Restaurant in Shanghai, China
Book it for occasions that justify ¥¥¥¥.
Jin Xuan holds a 2024 Michelin star and one of Shanghai's most dramatic dining positions — upper-floor views across the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline, with a Cantonese menu anchored by premium imported proteins. At ¥¥¥¥, you are paying for the view as much as the kitchen; book a window table in advance, order beyond the dim sum platter, and time your visit for autumn or winter when the menu shows at its strongest.
Jin Xuan holds a 2024 Michelin star, sits on an upper floor of a sky-scraping hotel adjacent to the Oriental Pearl Tower, and delivers a Cantonese menu that reaches from Australian black cod to New Zealand lobster. If you have been once and are weighing a return, the honest answer is: yes, come back — but time it carefully and think harder about what you order than you did the first visit.
The dining room is arranged to take full advantage of its elevation. Panoramic windows frame the Huangpu River and the Pudong skyline, which means your seat position matters more here than at most restaurants in the city. If you are returning, request a window table when you book , not as an afterthought at the door. The space reads as formal hotel dining: polished, well-spaced, suited to a slower pace. This is not a room for a quick meal or a loud group dinner; it rewards guests who plan to spend two to three hours working through the menu. For comparison, if you want a similarly theatrical Cantonese setting with less formality, Canton 8 (Huangpu) offers a different register at a lower price point.
The menu covers significant ground across the Cantonese repertoire. On a second visit, the clearest upgrade from a first-timer approach is to move away from the crowd-pleasing dim sum platter , useful for orientation, less interesting once you know the kitchen's range , and order more deliberately from the à la carte selection. The imported ingredients are a genuine differentiator here: Australian black cod and New Zealand lobster are not budget gestures at a ¥¥¥¥ price point, and the kitchen's treatment of these proteins is where the Michelin credential is most visible. The wine list is well-curated with good choices by the glass, which makes it easier to match pours to individual dishes rather than committing to a bottle across a long, varied Cantonese meal.
Cantonese cuisine at this level tracks the season more closely than most Western diners expect. The kitchen's reliance on imported ingredients means the menu is less tied to hyper-local Chinese agricultural cycles than a purist Cantonese house in Guangzhou might be, but the broad logic still holds: winter months favour richer preparations, slow-braised proteins, and preserved ingredients; spring shifts toward lighter steamed dishes and fresher shellfish. If you are planning a return visit, late autumn through winter is when the kitchen's approach to premium imported proteins tends to show at its most considered. Spring visits reward guests who focus on the dim sum program and lighter steamed preparations rather than the heavier à la carte proteins. Do not plan your visit around a single dish you had before without checking whether the menu has shifted , at this price tier, assuming continuity is a reliable way to be disappointed.
For regional context on how serious Cantonese kitchens approach seasonal rotation, it is worth knowing that comparable starred rooms , such as Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau and Forum in Hong Kong , build their reputations partly on seasonal menu discipline. Jin Xuan operates in the same tradition, even if its imported-ingredient sourcing gives it more insulation from purely local seasonal swings.
Jin Xuan is hard to book, and that difficulty increases around major Chinese holidays and the high-spend corporate dining calendar (Q4 in particular). For a Saturday dinner with a window table, plan a minimum of three weeks ahead; for Lunar New Year or Golden Week periods, further out is not excessive. The hotel setting means the concierge desk can sometimes facilitate reservations that the online channel cannot , worth knowing if you are staying in the building or have a hotel contact. For comparable Cantonese rooms in Shanghai that are easier to secure, Ji Pin Court and Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine are both worth considering as fallbacks. If your Shanghai itinerary extends to other cities, Xin Rong Ji in Beijing and Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing offer useful reference points for how the broader regional Cantonese fine dining circuit compares.
The ¥¥¥¥ price tier places Jin Xuan firmly at the leading of the Shanghai Cantonese market. Expect to spend significantly per head once you factor in the imported-ingredient dishes and a couple of glasses from the wine list. That spend is justifiable for a special occasion or a business dinner where the view earns its keep; it is harder to justify if you are after direct Cantonese cooking without the hotel-dining premium. For a broader look at where Jin Xuan sits in the Shanghai dining picture, see our full Shanghai restaurants guide. Planning around the meal? Our Shanghai hotels guide and our Shanghai bars guide cover the rest of the evening.
See the comparison section below for how Jin Xuan stacks up against its closest peers in Shanghai.
If Jin Xuan is fully booked or the price tier is not right for this trip, these Shanghai rooms are worth your time: Bao Li Xuan, 102 House, and Ji Pin Court. For Cantonese fine dining elsewhere in the region, Le Palais in Taipei, Imperial Treasure in Guangzhou, and Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu each offer a distinct take on the same tradition. For a vegetarian fine dining option in Shanghai at the same price tier, Fu He Hui is the clear choice. And if you are curious about what the broader Shanghai experience looks like beyond dinner, our Shanghai experiences guide and our Shanghai wineries guide have you covered. Finally, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou is worth a detour if your itinerary has flexibility.
Jin Xuan is a formal hotel dining room, which means it can handle groups , but the setting is better suited to parties of four to eight than large celebratory gatherings. If you are bringing six or more, call ahead and ask specifically about private dining or a dedicated table configuration. Walk-in group seating at this tier is not realistic; the booking difficulty is already high for pairs, and it compounds with group size. For large corporate groups at ¥¥¥¥ pricing in Shanghai, it is worth asking the hotel concierge rather than relying on standard reservation channels.
Jin Xuan is a formal Cantonese dining room in a hotel setting, not a bar-forward venue. There is no indication of a bar counter where you can eat the full menu informally. If you want a more casual Cantonese entry point in Shanghai without the full dining commitment, consider a lower-tier option rather than arriving at Jin Xuan hoping to perch at a bar. The room is designed for seated, paced dining , that is where the experience holds up.
