Shanghai's Best Food Tours
After the British defeated the Chinese in the First Opium War in 1842, Shanghai was forced to trade with the outside world. Merchants from France, the US, Germany and other foreign powers began to move into Shanghai, carving out for themselves sovereign concessions where they were not subject to Chinese laws.
The new “East meets West” food culture can be found everywhere, but the cuisine of old Shanghai still lives on in hidden eateries, known for being delicate, graceful and refined – having preserved many unique cultural traditions not existing in other regions of China. Come and get a taste of the best local food with us on our Shanghai food tours.
Shanghai's Best Food Tours
After the British defeated the Chinese in the First Opium War in 1842, Shanghai was forced to trade with the outside world. Merchants from France, the US, Germany and other foreign powers began to move into Shanghai, carving out for themselves sovereign concessions where they were not subject to Chinese laws.
The new “East meets West” food culture can be found everywhere, but the cuisine of old Shanghai still lives on in hidden eateries, known for being delicate, graceful and refined – having preserved many unique cultural traditions not existing in other regions of China. Come and get a taste of the best local Shanghai food with us.
Our Shanghai Food Tours:
Unlimited food & drinks while walking through the French Concession.
Discover how Shanghai locals start their day with the best breakfast foods in China.
460 RMB / $69 USD per person
350 RMB / $55 USD per person
Daily at 6:30pm
Daily at 9am
Includes all food & beer
Includes all food & drinks
Walking tour through the French Concession
Walking tour through local streets and alleys
Currently available, book now!
Paused due to COVID-19.
Get 10% off if you book multiple tours online!
Our Shanghai Food Tours:
Evening Food Tour
Unlimited food & drinks while walking through the French Concession.
460 RMB/ $69 USD per person
Daily at 6:30pm for 3.5 hrs
Includes all food & beer
Walking tour through the French Concession
Old-Shanghai Breakfast Tour
Discover how Shanghai locals start their day with the best breakfast foods in China.
350 RMB / $55 USD per person
Daily at 9am
Includes all food & drinks
Walking tour through local streets and alleys
Get 10% off if you book multiple tours online!
Our Shanghai Photo Walk:
On our Shanghai photo walk, your local guide will show you the best spots, angles, and poses to capture incredible photos at multiple destinations. In addition to your own photos, your guide will help you take photos and provide 9 filtered photos after each tour.
Old & New Shanghai Photo Walk
Revel in Shanghai’s famous skyline while exploring local streets, old factories, and rooftops.
$35 USD per person
Saturdays at 1:30pm
Our Shanghai Photo Walk:
On our Shanghai photo walk, your local guide will show you the best spots, angles, and poses to capture incredible photos at multiple destinations. In addition to your own photos, your guide will help you take photos and provide 9 filtered photos after each tour.
Old & New Shanghai Photo Walk
Revel in Shanghai’s famous skyline while exploring local streets, old factories, and rooftops.
$35 USD per person
Saturdays at 1:30pm
Why People Choose Us:
By sharing the living history of cuisine by the hands that make it, we're changing the way people think about food and its role in the universe.
Experiences Led by Locals.
Only guides from each city can give you a true taste of the area in food and culture, all trained by our founders to ensure a perfect experience. We also work with the community through local producers and partners to ensure you’re getting a real local taste of what each community can do.
Get Fed, Leave Full.
We are not a tasting tour, if you leave hungry or thirsty, we aren’t doing our jobs. Most of our Shanghai food tours feature unlimited food and drinks (beer too!) The best part? You won’t have to worry about what to order or how to communicate with the owners at each stop. Everything we eat is tried and tested, plus you’ll see how it’s made and learn about the families who make it.
Craft Beer & Beverages Included.
The local culinary scene in every city is defined by food and drinks, so we make sure you experience it all! Our evening tours include (unlimited) alcoholic beverages along the way, and at least one stop to sink a glass (or few) of locally produced craft beer. All your bases are covered with us.
Off the Beaten Path.
Our Shanghai food tours visit local neighborhoods where real locals live and eat. You aren’t going to find any other tourists here, or run into other tour groups. Our restaurants are local legends, family-owned and often specialize in only one dish, which means the quality is high and the flavor is even better. These places wouldn’t survive without regulars, that’s how you know it’s good.
Get Hungry for Adventure.
A third of our customers were referred by a previous guest. Were you one of them?!
