Shanghai Cafe

A very family style restaurant, I went in not knowing what to expect. I went in with my pregnant wife and was greeted like an old friend. I ordered wonton soup and shiskebabs, both were phenomenal. On top of that when the owner learned my wife was pregnant she offered to go get ingredients for a special dish they cook in Shanghai for pregnant women. Overall, just a great place to eat.

Sheng Jian Bao is delicious. Haven’t seen these anywhere. Walked by today and it was closed! Looks like they are renovating.

Four of us came here for lunch and were the only ones in the place. Three of us ordered shanghai wonton soup and one ordered curry chicken. The nice lady served us some hot black tea and then worked on our orders for 15 – 20 min. They all came out at once. The wontons were very flavorful with good consistency and the broth was good. Not too salty. Great value for $ 7.
#100in2015 (#47)

I just discovered this place today and I am so happy that I did. I have been missing out on some very good authentic Chinese food very close to my building downtown. This little place is a little confusing to find. There is a sign that you can see while you’re on Bethel that says Shanghai Café so I would keep an eye out for that (it’s also across the street from Chinatown Gateway Plaza for anybody who knows where that is). Otherwise, you could mistaken this place for a crack seed or Chinese antique store. When I went there, there was a sign that said «I’m next door.» «Next door» was something of an alley that sold Chinese vases and other trinkets. The lady there was very nice and she lead me back to the front of the restaurant, knocked on the door, and this gentleman (who was also very nice) came out to let me in.
I ordered Shanghai Dumplings Soup ($ 7.00 incl. tax). While I sat there waiting for my food (there are about four stools to sit on if you wanted to eat there), I noticed that the gentleman was making my dish fresh (yay). Then, the woman came back in the restaurant, went into the kitchen, and made a little plate of mochi cakes for me to eat while I was waiting. She said to eat it because it was good luck for Chinese New Year. I was so thankful. The mochi cakes were so good and reminded me of my childhood (somehow). I know my Chinese mother would approve. I asked if the mochi cakes were on the menu and the gentlemen looked at the menu and laughed, «it’s not on the English menu only on the Chinese menu.» Of course.
As for the Shanghai Dumplings Soup, it was delicious! The dumplings were packed with veggies and pork. The wrapping wasn’t heavy. Perfect! Plus, there were about 12 dumplings in my soup (so many)! These weren’t small dumplings and I was stuffed to the gills. It was a great lunch and I highly recommend this place. I can’t wait to go back to try the Sheng Jian Baos.

I like this café. The owners (a married couple) is very nice people. They have a pretty good menu. Their soups are good, their lunch plates are good too. They also have «to go» food and snacks such as musubi, mini bento and plus my favorite. tea cookie!
They have a decent size dining area if you decide to dine in if you’re not in a rush. It’s pretty spacious with clean tables and chairs. They have alot of decorations in here too.
For me, majority of the time when I come here, is for the crackseed section. They have a wide selection on all your favorite crackseed wants and needs. The prices are pretty reasonable too.
Location: It’s located on Bethel Street in the Downtown/​Chinatown area next to Walmart going mauka or north on this one way street.
As for parking? Just remember. it’s in the Chinatown/​Downtown area so you know it is pretty hard to get street parking but if you’re lucky enough to score a street parking stall out in front then kudos to you! If you’re not so lucky, I suggest parking in the Chinatown municipal parking lot which is located across the street of the café in the Chinatown gateway Plaza building.