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A taste of Shanghai

Jia Jia Tang Bao (Huanghe Road)

佳家汤包（黄河路店）

A tiny, scuffed shop on Huanghe Road, a minute north of People's Square, that opened in 1986 and is the answer most Shanghai locals give when you ask where they actually eat xiaolongbao. You queue on the pavement, order a basket or two at the counter, and eat elbow to elbow at a shared table. If you want to settle the Nanxiang question: go to Nanxiang for the building and the history, come here for the dumpling.

¥30–60 per person≈ US$4.47Huangpu, 127 Huanghe Road; People's Square metro (Lines 1, 2 and 8) is a short walk away
Plan your meal Open map

Why come here

A place worth making time for

Known as the locals' xiaolongbao benchmark in central Shanghai, with a thinner skin and more sharply seasoned broth than the tourist addresses; we found no current award listing for it.

The house favourites

What to order

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

  • Pork xiaolongbao (鲜肉汤包)
  • Crab-roe and pork xiaolongbao (蟹粉汤包)
  • Scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面)
  • Fish ball soup (鱼丸汤)

What it actually tastes like

Same scalding-soup rule as anywhere else: pierce the skin, wait, drink, then eat. The crab-roe basket has a strong low-tide richness. The broth here is saltier and less sweet than the tourist versions, which is the point.

Allergens in this kitchen

gluten/wheatsoyshellfishfish

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.

Get to know the menu

Local specialities to try here

Scallion oil noodles 葱油拌面Deeply oniony, salty-sweet, oily and simple