Little Shanghai Restaurant

Visited again - updated Their food was great. We tried “weekend special limited donuts and soup”. Shanghai noodle cake was really good. The food is delicious! It’s really crowded and packed with people. The variety of the menu is surprising, you better check the menu and what to order before going there. Yes, the staff was friendly and funny as many people mentioned! 🥟

Love this place. Their food is so flavorful! The pork belly ( Dong Po Pork) is my go to dish every time I visit as it melts in your mouth but it is supper rich …we tried the sweet and sour spare ribs and the were also amazing. Make sure to come hungry…Service is fast and friendly, they are often busy with large groups, but we never had to wait long.

I've been visiting this restaurant for many years when I want Shanghai food. It serves authenticate Shanghai dishes and common chinese dishes. Price is reasonable, and portion is good. The food is yummy. The noise is a bit unbearable because it has a low ceiling, and when people start talking, it is pretty noisy. I like the spicyvpork noodle soup. The xioa long bao is good, but the skin is too thick. The spicy pork stomach is ok. It is kind of boiled and just mixed with the chili sauce. The chinese donut is fresh and crunchy. It seems they have too much msg in one dish. After the meal, I felt thirsty for quite some time.

Fast-paced restaurant with delicious Shanghai food. I would highly recommend their dessert of Mini Sesame Dumplings in Rice Wine Sauce (酒釀). For entrees, #703: Gi Chai w/Bamboo Shoots is my favorite vegetable dish while #301: Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs Shanghai Style. Their dim sum is on the more expensive side, and I found one of their classics #9: Shanghai Fried Pork Buns to not be the most flavorful. The restaurant has a small interior with a low ceiling. There are limited parking spots by the side. The staff are very friendly and speak both English and Chinese. They will even help ladle out soup and pack the food for you!

The service here is great but the food is mediocre at best. I ordered the savory soybean milk, xlb, red bean paste pancake, Shanghai rice roll, and fried pork bun. The soybean milk is not what I'm used to because they put vinegar in there. The doughnut in the rice roll was soggy so I believe they were already pre-made instead of made to order. The xlb didn't have much flavor or broth and the skin is way too thick. The red bean paste tasted like red beans from a can. The fried pork bun also felt like it was fried for a while and the juice was already fully soaked into the bun and not crispy outside. I wouldn't call this authentic Shanghainese food but they do have a lot of varieties for those who want to get a feel of what Shanghainese food is about.

A Shanghainese friend of mine says this is one of the best Shanghainese food he has eaten in the Bay Area after all these years. Also the fact that the owner can just shut down for a month at a time to take vacation overseas says how established they are; customers will and keep coming back.

Finally authentic Chinese food!!!! So happy we found this little gem. We had to wait 15 mins to be seated because of how packed/busy it was but it was worth it. Go with a mind of patience and understanding and you won’t be disappointed. We ordered a lot! Next time we’ll go with a larger group to try more dishes. Can’t wait to go back. This will finally be our go to spot.

I was initially apprehensive to come since I wasn’t chinese, but the owners were super nice and had great service! The food was great, and they were definitely working hard between all of the tables in the restaurant. All the food was amazing, and paired well with the tea. I’ll definitely come back and try their Shanghai dim sum! They offered free flavored peanuts to everyone, which is rare for chinese restaurants.

Our new favorite spot for weekend brunch. We always see a huge crowd in front and a full parking lot in the back so we decided to give it a try. It's definitely packed during lunchtime on the weekends since they have special menu items only available during that time. Their menu is huge with anything from clay pots, noodles, rice cakes, fried fish, lions head meat balls, and dimsum. We've been twice now and have gotten the savory soy milk soup twice (only available weekends), the pan fried pork buns, glutinous rice sui mai, Shanghai rice cakes, steamed rice with preserved pork and veggie clay pot, XLB, spicy wontons, green onion pancake, the savory rice roll, and the most unique thing the puff pastry bun with radish cake inside. The radish cake buns and savory soy milk are must try's imo. I could finish an entire bowl on my own. And it's only $5! Service is wonderful too. Once seated, the wait staff is super friendly, attentive, and even helped us pack up all of our leftovers at the end. Come early when they open if you don't want to wait!

