Shanghai is a great place to eat and the choices are endless. Where to begin? Try starting with the city's own distinct cuisine. Shanghainese food offers sweeter flavors than other well-known regional Chinese cuisines, favoring use of vinegar, ginger, sugar and soy to create brown sauces for braising meats, stir-frying, dunking dumplings and flavoring seafood. Shanghainese cuisine can be quite greasy, with fried dumplings, fried long noodles, vegetables, poultry, pork and seafood, but it can also be delicate and light. Shanghai's proximity to rivers, lakes and the sea fills its markets with fresh shrimp, fish, eel, sea cucumbers and shellfish. Crab plays a starring role in early fall, when the regional river crab (or "hairy crab") is harvested and served across the city.

Shanghai is also a great place for food from around China. You can get fiery Hunanese ribs at Dishuidong, Xinjiang lamb kebobs and flat breads at Afanti, filling Northern fare at Dongbeiren, Cantonese dim sum at Crystal Jade, Beijing Duck at Ya Wang, Hotpot at Hotpot King on Huaihai Lu—and much, much more. Take a look at our growing index of the best the city has to offer. In between meals, snack at one of Shanghai's several food streets—try Yunnan Nan Lu, Huanghe Lu or Wujiang Lu.

For a break from Chinese food, the city is also home to excellent Thai, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, American, and Indian restaurants, among other international options. Try reasonably priced Italian at Da Marco, Thai at Baan Thai, Spanish and Vietnamese at Le Garcon Chinoise or all-you-can-eat Teppanyaki at Tairyo. For a special night out, you can find some of the city's best high-end dining (and views) along the Bund—splurge at M on the Bund, Laris, the Whampoa Club or Jean-Georges.

Located in Huangpu District, the Old Town God Temple Snack Street is about ten minutes' walk away from the South Bund Area. It is an ideal dining place during your compact sightseeing schedule.

The Old Town God Temple area deserves the name of 'Shanghai Snack Kingdom'. It is a time-honored and the largest snack street featuring the most famous restaurants and eateries in Shanghai. In accordance with the architectural style of the nearby ancient Yuyuan Garden, restaurants in the Old Town God Temple Snack Street are all constructed following a style of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In addition, a snack plaza of thousands of square meters is included. You can almost find all the Shanghai snacks here, including Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Buns, Crab-Yellow Pastries, Fried Stuffed Buns, Chop Rice Cakes, Vegetable Stuffed Buns, and Cream Spiced Beans. Various snacks of other areas in China are also available.

South Yunnan Road is an old food street located at the intersection of Yan'an Road and Xizang Road in Huangpu District. It is about ten minutes' walk from the People's Square and adjacent to Dashijie Amusement Park, so it is also called Dashijie Food Street.

Restaurants here are mainly Chinese ones, focusing on Shanghai cuisines and Sichuan cuisines. Some have Shandong or Jiangsu cuisines. Western restaurants and food can hardly be seen in this street, so South Yunnan Road is a good place for Chinese cuisines lovers.

Huanghe Road Food Street is located near the People's Square in Huangpu District. It is packed with a large number of restaurants with distinctive cuisines and reasonable prices. Shanghai cuisines and seafood are leading delicacies here.

This food street is located in Hongkou District, to the north of the Suzhou River and near the bustling North Sichuan Road Commercial Street. There are a number of restaurants along the 1000-meter Zhapu road, mainly featuring Shanghai dishes and cuisines of southern provinces in China such as Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong.

Wujiang Road is the most popular snack street in Shanghai. Located in the southeast of Jing'an District and near the People's Square, it is a good dining place for you to rest and relax after your tired shopping in Nanjing Road. A lot of Chinese and foreign restaurants are clustered here, providing you with various choices.

Many old restaurants along this road are famous for authentic and delicious Shanghai snacks. They are usually inexpensive so as to gain popularity among the locals and the tourists. During recent years, many western-style restaurants and cafes opened here. You can try various kinds of western food in Wujiang Road and feel home in Shanghai.

Xianxia Road food street is in Changning District, the west periphery area of the city zone of Shanghai. It extends to Zunyi Road to the east and boasts plenty of restaurants of different styles from Chinese hot pot restaurants to western cafes. You can easily find cuisines of Shanghai, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia in this road.

Delicately furnished teahouses, cafes, and bars are another feature of Xianxia Road. The pleasant environment of these dining places attracts many youths and the prices are acceptable.