The best local breakfast spots in Shanghai

Tucked away in a dark, dingy alley, Ding Te Le is a small, retro-looking eatery that offers noodles, rice and congee, among other small dishes. Popular among locals, dishes are served piping hot and in generous portions. Go for the scallop and mushroom congee or the congyou banmian (noodles tossed in scallion oil and topped with shredded meat). Oh, and did we mention this place received a Michelin plate in 2019?

This popular chain eatery serves up breakfast favourites like doujiang (soy milk) and fantuan (rice balls), as well as heartier options like chaomian (stir-fried noodles) and luroufan (braised meat with rice). For the true local breakfast experience, go straight for the youtiao (fried dough) and a bowl of xian douhua (savoury bean curd topped with pickled vegetables, mushrooms and seaweed). If you prefer something a little sweeter, get a glass of warm, sweetened doujiang instead and dip your youtiao in it – it’s good, we promise.

One for the early birds, Xiangle Baozi serves up just what you’d expect – baozi. From meat and salted egg yolk to vegetable and mushroom and even mala tofu fillings, this baozi shop is a local favourite for a quick breakfast on the go. It also serves fresh doujiang, flavoured mantou (steamed buns), tea eggs, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and congee, so if you live in the area or happen to pass by, be sure to grab one of its steaming hot (and very cheap) offerings.

With several outlets in Shanghai, this small eatery has a pretty extensive menu with offerings ranging from tangbao (soup dumplings) to fangao (deep-fried rice cakes) to guotie (pot stickers). It also serves tea pastries and desserts for those with a sweet tooth, and rice and noodles for those with a bigger appetite. It’s pretty well-known for its xian doujiang, fangao and its tender and flavourful hand-shredded salt-baked chicken, so do give these a try when you’re there.

Another early morning breakfast spot, this small, unassuming shop serves up dumplings of all kinds. Popular dishes include the quanjia fu (an assortment of large wontons in piping hot soup), xianrou tangyuan (pork-stuffed glutinous rice balls) and zhima tangyuan (black sesame glutinous rice balls). It also sells plain wonton skins for those interested in trying their hand at wrapping their own wontons.

Shandong Zaliang Jianbing serves quite possibly the most well-known street food in China: jianbing. With the option to add ingredients like tudousi (shredded potato), chicken, cucumber, bacon, ham, lettuce, seaweed strips and even youtiao, the possibilities are endless. If you can’t make up your mind, we suggest sticking to the original jianbing, which comes with an egg, sweet and spicy sauces, coriander, scallions, pickled vegetables and a slab of fried wonton skin. They also serve congee, for those days where you want something a little less sinful.

With a handful of outlets around Shanghai, this joint is famous for its Nanjing tangbao. Served in a basket of eight, these little soup dumplings are filled with juicy pork, served piping hot and taste best when dipped in vinegar. It also serves ya xue fensi tang (duck blood glass noodles), a popular Nanjing dish. The small chunks of congealed duck blood could almost pass off as tofu, so give it a try if you’re feeling adventurous, and order a side of tangbao while you’re at it.

Possibly the most underrated option on the list, zongzi are typically eaten during Dragon Boat Festival. Available in both sweet and savoury options, these little triangular rice dumplings make the perfect on-the-go snack. At this hole-in-the-wall shop, the elderly couple that own the place spend the day wrapping and steaming zongzi from 8am-7pm daily, so you know what you’re getting is as fresh as it can be. The most popular offerings are the salted egg yolk and pork zongzi, as well as the sweet red bean zongzi. A favourite among locals who live in the area, this shop is definitely worth a visit.

For those who have an insatiable sweet tooth, this is the breakfast spot for you. With a long list of outlets around Shanghai, this cake and pastry shop sells all things sweet and tasty. Popular choices include its cream puffs, mini Hokkaido cream cakes and palmiers. It also serves an assortment of biscuits and breads, as well as beverages like coffee and tea, so pop by and treat yourself to something sweet.

For those days when you want breakfast that’s both filling and portable, go for fantuan. With stores scattered around Shanghai, there’s bound to be one close by your home or workplace. Here, the most popular fantuan is salted egg yolk, but it also has sweet fantuan for those with a sweet tooth, braised pork belly fantuan for the meat-lovers and a number of sides like heimigao (black rice cake), shaomai, baozi and congee.