Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our May 2019 magazine issue.

Restaurants

Phoenix Sushi

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

At 7pm on a Tuesday evening, after spending RMB45 for taxi fare to Hongqiao, we arrived at Phoenix Sushi flustered and ravenous. A calm kimono-clad server quickly brought over steaming hot towels and peach-scented oolong tea, leaving us relaxed and ready to watch Dong Wanhu, the smilingly unflappable chef-owner, assemble plates of sushi while we were seated at the elegantly spare 10-seater sushi bar.

Since opening three months ago, Phoenix Sushi has already earned a loyal following who regularly claim one of 20 available seats on any given night. Arriving without a reservation is pointless, and aiming for a weeknight booking is your best shot.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB300-600 per person
Who’s going: locals and Japanese sushi aficionados
Good for: affordable omakase and intimate dates

Read the full review here. See listing for Phoenix Sushi.

Polux by Paul Pairet

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

Shanghai diners get pretty excited when Paul Pairet opens a new concept, and Polux is no exception. That might have something to do with the accolades his restaurants have received over the years, the most recent being Ultraviolet’s three Michelin stars and a sixth spot finish in Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants 2019. 

Moving inland from the Bund, Pairet’s latest Xintiandi venture serves pared-down French classics all day long, covering breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The cooking combines rustic, traditional influences from Pairet’s The Chop Chop Club (now closed) with the modern creativity of Mr & Mrs Bund. 

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB200-400 per person
Who’s going: a mix of Shanghai-based ‘scenesters’ and Xintiandi tourists
Good for: casual occasions from breakfast to nightcap

Read the full review here. See listing for Polux by Paul Pairet. 

Y's Kitchen

Image by Dominic Ngai/That's 

Jinxian Lu and the nearby area is where you’ll find some of the city’s most beloved staples for home-style Shanghainese cuisine. During peak hours, the hungry diners lining up in front of places like Lan Xin or Hai Jin Zi can get as rowdy as their counterparts at Hey Tea back when the cheese tea chain first arrived. So when new kid on the block Y’s Kitchen opened in late 2018, chef-owner Yang Wen knew he had a tough challenge ahead of him.  

In order to differentiate himself, Yang bills Y’s Kitchen as a ‘fusion Chinese restaurant.’ This move not only avoids head-to-head competition with longtime favorites in the hood, but it also draws attention to his decades of experience cooking in Western restaurants around China. When executing its dishes, however, Y’s Kitchen falls short in delivering on the promise of a ‘fusion’ element.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB150-200 per person
Who's going: mostly locals who live or work nearby
Good for: casual lunches or dinners with a small group

Read the full review here. See listing for Y's Kitchen. 

The Arashiyama Breakfast Company

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Restaurant owners in Shanghai will tell you that things do not always go according to plan, as evidenced by the delayed opening of The Arashiyama Breakfast Company early this year – when the sign reads open “since 2018.” Opening date aside, the folks behind this joint named their restaurant after the beautiful mountainous region in Japan where they plan to open one of their next locations, and you have to respect their confidence. As for the menu, it could have easily been dreamed up by a couple of hungry, hungover friends. There are a few choices for people who don’t want breakfast (those monsters), including pasta, salads, quesadillas and a very out of place Wagyu beef and foie gras burger. 

Total Verdict: 2.5/5

Price: RMB50-100 per person
Who's going: mostly expats on lunch breaks
Good for: casual meals, off-hour breakfasts, nursing hangovers

Read the full review here. See listing for The Arashiyama Breakfast Company. 

Bars

3&Co.

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

We’re beginning to think Shanghai will never reach its speakeasy limits, and this month, Three on the Bund joined the fray with a well-designed rectangular bungalow hidden inside the newly opened contemporary Japanese restaurant, Shinpaku.

Disguised as an office, 3&Co. requires a code to enter, but once inside, you can enjoy 27 cocktails designed by Three on the Bund drinks manager Chris Sun. A rotating cast of bartenders that you might recognize from Mercato, Pop and Jean Georges might also make an appearance. 

Drinks are organized by flavor profiles such as sour, floral and bitter, making it easy to narrow down the options. True to our personal tastes, our favorites come from the sour and herbaceous sections. 

Read the full review here. See listing for 3&Co.

Leave Your Review

Have you been to any of these venues? Post your reviews on their listings for a chance to win a Saucepan voucher.

Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews & Shanghai Bar Reviews

[Cover image courtesy by Cristina Ng/That's]