Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our June 2018 magazine issue.

Restaurants

The Pine at Ruijin

Culinary obsessive types that pay attention to the Michelin Guide and World’s 50 Best rankings will definitely be curious about Light & Salt’s newest venture, The Pine at Ruijin because the group has brought in Johnston Teo, who was previously the Research and Development chef at two Michellin star, Odette in Singapore.

You will have to be willing to throw down some cash to see if the experience lives up to the chef’s pedigree with tasting menus that range from RMB397 for a four course lunch to RMB1,197 for an eight course dinner. Optional wine pairings start from RMB597. 

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB400-2,000 per person
Who’s going: well-helled locals and gourmands of all stripes
Good for: adventurous eaters, fine dining, special occasions

Read the full review here. See a listing for The Pine at Ruijin

Apollo

Shanghai offers many cuisines and Apollo on Anfu Lu is adding to the choices with a menu of Latin-inspired creations prepared by Danish chef Frederik Rasmussen. The two-story space that once housed Amokka offers an intimate vibe, and if you enjoy interacting with the chef, the best seats are upstairs.  

The menu is neatly divided into ‘snack,’ ‘oyster,’ ‘the sea,’ ‘from the land’ and ‘treats’. A pair of diners will probably fill up on six to eight dishes. Options include mini chestnut tarts (RMB28), crispy pork skin (RMB32), tamales (RMB38), pork neck with pineapple and chili (RMB68) and more. The experience, as with the food, leans more Nordic than Latin, so manage your expectations accordingly.  

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB200-500 per person
Who’s going: mostly expats with some curious locals
Good for: dates, cocktails, small bites

Read the full review here. See a listing for Apollo 

Tartine

Since taking over the space formerly occupied by Cafelito on Jianguo Xi Lu, Tartine has quickly become a regular haunt of Anken office occupants and local residents. Influences for the concept include the famous San Francisco bakery of the same name, Melbourne’s café culture, and raw desserts from New York. Simply speaking, Tartine is serving up fresh and wholesome treats. 

Open-faced sandwiches (tartines in French) are the core offerings at the cafe, while some other brunch items and baked goods complete the menu. Options include goat cheese tartines (RMB55), the omega plate (RMB98) with poached eggs, avocado, kale and cherry tomato, the obligatory avocado tartine (RMB55) and so much more. 

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB100-200 per person
Who’s going: health-conscious locals and home-sick expats
Good for: all-day brunch and coffee breaks

Read the full review here. See listing for Tartine

Piao Korean Grill 

When it comes to Korean barbecue, most of the best places in Shanghai are all the way out in Gubei, so we were pretty jazzed when Piao Korean Grill opened up on Wulumuqi Lu, just a few doors away from the Avocado Lady. Part of a chain from Korea that began in 1993, Piao Korean Grill is an offshoot of the quite popular Park Korean Food located on Shaanxi Bei Lu. They have a smaller menu with the same cool superhero graphics on the walls. 

We went for a Korean-style short rib (RMB138), beef finger meat (RMB88) and pork belly (RMB58), all of which could do with a touch less sugar. Everything we sampled was overly chewy and we struggled to get refills on the lettuce leaves and sauces that may have distracted from the poor quality cuts. 

Total Verdict: 2.5/5

Price: RMB100-200 per person
Who’s going: downtown dwelling Korean-food aficionados 
Good for: cheap meat, seafood pancakes, spicy chicken

Read the full review here. See listing for Piao Korean Grill

Bars

RIINK

It has been a while since we have encountered a fresh, new bar concept. Perhaps this is because cookie-cutter speakeasies have taken over. Enter RIINK, a bar and roller-skating rink concept occupying the old Inferno space where nostalgia finally visits another era. After signing a waiver, you choose between blah black skates for RMB45 and paying RMB5 more for gorgeous white ones with light-up wheels. 

Your favorite childhood activity has been aged up with some fantastic “nibbles and slurps,” featuring Chef Austin Hu’s (Diner, Madison Kitchen) gourmet junk food of the fried and seafood variety – think fries with Lebanese yogurt dip (RMB48) or poke crisps (RMB68) with tiki-inspired cocktails by Geo Valdivieso (formerly of UNICO and The Captain). Drinks start at RMB50 for draft beer and most cocktails are around RMB70.

Read the full review here. See a listing for RIINK

Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews & Shanghai Bar Reviews