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

Restaurants

Fogo

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Fogo’s namesake is a volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, but it is also an acronym for ‘fear of growing old’ and ‘fear of going out.’ We don’t know about you, but we prefer low-key evenings in the former French Concession or Jing’an, and one of our biggest phobias is going to the Bund, so we were eager to see if this new lounge by a team of former M1NT employees could change our mind.

Fogo is situated on the top floor of a heritage building that also houses Jazz at Lincoln Center, across from The Shanghai EDITION hotel and just 100 meters away from the Huangpu riverfront. Despite their upmarket address, these guys are taking a page out of The Captain’s playbook by providing mid-range prices in a neighborhood that needs more options. As for the cuisine, it has a European backbone with inspiration from Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB350-500 per person                   
Who’s going: a mixed crowd of Shanghai nightlife veterans
Good for: molecular olives, sharing plates, cocktails

Read the full review here. See listing for Fogo. 

Ma Tatin

Image courtesy by Cristina Ng/That's

An unassuming French bakery has taken over where Oh.My.Burger! once served ramen burgers on Jianguo Xi Lu. Run by a French baker and a Chinese partner, the most unique thing about Ma Tatin is that they do not add sugar to their pastries and breads. Instead of white sugar, they rely on substitutes such as malitol and xylitol for less sweet, lower calorie versions of your favorite treats. If you are avoiding carbs, you should know that they still use wheat flour in their creations.

Ma Tatin has the standard assortment of viennoiserie, patisserie and bread that you’ll find at traditional French bakeries, ranging from RMB10-49.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: From RMB10-50
Who’s going: Locals and sugar-phobes
Good for: cheesy stuffed bread, low/no sugar treats

Read the full review here. See listing for Ma Tatin.

Currify

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Eating out in Shanghai is not cheap and we particularly feel the sting when it comes to Indian food. Imagine our joy when we learned that Currify offers curry and naan, or rice, for under RMB50. Opened by the team behind Tianzifang’s Lotus Land, the concept appears to be a hit and has recently set up a second location on Wuding Lu, less than four months after the first Taixing Lu outlet opened.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB50-100 per person
Who’s going: penny-pinching curry lovers
Good for: weeknight dinners, delivery, Indian dining

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

Bars

The Artist Bar & Bistro

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

The Artist is a new project by Nick Wu, a mainstay of Taiwan’s cocktail scene. While his Bar Mood in Taipei is all chic and minimalist, The Artist has a classical European charm with portraits hanging on its wall, and a mannequin in a formal kilt getup presiding over an expensive selection of whiskey. Adding to the authenticity is a thick cloud of cigar smoke. The menu is a fairly long booklet of James Bond-themed drinks. For example, the 'XXX' (RMB80) is inspired by actress Barbara Bach who portrayed Bond girl Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me. 

Read the full review here. See listing for The Artist Bar & Bistro.

[Cover image by Cristina Ng/That's]

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Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews & Shanghai Bar Reviews