Sangou is a creative high-end Japanese restaurant in Gubei. It’s a three-pronged concept, serving omakase, yakitori, and tempura.

It’s located within the Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel, though, it isn’t associated with the hotel—Sangou is just a tenant.
The space is split into three different rooms, each with its own theme. Omakase is set in a traditionally clean, cypress-paneled room with two booth seats opposite the bar counter.

The yakitori room is loungy and upbeat—there’s a DJ booth, and wall projections on both sides of the counter. It’s unusual for sure, but it makes for a fun experience. They even had DJ Wordy, one of China’s most notable entertainers do the sound system and music selection.

The tempura room is a complete 180. It’s intimate, awash in gold tones, and has a bar counter with only six seats.

The Food
The food at Sangou has traditional roots, but leaves room for creativity and exploration. The menu sees local ingredients and flavors like hairy crab and rock sugar, and inspirations from other cuisines like the soup course in the omakase, a rich Cantonese-style broth instead of the light miso soup.

The menu changes daily, depending on the freshest available seafood and ingredients, but a few signatures will remain.

Leading the omakase is Chef Xiong. Born and raised in Shanghai, Chef Xiong has been trained in Japanese cuisine since 1992. He was most recently the head sushi chef at Utusemi, a respectable high-end Japanese restaurant near the Bund, for the past three years. Executive Chef Ben Kwong from Hong Kong, previously of Nadaman, Shangri-La Hotels, oversees the entire operation.
Here’s what to expect from the omakase menu:

















As for drinks, the selection is heavy on wine, champagne, and sake. They also have a cocktail menu, created by the people behind Shanty bar, a “secret” Japanese bar on Wuyi Lu. Cocktails from ¥80. A few beers available from the people at Brewlosophy.

If you’re looking for a purely traditional omakase experience, you won’t find it here. All the nigiri was exceptional, as was the soup and beef course. There are already so many excellent traditional Japanese restaurants in Shanghai. Sangou’s route to step out of the norm with their “creative fusion” take is certainly ballsy, but it presents something new for diners looking to explore.
Nomfluence Readers Deals
The omakase has three sets available, ¥1,880, ¥2380, and ¥2,880. The tempura is also set menu only, ¥2,280 and ¥2,680, serving tempura-ed live seafood and other a la minute fresh cuts. Yakitori is a la carte and has an average check of ¥300-400.
Special deals for Nomfluence readers when you book via the QR code below! Deal is valid until March 10, 2022. Applicable for omakase, yakitori, or tempura.
- Get 10% off your bill
Click here to book your seat NOW!
Sangou 三合
Address: 1/F, Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel, 2099 Yan’an Xi Lu, near Zunyi Nan Lu 延安西路2099号, 上海扬子江丽笙精选酒店1楼, 近遵义南路
Tel: 62299398
Hours: Tue-Sun, 5pm-2am