#Famous Local Food
Shanghai Cuisine is not one of the Eight Major Cuisines of China but is a choice blend of the most appealing aspects of these other national styles of food while being always ready to adopt the best aspects of foreign cuisine and make them its own as Ben Bang Cuisine, which literally means 'local' and makes great use of fresh fish. Ben Bang differs from Canton cuisine which also makes use of fresh sea food in as much as the Shanghai dish has a strong flavor and the bright color of soya bean sauce.

Xiang You Shan Hu (this dish is so named as it crackles when the hot oil is poured onto eel.) and Ba Bao La Jiang (Eight Auspicious Pepper Sauce) are the two most typical dishes. The Eight Auspicious Pepper Sauce is not a dressing but a dish comprising shrimp, peanuts, pork, bamboo shoot, chicken, tripe, and sauce. Visitors can taste this at:
1. Shanghai Classical Hotel (No.242, Fuyou Road, Shanghai)
2. De Xing Guan (No.29 Dongmen Road)

Famous Local Snacks

Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Buns
Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Buns feature the typical Ben Bang flavor. This snack with nearly 100 years' history is famous for its thin wrap, heavy flavor, and tender meat. What's more, it varies with the season: bamboo shoot for spring, shrimp for summer, crab for autumn, etc. The translucent buns are as small as water chestnuts. Visitors can taste this snack at: No.238, Guyiyuan Road, Nanxiang Town, Jiading District.

Fried Stuffed Buns
Fried Stuffed Buns are snacks indigenous to Shanghai. Golden in color, a thin wrap, crispy cover, delicious meat, and this snack tastes best when served hot.
It can be tasted at: No. 48, Guangling Er Road in Fengyu Eatery

Vegetable stuffed buns
Vegetable stuffed buns, as the name suggests, are without meat but the flavor is not harmed at all. For veggies, these buns with vegetables, mushroom, bamboo shoots, dried bean curd, etc are a good choice.
Where to taste:
Chunfeng Songyue Vegetable Dish Restaurant
Address: No.23, Bailing Road, Cheng Huang Miao

Shanghai Xie Ke Huang Pan Cake
Shanghai Xie Ke Huang Pan Cake looks like boiled crab shell, therefore the name "Xie Ke Huang". This pancake is crispy on the outside and delicious in the inside. The stuffing is made from green onion, pork, and sugar and bean paste.

The recommended place to try this is: Wuyuan Bakery
No.1530, Beijing West Road, Jing'an District
No. 255, Yanping Road, Jing'an District

#Recommended Restaurants
For your reference, the following are the restaurants rated most popular by the locals:
Indian Kitchen
Add: No. 572 Yongjia Lu, Shanghai, China
Tel: 86-21-64731517

The Grill
Add: Grand Hyatt, No. 88 Shiji Dadao, Pudong, China
Tel: 86-21-50491234

Ashanti Dome
Add: No. 16 Gao Lan Road (near the corner of Si Nan Road)Shanghai
Tel: 86-21-53066777

Giovanni's
Add: Sheraton Grand Tai Ping Yang, 27th floor, No. 5 Zunyi Nan Lu,
Tel: 86-21-62758888

1221
Add: No. 1221 Yanan West Road, Shanghai
Tel: 86-21-62136585

New Shanghai Restaurant
Add: No. 869Nanjing Western Road, Shanghai
Tel: 86-21-62729605

Hot Pot King
Add: 2F, No. 1066 Huaihai Zhong Road (above Planet Shanghai restaurant)
Tel: 86-21-64746545

Xi Jia Hua Yuan
Add: No. 1 Dongping Road
Tel: 86-21-62801593

Blue Sky Rotational
Add: No. 161 Changle Road
Tel: 86-21-64151188-84101

Juelin Vegetarian Restaurant
Add: No.250 East Jinling Road
Tel: 86-21-63260115

Gongdelin
Add: No. 445 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai, China
Tel: 86-21-63270218

Vegetarian Life Style
Add: 1F.No.77 Songshan Rd

Wangbaohe Restaurant
Add: No. 603 Fuzhou Road
Tel: 86-21-63597665

Grape Restaurant
Add: No. 55 Xinle Lu, Shanghai, China
Tel: 86-21-54040486

Fong's Vietnamese Cuisine
Add: 2F, Lippo Plaza, No. 222 Huaihai Zhonglu, Shanghai, China
Tel: 86-21-63877228

Fragrant Camphor Garden
Add: 2A Hengshan Lu, Shanghai, China
Tel: 021/6433-4385

Gao Li Korean Restaurant
Add: No.1, 181 Wuyuan Lu, Shanghai, China
Tel: 86-21-64315236