Shanghai late-night dining options now that City Diner is “relocating”

Shanghai street food is some of the best late-night dining around, but sometimes there are just those night when you need a table and a proper chair.

You might not have been to Shanghai’s late-night dining capital, City Diner, for a while now (probably better for your health), but we’re guessing that you still feel the hole it left in the local dining scene when it closed.

Thankfully Christopher St Cavish did some digging and found out for us that City Diner is not closing its doors for good, just “relocating” and will be back up in time for Chinese New Year (in case you want to celebrate there?). Where they’re moving to was strangely left out of the post.

With a few months of City Diner-lessness ahead of us (Chinese New Year starts February 13 is you need to know) we thought it was time to round-up the rest of the late-might munchies out there.

Bi Feng Tang: True 24-hour dining

It might be the Denny’s of Cantonese food, but we don't care and neither to the rest of the masses that pack in there -- this dim sum restaurant is still a city staple. The trademark bright lights are sure to keep you away during the meal, while the MSG-laden food will sooth you to sleep when your done. If you love basic dim sum from plump shrimp dumplings to roast pork buns and crispy egg rolls this is your place.
175 Changle Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu 长乐路175号, 近茂名南路, + 86 21 6467 0628, multiple locations

Bellagio (Taicang Lu): Open till 5am

You can’t go wrong with this sleek-yet-wallet friendly Taiwanese eatery. Waiters with cropped hair offer consistent service making sure that your order of favorites from shrimp dishes to shredded beef with pancakes and the delicious mountains of shaved ice topped with sweet beans and fruit make it to your table quickly to sponge up the remnants of the night.
68 Taicang Lu, near Songshan Lu 太仓路68号, 近嵩山路, +86 21 6386 5701

Fortune Garden: Open to 4am

When you step through Fortune Garden's doors (not far form the former City Diner site), you might as well have entered Hong Kong, and that’s a good thing when you’re at a Cantonese restaurant. The menu is a colorful catalog of authentic Cantonese dishes, covering more than 250 choices. Top dishes are the intriguing iced “vegetarian abalone” (cunningly made of tofu), the juicy barbecued meats, and the crisp, savory softshell crab. Fortune Garden's crave-inducing barbecue pork and crispy durian pastries are just the thing for a midnight snack.
1/F, Bldg 2 Donghai Plaza, 18 Yuyuan Dong Lu, near Tongren Lu 静安区愚园东路18号东海广场2号楼1楼, 近铜仁路 ,+86 21 6247 1388

Bistro Burger: Open to 4am

One of the newest jewels in restaurateur Eduardo Vargas' culinary crown, this is a high-class, late-night venue that serves up delicious American staples (try the fries or course have a burger) in a cozy atmosphere until 4am. Wash down you food with a beer from their craft beer list or a milkshake (alcoholic or non-alcoholic is up to you).
1/F, Mansion, 291 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu 富民路291号1楼, 近长乐路, +86 21 6170 1315

Charmant: Open until 4am

Casual and unpretentious with delicious food, it’s easy to understand why this Taiwanese venue is mobbed through its 4am closing time. Although it’s hard to go wrong with any dish, the cold Taiwanese noodles with shredded chicken, raw carrot, cucumber and beansprouts is a good dish to soak up the night’s excesses as are any of their delicious desserts. In the winter warm up and end the night with Charmant's hot chocolate.
1414 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu, 淮海中路1414号, 近复兴西路, +86 21 6431-8107

Mr & Mrs Bund: Tuesday-Saturday until 4am

Who says late-night munchies need to be eaten at dives? Mr & Mrs Bund breaks all the rules and offers a late-night “modern French eatery” dining experience on the Bund, cooked up by none other than the famous Paul Pairet. Although it’s on the Bund, Mr & Mrs Bund still boasts a relaxed-yet-chic atmosphere as well as family-style French fare and a wine list that includes 32 wines by the glass to wash it all down. This is late-night dining in class.
6/F, Bund 18, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu 中山东一路18号6楼, 近南京东路, +86 21 6323 9898

Hengshan Cafe (Hengshan): Open to 4am

One of the city’s original late-night dining venues, this Hong Kong-style restaurant serves up Cantonese comfort food and offers good value for your yaun -- exactly what you need after a long night out.
308 Hengshan Lu, near Wuxing Lu 衡山路308号, 近吴兴路, +86 21 6471 7127

Anadolu (Hengshan Lu): Sunday-Thursday, open to 2am, Wednesday-Saturday open until 5am

Nothing ends a night like a kebab and Anadolu is the place to get one. Sure the service can be spotty and the décor is nothing to speak of, but perfectly located in the middle of Hengshan Lu, Anadolu dishes out well-priced doners, Turkish pizzas and kebabs that hit the spot -- it’s hard to really complain about that.
4-7 Hengshan Lu, near Wulumuqi Nan Lu 衡山路4-7号, 近乌鲁木齐南路, +86 21 5465 0977

Velvet Lounge: Sunday-Thursday open until 3am, Friday & Saturday open until 5am

The only bar to make it onto this list, the pizza at Velvet is well worth pushing through the throngs of late-night party-goers for. Follow your nose to the back room of the bar where the oven is turning out some of the best thin crust pizzas in the city. While you’re there, of course grab a nightcap.
1/F, 913 Julu Lu, near Changshu Lu 巨鹿路913号, 近常熟路, +86 21 5403 2976

Yakitori Fukuchan: Open to 2am

If you’re in need of some charcoal grilling to end your night, the intimate (that might be an understatement) Yakitori Fukuchan offers exactly what you’re looking for -- along with some cold Asahi beers to keep you going. Order anything chicken (from wings and hearts to chicken meatball) and you can’t go wrong. Almost any yakitori favorites is on the menu though.
223 Changle Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu 长乐路223号, 近陕西路 +86 21 5403 6270

A borough-bred Manhattanite, Jessica Beaton has lived in Shanghai for three years working as a magazine editor and freelancer writer. She's now the Shanghai city editor at CNNGo.

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