Service is so amazing. Every single worker was so nice and friendly, noticeably accommodating each table with care and positive attitude. Food was alright! Noodles were chewy but lacked a bit of flavor. XLB & Pan fried dumplings also lacked flavor. Rice roll - the Chinese donut was soggy and usually the ones I've had are crispy. Wine chicken 10/10! I feel like if we tried the more traditional dishes they could be better than the ones we ordered

All the food was amazingly delicious. Will revisit this restaurant and would highly recommend. C. Bedford Palo Alto, CA

This restaurant is two blocks away from the Thai massage. After our amazing massage we came here to enjoy our lunch. We ordered the Xiao long bao, string beans, savory soy milk, and Pork & Pickled Veg with rice cake. The food is tasty but the food portion is kinda small. Customer service is okay. :)

Food is deliciously sacred (x Xiao Long Bao (8), Shanghai Style Rice Cake, & Shanghai Style Chow Mein as well as Sweet Soybeans Milk with (X2) Chinese Donut per appetizer starter with Shanghai style pork buns (6) ^-^

Little Shanghai Restaurant is my faveee spot for Shanghainese food in the Bay. Every time I've been, they're always packed. And the food always hits. The Shanghai style salted pork and veg rice in a clay pot is the besttt. Nice salty flavor which seeps into the rice and the perfect crisp on the edge from the clay pot. It is so yummy. I also rlly like the braised meatballs. Part of it might be I just love the name for Shanghainese braised meatballs. In Chinese, it literally translates to lion head, which just sounds so cool lol I also first heard the name in a drama as a kid so there might be a nostalgia factor there. Anyways, the meatballs here have a great consistency and texture. They are nice and soft but not too soft and have a great flavor. I also like how they come with some veg. I think they usually come with Shanghai bokchoy, but maybe they ran out today, so they came with spinach, which was still good. Nicely blanched and not over cooked. Their xiao long bao are pretty standard and not a huge standout. The meat filling is good and there is a good amount of savory soup in each dumping. However, the skin of the dumpling is a bit thicker than I prefer. Still, it does the trick when I'm craving xlb and also want other Shanghainese dishes.

Authentic Shanghainese food in San Mateo! Friendly staff and food that will keep you coming back for more! Very old feel with the complimentary tea and large round tables for families. Staff makes you feel at home and offers suggestions. Food is very authentic and definitely worth the visit!

Great food great service The dumplings are amazing authentic Chinese food the food I can't tell you how good it is because it's fantastic

Little Shanghai Restaurant was chosen as the location for our group lunch while we were recently visiting relatives in the Bay Area. It's a mom-and-pop type of place in San Mateo that was pretty busy when we arrived. There was sufficient seating in the dining area for about 50 customers. Nearby parking was all curbside which made it challenging since we were unfamiliar with the area and had to park further away and then walk over. The offerings were vast for a small kitchen. It wasn't purely Shanghainese cuisine, however with a ten-page menu, you could easily find items to fit your palate. I did notice the unique title on one page that was unfamiliar to me. Jiang Nan Reminiscent Dishes was the English translation. Since my cousin picked this place, we also let her do the ordering for our party of eight. We ended up with the following... * Shanghai Style Rice Cake with Beef * Pan Fried Noodles with Shrimp * Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs Shanghai Style * Pig's Ear with Five-Spice Sauce * Pig's Kidney Flowers with Soy Sauce * Pig's Stomach Strips in Sesame Sauce * Cabbage and Diced Pork Noodle Soup * Pork and Cabbage Dumplings * Spicy Wontons * Xiao Long Bao The three pig organ dishes were certainly more exotic and not appetizers I would have selected. The wontons looked spicy, but the heat factor did not match the fiery appearance. It was a tie between the pan fried noodles and the noodle soup for my favorite dish of the meal. What impressed me was how quickly the cooks prepared the items. The servers brought them to our table in a rapid fashion. I think we ordered too much although I believe taking home plenty of leftovers was part of the plan. For the quality of food we ate, the prices were very reasonable, hence a four star rating.

My fiancé and I have been eyeing this restaurant for some time (3+ years...). We'd always drive by, see it full of diners and give it the old, "we should try this place some time!". I'm happy to report that "some time" finally happened yesterday night and we we're glad we finally gave it a shot! While busy, street parking is pretty easy to find. The waitstaff were very friendly and after a short wait, we were seated. Normally, I wouldn't be one to say anything about roasted/salted peanuts that occasionally show up as a complimentary Chinese dinner appetizer, but these peanuts - of all things - were exceptional! They were served in a really unique seaweed salted seasoning/rub. I've never considered asking for seconds on peanuts but yesterday would've been the time had I been slightly more shameless. We ordered the five spice pig ear, Shanghai rice cakes, green onion pancake and soup dumpling/xiao long bao. Thinly sliced and packed with flavor, the pig ear was definitely the best dish. While the rice cake was a nice compliment to the meal, I thought it was a bit bland. The green onion pancake was a bit doughy and perhaps under but that's exactly how I like it (possible unpopular opinion).as for the soup dumplings, I thought they were decent. Served fresh with nice soupy/juicy bites. We plan to come back some time and try the salted pork clay pot rice and the Shanghai spare ribs!

