Discovering Bourdain’s Lost Shanghai
“In a tiny shop just off the main street noodles come topped with caramelized green onions harboring tiny pieces of pork which are then mixed. The experience is all about the food, Bourdain would have loved it.”
Daily at 6:30pm Duration: 3.5 hours
$69 USD per adult, $55 USD per child
Approx. 2km walking
In 1936, half of Shanghai was controlled by foreign powers. For decades, its had a negative birth rate and millions of immigrants, meaning the inheritance of the true cuisine of old Shanghai is limited to select insiders. On this tour, you’ll try at least 10 dishes on a journey through the clandestine cuisine of old-Shanghai, hiding in plain sight in the French Concession.
Far more than a meal’s worth of food, local beer, and soft drinks at 4 sit-down, safe-to-eat restaurants, plus one craft beer bar.
Small groups of 2-12 people per tour.
Starts at Jiashan Road Subway Station. Ends 10 minutes walk away from South Shaanxi Road Subway Station. An email will be sent with detailed meeting location details immediately after booking.
Reservations cancelled 24 hours or more before your tour start time are fully refundable.
We can accommodate the checked dietary requests on this tour. All requests must be communicated at time of booking. Visit our FAQ section for more details.
This tour starts at Jiashan Road Subway Station in the heart of the French Concession. An email will be sent with detailed meeting location details immediately after booking.
Xiaolongbao (local for soup dumplings) are Shanghai’s most famous claim to fame, but do you know how to tell the good from the great? We’ll let you know at our favorite local dumpling joint that can compete with the touristy Michelin recommended restaurants.
Scallion noodles, dumplings with sesame sauce, local curry, and more! Don’t forget to check out the kitchen on your way in, the labor intensive pan-fried-bun making process has been selected as Local Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Discover the homes and lanes that laid the foundation of this quaint neighborhood, now home to long-time locals and trendy markets, cafes, and bars. As we walk, we’ll visit restaurants that are hidden in plain sight and only visited by those “in the know.”
Two words: Pork Belly. Shanghai’s favorite dish takes an entire day to prepare, and for a good reason. Enjoy this plus other “only in Shanghai” dishes that celebrate quality ingredients with fresh preparation.
Driven by a passion for dessert and community spirit, the Shanghainese owner of this cozy shop caters to the local neighborhood, crafting fresh desserts without pre-made shortcuts. Fresh mango atop chilled sago cream with a dash of pomelo…we’re drooling already!
Mingle street-side or cozy-up inside this 15-seat taphouse for an inside look (and taste) into China’s evolving micro-brewery scene. The taphouse is located near to South Shaanxi Road Subway Station.
* This itinerary is subject to changes and adjustments based on daily vendor operations and availability, but it will always be awesome.
Shanghai is a mind-bendingly huge modern metropolis, carved up by foreign occupiers since the 19th century and modernized at lightning speed over the last 3 decades. Through it all, there’s been a preservation of Chinese tradition; totally hidden behind modern facades and tiny alleyways.
The clue even lies in the name: did you know that the word for old-Shanghai cuisine is “Benbang” meaning local? Local, as opposed to outsider. Think about that, a food culture that’s chosen its name and identity in relation to foreigners in their own homeland. And when you walk around, there’s plenty of outsider food on display – but where do the insiders eat? (Hint: With us. It’s with us.) Characterized by meticulous presentation, delicateness, and a refined use of quality ingredients, this insider’s cuisine is truly an art form you don’t want to miss.
“In a tiny shop just off the main street noodles come topped with caramelized green onions harboring tiny pieces of pork which are then mixed. The experience is all about the food, Bourdain would have loved it.”
Our Lost Plate guide Samantha took us on their Shanghai Evening Food Tour to try the clandestine cuisine of old-Shanghai! 🥟
All dietary requests must be communicated at the time of booking. When booking online, you will have the opportunity to let us know if you have any dietary requirements or special requests. Please use the following information to understand if this tour is right for you.
This tour can accommodate vegetarian travelers, including those who are pescatarian and those who do not eat beef, pork, seafood, shellfish, and/or mutton. However, there will not always be direct substitutes for every dish that we try on the tour. Vegetarian guests will have fewer choices and may miss out on some signature dishes, such as soup dumplings and pan-fried buns at the second stop. Instead, we’ll order extra vegetarian items. Please note that every stop we visit during the tour does use meat in their kitchen.
This tour cannot accommodate vegan or gluten-free travelers. Wheat products are featured at every stop, in sauces like soy sauce and in tour highlights like steamed buns and fried doughs. There are no substitutes or alternatives available.
This tour also cannot accommodate severe allergies as we do not have control over the preparation for your food. Travelers that don’t eat nuts are welcome, but kitchens do use nuts and cross-contamination is possible.
If you have any questions not answered here, please contact us prior to booking.
We are not a tasting tour, we provide much more than a full meal’s worth of food so we recommend you come prepared to eat.
This menu features a minimum of 8 dishes depending on group size and dietary requirements. Food is varied and plentify, and there’s also unlimited bottled water, soft drinks, and local beer until we reach the taphouse, where we’ll provide your first pint!
This is a walking tour; let’s just get that out of the way. This tour covers about 2 km/ 1.25 miles by foot, so we recommend leaving the heels at home. This distance is split up between 5 stops, so it’s roughly a 5-10 minute walk between each stop and a great chance to digest a bit before the next stop. We also find that exploring by foot is the best way to enjoy the sights of the French Concession.
Our child pricing is valid for ages 4 through 15. Children ages 3 and under are free.
The tour starts at 6:30pm at Jiashan Road subway station which services subway lines 9 and 12. You’ll get the exact address, directions, and transportation details immediately after booking.
The tour ends at a brewery a short walk away from South Shaanxi Road subway station. Your guide will point you in the right direction for wherever you need to go next, or you are welcome to stay at the bar as long as you like!
Our minimum is 2 and maximum is 12. There’s no flag to follow, or megaphone, or tacky uniforms. It’s small enough to be intimate, but big enough to get away with trying several dishes at each stop. You’ll get plenty of face-time with the experts. Bottom line is, you’ll follow the guide through a super-local experience and make friends along the way.
The tours usually last about 3-4 hours, depending on everyone’s pace, tastes, and interests – we try to personalize each tour as much as possible to the group.
All of our tours are rain-or-shine, so we suggest you dress for the weather. In rare cases of extreme weather, your guide will cancel the tour and provide a full refund.
Yes we do! If you would like to book a special tour for your group, just contact us and we’ll take care of you.
We have many happy customers who do more than one of our tours across China! We have designed our tours to focus only on food from each city. This means that each dish, story, and vibe is unique to each tour and there aren’t any repeats.
Most people are very surprised how much the cuisine changes as they travel throughout China, and our tours are a good way to discover those differences. We encourage you to pick the tours that best fit your itinerary and we offer a 10% discount if booking more than one tour.
Yes! You’ll get a promo code in your confirmation email that will give you a 10% discount on all future Lost Plate tours. It doesn’t matter if the tour is in the same city or a different city, we want to keep feeding you as long as you let us. Also, children ages 4 through 15 receive a discount on all tours (3 & under are free).
Bookings canceled 24 hours or more before your tour are fully refundable (100% refund). Bookings canceled within 24 hours notice are not refundable. If you would like to reschedule your tour with less than 24 hours notice, we will need to charge 50% of your total since we are unable to fill your spots at short notice.
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Shanghai Evening Food Tour
$69 USD / person
Email: info@lostplate.com
China & Cambodia Tours: +86 156 9210 9030
Portland Tours: +1 503 409 5593
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