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We Tried a Shanghai Dinner Tour… and It Was Incredible
Shanghai Dinner Food Tour: A Family Evening of Local Flavors
Dinner time in China with Lost Plate Food Tours.
Hey! Welcome to day 4 of our one week in shanghai series! Today we going on a dinner food tour with Lost Plate Food Tours!
Thank You Emma and Lost Plate Food Tours for taking on this amazing tour today. if you'll be in China and want to go on this...
Hey! Welcome to day 4 of our one week in Shanghai series! Today we're going on a dinner food tour with Lost Plate Food Tours! Thank you Emma and Lost Plate Food Tours for taking us on this amazing tour today. We'll see you in the next one, love you all!
If you're new here, we're a family of five traveling full-time since May 2022. Worldschooling, destination guides, family travel logistics, and the real numbers behind how it all works.
Shanghai at dinner hour is pure magic, and Adam and Linds dive right in with Lost Plate Food Tours on day four of their one-week family adventure. This isn't just a meal; it's a guided evening journey through the city's flavors, led by the wonderful Emma. From bustling streets to hidden local spots, every bite captures the energy of Shanghai after dark. The couple's excitement is contagious as they celebrate another unforgettable food tour experience with their family. If you love authentic travel and mouth-watering discoveries, this dinner tour is one for the bucket list.
Hey! Welcome to day 4 of our one week in Shanghai series! Today we're going on a dinner food tour with Lost Plate Food Tours! Thank you Emma and Lost Plate Food Tours for taking us on this amazing tour today. We'll see you in the next one, love you all!
If you're new here, we're a family of five traveling full-time since May 2022. Worldschooling, destination guides, family travel logistics, and the real numbers behind how it all works.
Day four of Adam and Linds' first trip to China picks up right where the magic left off. After a rainy morning that gave the family a chance to sleep in and recharge, they head out for their second Lost Plate Food Tours experience—this time a Shanghai dinner tour. Their guide Emma, who led them the day before, promises a mix of casual snacks and formal dinner dishes. With three daughters in tow and a full evening ahead, Adam and Linds are ready to eat their way through the city and fall even harder for Shanghai.
Getting there is an adventure by itself. With Google Maps unavailable in China, the family relies on a navigation app to reach the metro, then faces a ticket machine that doesn't speak English. After a few wrong moves, they manage to buy transit cards for the kids and discover that tap-to-pay with Alipay doesn't work at the turnstiles. The confusion is worth it: a short Shanghai Metro ride delivers them to the meeting spot just in time to join Emma and start tasting.
The first stop is soup dumplings, plump and handmade in front of customers. Adam and Linds have eaten 'about a million' of these on their travels, but perfecting the soup-sip technique still gets them excited. Next come pan-fried dumplings with a thick, crispy bottom—so crusty that a local man downstairs compares them to pancakes. Then scallion oil noodles steal the show. The sauce is made by slowly frying onions in oil for 15 minutes, then adding soy sauce and sugar, and the result is savory, lightly salty, and instantly the family's favorite dish of the night. A peanut butter wonton divides the family, and a small wonton soup with pork and shrimp earns 'holy cow' praise for its incredible broth.
Between bites, Emma shares stories behind each dish and the neighborhoods they pass. The group walks through the former French Concession, a quiet residential pocket with European architecture and Chinese temple details. They stop at FamilyMart to pick up beers and juices because, as they note, some local restaurants only serve tea—bring your own if you want a drink. The final food stop is a formal Chinese dinner: fried lotus root that tastes like an elevated onion ring, and a glorious pork belly 'mountain' surrounded by quail eggs. The pork is so tender it falls apart on chopsticks, and the dark, shiny glaze shows just how much sugar went into this Chinese New Year classic.
Dessert is mango shaved ice with coconut and tapioca, then the tour ends at a brewery for craft IPAs. By then the day has caught up with everyone, but the family is glowing from a night of good food, city lights, and the kind of local experiences that make travel unforgettable. They grab a DD home, and before signing off, Adam and Linds remind viewers to check out Lost Plate using their discount code and mention that they can help plan future trips across Asia and beyond. It's a fitting finale to a day that proved Shanghai tastes even better after dark.
Shanghai after dark is a feast, and Adam and Linds dive fork-first into a Lost Plate dinner tour with guide Emma. From soup dumplings to scallion oil noodles, crispy pan-fried dumplings, and an epic pork belly 'mountain,' every stop brings a new flavor surprise. Along the way, they navigate the metro, wander the French Concession, and toast the night with craft beer. A delicious whirlwind that proves one week in Shanghai isn't nearly enough.
