Authentic Local Food Tour in Central Shanghai
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Shanghai, China
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy a more immersive way to explore popular Shanghai areas such as Xintiandi and the French Concession—and sample many traditional dishes—on this small-group food tour. With your guide in the lead, discover sights and bites you'd miss on your own. Look forward to sampling Shanghainese dishes such as scallion oil noodles, soup dumplings, steamed buns, and more, and learn about the history and culture of the city.
- Discover multiple Shanghai areas, bites, and eateries in one tour
- Choose from morning, lunch, evening, or late-night tours
- Includes all food and drink tastings: enough for a generous meal
- Enjoy a more personal experience on a small-group tour
What's Included
- Local guide
- Food and drink tastings (enough for breakfast, lunch or dinner)
- Local beer or desert for late night session
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 333 Huai Hai Zhong Lu, Huang Pu Qu, Shang Hai Shi, China, 200021
Please meet up at Exit 2, Site of the first CPC national congress-South Huangpi Road Metro Station (Line 1). Or Take Didi (the Chinese version of Uber) to No333 Huaihai Road which is the front door of Xintiandi Plaza. 你好，请带我去上海地铁1号线一大会址-黄陂南路站2号出口，或者淮海中路333号新天地广场正门.
End point
- People's Square, Huangpu, Shanghai, China
Tour will end around the People Square.
Itinerary
Find your way to a central meeting point in Shanghai, where you meet your guide and small group. Depart on foot for the Xintiandi area.
Make your first stop at a local restaurant serving up the best soup dumplings in the city. Find a table among the locals, then taste the famous dish and participate in an in-depth discussion on the flavor and consistency of the broth, the quality of the meat filling, and the texture of the dumplings' skin. Learn about the history of this dish as a Shanghainese staple.
Then, set off to the French Concession, home to historic shikumen houses. This atmospheric neighborhood is home to many top restaurants where you can try local dishes, and see how residents eat. Taste dishes such as spring rolls, roasted duck, scallion oil noodles, and red-braised pork.
Between stops, cleanse your palate with green or black tea and listen to your guide's commentary on Shanghai's culinary culture and traditions.
This tour ends at the People's Square.
Make your first stop at a local restaurant serving up the best soup dumplings in the city. Find a table among the locals, then taste the famous dish and participate in an in-depth discussion on the flavor and consistency of the broth, the quality of the meat filling, and the texture of the dumplings' skin. Learn about the history of this dish as a Shanghainese staple.
Then, set off to the French Concession, home to historic shikumen houses. This atmospheric neighborhood is home to many top restaurants where you can try local dishes, and see how residents eat. Taste dishes such as spring rolls, roasted duck, scallion oil noodles, and red-braised pork.
Between stops, cleanse your palate with green or black tea and listen to your guide's commentary on Shanghai's culinary culture and traditions.
This tour ends at the People's Square.
1
Xintiandi
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Former French Concession
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
People's Square (Renmin Guang Chang)
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wheelchair accessible
- Children under 3 are free of charge
- Stroller accessible
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Service animals allowed
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Near public transportation
- Please wear comfortable walking shoes
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 1,596 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Samantha_M, Aug 2026
This was an awesome authentic experience and a great way to ease into Shanghai. Jim was such a great guide, local and was so patient with everyone in the group. I am so glad I did this. If you want to experience food and history of Shanghai I highly recommend
Theo_R, Aug 2026
It was overall a great experience. It felt very comfortable and relaxed while also allowing me to experience restaurants and foods I would have never experienced otherwise. It was certainly worth the price. Also, ZJ was a great guide and I hope others are able to go with him. His energy is great.
Robert_Z, Aug 2026
One of the best guided tours that we've done. He selected great establishments that were definitely authentic, but still very approachable.
Excellent knowledge base of the cuisines, history, and just more generally about life in China. Perfect English proficiency and very professional.
Zero hesitations recommending. Truly don't look further!
Andrew_S, Aug 2026
This was a lovely food tour of Shanghai hosted by Jade who was very knowledgeable about local cuisine and very thoughtfully selected dishes across a wide range of styles. We got a real sense of the city of the food that locals enjoy. Jade also kept us entertained with lots of fun facts and useful information and we even got to see the local electric car show room and the illuminated motorway which were a bonus! The tour ended in a lovely local bar where we got to have a few drinks with the very friendly locals! A highly recomended experience all round!
