Best Burgers in Shanghai: Where to Look

The best burgers in Shanghai are concentrated in the Former French Concession, the plane-tree-lined grid of Xuhui and Huangpu where Western restaurants and bars have long gathered, and in Jing’an, around Jing’an Temple and West Nanjing Road. Xintiandi, the Bund and Lujiazui in Pudong add hotel and mall options aimed at office workers and visitors.

Western food has had a place in Shanghai since the foreign concessions of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the city’s large international community keeps demand for beef burgers steady. Local habits still set the rhythm of the day. Breakfast is shengjian bao, pan-fried pork buns with a crisp base, or a jianbing pancake from a street cart, and the burger is mostly a lunch or evening meal. Paying is done almost entirely by phone, through Alipay or WeChat Pay, and both apps now accept foreign bank cards.

Burgers in Shanghai: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: the Former French Concession (Xuhui), Jing’an, Xintiandi, the Bund and Lujiazui.
• Local specialty: shengjian bao and xiaolongbao, the soup dumpling that comes from Nanxiang, in Shanghai’s north-west.
• Currency: renminbi yuan (CNY).
• Paying: Alipay and WeChat Pay; carry a little cash as a backup.
• Getting around: the Shanghai Metro reaches every area above. Lines 1 and 10 serve the Former French Concession.

Every guide we publish on Shanghai is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse our burger restaurant guides by city.