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Otto Cafe & Wine Bar

Lapis Roma

Chiang Mai Thai

Briccocafe Pasta & Pizza Lounge Read more »

Moroccan Mecca

Newly renovated and menu revamped, this romantic slice of Morocco retains its African atmosphere, infusing spicy flavors for the adventurous food lover. The succinct menu, makes dining selections quick and easy. For starters, we chose briouates (¥45), triangular deep-fried chicken and vegetable-filled morsels reminiscent of Indian samosas, which ... Read more »

Three's a Crowd

The romantic setting of Three and Tree was perfect on a summer evening, the tables filled mostly with couples dining in the blue and white Mediterranean-themed interior. Formerly the Greek restaurant Aegean, this incarnation is still running a menu with a large number of Greek specialities ... Read more »

All-You-Can-Eat, Again

The newest addition to the burgeoning Dagu Lu strip offers two large teppanyaki tables alongside a smaller dining area with more intimate tables dotted here and there. Service is attentive though at times overbearing. It is what you'd expect, a rather run-of-the-mill, eat-till-you-drop Japanese restaurant. For ¥168 ... Read more »

Oodles of Noodles

Though a bit hard to find within the maze of Taikang Lu alleyways, this itty-bitty nook of a place above Miss Ginger offers generous servings of hot or cold udon noodle dishes at attractively low prices. Great for a Shanghai hot summer day, we selected a cold ... Read more »

Make a Date in Delhi

Driving down dark and quiet Pingxi Lu a few blocks from the Hongqiao Marriott, this restaurant is hard to miss. The exterior of this Indian and Pakistani barbecue restaurant is extremely well-lit, and the only bright spot on the street. Once inside, however, it loses ... Read more »

Authenticity in Flavor

With its dimly lit modern ambiance, Bam-Bou is perfect for a private tete-a-tete or a group dinner seated leisurely in one of the cushioned booths. Refined Vietnamese cuisine adapted to the high-end Western palate dominates a menu that includes Laos and Cambodian dishes as well. To forget ... Read more »

Say Uncle

As the city's first (and only) Caribbean eatery, our expectations for Uncle Mike's were high. Everything seems right on the surface: the chairs are green, alternating Bob Marley and Jamaican tourism posters line the walls, and smooth reggae rhythms play in the background. It wouldn't ... Read more »

Good Looks, Bad Taste

At a glance, this pan-Asian restaurant is a sight for sore palates. The décor is a layering of lounge meets contemporary art museum-dim private booths on the first floor and a three-level spiral staircase leads to semi-private rooms with large tables surrounded by giant, white beds ... Read more »

Feeling Crêpe-d

Tucked away on a hushed side street of Hongqiao, this modest restaurant offers a variety of wheat pancakes (￥35-52), chocolate and fruit crepes (￥32-65) and garden salads (￥35-52). The crisp and light greens, tomatoes, olives and goat cheese of the fresh garden salad (￥52) were ideal for inspiring ... Read more »

Pouring Enchantment

The history of this renovated three-storey masterpiece lends a touch of mystique to one of the city's most romantic settings. But while the surroundings are disarming, the prices are not. Those willing to spare the expense will find it a delightful experience. Torn over what dishes to ... Read more »

Yakitori at its Loudest

We knew we were in for an eventful evening the moment we stepped into Hakkenden and were welcomed by the deafening greeting of every server in the restaurant. Once seated at our table, we realized we were going to keep hearing these ear-plug worthy shouts every ... Read more »

Mellow Kitty

Kagura is an unassuming little restaurant neither too exciting nor too dull, neither too fancy nor too shabby, neither too expensive nor too cheap. It features a rock waterfall, a few understated Chinese decorations and a little bamboo here and there with some jazz standards playing softly in ... Read more »

Philosophy of Freshness

Nestled in a pocket on Taikang Lu is Origin, a new café offering seasonal French cuisine, fresh squeezed juices (￥24-29), a range of cocktails (￥40) and a tranquil atmosphere. We enjoyed the spinach salad (￥38) a well-balanced mixture of walnuts, strawberries, radishes, arugula and baby spinach topped ... Read more »

Straight from the Archipelago

For such a respectable restaurant, it's surprising that we were its lone patrons for the entire duration of our dinner. Perhaps newcomer Rijsttafel is feeling Hongmei Lu's intense competition. Nonetheless, this place--and its Indonesian chef--deserves credit for quality authentic fare, courteous waitstaff and a ... Read more »

Moroccan'roll

In the expanding Face Bar empire, El Wajh is the new North African outpost. Unjustly confined to the elephant's graveyard of Maoming Nan Lu, this authentic Moroccan restaurant has been thriving on recommendations from its satisfied clientele. If you have been privy to these ravings, you may ... Read more »

Good Times, Better Food

Good Times is the third and latest installment from the folks behind Masala Art. Unlike Masala, which offers northern Indian fare, Good Times focuses mainly on southern Indian cuisine. For those well-acquainted with Indian cooking, you'll find all the standards on the menu, but what ... Read more »

A Boonna in Training

We recently wandered into the youngest of the Boonna sisters that, at the moment, remains little known to laptop-carrying crowds. Tucked away within a quiet residential nook, Boonna 3 and its outdoor deck immediately caught our interest. Stark white walls offset by simple black tables and ... Read more »

Better than the Fu Manchu

Fair warning: This restaurant requires a minimum spending of ￥300 per head. As we were led down the grand halls of the refurbished villa, we entered our private dining room decked out in pieces gathered from the past--old wooden doors, old tiles, cherry wood chairs--thoughtfully ... Read more »

Bring on the Beef

Designed for serious carnivores, ARCO Latina will give you more than your daily-recommended dose of protein. While there will be -¤ la carte dishes available, the buffet is the main attraction at this recently opened Brazilian barbecue restaurant. At ￥168 per person, it includes a generous selection ... Read more »

Stick to the Coffee

With a bright orange and brown decor, Espressamente recreates a modern, generic, somewhat artificial setting for an Italian coffee shop. Expect great coffee from the signature Illy brand-Cour Espresso All Americana (￥24) gave justice to this high quality Italian coffee. The cappuccino (￥30) was strong and ... Read more »

Haiku Incorporated

Restaurants in office buildings and shopping malls seem to lack a certain "je ne sais quoi," and certainly, Sushi Inc. is no exception. It's all very nicely done, a little mezzanine terrace inside the building with comfortable banquettes and a soothing water feature, but still inside an ... Read more »

Pass the Red Sauce

As we approached, the yellow clapboard, Florida-style home off Hongmei Lu was not quite the decor we'd anticipated. While the name clearly emphasizes Tex-Mex cuisine, the mammoth menu includes a bit of everything, from sandwiches to burgers and breakfast. As we were set on the ... Read more »