Shanghai Shanghai

This is out second time here. Our first time was when it just opened couple years back. We ordered about the same things: Preserved veggie soup noodle. I love my noodles! I couldn’t even finish this one, it was so oily it coated my mouth with a layer of oil each bite. The steamed dumplings Xiao Long Bao. I wasn’t expecting the same grade as din tai Feng but still, it was dry and no soup whatsoever. Stir fried rice cakes, this was pretty yummy, however it came out barely warm. Fried chicken nuggets Xian Shu ji… this was not bad either but felt like there was no chicken just Mostly fried nuggets. I wouldn’t come back here again. Was quite disappointed. Only reason for 2 stars was that the service was normal, no rude waitresses or waiters! Didn’t take too long for food to come.

This is most definitely one of the best meals I have had in a while! The traditional Chinese cuisine reminded me of the food I used to eat all the time in Taiwan and China. I ordered the Shanghai Style Rice Cake because it is my go to food, and now I think Shanghai Shanghai is my go to place to get it. The restaurant itself is very classy looking but the employees are so welcoming that the restaurant also gives off a very «homey» feel, making it perfect for any occasion. I definitely recommend giving this restaurant a try, because I’m glad that I did! :)

Have been here many times, and the place improved its quality a lot since last visit. They added many new dishes on their menu. Natively born in Shanghai, I would say the shanghainese style food at this place is pretty authentic. Besides that, the Sichuan styles are rated good among my friends. The place is definitely worth another try out.

as a chinese-​american i have to say that this place is great.
ok, so maybe parking can be a little bit of a hassle (this is an understatement), especially if you’re coming here for the first time. but everything all starts to brighten up once you enter, literally. a lot of the interior is impressive, sleek, and modern. from color changing lights to urbane white walls, you won’t find yourself disappointed.
i went with a couple of friends and we were served by jennie who was extremely prompt with our service. water refills came just at the right times, and there weren’t too many of those awkward «how is your food?» while you’re in mid chew. the food came out reasonably quick and all was well.
i haven’t even gotten to mention the food; i’m not sure if the quality correlates to the time of day or with the mood of some people, but i thought it was superb. so maybe presentation is a little overdone, but there’s no harm that comes out of that (i just wonder how many orange peels they end up with everyday). all of their dishes were full of fresh ingredients with plenty flavor– their classics (mongolian beef, walnut prawns, etc) were done well, and some of their more bizarre dishes (fried crab) were still well presented and cooked. (oops, did i mention well priced too???)
because there are so many options on the menu (which may take awhile to pick from), there is surely something for somebody. no matter what food preference /​selectivity one might have, there is always something on the menu for somebody, which makes it great for groups, even if you aren’t sure on what their preferences are.
wow i just wrote a lot. but good job shanghai shanghai !!! you’ve certainly impressed me

The restaurant’s design was unique in a fun way, and the service was good.
The Mongolian beef call me in reasonable portions and I enjoyed it. I would definitely come back if I am in the area.

Being born and raised in Shanghai for 20+ years, I’d say If I had the same food in any of the restaurant in Shanghai I would’ve flipped the table. The chef is probably not from Shanghai or Zhejiang as they provide lots of varieties. As a result, the Shanghai dishes are disappointing.
I have no idea why the meatballs are so big and they only lean meat to make the meatball. Any Chinese know that they need to mix lean and fat meat to provide a rich and soft taste to the meatballs.
The duck soup is simply water plus Nanking salty duck.
I wouldn’t give it a third chance.

Pretty good, though I definitely prefer din tai fungs XLB. The dough texture and overall taste just don’t quite compare. Giving 4 stars instead of 3 because I think I’d be happier if I didn’t try to order the things DTF is good at and just found things I like here.
I didn’t have any of the service issues that others mentioned (not that having to ask for water is a big issue anyway!).
Nice quiet atmosphere, kind of a relief compared to DTFs insanity. The scallion pancakes were great, and I particularly liked the potatoes in the chicken hot pot.

