YongFoo Elite

Is YongFoo Elite worth booking in Shanghai?

Yes — if you want traditional Shanghainese cooking in a setting that most restaurants in the city cannot replicate. Housed in a 1930s former British Consulate building that underwent a three-year restoration, YongFoo Elite combines heritage architecture with a menu of classic Shanghainese dishes, including ancient recipes that are genuinely difficult to find elsewhere. It has appeared on the Opinionated About Dining (OAD) Leading Restaurants in Asia list three consecutive years running, moving from Recommended (2023) to #399 (2024) to #454 (2025), and holds 75 points on La Liste's 2025 global ranking. For a visitor or a Shanghai resident who wants to go deeper into the city's native cuisine, this is a serious option.

What to Expect Across Visits

If you have been once and are thinking about returning, the multi-visit case here is stronger than at most Shanghainese restaurants. The menu covers traditional territory with enough range that a second or third visit can feel materially different depending on what you prioritize.

On a first visit, the braised pork belly with pu'er tea is the dish to anchor your order around. La Liste's notes on the restaurant describe earthy depth and dark soy notes — the tea adds a bitterness that cuts through the fat in a way that straight red-braised versions do not. It is the clearest expression of what makes this kitchen's approach to classic Shanghainese cooking worth the trip.

On a second visit, if the season is right, the hairy crab preparations are the reason to return. La Liste describes the hairy crab roe and crabmeat options as loaded with flavour, these are seasonal dishes tied to autumn, so timing matters. Hairy crab season in Shanghai runs roughly October through December; booking during this window gives you access to preparations that are not available year-round. If you are planning a visit with crab in mind, that is the scheduling constraint to work around.

A third visit is where the wine list becomes relevant. YongFoo Elite carries a curated wine program that La Liste specifically calls out, unusual for a Shanghainese restaurant at this positioning. Pairing wine with braised and soy-forward Shanghainese dishes is a different experience from a Cantonese or French meal, the list here is built to handle it. Worth exploring if you have already covered the core dishes.

For broader context on where to eat in the city, see our full Shanghai restaurants guide. If you are comparing traditional Shanghainese cooking across this restaurant's peer group, Fu 1088, Fu 1039, and Fu 1015 are the obvious Shanghai comparisons, all three operate in the same heritage-villa format and Shanghainese cuisine territory. Lao Zheng Xing and Cheng Long Hang (Huangpu) are the go-to options if you want a less formal take on traditional Shanghainese.

If you are travelling beyond Shanghai and want to benchmark Shanghainese cooking more broadly, Liu Yuan Pavilion in Hong Kong and Shanghai Cuisine in Beijing are the reference points in their respective cities. For other fine Chinese dining in the region, Xin Rong Ji in Beijing, Ru Yuan in Hangzhou, Chef Tam's Seasons in Macau, Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Guangzhou, Xin Rong Ji in Chengdu, and Dai Yuet Heen in Nanjing cover the broader range of serious Chinese cooking in mainland China and the wider region.

Practical Details

YongFoo Elite is located at 200 Yongfu Road, Xuhui District, a tree-lined residential street in the former French Concession. The building itself is part of what you are paying for. Opening hours run 10 AM to 10 PM Monday through Thursday and Sunday, with an earlier opening of 8:30 AM on Friday and Saturday. Booking difficulty is rated easy, but advance reservations are still sensible for weekend dinners and essential during hairy crab season in autumn.

Logistics at a Glance

For planning the rest of your trip, see our Shanghai hotels guide, our Shanghai bars guide, our Shanghai wineries guide, and our Shanghai experiences guide.