Skip to content
A little preparation. A much better adventure.Independent travel advice · Made for China
Save your trip
Menu
Book your trip

A taste of Shanghai

Da Hu Chun (Middle Sichuan Road)

大壶春（四川中路店）

Shanghai's shengjianbao specialist, opened on this street in 1932, moved away and eventually returned to it. Shengjianbao are not xiaolongbao: they are thicker-skinned, yeasted buns pan-fried base-down in a flat iron pan until the bottom is lacquered and crunchy, then eaten with the crisp side up. Da Hu Chun belongs to the drier, more bready school rather than the soup-filled one, which locals argue about endlessly.

¥20–50 per person≈ US$2.98Michelin Selected 2026Huangpu, 136 Middle Sichuan Road, a few minutes inland from the Bund
Plan your meal Open map

Why come here

A place worth making time for

Michelin Selected 2026 (Shanghai), listed for dim sum at the lowest price tier.

The house favourites

What to order

Point at the Chinese. Staff will understand it even where the menu has no English at all.

  • Pork pan-fried buns (鲜肉生煎)
  • Shrimp pan-fried buns (虾仁生煎)
  • Crabmeat and crab-roe pan-fried buns (蟹粉生煎)
  • Mini wontons (小馄饨)
  • Meat-filled shaobing (鲜肉烧饼)

What it actually tastes like

Still hot enough to burn: bite the crisp base first and let the steam out. The fillings are mildly sweet in the Shanghai manner. Sesame and spring onion are scattered on top, so skip them if sesame is a problem for you.

Allergens in this kitchen

gluten/wheatsoysesameshellfish

This is the kitchen, not one dish. Woks, fryers, blanching water and utensils are shared in almost every Chinese restaurant, so for a serious allergy treat the whole premises as the unit rather than ordering around it.