I am from Jiangsu, and lived in Shanghai for 4 years. It was very glad for me to find a local Shanghainese restaurant in Seattle area. Therefore I brought 4 friends to come with me.
The food is decent, and the service is acceptable. They provide not only Shanghai style dishes, but also Sichuan style dish. My friends and I all think that even it is not 100% the same taste of our hometown, but absolutely similar and delicious. We are 5 people and split the bill by credit cards. It is good that they accept all type of cards, no matter american express or discover.
Here comes the most important thing!
I find everything OK until I got back and later realized that we paid more than we should. But they already include 15% tip in the price without notifying us. We don’t know this, and add an additional 15% tip based on the amount that they prepared for us. As a result, we paid probably 35% for tip!
I did not realize it until I got back and checked the price from the menu on their website. I am really disappointed about it.
Overall, the food there is OK, but if you come, keep watching on the pre-​tip amount! !!!They already add 15% for tip!!!
Not sure if I will come back.

Elegant restaurant in downtown Bellevue away from the hustle and bustle of Bellevue Square. Parking is underneath the building.
Highly recommend the Shanghai stir fry noodles. The noodles are hand made and not soggy. Great Xiao Lung baos (steamed dumplings) that rivals Ding Tai Fung without the long wait.
Tried other dishes like the Shanghai meat balls and Spring rolls and very tasty. I didn’t taste the MSG after the meal and usually I’m very sensitive to it.
Have been going back three times and the quality is consistent.
This is my first review on Unilocal and usually I don’t like to do reviews but feel that this restaurant deserves its fair share.
For those that gave one star, you need to realize that this is an authentic Shanghai restaurant and not some Chinese American food choy suey house. Growing up in Asia and been to Shanghai several times, I could say that their food is better than some restaurants in China.
Everyone raves about Din Tai Fung and I could say that their Xiao Lung Bao is nothing compares to any local Shanghai restaurants in Hong Kong except for the high price and long wait.

4 star location
3 star environment
2 star food
1 star service
I seldom gave out 1-​star reviews. In my past two yrs of Unilocal reviewing, I have written 108 reviews with only one 1-​star rating. However the service and management in Shanghai Shanghai are simply so terrible that I have to give such it such a low rating. Here is the detailed explanation.
From its website, the Shanghai Shanghai claims to provide authentic Shanghai cuisine. However when I read the menu, half of them are spicy Sichuan dishes. Not a good sign because those two cuisines don’t mix. If any restaurant offers both of them, it’s hardly authentic. OK I can deal with it as long as the food and service is not too bad. It’s hard for local business these days so I always try to be encouraging.
Boy was I wrong.
Food wise:
— Excellent dishes worth me to come back. None.
— Average dishes. Braised Pork with Yam and Preserved Vegetables, Braised Gluten with mushrooms, Drunken Chicken, Pan Fried bun, Pan Fried Fish Fillets. By average I mean comparing with other Shanghainese restaurant in Seattle and Vancouver BC, it’s not very good but also not very bad. The ingredients are not very fresh, but the flavor aren’t too bad so it’s OK.
— Terrible dishes.
XLB, it supposed to be good and can compare to Ding Tai Feng, however when my kid tasted it, he said the meat was sour. Then my wife and father-​in-​law tasted it. Both of them spited it out because the meat was not right. This is simply unacceptable.
Shanghai Spring Roll. This dish is definitely not authentic Shanghai dish. Anyone who has been to China could tell you this dish is American style, pre-​frozen egg roll.
What really made the experience intolerable is the service.
First, when we first arrived, we were only offered hot tea. I asked the waiter for a glass of ice water for my kid. Guess what he brought me, a pot of boiling hot water. Only after I got a chance talking to the manager when I got us glasses of ice water.
There were three spring rolls for group of us six person. And the waitress has to be asked to cut the spring rolls in half so we can share.
When our big bowl of soup arrived, the waitress put it down on the table with several empty bowls, then just left. We were quite surprised because at any other Chinese restaurants, the waitress would split the soup into all small bowls for each guest. When we asked the waitress, she said that she was not sure if all of us wanted it so she would let us serve ourselves. Seriously it’s the common sense in Chinese restaurants to split the soup for customers. They got to train the staff better than this.
When the waiter with XLB came, half of the Lazy Susan was full. Instead of rolling the table himself, or walk to the empty half to put down the dish, he just hold the dish standing there silently. No ‘Please’, no ‘excuse me’, just standing there silently waiting us to roll the table for him. I’m OK to give him a hand but could he at least to ask nicely, at least a ‘Please’? He acted like we owned him a favor.
In the middle of the lunch, our waiter came back to check if we ordered certain dish, because he delivered it to our table by mistake. We were a big party and each one ordered some dish, so when he putted that dish on the table, we all assumed one of us ordered it and just ate. Apparently it was delivered to our table by mistake. After clearing it out, the waiter said that since we didn’t order it, he would take that half-​eaten-​dish away. Fine with us, and honestly I was quite curious on what would he do with it. Deliver it to the other table? Send it back to kitchen?
Of course, after 10 secs he brought the dish back and said we could have it. He must checked with his manager and know what makes more sense. We also asked and the manager ensured us that the restaurant won’t charge us for this dish since it’s their mistake, and it’s not on our order. Please remember this because I will bring this up next.
Now, bill time. We checked the bill carefully and glad that we did so. Not only that they charged us 15% gratitude for such poor service, they also added that mistakenly delivered dish on the bill, though they promised not. We confronted with the manager. Even though they got the original order, which contains no such dish, the manager still confirmed with us a few extra times that we really really didn’t order this dish, before they removed it from the bill.
And during the whole process, we didn’t get any apologize from any manager or waiter for their mistake. Not even a simple ‘Sorry for the mistake on the bill’.
It’s this extremely poor service, management and attitude that earned Shanghai Shanghai a 1-​star review. I’m sure I’ll never visit them again.