Adam and Linds savor Shanghai on a dinner tour with soup dumplings, scallion noodles, pork belly, and craft beer.
Shanghai Dinner Food Tour: Soup Dumplings, Pork Belly & Local Brews
1:34 Use a navigation app like Amap in China since Google Maps doesn't work. It has good English translations for finding metro entrances, walking routes, and meeting points, so you won't get lost when exploring Shanghai.
2:46 Riding the Shanghai Metro with kids is easy once you know the rules: children under 130 cm ride free, and others need a transit card. Ticket machines can be confusing, so just buy a reloadable card instead of fighting with them.
6:45 When eating soup dumplings, use chopsticks to lift gently, bite a small opening to release the steam, then sip the hot soup before dipping in vinegar. This little technique makes each dumpling safer and even more delicious.
12:31 Scallion oil noodles are a Shanghai classic: fry onions slowly in oil for 15 minutes, then season with soy sauce and sugar. The dried shrimp adds a subtle seafood flavor, making this simple dish unexpectedly memorable.
17:50 Some Chinese restaurants only serve tea or have very limited drinks, so it is normal to bring your own beer or juice. Stop at a convenience store like FamilyMart before dinner to grab drinks for the whole family.
21:20 At formal Chinese dinners, round tables with a lazy Susan are common. Don't spin it while others are reaching for food; wait until the table slows down. This small courtesy keeps the meal smooth and respectful.
26:20 Shanghai cools down a lot after sunset, so a night food tour feels refreshing. Leave room for dessert and a final brewery stop, because many tours end somewhere unexpected and the evening vibe is part of the experience.
1:34 Use a navigation app like Amap in China since Google Maps doesn't work. It has good English translations for finding metro entrances, walking routes, and meeting points, so you won't get lost when exploring Shanghai.
2:46 Riding the Shanghai Metro with kids is easy once you know the rules: children under 130 cm ride free, and others need a transit card. Ticket machines can be confusing, so just buy a reloadable card instead of fighting with them.
6:45 When eating soup dumplings, use chopsticks to lift gently, bite a small opening to release the steam, then sip the hot soup before dipping in vinegar. This little technique makes each dumpling safer and even more delicious.
12:31 Scallion oil noodles are a Shanghai classic: fry onions slowly in oil for 15 minutes, then season with soy sauce and sugar. The dried shrimp adds a subtle seafood flavor, making this simple dish unexpectedly memorable.
17:50 Some Chinese restaurants only serve tea or have very limited drinks, so it is normal to bring your own beer or juice. Stop at a convenience store like FamilyMart before dinner to grab drinks for the whole family.
21:20 At formal Chinese dinners, round tables with a lazy Susan are common. Don't spin it while others are reaching for food; wait until the table slows down. This small courtesy keeps the meal smooth and respectful.
26:20 Shanghai cools down a lot after sunset, so a night food tour feels refreshing. Leave room for dessert and a final brewery stop, because many tours end somewhere unexpected and the evening vibe is part of the experience.
0:03 Day four in Shanghai begins
1:17 Heading out for dinner food tour
2:46 First Shanghai Metro ride and ticket confusion
6:15 Emma explains the five tour stops
6:45 Handmade soup dumplings at first stop
11:13 Scallion oil noodles become instant favorite
17:50 Walking through former French Concession
21:20 Pork belly mountain with quail eggs
27:38 Craft beer at final brewery stop
0:03 Day four in Shanghai begins
1:17 Heading out for dinner food tour
2:46 First Shanghai Metro ride and ticket confusion
6:15 Emma explains the five tour stops
6:45 Handmade soup dumplings at first stop
11:13 Scallion oil noodles become instant favorite
17:50 Walking through former French Concession
21:20 Pork belly mountain with quail eggs
27:38 Craft beer at final brewery stop
中国上海family travelfood tour中国旅行soup dumplingsscallion oil noodlesnight food tourlocal foodcraft beerWhat was your favorite dish on the Shanghai dinner tour?
The scallion oil noodles! I might like them even more than the dumplings. They were savory, lightly salty, and not sweet at all, and I couldn't stop eating them.
Can you use Alipay to pay for the Shanghai Metro?
Not reliably. We tried tapping at the turnstile and it declined, so we just bought transit cards instead. It was way easier and saved us a lot of confusion.
Is it okay to bring your own drinks to restaurants in China?
Yes. Some restaurants only serve tea or have limited drink options, so we grabbed beers and juices from FamilyMart and brought them along to dinner.
How did you get around without Google Maps in China?
We used a navigation app called Amap, which had the best English translations. It helped us find metro entrances, walking routes, and the meeting spot for our food tour.
