored with Madagascar vanilla beans, cream, and walnuts. Fuping persimmons are prized for their dense texture and concentrated sweetness, finishing the meal on a rounded note.
In Focus: Chinese Wines
Alongside the food is a serious commitment to Chinese wine.
Over the past 15 years, the industry has shifted from mass-produced household names to a new generation of boutique, terroir-driven producers, particularly in Ningxia, where the “small wineries, large region” model helped ignite the fine wine boom around 2010. Today, regions like Shangri-La, Xinjiang, Hebei, and beyond are shaping distinct identities of their own.
Cila actively champions this evolution. The team has even created its own Chinese Wine Map, guiding diners through six major terroirs: Ningxia, Shangri-La, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, and Xinjiang.
Click here to read more about Chinese wines at Cila.
Chinese bottles make up roughly 80% of the list at Cila, including an exclusive label produced with acclaimed Ningxia producer Silver Heights, Rockborne The Beast (¥88/¥458), a sweet, mellow Cabernet Sauvignon. Cila also has another name-bottle produced in Ningxia, Beast Beneath The Moonlight (¥78/glass, ¥368/bottle), a rich, fruity Chardonnay.
For co-founder Ai, the philosophy is refreshingly straightforward: “Just drink it.”
Rather than overcomplicate things, Cila lowers the barrier to entry. Wines by the glass start from ¥78, bottles from ¥368, while tasting sets, Ningxia Classic (¥228) or New Wave (¥298), each feature three 90ml pours, offering an accessible, low-pressure way to explore China’s evolving wine landscape.
In Summary
Cila succeeds because it understands balance: tradition without being overly rigid, and a modern touch that doesn’t go into gimmicks. Genuine Northwestern flavors and a wine program devoted to China’s evolving vineyards, Cila offers something both grounded and forward-looking.
Note: Cila is a dog-friendly venue. Limited outdoor seating, weather permitting.
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