Refreshments and snacks from all over China and the world are available in Shanghai. Local snacks in Shanghai have their specialties and should not be missed. The following are some typical Shanghai snacks and recommended restaurants for your reference:

 Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Bun
Chinese name: 南翔小笼包 (nán xiáng xiǎo lóng bāo); 南翔小笼馒头 (nán xiáng xiǎo lóng mán tou)
This snack is a famous and popular one originating from Nanxiang Town in the northern Jiading District of Shanghai. Dating back over 100 years, Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Bun features the typical Shanghai flavor. It is famous for its thin wrap, big stuffing, strong flavor and tender meat.

Besides the use of refined flour and pork, Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Bun has many special ingredients. Water, salt, sugar, soy, sesame and ginger are added to make the stuffing. Even without MSG, shallot or garlic, the buns stay fresh with a delicious flavor. The main pork stuffing is mixed with various seasonal ingredients: bamboo shoot for spring, shrimp for summer and crab for autumn. It's hard to believe that the stuffing is two times larger than the wrap. Miraculous, isn't it?

The prepared buns with translucent thin wraps are as small as water chestnuts. The appealing appearance of the buns may make you feel hungry. However, if you are hasty you will probably be hurt by the hot buns. Here are tips for tasting this snack: bite carefully, sip the soup and dip into special Zhenjiang vinegar. "Wow, yummy!" is then an understandable reaction.

The Hong Kong film Leaving Me Loving You, featuring Hong Kong pop stars Leon Lai and Faye Wong, made this snack known to a wider audience.

Recommended places to try this snack:
Shanghai Guyiyuan Restaurant: No.238, Guyiyuan Road, Nanxiang Town, Jiading District
Nanxiang Mantou Restaurant: No. 85, Yuyuan Road, Huangpu District

 Crab-Yellow Pastry
Chinese name: 蟹壳黄 (xiè ké huáng)
This round yellow pastry looks like the shell of a cooked crab, therefore it is named Crab-Yellow Pastry. The main raw material for this snack is oil-mixed dough. The dough is split into small pieces, stuffed and squashed to form a flat round cake. It is then wrapped with a layer of sesame and finally baked in an oven.

The Crab-Yellow Pastry usually has a salty or sweet flavor. The salty pastries are stuffed with shallot oil, pork, crab or shrimp; the sweet ones with sugar, roses, sweetened bean paste or Chinese date paste.

The prepared pastries are crisp and tasty. As early as the beginning of 20th century, this snack prevailed in Shanghai's teahouses. Today the Crab-Yellow Pastry becomes increasingly popular with Shanghai locals.

You can try this snack at Wuyuan Bakery:
No. 255, Yanping Road, Jing'an District
No.1530, West Beijing Road, Jing'an District

 Fried Stuffed Bun
Chinese name: 生煎馒头 (shēng jiān mán tou)
Fried Stuffed Bun with nearly 100 years' history is a typical indigenous snack of Shanghai. The wraps of the buns are made of semi-fermented paste, and the stuffing is made of pork, shallot, ginger, soy, pepper, and sesame oil. The stuffed buns are put in rows in a big pan and fried, being sprayed with water several times during cooking. Finally, sesame and shallot are sprinkled on the buns, and then the wonderful Fried Stuffed Buns are prepared!

With a thin and soft wrap, a golden-colored and crispy bottom, and delicious meat, this snack tastes best when served hot.

Fried Stuffed Buns were first served in many teahouses in old Shanghai. Special fried stuffed bun restaurants began to appear in 1930s. At present, there are hundreds of such restaurants. The stuffing is varied to include chicken, crab and shrimp.

Recommended places to try this snack:
Xiaoyang Shengjian Restaurant (Yang's Fry Dumpling): No. 54 and No. 60, Wujiang Road, Jing'an District
Fengyu Shengjian Eatery: No. 48, Guangling 2nd Road, Hongkou District
Youlian Shengjian Restaurant: No. 45, Xinzha Road, Putuo District
Feilong Shengjian Restaurant: 1F, Dongtai Plaza, No. 2002, North Sichuan Road, Hongkou District
Dahuchun Eatery: No. 4-6, Lane136, Pudong Avenue, Pudong New Area

 Chop Rice Cake
Chinese name: 排骨年糕 (pái gǔ nián gāo)
Chop Rice Cake is an economic and distinctive snack in Shanghai. It is a fried snack mainly made of a big pork chop and rice cakes. There are two restaurants that are famous for Chop Rice Cake - Shuguang Restaurant (formerly known as Xiao Chang Zhou) and Xian De Lai Restaurant. The two restaurants have been famous since the 1930s. Chop Rice Cakes offered by them are prepared in completely different ways therefore each has its own unique taste. It is hard to tell which is better. So better to taste both!

Locations of the two restaurants:
Shuguang Restaurant: at the intersection of Middle Sichuan Road and Fuzhou Road, Huangpu District
Xian De Lai: No. 69, South Yunnan Road, Huangpu District

 Vegetable Stuffed Bun
Chinese name: 素菜包子 (sù cāi bāo zi)
As the name suggests, this is without meat but the flavor is not reduced at all. For veggies, these buns, stuffed with greengrocery, mushroom, bamboo shoots and dried bean curd, are a good choice.

Where to taste:
Chunfeng Songyue Vegetarian Restaurant: No.99, Jiu Jiaochang Road, Huangpu District (near Bailing Road)

 Leisha Dumpling
Chinese name: 擂沙圆 (léi shā yuán)
This is a kind of glutinous rice dumpling stuffed with meat, sweetened bean paste, or sesame. Covering with a layer of adzuki bean powder, this snack is tastier and keeps longer.

Where to taste:
Qiaojiashan Snack Store: No. 313, South Xiangyang Road, Xuhui District

 Won Ton
Chinese name: 馄饨 (hún dùn)
Shanghai people, in particular, have a very clear opinion dividing won tons into big ones and small ones. The big ones are stuffed with shepherd's purse and pork while the small ones are stuffed with meat alone. A half kilo of wrapping is sufficient for 50 big won tons or 70 small ones. So you can imagine how thin the wrap is! The soup is also a key element. Generally, broth is for the big won tons and chicken soup for the small ones.

Recommended Restaurant:
Jin Shifu Won Ton Restaurant: No. 78, Sinan Road, Luwan District

In addition to the above, there are many other snacks worth trying, including Date Paste Pastry, Gaoqiao Muffin, Yangchun Noodles, Sauced Cold Noodles, Glutinous Rice Dumpling, Fruit Sponge Cake, Cream Spiced Beans, and Mint Cake. In some ancient towns of Shanghai such as Qibao in Minhang District, Zhujiajiao in Qingpu District, and Fengjing in Jinshan District, you can also try many snacks of a distinctive flavor.