Best dim sum restaurants in Shanghai

Today is my weekly day off from dietary restrictions, so I went with my family to a Cantonese dim sum restaurant (宝粤楼 in Pudong) for lunch.

Since I’m Cantonese and have eaten at many Cantonese restaurants before, I thought I’d share what I believe to be the five restaurants with the best dim sum in Shanghai. (I've avoided listing some places that are good but significantly more expensive, such as 御宝轩 near the Bund.) Next time, if you’re thinking of going to 避风塘, perhaps consider one of the following places instead.

5. 点都德 (Multiple locations)

This is perhaps the default choice serving Cantonese style dim sum, with multiple locations across Shanghai and many imitators (宝粤楼, the place I went to today, is one example).

The taste is authentic, and perhaps more importantly, the setting and ambience are just right. Their oft-imitated signature dish is 红米肠, so if that's what you're after, I recommend eating here. Other dishes are standard fare - still tasty, but they don't particularly stand out.

4. 陶陶居 (Multiple locations)

The cuisine here leans towards Hong Kong's, with more muted flavors that some may not like. A good example is the 干炒牛河, a classic dish that is much more lightly flavored (清淡) than at comparable restaurants. Still, the handmade dim sum is high quality, and the 双皮奶 here is the best I've had outside of Macau.

3. 点满笼 (Expo Park)

Another Hong Kong style dim sum place, the dishes here are mostly equivalent to others on the list with one notable exception - their 云吞面, which is the best I've had in Shanghai. If you're craving a taste of Hong Kong, you'll find it here.

2. 翠园 (Xujiahui and Jing’an Temple)

I honestly think that most people dislike 翠园 because they believe it's more expensive than the other restaurants on this list. I actually didn't find this to be the case - and even if it is more expensive, it's not by much.

It's also Hong Kong style here, though there are several unique dishes that stand out among the competition. The most significant (to me) is their 古法湿炒牛河, which I order every time I eat here.

If it's your first time, don't let them sucker you into ordering expensive tea from a menu; get 茶位 instead like everyone else. (Actually, just only order things from the paper dim sum menu and you should be fine.) On weekends and holidays, congee is available - I highly recommend the 艇仔粥.

1. 蘩楼 (Xujiahui and South Shaanxi Road)

The wait here is up to two hours on weekends, and it's easy to understand why. This place epitomizes value for money, serving high quality authentic Cantonese dim sum at very reasonable prices. This market positioning amusingly attracts an interesting customer mix of 网红 and the elderly on weekdays.

The taste is unmistakably good though; a friend of mine has even raved about the authenticity of the chilli sauce (辣椒酱). Their chrysanthemum tea (菊花茶) is also the best I've had in Shanghai.