The House of Roosevelt
Lan Ni Du, Shanghai
Restaurant in Shanghai, China
The Read
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
The House of Roosevelt delivers one of the Bund's most credible historic settings at 27 East Zhongshan Road; a 1920s landmark that newer Shanghai openings cannot match on physical presence. Booking is accessible relative to Shanghai's top tier, the bar and counter positions make it workable for solo travellers. Worth booking if atmosphere and address are central to your decision.
About The House of Roosevelt
The Bund's Most Storied Address; But Is It the Right Booking?
If you're comparing Bund dining options, The House of Roosevelt at 27 East Zhongshan Road occupies a position that few Shanghai venues can match on sheer setting alone. The building's history; a 1920s Bund landmark that predates most of what passes for heritage in this city, gives the complex a physical presence that newer openings like those tucked into Xintiandi or the West Bund cannot replicate. The question isn't whether the address is impressive. It is. The question is whether that alone earns your evening.
The atmosphere here leans formal and grand rather than intimate or electric. The room has the kind of deep, almost theatre-quiet energy that makes conversation easy but can feel subdued if you're after the buzz that Shanghai's younger dining rooms deliver. This suits a certain kind of booking, a long dinner with someone worth talking to, or a meal where the surroundings are part of what you're paying for, rather than a high-energy group night out. For solo diners or pairs who want to drink in the Bund setting, the counter and bar positions in the Roosevelt complex give you the room's atmosphere without needing to commit to a full formal table. That's genuinely useful if you're travelling alone and want the experience calibrated down slightly.
Booking here is direct relative to the competitive tier Shanghai demands for venues of this address category. You are unlikely to face the week-ahead scramble required for Taian Table or the planning that Fu He Hui requires. That accessibility is a genuine advantage for visitors building an itinerary on a shorter lead time. The Huangpu address at Waitan places you squarely on the Bund, within reach of the broader Shanghai dining circuit, and that context matters if you're structuring a night around more than one stop.
For visitors who want depth alongside their setting, the Roosevelt complex rewards those who research what's currently running across its multiple concepts before arriving, rather than defaulting to the first room you walk into. The building has housed different dining formats over the years, knowing which is operating now is the kind of pre-visit homework that separates a good night from a great one. Check the Shanghai bars guide and hotels guide for how to build the full evening around it.
Explore More Shanghai Dining
- 102 House, Cantonese, Shanghai
- Xin Rong Ji (West Nanjing Road), Taizhou cuisine, Shanghai
- 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Italian, Shanghai
- Taian Table, Modern European, Shanghai
- Fu He Hui, Vegetarian, Shanghai
Further Afield
- Xin Rong Ji (Xinyuan South Road), Beijing
- Ru Yuan, Hangzhou
- Chef Tam's Seasons, Macau
- Xin Rong Ji, Chengdu
- Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine, Guangzhou
- Dai Yuet Heen, Nanjing
- Le Bernardin, New York City
- Lazy Bear, San Francisco
Shanghai Guides
- Full Shanghai restaurants guide
- Full Shanghai hotels guide
- Full Shanghai bars guide
- Full Shanghai wineries guide
- Full Shanghai experiences guide
Planning details
- Location
- 27 Zhongshan Rd (E-1), Waitan, Huangpu, Shanghai, China, 200002
- Website
- 27bund.com
- Phone
- +86 21 2322 0800
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Perched on the Bund, The House of Roosevelt frames its dining within the architecture as much as the kitchen. The 1920s bones—vaulted ceilings and stone facades—announce themselves on arrival, and river-facing rooms capture changing light as dusk falls over the Huangpu. The experience feels deliberately composed: you arrive to a scene as much as a menu, and that sense of place lends the restaurant a scenic, quietly romantic quality. Multiple floors and varied rooms create a measured, classic atmosphere where the building’s history is an active ingredient in the evening.
Best For
The House of Roosevelt suits evenings that hinge on setting as much as on food. It reads naturally for date nights and business dinners where architecture and river views matter, and it functions well for special occasions that benefit from a multi-course, formal approach. The property’s range of entry points—from bar-level visits to full multi-course dinners in river-facing rooms—means the venue can host both an elevated pre-dinner drink and a full formal service, all within the same historic footprint on the Bund.
Ordering Tips
Plan your visit around the progression the house highlights: a bar-level stop offers a lighter way to enter the evening, while moving into a river-facing room lets you experience the multi-course sequence against shifting dusk light. Early courses are described as arriving during that amber hour, so timing your dinner to coincide with sunset enhances the effect. Because the experience is assembled across floors and rooms rather than concentrated in a single dining room, choose the format—bar visit or full dinner—that matches how immersive you want the evening to be.
