Lü Bo Lang $$

115 Yuyuan Lu, near Fuyou Lu
inside Yu Garden Bazaar
21/6328-0602

HOURS: Daily 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-11 p.m.

COST: Entrées ¥100-500

METRO: Yu Garden (Line 10)

This attractively decorated restaurant has hosted the likes of Bill and Hilary Clinton in its time, along with England’s Queen Elizabeth II. It is located inside a pretty, free-standing Ming pavilion in the Yu Garden compound [1] and offers views of the famous zig-zag bridge over the little lake.

Lü Bo Lang serves benbang (local) food, which includes steamed crab from Yangcheng Lake, river fish, eel, dim sum, and tofu dishes. Unfortunately, they still have shark fin soup on the menu, despite nationwide campaigns for a ban.

For high-end Shanghainese dining it’s still a great choice and a good place to try good quality yellow wine and moutai spirit. The decor is pleasingly traditional, with lanterns, calligraphy scrolls, and intricately carved screens in dark wood.