I got the #34 so called «lamp hot pot“and I have to say it taste like sh*t. It is NO WHERE near hot pot. No sauce just grease. 1 – 5 I give it zero. Worst «lamb pot» I ever had. No even close. It’s more like «greasy lamb stir fry». Please take it off the menu and do not disrespect lamp hot pot again.

Shanghai Shanghai is just ok. There’s really no other way to describe it. The décor looks like someone started to make it fancy but quit halfway through.
My family and I tried the:
–XLB
–Braised gluten with mushroom
–Boiled fish filet
–Bean curds sheet wrap with black mushroom
–A beef patty I can’t find on the menu
I didn’t try the XLB or the beef.
The best dish of the ones I tried was the braised gluten with mushroom, which made for a lovely appetizer. The bean curd sheet wraps tasted like hot and sour soup in solid form, which is NOT what it’s supposed to taste like.
The boiled fish filet was quite an adventure. This is the famous fish in super spicy pepper oil dish most Schzuan-​ese restaurants have. First the waitress told us it would be very spicy so we ordered less spice, as she recommended. It came out covered in peppers and oil and very spicy. We asked her «is this less spicy?» Then she admits she gave us regular. Why didn’t you tell us earlier??? She says she will take it back. She brings it back 2 minutes later. It’s the same dish with ALL the peppers removed. Less spicy is no spice, here my friends. I know this sounds picky but taking all the peppers out completely defeats the purpose of the dish. They need to figure out a way to keep the integrity of the dish and flavors while making it less spicy (at THEIR suggestion). It was a completely bizarre experience. If you want the dish with less spice, I suggest you order it regular, ask for a separate bowl and just dish the peppers out yourself.

We have the Facebook group where everyone would like to try delicious foods in the different restaurants in Seattle area. We prefer to choose a restaurant most people haven’t been to.
On 3/​21, we 13 people went there for the first time and ordered more than 10 different dishes. The space is not small. It has free parking, but people are confused about customer parking and resident parking because they are located in the building in downtown Bellevue. Service was just OK. The food came out fast after we ordered more than 10. The 15% tip was included in the check. Each person split the bill and paid $ 19 only.
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Overall from us: foods are YUMMY. We will be back with more people next time.

Been craving beef noodle soup, so I wanted to come here for it!
Beef Chunk Noodle Soup 四川牛肉麵 — The broth is really tasty & you get a lot of beef & noodles. The bowl is huge!
Scallion Pancakes蔥油薄餅 — Their vision by deep frying it! This time is slightly greasy than the first time but it is still good.
Rice with Stewed Pork 魯肉飯 — It is too oily & the pork tasted slightly bitter (burnt) taste. If those are adjusted then it would be even better.
Yang Zhou Style Fried Rice 扬州炒飯 — The flavor is pretty good, but slightly too moist. If the rice is a bit more dry & crispy it would taste much better.
Parking — Not great.
Service — Pretty good especially at a Chinese place.
Price — Comparable to what you are getting.