Planning details
Location
27 Zhongshan Rd (E-1), Waitan, Huangpu, Shanghai, China, 200002 · Directions
Also consider
Also Consider
- Fu He Hui; Vegetarian, ¥¥¥¥
- Ming Court; Cantonese, ¥¥¥
- Polux; French, ¥¥
- Royal China Club; Chinese, Cantonese, ¥¥¥
- Scarpetta; Italian, ¥¥¥
Restaurant context
How It Compares
If your priority is a formal, setting-driven dinner on the Bund, The House of Roosevelt has few direct rivals at this address tier. Fu He Hui (¥¥¥¥) is the stronger choice if you want a kitchen with clear creative ambition and a proven vegetarian tasting menu; but it requires more advance planning and the setting is a garden villa rather than a riverfront landmark. Ming Court (¥¥¥) is a better pick for Cantonese cooking with consistent technical quality and a more predictable booking window. The House of Roosevelt wins on atmosphere and heritage context; neither Ming Court nor Fu He Hui match it on raw address prestige.
For value, Polux (¥¥) is the clearest alternative if your evening is primarily French bistro food rather than destination dining. It delivers a competent meal at meaningfully lower spend, is easy to book on short notice. Scarpetta (¥¥¥) and Royal China Club (¥¥¥) both sit in the mid-tier and are worth considering if you want reliable cooking without committing to a full heritage-address price point. Scarpetta is the better call for Italian; Royal China Club for Chinese and Cantonese with a private-room option that suits groups.
The honest comparison: The House of Roosevelt is the booking to make when the building itself is part of the occasion; a milestone dinner, a client meal where the surroundings signal seriousness, or a first-time Shanghai visit where the Bund setting is non-negotiable. If cooking quality is your primary criterion and setting is secondary, Fu He Hui or Taian Table will likely satisfy more completely.
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Unlock the full The House of Roosevelt guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare The House of Roosevelt
| Venue | Price | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| The House of Roosevelt | No published awards | |
| Fu He Hui | ¥¥¥¥ | 2026 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants · #112026 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #562026 Black Pearl 2 DiamondMichelin Guide Shanghai Jiangsu Zhejiang 20262026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants · #152025 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #592025 World's 50 Best Restaurants · #64We're Smart World Top Restaurants 2025 |
| Ming Court | ¥¥¥ | 2025 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #1692025 Black Diamond 1 Diamond2025 Michelin 1 Star2024 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #1602024 Michelin 1 Star2023 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Highly Recommended |
| Polux | ¥¥ | 2026 OAD Casual in Asia Ranked · #101Michelin Guide Shanghai Jiangsu Zhejiang 20262025 OAD Casual in Asia Ranked · #782025 Michelin Bib Gourmand2024 OAD Casual in Asia Ranked · #652024 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Ranked · #2632024 Michelin Bib Gourmand2023 OAD Top Restaurants in Asia Recommended |
| Royal China Club | ¥¥¥ | 2026 Michelin Plate2025 OAD Casual in Europe Ranked · #216The Good Food Guide 20252025 Michelin Plate2024 OAD Casual in Europe Ranked · #2142024 Michelin Plate2023 OAD Casual in Europe Highly Recommended |
| Scarpetta | ¥¥¥ | Michelin Guide Shanghai Jiangsu Zhejiang 20262025 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence2025 Michelin Plate2024 Michelin Plate |
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A quick look at how The House of Roosevelt measures up.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The House of Roosevelt good for solo dining?
Solo diners can work at The House of Roosevelt, but the address at 27 East Zhongshan Road is set up for occasions, not quick solo meals. If you're eating alone on the Bund, a counter seat at a more focused restaurant will feel less awkward. That said, the setting rewards anyone who wants to sit with a view and take their time.
What are alternatives to The House of Roosevelt in Shanghai?
For plant-focused fine dining, Fu He Hui is the stronger call. If you want Cantonese precision, Royal China Club is the benchmark. Polux suits a French bistro mood on a lighter budget. For Italian on the Bund, Scarpetta is the direct comparison. Ming Court covers Cantonese for groups in a hotel setting.
Is The House of Roosevelt good for a special occasion?
Yes, with caveats. The Bund address at 27 East Zhongshan Road carries genuine occasion weight, few Shanghai venues match it for setting alone. For milestone dinners where atmosphere matters as much as food, it is a credible choice. If the meal itself is the centrepiece, verify the current offering before booking.
What should I order at The House of Roosevelt?
Pearl does not have confirmed current menu data for The House of Roosevelt, so specific dish recommendations would be speculation. Check the venue's current menu directly before visiting. When booking, ask staff which offering is running in the specific outlet you plan to use, as the building houses more than one concept.
What should a first-timer know about The House of Roosevelt?
The address is 27 East Zhongshan Road in Huangpu, a central Bund location accessible from most of central Shanghai. The building houses multiple concepts, so confirm which outlet you are booking and what format it runs. First-timers expecting a single restaurant may be surprised by the scale of the operation.