“Abby provided a well curated food trip of Shanghai incorporating pieces of ‘Old Shanghai’ (yummy noodles in a shop that has been around for something like 30 years and crossing generations) with new (delicious lotus root and pork wonton soup!). She was very knowledgeable and kind, and a pleasure to stroll the streets of the French Concession with. I have done a number of Lost Plate tours and always highly rate my experience. Thank you!”
BHBeijing
May 2021
“We recently went on the Shanghai Food tour. Our guide Abby was very knowledgable, giving us lots of insights into the making of traditional food. One of our group was vegetarian and was given alternatives at all venues. We would highly recommend this tour!”
traveller123WA
February 2021
“This is my third Lost plate food tour. They are a must do now when i travel. Every tour gives me a better understanding of the history and culture tied to the regional cuisine and the restaurants and food carts are always places I never would have found on my own . The guides are friendly and knowledgeable. Highly highly recommend this experience!”
Julie
October 2020
“Relaxed and entertaining walking and eating food tour of the French Concession area of Shanghai. Our guide Abbey was amazing and always had a story to tell whilst we were chowing down on dumplings, noodle soup, pork, stir fry and local beers and finished off with an amazing backstreet “broom cupboard” dessert restaurant that served outrageously good mango. Highly recommend this tour”
Lee
February 2020
“I had the opportunity to experience multiple tours with Lost Plate in Chengdu, Xi’an, Shanghai (breakfast and evening). Each and every tour was unique and enjoyable. In the year of 2020, living as an ex-pat in China and visiting different cities, Lost Plate can feel like a local taking you around and giving you plenty of advice along the way. The guides all speak English well and are helpful, friendly, and excited to show you their city. Separately, the owners have a lovely small business passion and story behind their business and they continue to offer unique trips that are food and culture focused in China. They have a true passion for showing the amazing food of China.”
Pam
October 2020
“Even though I am quite familiar with Shanghai, I loved this tour!! With guides know all the local vendors, so you get that extra authentic feeling. The food is amazing and it is so great to be able to visit even the smallest food stalls and to be welcomed the way we were having our guide by our side. Definitely recommend having this tour, I feel like it is a way of showing appreciation to the neighborhood and its vendors. Just dive right in and let Lost Plate take you on a mouth watering tour through one of the remaining authentic parts of old Shanghai!“
Nienke
April 2020
“Since they have been doing this a long time, they’ve established some great relationships with various food vendors and owners all over the city. That allows them to extend unique experiences to their guests when on the food tour. For example, not only could we eat some of the best xiao long bao in Shanghai, we also got to go into the kitchen and get a first-hand lesson from the chef on how to wrap them! (Spoiler: it’s harder than it looks) Their connections also allowed us to eat at a few places that were normally closed during the time we went, which meant we had the whole place to ourselves. Since many of these small places only have seating for about four people and most crowds have to eat while standing, this made a huge difference.”
Landon P
January 2020
“Lost Plate never disappoints! I made sure to book the Shanghai tours (I did both the breakfast and the dinner tours) after having such a great experience with Lost Plate in Beijing. Hard to cover this much food on your own especially when traveling solo. It’s also a great way to connect with a local and other travelers. Wen was our guide and was wonderful! Knowledgeable, fun and engaging. Wen went above and beyond to give us a great tour and even sent me restaurant recommendations for the rest of my stay.”
Rde88
January 2020
“We had a fantastic time with our guide Abby and the time absolutely flew by. She was full of energy and very knowledgable about where to find the best authentic local food, off the beaten track. We would never have known where to start. The food was excellent in fact and she also introduced us to some interesting alcohol. She answered all our questions and some we’d not even thought of asking. Her English was fantastic. We were also lucky to be in a great group of people from all over the world, and we had a great laugh. By the end of the evening we both felt really at home in Shanghai.
Don’t even hesitate, book this tour.”
salscho
November 2019
“I did two tours with Lost Plate in Shanghai and the breakfast tour, with Anis, is in an area that Shanghai’s wealth and modernization has passed by, tattered around the edges but a real warm neighborhood feel. You are welcomed into tiny mom-and-pop diners that specialize maybe in just one dish. You get to try oddities and also Shanghai standards; with a few things, you might even have bragging rights if you try them (snake wine?). The breakfast tour includes a temple, and a lively “wet market.” We felt welcomed everywhere, and you truly mix with locals. Try to visit the Jewish Refugees Museum after the breakfast tour, it’s a window into a whole different side of Shanghai’s past, and is super convenient to where the tour ends.”
Isaac L
December 2019