Not a fan.
I thought this place would serve authentic Chinese cuisine, but sadly no. It is closer to PF Chang’s than Chinese.
The food was bland, unoriginal and greasy.
There’s parking in the lot downstairs.

You know, this place wasn’t that bad. Chinese restaurants always have bad reviews so it’s always hard to know what to expect.
Décor — it was definitely super dressed up and huge. I think they really need to do more marketing if they are going to fill this place up — otherwise I fear it’ll just go out of business like so many others.
Food — I loved the spicy chicken wings, and the stir fried pea sprouts veggies was done pretty well. The spicy fish hot pot was decent too — and huge. I didn’t like the beef noodle soup (the beef was way too hard and I also didn’t like the flavor), and I also didn’t like the XLB — I def like DTF’s taste better, these tasted odd to me. The pork intestine fire pot was alright but I do prefer Bamboo Garden’s — just again, something about the flavor.
Overall though I think they have a few decent enough dishes that I might come back or at least order takeout. Also, it didn’t feel particularly shanghai-​nese, seemed some dishes were more szechuan in nature.
Finally, is this the same place that used to be open in Factoria? Cos I loved that place for their chinese breakfast, please bring that back!

With a name such as Shanghai/​Shanghai and located in a new building in DT Bellevue, i was expecting some pretty awesome Shanghainese food. This did not happen and I was utterly disappointed.
We ordered quite a few dishes including the XLB, honey walnut prawn, a fish dish, and onion pancake thing. You know how usual honey walnut prawns are delicious? We almost couldn’t force finish ourselves with that dish here.
The one star is for the onion pancake thing. its pretty good. But its very different from your usual onion pancake. Too bad I wouldn’t want to come back to this place. That might be the only thing I may reorder.
Sad to say this… but i’m not sure this place will last as is :(

Don’t get the chicken low mein! That’s Chinese for house fried noodles. There are proper ways to make chicken, and then there’s their way… It tasted like someone killed a chicken and said «fuck it» when cleaning it, then later tossed it in the microwave for 10 seconds on low. No joke, it was THAT BAD. To be fair, they did replace it with another house fried noodles, without the chicken…
Oh, and we found a fruit fly in their rice noodle soup for pig intestines. Server called over the owner, who was like «meh», zero apologies, we later were told they canceled the charge on the fruit fly.
Friday night dinner was finally saved by their «pearl crystal ball», which is basically flour coated sugar syrup. Fuck!
+1 star for modern decoration
+1 star for the above average service attitude for the staff (minus the owner)

As soon as I was informed of another xiao long bao place in Bellevue, I was there.
The restaurant occupies the space of an old closed down nightclub years ago called, Vertigo. This space is underneath the 989 Elements apartment high rise that can be seen on the I405.
We went in during lunch time on a Tuesday. Even though it was 2:30pm, they did not honor lunch special. Fair enough, there was no one there and they probably couldn’t justify the discount. The food was mediocre and the xiao long bao was good and infused with lots of ginger. We ordered the shanghai rice cakes, XLB, and green beans with prawns. Would I go back? Probably, but not by my choice.

There are some distant family friendships (friends of parents’ friends etc etc) with the owners. so i’ve heard some of the opening week issues.
First week they opened the whole place. i believe the second week (yesterday) they’ve closed a portion of the restaurant down to make sure the kitchen can keep up with the demand.
Stories of 45 min wait for food didn’t exist when we went. The place was full but the food kept rolling in at a good pace.
Nicely renovated and decorated. Same owners as the Shanghai Shanghai in factoria, but completely different in ‘style’. That was more of a family diner where as this is more upscale (although prices are quite competitive).
Food wise they serve Shanghai and Sichuan dishes. I like the combo b/​c i find pure Shanghai food to be a bit boring flavor wise (my wife might disagree).
I won’t describe each dish we had (we had probably 15 dishes for a table of 10). Just to say the taste was relative authentic (for a Seattle place). is this Vancouver level? no. but it’s pretty good. Kind of like a much nicer, much better tasting Bamboo garden, but at similar prices.
Table of 10 came out to about 200 bucks (tax/​grat all in).