Shanghai travel guide
Best Street Food in Shanghai: What & Where to Eat
Shanghai’s essential street foods are xiaolongbao soup dumplings (¥20–40 a steamer), shengjianbao pan-fried buns (¥10–16), scallion-oil noodles (¥15–25) and congyoubing scallion pancakes (¥6–12). Find them at breakfast counters around the old town, the lanes off Yuyuan bazaar, and neighbourhood wet markets.
The dishes to look for
Shengjianbao (生煎包)
Shanghai’s breakfast king: pork buns fried crisp on the bottom, steamed fluffy on top, holding a spoonful of hot broth. ¥10–16 for four. Bite a corner, sip the soup, then eat — first-timers who chomp wear the broth.
Xiaolongbao (小笼包)
The famous soup dumplings: thin-skinned, pleated, steamed in bamboo baskets. ¥20–40 a steamer at humble counters; dip in black vinegar with ginger. The Yuyuan bazaar area is the classic hunting ground — expect queues at the famous stalls.
Congyoubing (葱油饼)
Flaky, fried scallion pancakes pressed to order, ¥6–12. The good ones are crisp-edged and chewy inside, sold from single-window shops with a permanent line.
Scallion-oil noodles (葱油拌面)
Shanghai’s minimalist masterpiece: noodles tossed in caramelised scallion oil and soy, ¥15–25 at noodle counters. Add a fried pork chop on top for the classic lunch.
Cifan and breakfast spreads
Morning stalls sell cifan (sticky-rice rolls around a fried dough stick, ¥6–10), soy milk (sweet or savoury, ¥3–5) and youtiao — a full local breakfast under ¥15.
Dessert stalls
Osmanthus cakes, sweet rice balls in wine soup (¥10–15) and seasonal green dumplings (qingtuan) in spring — the old-town snack counters rotate them by season.
Where to eat it
The lanes around Yuyuan Garden and the City God Temple bazaar concentrate the classics — touristy, but the dumpling institutions there earn their queues. Neighbourhood wet markets (every district has one) anchor the cheapest and most local breakfast counters. The French Concession’s side streets mix old noodle shops with new bakeries, and the night stalls around Shouning Road and university gates handle late-night skewers and crayfish in season.
Eating tips
Breakfast is Shanghai’s best street-food hour — by 9.30am many counters sell out. Queues are quality control. Everything runs on QR payment (Alipay/WeChat); carry small cash as backup. Vegetarians do well with scallion pancakes, vegetable baozi and sesame noodles — say wo chi su (I eat vegetarian).
Also in China
Shanghai street food — FAQs
What is Shanghai’s most famous street food?
Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and shengjianbao (pan-fried soup buns) — both pork-and-broth filled, both under ¥40. Shengjianbao is the more local everyday choice; xiaolongbao draws the queues around Yuyuan Garden.
How much does street food cost in Shanghai?
A full breakfast of cifan, soy milk and a scallion pancake costs ¥15–20; a steamer of soup dumplings ¥20–40; noodles ¥15–25. Eating entirely from street counters runs ¥50–80 (~AU$10–17) per person per day.
Last reviewed and updated: by the AmazingAsia editorial team. See our editorial policy.