5 of the Best Secret Japanese Restaurants in Shanghai

By Betty Richardson, January 22, 2018

Here’s a fact for you: Japanese people once made up the largest demographic of expats living in Shanghai; a peak of 57,000 in 2012, which has since declined dramatically. Luckily for us there remains a whole subculture of restaurants, not to mention delightfully intelligent toilets, that still cater to Japanese expats out in the Gubei and Hongqiao hinterlands – you need only know where to look. Here’s a few we can’t live without, but be warned, you’ll need to step out of your former French Concession comfort zone to find them.

1. Ri He 日和
Sukiyaki

Think of sukiyaki as a luxurious type of Japanese hotpot. Instead of thin, wispy strands of meat boiled in water-based stock. Instead, sukiyaki involves intensely marbled, dinner plate-sized swaths of of wagyu beef swirled around a sweet and salty rice wine and soy-based broth for just a few seconds to preserve their glorious texture. Shanghai has no better place to enjoy this than Ri He, a restaurant that has achieved near-legendary status within the Japanese expat community, and is also a favorite of numerous Shanghai chefs.

Start with premium seafood like toro sashimi (tuna belly), sea urchin straight from the shell, sweet shrimps or, for the fearless, horse sashimi, and then tackle the decision of whether to get your wagyu with a fat marbling score of A5, or the imposing A6. (We’re preferential to the former.)

After your kimono-clad waitress has served the beef, which you are to dip in whisked raw egg and consume in fewer than two, utterly rapturous mouthfuls, she moves on to fill the pot with palate cleansing seasonal vegetables and tofu, followed by a hearty bowl of udon noodles.

2. Tsukemen Ieyasu 家康居酒屋
Tsukemen, Yakitori

A must-try for ramen enthusiasts, tsukemen is a two-part noodle bowl that involves chunky, chewy noodles dipped into an extra-concentrated and meaty broth – thick enough to coat completely them with flavor. Like traditional ramen, soft boiled egg, marinated bamboo shoots and luscious slices of chashu (pork belly) are included. The final treat is a golf ball of crunchy deep-fried rice with which to enjoy the last of the broth.

Aside from tsukemen, this restaurant also turns out a selection of yakitori skewers, the best of which is crispy and umami-intense chicken skin, or better yet, their exemplary Japanese-style fried chicken, topped with heaps of tartar sauce.

You’ll find this shop clustered next to dozens of other Japanese yakitori joints, sushi bars and massage parlors with varying degrees of repute. The vibe might not be popping, but the food really makes it worth it.

3. Man Zhong 鳗重
Unagi Don

Like many of the best Japanese restaurants, this husband-and-wife-run spot seats a small number of patrons around a beautifully appointed wooden bar, overhung by gorgeous laser-cut wood panels. Ordering couldn’t be simpler – there’s just one thing on the menu: grilled freshwater eel served over rice and packed into a lacquered bento box.

One bite in and you’ll understand why grilled eel is served with plain rice as its accompaniment, the intermingling of the fatty fish, with its tender skin and sweetly-glazed and caramelized surface, is so good you won’t want any interference. Traditional house-made pickles and warming miso soup are also included in the set. One of the few restaurants on this list to be situated downtown, Man Zhong is perfect for solo dining or impressing a casual date with.

4. Have A Good Time
Japanese Curry

Bizarre in the best of ways, Have A Good Time is a concept of two talents: on the one hand it’s an underground Tokyo-based streetwear label with a cult following and a penchant for collectible toys. On the other it’s the best Japanese curry joint in Shanghai.

Upon entering, wade through the piles of merch branded with red-framed insignia, past the rows of figurines and mounted skateboards and do your best find a table (it can be busy at dinnertime).

Two must-orders on the menu: beef curry with rice and soft boiled egg, or, our personal favorite: ‘omurice.’ A Japanese portmanteau created from the words ‘omelet’ and ‘rice’ (omuraisu, オムライス) this dish consists of flavorsome chicken fried rice wrapped in a thin omelet, enveloped with curry sauce.

We say Have a Good Time’s Japanese curry is the best in town, not least because the fabulous homemade flavor blows the nearest competition out of the water. A few of the house whisky highballs wouldn't hurt, either.

5. Ramen Kishu 纪州豚骨酱油拉面
Ramen

The last stop on our list is the furthest – Ramen Kishu. Often transliterated to it’s Mandarin name ‘Ji Zhou’ (纪州豚骨酱油拉面), the ramen here ticks all the boxes for a perfect bowl: noodles made with alkaline water for unparalleled al dente texture; a deeply-layered bone broth soup base, and simple, traditional toppings that don’t overshadow the other elements.

Well, we could be a little contradictory on that point, since our favorite offering is not the tonkotsu but a shoyu (soy sauce base) ramen loaded – and we mean really loaded – with chopped scallions. It’s bracing but not overwhelmingly oniony; notes of white pepper give the clean, aromatic soup an extra layer of flavor, while the scallions clinging to the noodles can only be described as heavenly.