Buckle up baby, this summer is going to be a steamy ride.
Maybe it's the endless plum rains or record-breaking, undulating heat waves making people go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, or the fact that it’s our first summer of COVID freedom in years, but everyone who is anyone is opening a restaurant or bar this month, particularly in Jing’an.
Let’s begin our virtual walkthrough right there, where the entire street of Yanping Lu has been thrown in a blender and spit back out, with every few store fronts different from what they were just a few months ago. Beginning on the corner of Xinzha Lu and Yanping Lu, let’s work our way north...
Brewlosophy closed and remains empty, but next to it is Spicy Gangster – a Sichuan food meets wine joint.
Moving north, modern food court Fan Tang has been shuttered and chopped up into a Japanese izakaya, a bar, and an American BBQ joint called Smokey Project with brisket, ribs, and the like; we are very ready to sneak a peek at that meat.
Image courtesy of Terrakota
Terrakota Bistronomy is right behind there, a European bistro concept by Spanish chefs Juan Campos (RAW, Sakaba Malabar) and Aitor Olabegoya, plus Chef Owen (previously of Azul Group) with both Atlantic and Mediterranean roots. The menu focuses around seasonal and local ingredients, particularly spring and fall flavors.
Image courtesy of Goose Island Taproom
Another 50 meters up the street sits the new Goose Island Taproom, an already busy craft beer enthusiast hangout, with both in-venue dining and drinking plus a solid to-go beer program.
Despite being open only a handful of months, they’ve already got the events going strong; earlier this month saw a collab with music venue The Melting Pot, featuring five DJs who played live music for over 10 hours straight!
Image by That's Shanghai
Next door to Goose Island is a small shotgun bar called Lemon Twist, and heading up the street a few stores is wanghong 曾三仙米线, a new Chongqing mixian rice noodle spot outfitted in a lot of gray slate and red graffiti with some solid spicy selections.
Next we come to the crossroads of Yanping and Wuding Lu, where Funkadeli used to sit, replaced by another casual Chongqing noodle and snack shop called 千平平重庆面庄. Mismatched and trendy low wooden tables are laden with dishes clocking in around RMB20-30 a pop, while side veggies go for RMB7-10.
Sensing a trend? Yanping Lu’s got the hots for the spice capital of China.
Just around the corner on Wuding Lu, the old La Social space is under renovation too; word on the street is that the people behind FoS are putting a concept in there, but no hoarding has been put up yet.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Continuing north on that same stretch of Yanping is Spiceman Gelato, Moby’s Specialty Coffee Roaster, and Just Pocket – a hearty yet healthy Middle Eastern pita pocket fusion shop (click that link below to find out more) – followed by a local Chinese canteen mainstay that’s been there for years.
READ MORE: Just Pocket: Healthy & Hearty Globally-Inspired Sandwiches
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Next, there's one of our favorite neighborhood cocktail joints Pachamama – a South American flavor inspired, fermented everything bar by Ilyà Khokhlov (The Drinkery) and Max Modesti (GoodFellas).
READ MORE: Pachamama: Mother Earth's Wide World of Fermented Cocktails
Also, J’s Grocery on Yanping became a cafe for a hot minute, and now is under construction yet again, so let’s see what July brings us.
And that's us all caught up on the latest Yanping shenanigans.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Day or night, caffeine free or fueled, abstemious or liquored up – whatever drink you choose, it's coconut overload at Coco Crew, a coconut-everything drink and dessert café-turned-bar on Xiangyang Lu by the same team behind Bottega.
What has been open for a few months for coconut coffee and tea beverages has now launched their nighttime menu, curated by mixologist Peter Kwok (previously of Black Moth).
READ MORE: Go Loco for Coco at 'Coconut Everything' Themed Coco Crew
Another of the latest cocktail bar openings, Nightingale is taking up evening residence at A.E. Kitchen on Yuyuan Lu. It's headed up by Rum Zhao, who opened up Nightingale Suzhou after cutting his teeth at Ultraviolet and Mr & Mrs Bund.
On the cocktails (and coffee!) bandwagon, you can find both now at the newly revamped No Filter on Wuyuan Lu (in the space that used to house Bird & Bitter) by the same guys behind Bistro 11 and J. Boroski.
Image courtesy of The Wkndr Bar
The freshest thing to hit the Jinqiao bar scene, The Wkndr Bar (as the name suggests) is a weekend-only, pet-friendly venue with live DJs, sports events screening, and a casual yet lively atmosphere brought to the Pudong crowd by the Nova Events group. The bar will be open Fridays from 6pm ‘til late, and Saturday and Sunday from 2pm until late.
Image courtesy of Wineyaki
Also over in Pudong, Wineapp – a platform for ordering wine to your door at any hour – has branched out into the dining scene, opening a modern Japanese izakaya, Wineyaki, on Huamu Lu.
Wineyaki has over 400 bottles of wine to choose from, plus a boast-worthy selection of imported sake, for pairing with Japanese izakya staples like charcoal-grilled meats and fresh-cut sashimi.
After opening just a month ago, the space has already become a mainstay for both al fresco lunch and dinner in the Century Park area.
Image courtesy of Kafe Boogies
Kafe Boogies is a new all day-dining venue on Wuzhong Lu near Koreatown by the same people behind 走神 All Day Brunch Bistro.
The serene ambiance features Nordic furniture amongst lush greenery, sunflowers and 200 tropical plants – an urban oasis associated with the Chinese name meaning “no rush” – or a break from the bustling city life.
The menu sees everything from Fish & Chips and Singaporean Hainanese Chicken to Wagyu Beef Scallion Oil Noodles and French pastries.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Onto recent closures, like a flash in the pan, the entire B1 floor full of newly opened F&B outlets in Joye & Sam (located in the Hengshan 8 complex) has closed. We literally just reviewed the place (and loved it!)
READ MORE: Joye&Sam: The Everything Everywhere All at Once Venue
Landlord issues.
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
These closures include our beloved Anarkia x Madame Ching, Bertha & Josper, a tapas bar, a cheese counter, a cocktail bar, and more. While the pescatarian-restaurant-meets-cloaked-behind-velour-crimson curtains-speakeasy that we were so excited to check out never even had a chance to really open!
Sad day for such a beautiful space. But, Madame Ching is looking to relocate soon, hopefully into a smaller, trendier place, potentially in Jing’an.
After celebrating their 14-year anniversary earlier in June, Dada Shanghai is closing its doors for good at the end of this month. The place has hosted many memory-filled (and lack of memory) nights for so many, and will be sorely missed. Dada Kunming and Dada Beijing live on.
Similarly, late-night dance club Celia has closed. But night owls looking to get their moves on, fear not; Celia is not gone for good, it’s just relocating to Nanyang Lu and set to open on September 1.
Finally, both Beast of the East's Social House on Fumin Lu and BoCa on Kangding Lu are currently seeking buyers to take over their respective leases, so while they haven’t shuttered their doors yet, plans seem to be in motion for saying zai jian.
Got a hot tip? Feel free to email all juicy rumors to sophiesteiner@thatsmags.com.
Read more Shanghai Food & Drink Gossip.
[Cover image via tricycle.org]
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