In Transit: UNEKUAL's Guide to Shanghai

The omega to Peninsula Hong Kong’s alpha, this gilded luxury hotel is an assured choice of homebase for UNEKUAL readers who travel infrequently to Shanghai — or, better yet, are experiencing it for the first time. Situated in the northern section of The Bund, it remains one of the few new-build structures to be authorised in this historic waterfront neighbourhood in over 60 years.

The setting is ideal for a hotel that pays tribute to old Shanghainese glamour. Each of the hotels’ 200+ rooms & suites are afforded views of the Huangpu River or greenspace surrounding the former British Consulate. In private, wonderful touches of retrofuturism (probably inspired by the group’s Chairman, Sir Michael Kadoorie) abound. Nail driers and internet radio consoles commingle with touches of traditional Chinese craft — cleverly worked into each room’s wardrobe, bathing, and relaxation spaces.

You’ll be tempted to linger when staying in one of the rooms with a waterfront view, but don’t. The Peninsula Shanghai’s wider public spaces offer plenty to attract gastronauts and wellness fiends. Tony Wu, the hotel spa’s TCM specialist is something of a minor celebrity. Elsewhere, if your interests are of the more spirited variety, stow the wellness check and head straight to Sir Elly’s Terrace — a great place to take in the Pudong skyline. Ideally? At golden hour, over a cigar and age-statement Macallan.

Veteran Asia travellers may recall this property used to be The Middle House: now rebranded under the auspices of its award-winning Hong Kong sibling. Marketing push aside, this is very much still the same glam, globally-minded option that has been delighting travellers in Shanghai since 2018: built around two sinuous towers, joined beneath street level by cavernous spa & wellness facilities. 

Whereas The Upper House’s +852 outpost is renowned for light, airy interiors inspired by penthouse living, its Shanghai-based counterpart cleaves to a more opulent way of doing things. Native timbers and traditional architectural motifs are superimposed against Piero Lissoni’s maximally styled interiors. As you cross the threshold of the hotel’s bamboo forest-inspired lobby, turn your gaze upward — you’ll see what I mean.

Dining at Upper House Shanghai is a similarly swish affair. At Sui Tang Li, Chef Tony Ye is quietly remixing his Shanghainese culinary pedigree with inspirations from further afield: including Cantonese cuisine and, more recently, the food of China’s Bohai Sea. Bookend dinner here with drinks at Café Gray Deluxe — come Shanghai Fashion Week, prime real estate for a spot of people watching.

Deep historical and economic ties to Japan mean that, since the 2000s, Ginza-style bars specialising in classic cocktails have been a throughline in Shanghai. Over the last decade though, a new guard of mixologists has emerged: taking their cues from Korea, Italy, and further afield.

For drinks with a somewhat North American inflection, head to Pony Up in lively Huangpu — now the epicentre of Shanghai’s craft cocktail scene. Run by industry veteran Dre Yang (who cut his teeth working at the renowned multi-storey venue, Speak Low) the emphasis here is on easy-drinking serves and American-inspired bar snacks, all served in a laidback setting that lets patrons soak up the ambience of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Travellers on vacation time will be particularly glad of Pony Up’s business hours. The venue opens up at 1pm daily, with a grip of cosy outdoor seating that’s perfect for digging into their ‘one sip’ Martini and moreish snacks like ‘Pony dogs’ and the signature patty melt.

Founded by a handful of scholarly Chinese collectors in 2018, Woohoo Time is — by some margin — the most influential on- and offline platform in Shanghai “specialising in the field of exceptional watches”.

The company moved its showroom to an idyllic townhouse conversion in the midst of Jing’an (one of Shanghai’s two major commercial centres) last year: a ‘by appointment’ space used to host thematic exhibitions and receive clients socially. There is even a full-bore servicing centre, helmed by a master watchmaker formerly in-house at Vacheron Constantin China.

Unsurprisingly, a good chunk of Woohoo Time’s business lies in rare and exceptional neo-vintage timepieces: often from Lange and Cartier, both maisons with a tremendous following in the Chinese market. For the UNEKUAL reader however, the real reason to make the trip here is to log some face time with the watches of Qin Gan, arguably China’s foremost talent in high-end, indie watchmaking.

Mr. Qin’s signature is the Pastorale II: a seemingly simple, three-handed dress watch ennobled by the integration of traditional craftsmanship in almost every detail, from the champlevé enamel dial and all the way down to the concave polishing visible on the movement’s screws.

Truthfully, we could dedicate an entirely separate article to noteworthy concept retailers in Shanghai. Yet if time is of the essence, and you’re interested in experiencing the pointy end of the city’s fashion offering, Maison Dongliang is the place to spend an hour — if not an entire afternoon. 

Spread across twin manor houses and its own palatial grounds, Dongliang is a rebuke to the notion that high-end shopping in China must invariably occur in malls. The store is decorated in the uniquely Shanghainese aesthetic known as hai pai: as much a lightning rod for object design lovers as it is fashionistas, with authentic Jeanneret armchairs and Alvar Aalto woodwork deployed throughout the space. 

The edit lives up to this highly considered setting: powerhouse labels like Phoebe Philo and Maison Margiela sit alongside up-and-coming Chinese designers. Be sure to check out Yamaumi, Dongliang’s own menswear-focused house label.

Chinese food lovers certainly don’t need to be told about the delights of xiaolongbao, the famed Shanghainese soup dumpling. Hole-in-the-walls specialising in this delicacy, along with similarly snacky morsels like potstickers and shengjianbao, are widely available across the city. 

For something a little bit more singular (and certainly more upscale), consider securing a reservation at Fu He Hui. Located in an outwardly unassuming building in Shanghai’s famed former French Concession, this acclaimed fine diner is a certifiably unique quantity: serving Shanghai’s most feted, delicious and creatively conceived all-vegetarian cooking. Whatever else you may do, remember to preorder the mapo tofu. 

The tasting menu — well-priced, in comparative terms, at ~US$150 — encompasses a breadth of the best seasonal vegetables from across China, with a host of ingredients even hardcore gastronauts are unlikely to have encountered. Executive Chef Tony Lu’s recipes are similarly refreshing: drawing on techniques and preparations that often have their roots in the palace cooking of the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

The restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars for 2026 earlier this April.