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

Restaurants

Ichiryuan

With over 51,000 listed ramen shops, Japan’s choices for noodles are more than the most voracious eater could tackle. To make sense of these myriad options, anonymous diners on restaurant listing sites like Tabelog (the Japanese equivalent of Yelp or Dianping) rank them meticulously and stringently. To garner a score of 3.5 out of 5, or be ranked number one in a particular area of town, is a remarkable achievement. 

That’s exactly what Ramen Ichiryuan (ラーメン札幌　一粒庵) has achieved in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Priding itself on using the locally farmed ingredients that Hokkaido is world-famous for, Ichiryuan also has a Bib Gourmand from the Hokkaido Michelin Guide. A version of Ramen Ichiryuan is now available in our own city, inside the busy Shanghai Center on Nanjing Xi Lu. 

Total Verdict: 2/5

Price: RMB35-100 per person
Who’s going: a mixed crowd
Good for: misery carbo-loading

Read the full review here. See listing for Ramen Ichiryuan.

RAC Bar

There’s something oddly familiar about walking into RAC, a new café and wine bar on Anfu Lu – almost like we’ve been there before. In some ways, we have. The project is run by Simon Briens, formerly of Far West, Grains, Rachel's and WIYF – the Franck Pécol-owned business that regretfully went under in the aftermath of the Farine expired flour scandal that virtually eradicated his footprint from the former French Concession.

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB80-150 per person
Who’s going: young Chinese people, French expats
Good for: breakfast, lunch, brunch, dessert, wine

Read the full review here. See listing for RAC Bar.

Lou Shang

Just when Shanghai had us convinced that fancy interiors or bizarre foods were the secret to viral popularity, something comes along and proves us wrong: Cantonese-style hot pot, Lou Shang. 

To even entertain the idea of eating here without a reservation, you must queue three hours. Even with our 9pm mid-week res, we waited over an hour. Considering that Lou Shang, with its Pepto-Bismol-colored tablecloths and cobbled together decor, is neither beautiful nor good value (an extraordinary price of RMB600 per head), this is unusual. 

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB500-800 per person
Who’s going: rich locals with lots of patience
Good for: splurges, late night

Read the full review here. See listing for Lou Shang.

Ben Zhen Sichuan Cuisine

Following the viral success of Sichuan restaurant Ben Lai on Shaanxi Lu, a bigger, shinier has opened in Hubin Dao mall. Like the original, Ben Zhen cooks a roster of classics, like bullfrog with ginger and peppers and Zigong-style dishes, a branch of Sichuan cuisine from a city of the same name. Contrary to its sterile, glitzy setting, which suggests might Ben Zhen offer a lite interpretation of Sichuan tastes, the kitchen’s spice dial is turned up to 11. 

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB150-200 per person
Who’s going: locals, young people
Good for: Spice-lovers, groups

Read the full review here. See listing for Ben Zhen.

Bars

Little Creatures Brewing Lab

Established in the year 2000, Little Creatures Brewery has come a long way from its birthplace in a 'huge shed and former crocodile farm' in Fremantle, Western Australia. Considered a trailblazer in the early days of Australia's craft beer scene, their signature hop driven American-style Pale Ale was a 'beer epiphany' for drinkers and brewers, over the years becoming one of the country's most iconic brews. 

Dozens of other beers have followed suit, as has a $380 million takeover by Lion, a subsidy of Japanese-owned Kirin beer, leading the beloved homegrown brewery to seek international expansion. The first bar went into Hong Kong's Kennedy Town, and now comes the second into Shanghai's Found 158.

Read the full review here. See listing for Little Creatures Brewery.

Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews & Shanghai Bar Reviews