About this tour
A 3-hour public food tour through Shanghai's eating culture, stopping at five established restaurants to taste 10 dishes including crab roe soup dumplings, pork chops, and egg pancakes. You'll walk roughly 3–4 km past People's Square and along Nanjing Road, learning the history of Shanghai's landmarks and food traditions from an English-speaking guide. Runs as either a breakfast or dinner tour with different dishes each time, and suits both newcomers and long-time residents.
Highlights
- Ten dishes across five time-honoured restaurants, portions substantial enough to sustain you until next meal
- Crab roe soup dumplings, pork chops, egg pancakes, and other signature Shanghai dishes
- Walk past People's Square, a former racecourse, with local historical context
- Nanjing Road stops include stories of China's first department stores
- Breakfast or dinner option; food selection changes by time of day
- English-speaking local guide and printed dining guidebook included
- Taxi fare from Xinghualou to the Bund covered in tour cost
What to expect
You'll meet your guide and begin at one of five restaurants, ordering and eating your first dish or two whilst hearing about Shanghai's food culture. Over roughly three hours, you'll move between sit-down eateries sampling a progression of plates — soups, mains, sides, and desserts — pausing to walk through nearby streets like Nanjing Road and past People's Square, where your guide shares historical detail about each location. Between stops there's walking of 3–4 km total spread across the tour. You'll finish at your last restaurant, likely the Bund area, where the included taxi ride ends. You receive a local dining guidebook to take away for future reference. The sequence of stops and dishes shifts depending on whether you've booked the breakfast or dinner slot.
What travellers say
- Ten dishes at five proper restaurants keep you genuinely full for hours
- Breakfast and dinner versions offer different menus and scheduling flexibility
- Landmarks like People's Square and Nanjing Road get genuine historical context
- English-speaking guide and printed guidebook add useful local knowledge
- Accessible to all fitness levels; suitable for mix of visitors and residents
- Vegetarian and gluten-free diets difficult to accommodate; soy sauce ubiquitous
- 3–4 km of walking may tire young children or those with mobility concerns
- Hotel pickup and drop-off not provided; you arrange your own transport there
- Taxi to the Bund only; return journey is your responsibility
Themes summarised by our team from public information about this tour. Verify specifics on the operator's page before booking.
Good to know
This suits first-time visitors wanting an introduction to Shanghai's signature dishes and a guided sense of food-culture landmarks, as well as residents seeking new eateries and stories. You'll need comfortable walking shoes and should expect to cover substantial ground on foot. The tour operates in most weather — dress appropriately for rain or heat — but avoid booking in extreme conditions. Infants under 3 join free but sit on an adult's lap in the taxi (no separate seat provided); children must be accompanied by an adult. Vegetarian options are limited and should be requested at booking; gluten-free guests will struggle since soy sauce is standard. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, only a taxi from Xinghualou to the Bund. Gratuities are separate. Public transport is available nearby if you prefer not to take the included taxi.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BookNow summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.