Steven_E, Aug 2026
The restaurant selections were excellent as was the host, TJ and Lydia, her trainee. TJ was very knowledgeable, informative, and just the best overall host. Give her a raise!
Tran_T, Aug 2026
Very good. Presented a number of Shanghai specialties. Started with the common restaurant and ended with the high end restaurant. So did not bias our opinion. Had our fruit dessert at a food stores. Has delicious huge grapes and others. Enjoy greatly
Kim_W, Aug 2026
This is such a great way to try a whole variety of food in Shanghai in one go!
We visited 5 different spots, each completely different from the other. We had soup dumplings and classic Shanghai dishes to locally brewed alcohol and also visited a fruit market to try local fruits. Come hungry though, because there is alot of food!
In the last restaurant we finished with some lovely Chinese tea, sweet and sour cold pork (delicious!) and other great local dishes with shots of baijiu - a traditional Chinese spirit that can be around 53% alcohol. Also had a great mango sago dessert to wrap it all up.
We were a small group - my family and another father and son - and it honestly made the whole experience even more fun and wholesome. The walks between the restaurants were short and actually gave us a nice little break between all the eating.
Our guide, Summer, was fantastic. She shared little stories and history behind the dishes and made the whole experience even more interesting.
Definitely recommend if you’re in Shanghai and want to eat your way through a little bit of China! 🥟
JudithAnn_G, Aug 2026
I wish we had done this tour with Jim when we first arrived! We learned so much about the culture, history and food of Shanghai. Every local dish we sampled was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the traditional shops and markets he showed us. Highly recommended 110% - thanks Jim!
Roz_S, Aug 2026
We visited 5 different eateries, all very different in style and flavour. Each venue was very welcoming, and the portions were very generous. Summer - our guide - had a good rapport with the venues and was informative and knowledgeable about the different types of food and cuisine. Money well spent!
deb, Aug 2026
Today I went on a walking food of Shanghai tour.
Jade was our tour guide and this tour should be the first thing you do when you arrive in Shanghai.
As a solo female traveller I was a little concerned about being on my own but that feeling disappeared the moment we went off walking to our first location for soup dumpings.
The tour had just 4 of us and Jade our amazing guide.
We learnt the history of the food we were eating and how the food is best consumed.
Our second stop was noodles and a soup with pot stickers and a fried dumpings
3 stop was a local fruit market where we tried fruits I havent heard of before today.
Then the dessert stop, 3 more savoury dishes and then 4 different local desserts.
Jade was so knowledgeable and helpful she even used her didi app to get me a ride home and after 4 hours I needed a nap.
Highly recommend you do this tour, you will taste things you would never have tried. So much food we couldn't finish it all. Thank you for a fantastic day Jade.
Ami_N, Jul 2026
Great food tour experience. We tried lots of lovely dishes and spoke about all different aspects of Shanghai and Chinese culture including the food, of course ;)
MrChristopher_H, Jul 2026
Myself and wife walked about 3 hours with TJ and experienced both authentic local food as well as learning about how locals live and where they shop and enjoy life. This was one of the best food walking tours I’ve done.
Lots of great food and lots of great stories and learnings
Had we done the food walking tour day one in Shanghai, I would have asked TJ to spend a day showing us the major sights of Shanghai….and to introduce us to didi and Alipay. Would have made our stay way more enjoyable and less stressful
Jay_M, Jul 2026
Summer was a great guide and went the extra mile to make the tour fun and enjoyable. This was a great mix of different types of food. A great exposure to different neighborhoods in Shanghai.
Jim_D, Jul 2026
Jade was a fantastic guide for the Shanghai Foodies Tour! Very knowledgeable and great food choices!
Lee_B, Jul 2026
Wonderful tour... Great food. Thank you so much for accommodating us when we misread the meeting place instructions!
KarlHenrik_N, Jul 2026
Good food and nice variety of dishes. Nicole is a very nice, friendly and knowledgeable guide to the food and Shanghai!