Good food... great small biz. Go! But check to make sure it's open cuz they like going on vacation

Little Shanghai has been our go-to Shanghainese restaurant. Quick and good service as usual. -Shanghai style Chow Mein: the kind of noodle that's thick, dry and wok-fried. Can't be a bit greasy but it's so good! -Sauteed prawns Shanghai style: Shanghai style in this dish means lightly stir-fried small shrimp that comes with side vinegar to dip in. I think they are shrimp, not prawn. -Sweet and sour spare ribs Shanghai style: this is a must-order dish. Super tender spare ribs cooked in sweet and sour sauce. It goes well with white rice. -Preserved veg with fried beans: this type of beans are called "Can Dou". It's not easy to find them unless in Asian grocery store maybe. Also our favorite dish. -Shanghai Fried Pork Bun (Sheng Jian Bao): not too impressive. the bottom is crispy enough. We will come back soon.

Authentic Shanghai's food. My family comes here for big and small celebrations because it never disappoints. We always ordered the same dishes however this time we tried a number of different items and they were delicious as well. The service: can be brusque when it's very busy but like everything else, when you show respect and understanding to others they reciprocate. I find the waiters were always nice even the seemingly stern lady owner. She was so kind to offer us a desert for we have a 90 year birthday girl among us. Prices very reasonable. Food are always good.

Authentic shanghai restaurant to cure hometown craving! Food is definitely five star as long as you know a few dishes to avoid. I've been three times so far and all the appetizers, soup and stir fly we've tried are delicious! I'll stay away from pan fried dumpling and Shanghai noodle as there are so many better dishes to order at this place. The price is also reasonable. The interior is mediocre but the floor is not sticky :) If you dine in, don't expect quality services. They were too busy (short of staff) to be friendly and quick to request. Just adjust your expectations before come - you're here for the great shanghai food at reasonable price, not the service.

For our last minute dinner plans, we decided to meet up with our family members at the Little Shanghai Restaurant situated in San Mateo. Although the service was a bit slow, the restaurant was bustling with people, which is always a great sign, especially when you're celebrating the Lunar New Year with your loved ones. We were excited to try out some of the authentic Shanghainese dishes, and we ordered several plates to share. Unfortunately, we were so thrilled with the taste and aroma that we couldn't even take photos of the food before it was all gone. One of the standout dishes of the night was the bean curd with Ma Lan vegetables. The vegetables were delightfully fresh and had a subtle yet excellent flavor that complemented the bean curd perfectly. It was undoubtedly the highlight of our dining experience at the Little Shanghai Restaurant.

My friend came here before and recommended this place to try again. We got different dishes than what he had last time to branch out a bit more. Shanghai Fried Pork Buns ($10.95): Unfortunately, these were pretty disappointing :( The dough is thick and soaks up a lot of the soup and the meat was a bit flavorless. They did achieve a crispy bottom though. I would stick to iShanghai or Dumpling Home if I was craving these in the Bay. Spare Sweet And Sour Spareribs Shanghai Style ($11.95): These were pretty solid! Tender and good flavor. I will say they were a bit sweeter than I would've preferred. Shanghai Style Rice Cake ($13.95): This was my favorite dish that I had for the meal. Super authentic tasting and it had just the right amount of flavor without being too salty. Overall, the atmosphere is cozy and the service is busy, but still very accommodating. There are definitely other Shanghai / Chinese restaurants in the area that serve comparable food, but I would still come back to try more items!

Food is good but a little bit pricey. Might come back to try their other menu specially the soup.

Got takeout for dinner. The buns took longer to complete. Noodles were good. Yuxiang qiezi very tasty. Definitely will be back for more next time

The prices have gone up considerably over the years, but this is still the place for Shanghai food. It's loud and don't expect good service. But if you like Shanghai food, I don't know a better spot. I find that people order a ton of items here, whereas I tend to stick with the dim sum options. It feels like it's closed pretty often for random vacations or something. It always seems like business is good and the spot is crowded when it's open, so hopefully this spot isn't going anywhere.

