SHANGHAI, CHINA: Vegetarian Restaurants

by Heather Hopkins Clement

I’ve been researching vegetarian restaurants in Shanghai, and this is what I have found so far:

Anna Maya Vegetarian

Neighborhood:  Luwan

3 Taojiang Lu (Hengshan Lu) Shanghai, China 200031

Phone:  (86-21) 6433-4602

Zagat Review:  “At last, Shanghai vegetarians, vegans and macrobiotic mavens have a Zen-like Luwan hangout in this homey, Japanese-owned all-day cafe located in a renovated French Concession cottage and serving meticulously crafted, meat-free midpriced meals plus pies and juices; a melange of Buddhist statuettes, antique wooden tables, art-deco furnishings and silk cushions sets the stage, while the soundtrack drifts from smooth jazz to Gregorian chants.”

Gong De Lin Vegetarian Restaurant

Address:  No.43 Huanghe Road  Telephone:  86 21 63270218

MyTravelGuide Review:  Gong De Lin was established in 1922 as Beijing's first vegetarian restaurant. Its food is of the Buddhist "imitation flesh" variety ' using vegetables, mushrooms and tofu to construct dishes bearing an uncanny resemblance to their animal product namesakes, but completely without meat. The shrimp balls, for example, taste mightily real. The "short chicken with crisp skin" (CNY60, a more expensive dish) is delicious. The finest dish is the silken pineapple: delicately battered, then caramelized and served very hot. The main dining hall is downstairs, with three private themed dining rooms occupying the upper level. Beer, wine and spirits are available.

Vegetarian Lifestyle

• 77 Songshan Lu, 1st fl. (Huaihai Zhong Lu) Shanghai, China 200021  Phone:  6384-8000

• 258 Fengxian Lu (Nanjing Xi Lu) Shanghai, China  (86-21) 6215-7566

• 848 Huangjincheng Dao (Shuicheng Nan Lu) Shanghai, China  (86-21) 6275-1798

Zagat Review:  “Traditional” Chinese dishes mainly “prepared with vegetables” fill out the menu of this “pleasant” mini-chain where they do a good enough job to “fool the most discernable carnivore” while supplying real “value for your money”; P.S. in keeping with the overall “healthy” mindset, the “no-smoking rules are strictly enforced” here.

If you have others to add to the list, please let me know.  I hope to sample one or two when I am in Shanghai soon, so I’ll give you my take on them later.