10 Best Shanghainese Restaurants in Singapore (2026)
Discover 10 of the best Shanghainese restaurants in Singapore, from Jiangnan classics like hong shao rou and drunken chicken to xiao long bao and la mian.
- Edited by
- Amir Wahab
- Published
- Reading time
- 5 min read
AI image by LocalRankShanghainese and wider Jiangnan cooking is one of China's great regional cuisines, built on gentle sweetness, rich red-braises and delicate soup dumplings. In Singapore it runs from polished hotel dining rooms to family-run neighbourhood kitchens. This guide gathers ten currently-operating Shanghainese and Jiangnan restaurants, each checked against its own website or recent listings, spanning xiao long bao, sheng jian bao, hong shao rou, drunken chicken and hand-pulled la mian. Treat it as a shortlist to match to your craving rather than a strict ranking.
1. Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao is the casual Jiangnan arm of the homegrown Crystal Jade group, built around hand-pulled la mian and steamed xiao long bao. Its menu runs through Shanghainese and Huaiyang staples such as pan-fried buns, wontons in chilli oil, drunken chicken and braised pork, alongside a wide spread of noodle soups. With outlets across malls islandwide listed on its restaurant locator, it is one of the most accessible ways to eat this style of food in Singapore.
Multiple outlets
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2. Imperial Treasure Fine Shanghai Cuisine
Imperial Treasure Fine Shanghai Cuisine is the group's Shanghainese fine-dining room in the Orchard Road belt, set within Ngee Ann City. It focuses on classic Shanghai and Jiangnan cooking in a polished setting, with dishes its menu describes including xiao long bao, sauteed river shrimp, braised pork and seasonal specials. The kitchen leans traditional rather than fusion, making it a choice for a more formal meal or a family celebration. Reservations are advisable at peak dining times.
Orchard
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3. Yan's Dining Fine Shanghai Cuisine
Yan's Dining is an Orchard Road restaurant at Mandarin Gallery that describes its cooking as Haipai Shanghainese, the refined city style drawing on the wider Jiangnan region. It presents time-honoured recipes in a contemporary dining room, with a menu spanning cold appetisers, soup dumplings, braises and seasonal dishes. The restaurant positions itself at the more upmarket, sit-down end of the category, suited to a quieter meal. Its own website lists current opening hours and menu details.
Orchard
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4. Grand Shanghai
Grand Shanghai sits inside the Grand Copthorne Waterfront hotel on Havelock Road, styling itself on the glamour of 1930s Shanghai with art-deco touches and regular live music. The restaurant serves classic Shanghainese fare alongside dishes from other regions of China, and its own site frames the experience around old-Shanghai nostalgia and evening entertainment. It suits diners after a dressed-up, atmospheric meal by the Singapore River rather than a quick casual bite. Its website carries the current menu and show details.
Robertson Quay
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5. Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant
Nanxiang takes its name from the Shanghai district credited with the original xiao long bao, and its Singapore restaurants centre on steamed and crab-roe soup dumplings. Beyond the buns, the menu covers Shanghai and Cantonese dishes prepared, by its own account, without artificial colouring and using selected flour and pork. It runs several mall outlets across the island, making it an easy sit-down option for a dumpling-led meal. Check its website or listings for the outlet nearest you.
Multiple outlets
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6. Nanjing Impressions
Nanjing Impressions brings Jiangnan cooking from Nanjing, the historic capital of Jiangsu, to Plaza Singapura near Dhoby Ghaut. Fitted out to evoke an old-time Nanjing street scene, it is known for Jinling-style salted and roast duck, braised lion's head meatballs and other Jiangsu home dishes. The format is a relaxed, sit-down restaurant that works for families and groups. As a branch of a larger China-based chain, its menu reflects regional Nanjing specialities rather than the sweeter, oil-rich Shanghai city style.
Dhoby Ghaut
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7. Zhang Ji Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Zhang Ji was started by a husband-and-wife team from Nanjing and has grown from an Alexandra Village hawker stall into a small restaurant at nearby Alexandra Retail Centre, both run by the same family. It specialises in hand-pulled la mian and xiao long bao, rounded out with pan-fried dumplings, hot-and-sour soup and other Jiangnan plates. The cooking is unfussy and made to order, and the stall is known for long queues at busy times. It sits at the affordable, no-frills end of the category.
Alexandra
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8. Shanghai Ren Jia
Shanghai Ren Jia is a long-running, family-run restaurant in the Ang Mo Kio heartland, a neighbourhood spot rather than a mall or hotel dining room. It is known for made-to-order Shanghainese home cooking, including sheng jian bao pan-fried pork buns, handmade noodles, cold appetisers and braised dishes. The setting is simple and casual, with an affordable, no-frills character that has kept regulars coming back for years. It is a reliable choice for authentic Shanghai flavours away from the city centre.
Ang Mo Kio
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9. Dingtele
Dingtele is an affordable Shanghainese eatery near Kovan MRT on Upper Serangoon Road, popular with residents in the north-east. It is known for sheng jian bao and xiao long bao, alongside a spread of Shanghai-style dim sum, dumplings and noodles. The setting is casual and unpretentious, geared to everyday meals rather than special occasions. For diners in the Kovan and Serangoon area, it offers a convenient neighbourhood take on the soup-dumpling-and-la-mian repertoire.
Kovan
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10. Pu Dong Kitchen
Pu Dong Kitchen is a long-standing Shanghainese restaurant tucked into Balmoral Plaza on Bukit Timah Road, in the Newton area. A neighbourhood fixture for many years, it serves home-style Shanghai dishes such as xiao long bao, braised lion's head meatballs, smoked appetisers, wonton soup and stir-fried greens. The room is small and low-key, drawing a mix of local families and residents from the surrounding estates. It is an unshowy option for classic Shanghai comfort food; check current opening hours before visiting.
Newton
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How to choose
- Decide on the setting first. Hotel and Orchard Road restaurants such as the fine-dining rooms suit celebrations and dressed-up meals, while heartland and food-centre spots in Ang Mo Kio, Kovan or Alexandra are cheaper, more casual and better for everyday Shanghai comfort food.
- Know the signature dishes. Beyond xiao long bao, look for sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork buns), hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly), drunken chicken, braised lion's head meatballs and cold appetisers; a kitchen that does these well is cooking true Shanghainese and Jiangnan food.
- Check the regional focus. Shanghai city cooking tends to be sweeter and richer, while Jiangnan neighbours such as Nanjing lean towards salted duck and lighter braises, so match the menu to what you are craving.
- Watch for seasonal specials. Hairy crab appears only in the autumn months and some restaurants build set menus around it, so confirm availability and pricing directly if that is what you are after.
- Sort out logistics. Popular fine-dining rooms and queue-heavy stalls fill up fast, so reserve where you can, go off-peak for the busiest spots, and confirm opening hours, as smaller family-run places keep their own schedules and may close between lunch and dinner.
. No changes recorded since.
Founder and Editor
Amir Wahab is the founder and editor of LocalRank, an independent Singapore rankings and local guides publication.
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