We've been eating here for years . The food is consistently good . It used to be really busy but maybe it was an off night when we came . Their steamed dumplings are always good . The Shanghai rice cake dish is well done . The clay pot rice is also good . Be warned ... sometimes they closed for long vacation ! Check before going .

I wish I could give this restaurant 6 stars! We ordered takeout from here and brought it back to our AirBNB and every entree was amazing! My in-laws loved the authentic dishes here. We ordered the sweet and sour spare ribs, pork bamboo bok choy tofu soup, bok choy rice, shrimp, Shanghai style rice cake nian gao, and xiao long bao (soup dumplings). The soup, boy choy rice, and xiao long bao were my favorites of the meal, but honestly everything was SO delicious. I want to come back to try the Shanghai fried pork (sheng jian bao) buns, savory soybean milk, which look so juicy and crispy, and the siu mai!

Highly capable chef in an over-crowded restaurant. Herein, I share dishes that I think Little Shanghai does better than other Shanghai restaurants I have tried in the bay area. I'm impressed by the deep fried dishes such as whole fish in vinegar (sour and sweet) that had crispy skin and looked more festive and sculptural than most Shanghai food (usually stewed and limp looking--but that's the nature of Jiang Nan cuisine). Even the spring rolls were a treat (after I sent them back for being cold in the center--they returned with a fresh order) because they have sauce inside instead of being dry (I wish there was more pork in the meat version--why not charge another dollar--but I am grateful that Little Shanghai includes the sauce that 99% of other restaurants leave out). A special order dish, 8 fortune stuffed duck, is like Thanksgiving turkey because it's stuffed with seasoned rice (that I wish was a bit more interesting), but distinguished by duck meat that tastes smoky and its skin that is crisp. An excellent Shanghai appetizer is wine chicken that possesses intriguing flavor without alcohol aftertaste (and is served in an unexpected, vase-like covered bowl that, unfortunately, was instantly overwhelmed by other dishes). I will skip over other items, such as the credible sauteed prawns Shanghai style and Dong Po pork, because other restaurants do them about as well. My current favorite at Little Shanghai is the duck soup with bamboo shoots and ham because the broth is infused with flavor and yet the main ingredients retain their own. If Yelp allowed numerical rankings Little Shanghai would be 4.5 for me because tables and chairs are uncomfortably crowded (but despite the congestion, the servers--though rushed--are very accommodating).

The service here is great but the food is mediocre at best. I ordered the savory soybean milk, xlb, red bean paste pancake, Shanghai rice roll, and fried pork bun. The soybean milk is not what I'm used to because they put vinegar in there. The doughnut in the rice roll was soggy so I believe they were already pre-made instead of made to order. The xlb didn't have much flavor or broth and the skin is way too thick. The red bean paste tasted like red beans from a can. The fried pork bun also felt like it was fried for a while and the juice was already fully soaked into the bun and not crispy outside. The inside is pretty old and things don't feel the cleanest but that's to be expected for this kind of Chinese restaurant that has been around. I wouldn't call this authentic Shanghainese food but they do have a lot of varieties for those who want to get a feel of what Shanghainese food is about.

Fast-paced restaurant with delicious Shanghai food. I would highly recommend their dessert of Mini Sesame Dumplings in Rice Wine Sauce (酒釀). For entrees, #703: Gi Chai w/Bamboo Shoots is my favorite vegetable dish while #301: Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs Shanghai Style. Their dim sum is on the more expensive side, and I found one of their classics #9: Shanghai Fried Pork Buns to not be the most flavorful. The restaurant has a small interior with a low ceiling. There are limited parking spots by the side. The staff are very friendly and speak both English and Chinese.

It feels like small family restaurant owned. Ambiance is decent and clean. Service is nice, Asian hospitality. Food is very close taste like food in Shanghai China. Most of their customers are repeated clients. My only problems are only provide few parking space in front of their restaurant. Which is not good for tourists. Location also weird spot. Overall is pleasant to try, if you like Shanghai Chinese food.

Seems authentic, as far as I can tell with my limited knowledge. Mature, friendly service. I enjoyed the strain beans and chicken with a side of rice. Be careful. The tea water can be scalding. Limited parking behind the restaurant in the alley.

Came to Little Shanghai for a late lunch on a weekend. We ordered the rice cakes, soup dumplings, drunken chicken, and salted pork rice. