The Best Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai China + Video

Xiao Long Bao are one of the most delicious dumplings that you will find in Shanghai, China. You might know them as soup dumplings. A meat and soup filling encapsulated by a delicate dumpling skin. A little meal in one little dumpling. We spent two months here searching for the best Xiao Long Bao in Shanghai. Here are our absolute favourite places to eat Xiao Long Bao in Shanghai, China.

CONTENTS
Best Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai Video
Where To Eat Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai Map
How To Order Xiao Long Bao?
Nanjing Dumpling Spicy Hot Pot
Lin Long Fang
Jia Jia Tang Bao
Fu Chun
栗记一品灌汤包 (Yipin)
Wan Shou Zhai
Din Tai Fung
More Places To Eat Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai

Best Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai Video

Best Places To Eat Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai (XLB) | China Episode 6

Watch this video on YouTube

Where To Eat Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai Map

Here is our Xiao Long Bao Map pinpointing all of the best places to eat them in Shanghai. At the end of the post, you can download a printable Xiao Long Bao in Shanghai Map to save to your phone or print out and take with you for your trip to Shanghai, China.

How To Order Xiao Long Bao?

Although they may be listed slightly differently depending on where you go, here is what to look for when ordering Xiao Long Bao:

Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) = 小笼包 = Xiǎo lóng bāo

Pork Xiao Long Bao = 鲜肉小笼包 = Xiān ròu xiǎo lóng bāo

Ginger = 姜 or 生姜 = Shēngjiāng

Nanjing Dumpling Spicy Hot Pot (Nanjing Tangbao)

Nanjing Dumpling Spicy Hot Pot was the first meal we had in Shanghai. We were staying in the same area so it seemed like a no brainer. This is a small little shop with a tiny kitchen and a few tables.

The menu is mostly in Chinese but there are a few select dishes with pictures and English translations. We tried the pork xiao long bao and shepherd’s purse xiao long bao (shepherd’s purse is a plant). We have been back a few times and I must admit during my first visit I preferred the shepherd’s purse xiao long bao but now my firm favourite is the classic pork xiao long bao. Here they have a nice dumpling skin and nice pork and soup flavour, a good all-rounder. If you’re looking for an authentic xiao long bao experience then I’d definitely recommend Nanjing Dumpling Spicy Hot Pot.

How To Order | Order at the back of the restaurant where they are cooking. Then take a seat and they will bring it to you when ready.

Address | 641 Jianguo W Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai

Lin Long Fang

The original Lin Long Fang is located in the traditional Laoxiomen neighbourhood. Lin Long Fang is an unassuming shop front on a street full of character in a neighbourhood full of stories. Stories I don’t know but I loved being able to read a page during our morning at Lin Long Fang.

Being the sister restaurant to the popular Jia Jia Tang Bao, I’m sure many a foodie traveller makes their way here though, especially telling by the very helpful English translated menu sitting on the front counter. But, on the morning we visited, it appeared as though everyone else dining there were locals. Some with xiao long bao, some with noodles and soup. And some washing down their pillows of suspended meat with a bottle of whisky. Just as you walk into Lin Long Fang, there is a bench where you can see the whole process of the xiao long bao being made. I was mesmerised.

We ordered pork xiao long bao (鲜肉小笼包) and pork with salted duck egg xiao long bao, as well as scallion oil noodles (Cong You Ban Mian – 葱油拌面). I loved the pork xiao long bao, their wrappers were thin and the flavour was nice. Oh, also we ordered ginger with vinegar which definitely adds something to each mouthful. The salted duck egg xiao long bao just weren’t as tasty to me, and I much preferred the flavours of the plain pork xiao long bao. The scallion oil noodles were tasty and I’d order them again.

See, although I loved the xiao long bao, it was the atmosphere that I will remember. Whilst waiting for the beautiful plump dumplings to arrive at my table, I had already had the best experience of all. Sharing a table with some nice people, coming together to eat in the same dining room to share the same joy that comes from eating dumplings.

How To Order | Order at the cashier when you walk in. They will have a little menu here on a laminated card for you to look at, usually, an English menu is available. Otherwise, the pork xiao long bao looks like this 鲜肉小笼包. Then find a seat and they will bring it to you. If you want ginger you will need to order it here.

Address | 10 Jianguo Dong Lu, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Jia Jia Tang Bao

Perhaps one of the most famous places to get xiao long bao in Shanghai. Jia Jia Tang Bao is in a very central location near Peoples Square. It is the sister restaurant to Lin Long Fang. To get the pork xiao long bao here you will have to go in the morning, say before 10 am to make sure.

The xiao long bao are delicious, with a thin dumpling skin and fairly strong tasting pork mixture inside. We loved having these with the ginger and vinegar.

Jia Jia Tang Bao can get quite busy and often has a line forming out the front. Although that might be a sign of good food, we find it hard to justify waiting in line when there are so many delicious places to eat xiao long bao in Shanghai. But if you go early and perhaps not on a weekend, you probably won’t have to wait too long. When we went, there were only a few people waiting.

Once you get inside, it’s quite tiny. You can see them making the dumplings as you wait for a table inside, which is great. As it’s so busy, everyone just sits with each other on the tables. It’s a great atmosphere but can get a little squishy and hectic.

How To Order | Order at the cashier when you walk inside. The menu is in Chinese on the wall, but if you know what you want, you can either say it in Chinese or show it on your phone say with Pleco app or Google translate. Otherwise, you can use Google translate to read the menu. We have also heard that there is an English menu if you ask for it. If you want ginger you also need to order it here.

Address | 90 Huanghe Road, Peoples Square, Shanghai

Fu Chun

Fu Chun took us a while to track down. The address listed for it kept showing up as ‘closed’, so we resolved to the fact that we probably wouldn’t be able to try the xiao long bao at Fu Chun. But, one day, whilst walking past the area, low and behold, there was Fu Chun, open and brimming with people. Shanghai is a funny place when it comes to food outlets. It seems to be quite a feat to have a long-running food establishment here. So when we saw it listed as closed, we didn’t really second guess it. You just never really know in Shanghai.

After just finishing a delicious scallion pancake from down the road, and some great coffee, we were very much looking forward to topping off our outing with an unexpected soup dumpling.

Fu Chun was very busy, with a buzzing atmosphere, full of locals, and looked like a nice restaurant. As we sat and waited, lots of amazing looking dishes were being delivered to the surrounding tables.

We ordered pork xiao long bao and leek fried dumpling with pork and water chestnut. Both were phenomenal. The xiao long bao were quite a mouthful, large but still a nice package. They had a slightly thicker skin and a medium amount of soup. But we actually loved the slightly chewy texture to the dumpling skin.

How To Order | Pay and order at the counter when you walk in, there is an English menu to the side in a book. Once you order, look for a table or wait near one, someone will come and get your ticket. Wait for dishes.

Address | 650 Yuyuan Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai

栗记一品灌汤包 (Lì jì yīpǐn guàn tāng bāo)

Our local xiao long bao just happened to be delicious. Located just across the road from where we were staying, this was definitely one of our go-to places to eat in Shanghai. We loved their xiao long bao, with a thin dumpling skin, medium amount of soup and nice pork filling. They also had some fantastic other dishes, like scallion oil noodles. There are a few tables in here, it’s very casual and local feeling.

How To Order | The menu is in Chinese characters, so we used to translate it on Google Translate and show them what we wanted at the cash register at the front. Once we did this once, we just took our receipt back for the following visits and ordered from that. Order and pay at the front counter with the cash register. They also have a few pictures of dishes if you want to try something else.

Address | 196 Guangyuan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai

Wan Shou Zhai

Located in the Hongkou district of Shanghai, Wan Shou Zhai is a local institution. Previously state-run and now privately owned, Wan Shou Zhai dates back 60 years. The xiao long bao here a slightly thicker skin with a nice amount of both soup and meat. The overall taste is sweeter than most.

How To Order | Honestly, I’m not really sure. We walked in, ordered and paid at the front, got engulfed by fellow hungry diners, made our way to the back, and at some point ended up with some xiao long bao. It was kind of a blur. But eventually, you will get your food and the people there will help you.

Address | 123 Shanyin Lu, Hongkou District, Shanghai

Din Tai Fung

Adding Din Tai Fung here may be a little bit controversial, as it’s actually a Taiwanese restaurant franchise that can be found all over the world. But, they do create an excellent xiao long bao, so in our opinion, definitely worthy of being on this list. We visited the Din Tai Fung in the IFC Mall in Pudong, Shanghai. The xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung are extremely light and delicate in flavours and skin. This might be to your tastes, or you might prefer a slightly thicker and stronger pork flavour in your xiao long bao. We actually like being able to experience a range of different styles of xiao long bao. Din Tai Fung, if you haven’t already been, is a large modern restaurant.

What we would say, though, is although the xiao long bao are delicious, if you have been to Din Tai Fung before or have access to it in your own country, definitely use your time to try the more local xiao long bao places. We had two months in Shanghai and had already tried many other places, so if you have a short trip to Shanghai, we would prioritise the others.

How To Order | Take a seat, have a look at the menu and someone will come around and take your order.

Address | 3rd Floor, IFC Mall, 8 Century Avenue, Pudong, Shanghai

More Places To Eat Xiao Long Bao In Shanghai China

The description of xiao long bao at Zun Ke Lai sounds amazing, but unfortunately, when we turned up they were closed for renovations. You can find it on the outside of Shanghai stadium between gates 4 and 5 at 666 Tianyaoqiao Road.

Other places to have xiao long bao that we did not get to try include:

Pushi Xiaochi | Jade Garden | Paradise Dynasty | Longpao Xiehuang