The kitchen works with premium imported proteins as core menu anchors , Australian black cod, New Zealand lobster , so pescatarians will find more options than strict vegetarians. For serious dietary restrictions, contact the restaurant directly before booking rather than raising it at the table; at ¥¥¥¥ and Michelin-starred, kitchens at this level generally have the capability to accommodate, but they need advance notice to do it properly. If a fully vegetarian Cantonese-adjacent fine dining meal in Shanghai is what you need, Fu He Hui at the same price tier is the better-structured choice.
Within Cantonese fine dining in Shanghai, Ji Pin Court and Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine are the most direct alternatives at a slightly lower price tier (¥¥¥), and both are easier to book. If you want Shanghainese rather than Cantonese and a significantly lower spend, Yè Shanghai at ¥¥ is a credible option. For fine Chinese dining without the hotel premium, Royal China Club at ¥¥¥ is worth considering. Jin Xuan's specific combination of Michelin credential, Pudong view, and premium imported-ingredient focus has no direct match in the city , if any one of those three factors is not important to you, one of the alternatives will likely serve you better.
Yes , it is one of the stronger special-occasion choices in Shanghai at the ¥¥¥¥ tier. The view over the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline does real work for a celebratory meal, and the Michelin 1 Star (2024) gives it a credential that matters to guests who want the occasion to feel legitimised beyond just the price tag. The formal pace suits anniversaries and milestone dinners better than birthday parties that want noise and energy. Book a window table when you make the reservation, not when you arrive.
The database does not confirm a tasting menu format at Jin Xuan specifically, so ordering strategy matters. At ¥¥¥¥, you are paying for the kitchen's range and the room's position , the à la carte imported-ingredient dishes (black cod, lobster) are where the Michelin-level ambition is clearest. If you have visited before and worked through the dim sum platter, a return visit is the right time to commit to the more expensive à la carte proteins and a couple of by-the-glass pours from the wine list. That is where the spend justifies itself most directly.
At ¥¥¥¥, Jin Xuan charges a hotel-dining premium on leading of a Michelin 1 Star kitchen. The view and the imported-ingredient program are genuine value drivers; the setting is formal and the experience is slow and considered. It is worth the price if the occasion calls for it, the window table comes through, and you order into the kitchen's strengths rather than defaulting to the safer dim sum options. If you want serious Cantonese cooking in Shanghai without the hotel premium or the view surcharge, Ji Pin Court or Imperial Treasure at ¥¥¥ will give you more kitchen per yuan spent.
Jin Xuan is a Michelin-starred hotel dining room at ¥¥¥¥ , smart casual at a minimum, and business smart is safer for dinner. No database confirmation of a formal dress code, but the room's setting and price point make jeans and trainers a poor choice. Think of it the way you would dress for any top-tier hotel restaurant in Asia: err toward overdressed rather than underdressed, particularly for dinner on a weekend or a special occasion.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jin Xuan | Cantonese | Next to the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, this elegant dining room is perched on an upper floor of a sky-scraping hotel, commanding panoramic views of the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline. The menu covers much ground in Cantonese cuisine, including rare imported ingredients from Australian black cod to New Zealand lobster. The dim sum platter features an assortment of three crowd pleasers. The well-curated wine list has excellent choices by the glass.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Fu He Hui | Vegetarian | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Ming Court | Cantonese | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Royal China Club | Chinese, Cantonese | Unknown | — | |
| Scarpetta | Italian | Unknown | — | |
| Yè Shanghai | Shanghainese | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Jin Xuan measures up.
Jin Xuan is set up for corporate and celebratory dining, and its hotel setting typically means private room options for larger parties. For groups of 6 or more, check the venue's official channels well in advance — Q4 corporate bookings compress availability significantly. The ¥¥¥¥ price tier means per-head spend adds up fast; confirm minimum spend requirements when you enquire.
The venue database does not confirm a standalone bar or counter seating at Jin Xuan. As a Michelin-starred hotel dining room, the format is almost certainly table service. If bar seating is a priority, call ahead — contact details are not publicly listed, so go through the hotel directly.
Cantonese kitchens at Michelin level generally accommodate dietary requests with advance notice, but Jin Xuan's specific policy is not documented. Given the menu's reliance on imported proteins — Australian black cod, New Zealand lobster — vegetarian or allergen-specific requests are worth flagging at the time of booking, not on arrival.
If Jin Xuan is fully booked or the spend is too high, Bao Li Xuan, 102 House, and Ji Pin are Pearl-listed alternatives in Shanghai worth considering. For a different format at a lower price tier, those options also reduce the view premium you are partly paying for at Jin Xuan.
Yes — it is one of the clearer cases where the answer is straightforward. A 2024 Michelin star, panoramic Huangpu River and Pudong skyline views, and a Cantonese menu with imported premium ingredients make it a strong choice for anniversaries, milestone dinners, or high-stakes client meals. The setting does a lot of the work for you.
The database confirms a broad Cantonese menu including dim sum and imported premium ingredients, but specific tasting menu structure and pricing are not documented. At ¥¥¥¥, if a set menu is available, it is likely the format best suited to the kitchen's range — ask when booking whether a chef's selection is on offer.
At ¥¥¥¥ with a 2024 Michelin star and a Pudong skyline setting, Jin Xuan charges a view premium on top of a cooking premium. If you are going for the Cantonese food alone, there are strong Michelin-level alternatives in Shanghai at lower price points. If the occasion calls for both a serious kitchen and a room that makes an impression, the combined case holds up.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
