The Shanghai Scoop is a column dedicated to the latest food and drink news happening in Shanghai. Click here to read the February Scoop.
Coming Soon
Jason Oakley of Sub Standard is expanding his reach to IM Shanghai in Changning district, opening mid-April. The spot is way bigger than its Jing’an hole-in-the-wall and it also has a large outdoor seating area — more room for sandwiches, pizzas, and… potentially a smoker. That’s right! Barbecue on weekends, plus pastrami and corned beef.
Opening early May near Yongkang Lu is Grumpy Dog, serving up — you guessed it — hotdogs! Grumpy Dog was founded in September 2023 by a group of friends with an obsession for gourmet sausages. And yes, they do intend on making some house-cased wursts and franks, swaddled within brioche buns. They’ve been slinging hotdogs for a while now, most notably at Common Rare.
Bar Openings
Big news in the bar scene! World’s 50 Best Bar Penicillin is expanding from Hong Kong to Shanghai this spring/summer.
Opening at the end of March is Good Afternoon, a cocktail bar on Nanchang Lu, spearheaded by bartender and manager Xiao Lu. He’ll be stepping away from his role as mixologist at CWS to launch his first independent venture. He first cut his teeth in his hometown of Urumqi, Xinjiang, and has since built an impressive track record that includes 100 guest shifts over the last six years. The focus at Good Afternoon will be a curated selection of classics-only cocktails.
Now Open — Restaurants & Bars
Semola
Semola is an Italian restaurant specializing in “countryside cooking,” combining the charm of a traditional eatery with the intimacy of a private kitchen. With only 12 seats, it offers a personalized dining experience. The seasonal sharing menu, priced at ¥498 per person, is served promptly to all guests at 7pm. Reservations are required, with a minimum of two guests.
Bringing this slice of Italy to life is Chef Dennis and business partner Judy. Dennis, an economics graduate turned chef, trained at Milan’s Congusto Academy and brings flavors from his travels and stages across Italy. Judy, with a background in food safety and toxicology, is a seasoned contributor to Shanghai’s food and beverage scene.
Opened in March, Semola’s inaugural menu features dishes like Neapolitan seafood soup, Genovese pesto gnocchi, and Roman-style stewed oxtail with polenta. The wine list is entirely Italian, with a pairing available for ¥180. Located on Caoxi Lu in Xuhui.
Falo
Now open on Hongmei Lu in Gubei is Falo, an Italian restaurant helmed by chef Nakamura “Nori” Norihiro. Chef Nori has spent the last 11 years cooking in Shanghai, bringing 25 years of culinary experience from his tenure at Italian restaurants in Italy and Japan. He was previously at now-closed Ebisu (惠比寿), where he did a blend of Italian-Japanese cuisine.
At Falo, Chef Nori continues to infuse his Italian dishes with a subtle Japanese influence, complemented by charcoal grilling. Dishes that jump out on the menu include smoked pigeon with dukkah, linguine with uni and bottarga, and a risotto with sake and black truffle. The restaurant has an open kitchen dining counter, a second floor with private rooms, as well as outdoor seating.
Limo Limo
Over on Huashan Lu near Wulumuqi Lu, Limo Limo is a cozy Italian eatery specializing in handmade pasta and housemade sauces. This charming little restaurant is the brainchild of three childhood friends from Wenzhou who grew up in Italy. They’ve returned to China to reconnect with their roots, bringing a taste of their second home to Shanghai.
Pastas start at ¥58 and features classics like carbonara, pesto, meatball pasta, and spinach ricotta ravioli, among others, as well as soups, salads, and cold cuts. Selected fresh pastas and bottled house sauces are also available to-go.
The Plump Oyster
The Plump Oyster has opened a third location on Yan’an Xi Lu in Changning district, however, this Plump has a slightly different concept than the other locations. It’s a bistro with East-meets-West small plates and, of course, a good selection of oysters. Dishes are courtesy of chef Calvin Zhou, formerly of Petit Chateau and Le Coq. Currently in soft opening.
Gallows Humor
New on Shaanxi Nan Lu is Gallows Humor, a cocktail bar by Crawford Su and Aya Guan, the founders of Paal — another cocktail bar just a stone’s throw away on Nanchang Lu.
True to its name, Gallows Humor aims to deliver a provocative and entertaining experience through playful drinks paired with warm, friendly service. The bar’s design is minimalist, dominated by an all-black aesthetic with a glowing green light above the bar as the focal point.
The drink concept is “an exploration of cocktails,” with a focus on pushing boundaries by incorporating unconventional and unexpected ingredients, endeavoring to “blur the line between dread and delight.” Signature cocktails, from ¥98, feature ingredients like blue cheese, clams, and century egg. Classics also available, of course.
“No Name”
New in Shankang Li is a bar called No Name, run by group of friends from the F&B industry. It’s currently operating pop-up style, serving craft beer, highballs, and cocktails. It’ll undergo renovation in a couple months to reopen as a “proper concept.” Specs wise, it seats about 20 indoors and has outdoor seating for about 10.
Around Town
Daoyu Season 刀鱼
It’s 刀鱼 (dāo yú) season, also known as knifefish, a slender, silvery fish celebrated for its tender flesh and fine, hair-like bones. This highly prized delicacy is only available for a few precious months in early spring.
Curious? Try them in dumpling form. Yong Jiang Zhen (永江臻), a Jiangzhe-style restaurant in Sinan Mansions, has daoyu dumplings through their sub-brand 亮记鲜品. A box of 10 dumplings is ¥218 — yep, the fish is coveted. The dumplings are made fresh (not frozen, to boil) and last for two days in the fridge or 15 days in the freezer.
BUNCH Natural Wine Festival
Incoming is BUNCH, a natural wine festival happening this spring on May 16. Partners behind the event include folks from Next Bottle, Bastard, and Xiaopu Winery. The wine appreciation event / party will bring together natural wines and its supporting cast of wineries, sommeliers, wine snobs, and restaurants. Details to follow!
Closures
Alors Exits Tianzifang, Pop-Ups Follow
Alors is closing at the end of March. The contemporary Chinese bistro in Tianzifang will run things until their last day, March 30.
Chef Bingjia Lou hopes to find a new space for Alors, but in the meantime, he’s doing pop-ups around town. He’s also taking up a long-term residency at Jing’an bistro Nuits, serving his dishes on the ground floor during the evening. The collaboration with Nuits has already begun and is due to last 2-3 months.
This is a sad one: Bun Cha Cha and Bun Cha Cha Grill have closed.
Black Rock is no more. The bar brand “closed” in December when the partnership with the London original ended. The space remains open but now operates as Black House. Interiors have seen little to no changes. The drinks menu has undergone a slight transformation, serving a varied selection of cocktails.
Sandwich shop Rozebiff closed at end of February due to lease issues BUT they’re looking to relocate and reopen soon.
Also closed: Les Elites and Pano e Vino (Sinan Mansions).
