The Place
Launched in Southern California 22 years ago, Stone Brewing is a long-time favorite of craft beer diehards. The brand has come a long way since 1996, and the Shanghai tap room is their third international location opened this year. We remember the fairly recent days of tucking bottles of their signature aggressively-flavored Arrogant Bastard ale carefully in our suitcases, so we are glad that they have answered our thirsty call for more craft beer options in China. 
Image courtesy Stone Brewing
Stone takes its beer very seriously, and they’ve installed a flux capacitor tap system at their Shanghai outpost, which allows control of the carbon dioxide and nitrogen ratio for every single beer on tap for optimal flavor. The time for drinking sneaky grey market imported beers is over.
The Food
As you would expect, the food menu is designed to be paired with beer. In addition to typical brewpub staples like burgers and fries, they are also offering more composed dishes such as misoyaki butterfish and beef cheek tagliatelle.
Image courtesy Stone Brewing
Speaking of those burgers, their patties are made with American Wagyu beef and cooked to a juicy medium rare. The California Burger (RMB68) comes topped with house spread, white cheddar, grilled onion butter, lettuce and beefsteak tomato – a perfect pairing for a pleasantly dank and fruity Stone Ripper (RMB55/pint).
Image by Cristina Ng/That's
Snacks like the Duck Confit Spring Rolls and ‘Angry’ Wings (both RMB68) are flavorful ways to start the meal. We had to get a second order of those addictive Korean-style fried chicken wings, which are coated in an addictively spicy gochujang. They’re so freaking good.
Image courtesy Stone Brewing
The San Diego Fish Tacos (RMB88) do their hometown proud. Each order features three flour tortillas stuffed with toothsome grilled halibut, crunchy red cabbage shreds, fresh tomato salsa, Monterey Jack cheese and a spicy dressing.
The well-designed menu provides beer suggestions for each dish, but you can also optimize the experience and try more brews with flights of four IPAs (RMB68) or any four beers (RMB108). We weren’t tempted by dessert, preferring to finish with a nice pint of Zeffer Hopped Cider (RMB70), which is currently on a guest tap.
Food Verdict: 2/3
The Vibe
The massive dining room featuring elements of wood, concrete and steel is evocative of the hippest North American breweries. Comfy leather couches and the signature Stone gargoyles give off a vibe that is equal parts cool and cozy.
With excellent food, exceptional beer and incredible service, Stone Brewing Tap Room fills a void in Shanghai’s dining scene. If they must be compared to more entrenched rivals like Liquid Laundry and Goose Island, their beer offerings are better than the former, and they handily overtake the latter on the food front. Basically, Stone is firing on all cylinders.
Vibe Verdict: 2/2
Total Verdict: 4/5
Price: RMB150-300 per person
Who’s going: homesick American expats, fancy locals and beer geeks
Good for: craft beer and food pairings, bar snacks, fish tacos
[Cover image courtesy Stone Brewing]
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