Holy Good Canteen (好好餐室) is a Cantonese-style hotpot in Shanghai with a singular obsession: chicken.
The Space
From the bold, rooster-branded signage to the neon-drenched Hong Kong dapaidang-inspired dining room (open-air stalls/hawker center), this place demands attention.
It’s taken over the former Yasmine’s Steakhouse space on Xiangyang Bei Lu, and walking past, you’d be forgiven for doing a double take. The design is pure nostalgia, a cinematic throwback to old-school Cantonese canteens — only with better AC and zero grime. There’s one private room available, and it’s also dog-friendly inside.
FYI: Holy Good Canteen the sister brand of Yi Lau Yi Hotpot (一楼一火锅), a very popular Beijing-born Chaoshan restaurant chain founded by a Hong Kong native who spent years in the capital.
The Food
The menu is hotpot-first, with nearly a dozen broths, most of them chicken-based. Think abalone-braised Qingyuan chicken (their signature), pork stomach and chicken, or herbal wine chicken broth. There’s also a roster of Cantonese street snacks, skewers, stir-fries, and roasts.
Like any proper hotpot, you pick your broth, then load up on add-ins: seafood, meatballs, veggies, dumplings. And when eating Cantonese hotpot, you’re meant to sip the soup before dunking in your ingredients.
The Abalone Braised Chicken hotpot — starting at ¥198 for half a Qingyuan free-range bird — is one of the highlights, and comes with already simmered diced chicken and four pieces of abalone.
The meat is impressively fresh, with a firm, springy texture.
For something lighter, the Coconut Chicken Soup (¥48) is all about naturally sweet, fragrant broth, bolstered by hunks of fresh coconut flesh — though you’ll want to supplement with extra meat, since the base is mostly chicken carcass.
Sauce condiments differ from your usual hotpot, and skew ginger-heavy, including not only fresh ginger but also lesser galangal (沙姜). Lesser galangal is more pungent and complex than ginger and has hints of citrus and maybe a bit of camphor. If you’re not accustomed to the aroma, I suggest to add that one sparingly.
Beyond hotpot, there’s a hefty selection of cold dishes, barbecued skewers, and wok-tossed plates. Don’t miss the Poached Chicken with Ginger Scallion Sauce (¥138/half) — the bird’s texture is impeccable, taut and juicy, buried under a mountain of shallots.
The Chaoshan-style Threadfin Fish (¥168) exemplifies the region’s distinctive approach to seafood. Served chilled, the fish reveals delicate, flaky flesh with a clean, natural sweetness. It’s good, but it’s not my preferred way to eat fish.
Blue Girl beer available for ¥18/¥29.
In Summary
Really though, it’s the vibe that seals the deal. Yes, it can get rowdy, but there are few restaurants in Shanghai that allow you to be this boisterous.
This isn’t your typical hotpot den — it’s loud, bright, and buzzing, a place where the experience is as much a draw as the food. And the food is good: fresh, flavorful, and worth revisiting.
Next time, I’m zeroing in on the drunken pigeon (¥48) and drunken crab (¥138).
P/S: The menu’s English translation has its quirks — some names don’t quite match the Chinese, so be sure to double check when you order.
Holy Good Canteen (好好餐室)
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