Anne_E, Jul 2026
We were advised to go hungry and that was definitely on point. I’ve never left a food tour so full. Everything was very organized and flowed well. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. When I expressed interest in Durian, she bought some for us to taste. It was very unexpected and fun. She also bought us flower bracelets and explained their history. Each place we stopped was unique and the food and drink were so good. Overall, it was a very delightful and immersive experience that highlighted local food and culture. You won’t regret taking this tour.
Geoffrey_C, Jul 2026
Nicole was amazing. 6 stars
Multiple stops. Got an initial taste of Shanghai.
Nicole was a great guide. Now I hit the min characters
Darrin_W, Jun 2026
Such a wonderful food tour. Jade my guide did a great job managing the timing and food amount. She is so great to have conversations with during all the food outings. And really liked the tea stop too! Would recommend
gillian_y, Jun 2026
Highly recommend this food tour - great way to check out Shanghai, learn about the people and culture and discover some genuine small local businesses and try some fabulous food. Especially enjoyed sampling the various teas. Very efficient and well organized too. Thanks for a fun afternoon for our group.
Vesa_B, Jun 2026
Patrick was a great guide! A lot of history and food knowledge! It was a great time and the food was amazing!
Carrie_D, Jun 2026
Jade showed us local treasures we never would have found on our own. She was very knowledgeable about the history of the region and she incorporated the sharing of that knowledge in a way that was casual and conversational. She was flexible and while she had a specific agenda prepared in advance for the tour she was open to modifying her itinerary according to the specific interests of the group. I would highly recommend this tour and Jade.
Linda_G, Jun 2026
This is one of the best food tours I have even been on. Jim is a perfect host and shares lots of interesting facts. The quality of the food and variety of restaurants surpasses my expectations. Myself and my son had a great time and would definitely recommend.
Kristian_K, Jun 2026
Perfect morning tour of different kinds of local Shanghai breakfast food and visit to local wet market. Highly recommend.
Lien_T, Jun 2026
Nico was so great and such a wonderful guide. I went during a very rainy season and when she noticed we were having issues with mosquitoes, she went out of her way to get us some insect repellent. The food and restaurants were amazing and I appreciate the mix of small local businesses and more well known spots we went too. Come hungry! It was a good amount of yummy food and walking to balance everything out.
robyn_m, Jun 2026
This food tour was excellent, and I would highly recommend. It was a highlight of our recent trip to Shanghai. Jim our guide was very knowledgeable and took us on a wonderful journey through the streets of Shanghai involving stops and a variety of restaurants that gave us an array of flavors and taste sensations. We enjoyed everything we tasted and drank—from the dumplings, noodles, duck and tea – all so good – we were so sorry when our culinary journey came to an end. Thank you, Jim, you were a great guide and gave us a fond memory of the food of Shanghai. A must do
Jennifer_S, Jun 2026
I had such a great afternoon on this tour! It was just the two of us and it was so easy and enjoyable. The food, dessert, and tea were just fantastic and I left absolutely stuffed. 😁😁 I did this tour as part of a long layover in Shanghai and would 100% recommend to anyone. Thanks again!!
Marie_M, Jun 2026
We had an amazing experience with Jade. The best way to learn about a city is through it's food, and i definitely walked away with a history lesson, a full stomach and new friends. She was a wonderful tour guide - highly recommended.
Steven_D, Jun 2026
Jim was an incredible dude and took us to places we never would’ve found without the tour. I’ve been to over 80 countries and this was the best food tour I’ve ever done!
Matthew_P, Jun 2026
I wanted to find a few good and reliable places to frequent for food during my stay in Shanghai and I thought doing a food tour would be the perfect way to do that. I was not wrong. The tour with Jim was wonderful and he took us to many places I never would have found on my own!
Highly recommend if you're in Shanghai and want to get away from the tourist traps and have an experience curated by a guide who has spent years building personal relationships with the many local vendors.
The tour takes the full amount of time and involves covering some distance on foot (always the best way to see a city). But if you're worried about all the walking, don't, Jim checks in regularly and the pacing is not strenuous.
10/10 would recommend. I just wish there was a Jim in every city I visit 😆
From $79.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Authentic Local Food Tour in Central Shanghai
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