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

Restaurants

Pilipala

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Shanghai has its fair number of tasty Yunnan joints, but a trip to the southwestern province will quickly show you how many concessions have been made to local or foreign palates. Trust us, we searched for days for a more ‘authentic’ Lost Heaven when we were in Dali, before realizing that there is much more to Yunnan cuisine.

The time is ripe for more regional variety, and thankfully Pilipala has come along to show us the ways of Dai style barbecue. Here, Restaurateur Niu Yan (also the owner of popular Yunnan noodle joint Slurp!) opens up an entire world of culinary experiences beyond the safe fried goat cheese and ‘Grandma’s Potatoes’ to which we have grown accustomed.  

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB50-200 per person
Who’s going: mostly locals
Good for: Yunnan noodles, BBQ and banana leaf feasts

Read the full review here. See listing for Pilipala. 

Stone Brewing Tap Room

Image courtesy Stone Brewing 

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. 

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.

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.

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

Read the full review here. See listing for Stone Brewing Tap Room.

Chez Jojo

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Old Shanghai hands will remember when 1 Yueyang Lu housed a French bar and restaurant called Latitude/Longitude. After renting the space to Greek Taverna for seven years, owner Maggie Shen has taken it back and restored its French soul.

Chez Jojo draws inspiration from rural drinking establishments called guinguette.  In fact, the restaurant’s name is an homage to the original Chez Jojo in the Loire Valley. These lively spots are known as great places to enjoy an unpretentious meal with plenty of affordable wine and we could all certainly use more spots like that.

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB150-300 per person
Who’s going: Mixed crowd of Francophiles
Good for: wine, nibbles, hearty mains

Read the full review here. See listing for Chez Jojo. 

Shanghai Tavern 

Image by Betty Richardson for That's

Shanghai Tavern is the Eastern incarnation of Berner’s Tavern in London, Michelin-starred Chef Jason Atherton’s all-day dining, classic and classy British comfort food brasserie. Set in a large high-ceilinged dark wood and marble appointed dining room on the ground floor of The Shanghai EDITION, plush green booths line the outskirts while chairs mix with sofas in the midst. Once again, comfy and classy.

Heading up the kitchen is executive chef, and Shanghai stalwart Scott Melvin, who has earned himself a very loyal following due to his inventive, and downright delicious contemporary tapas over at Commune Social. At Shanghai Tavern the order of the day is British nosh, made a bit posh.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB300 and up.
Who’s going: Anyone who is anyone.
Good for: Occasions from the casual to the classy. Anglophiles.

Read the full review here. See listing for Shanghai Tavern. 

Bars

Mad Lab

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

We are always on the lookout for bar concepts that break the typical Shanghai mold, so the offbeat appearance of Mad Lab on Wuding Lu immediately intrigued. The bohemian atmosphere of the former Café des Stagiaires has been scrubbed away in favor of a kitschy steampunk aesthetic.

The addition of a conveyor belt is a cool idea for serving bar snacks. Expect fusion interpretations of sushi mixed with more European tapas-style fare. Nothing will blow you away, but it is certainly worth the price of RMB129 for the all-you-can-eat deal. As the kitchen prepares to close nightly, they begin offering single plates at RMB19 – a clever tactic to minimize waste.

Falling in line with their wacky laboratory theme, the cocktail selection consists of five ‘experiments.’ While we like adventurous drinking, we have to say that descriptors like ‘girls like it’ and ‘why peach is tea’ with no other information make ordering more challenging than expected.

Read the full review here. See listing for Mad Lab.

[Cover image by Betty Richardson for That's]

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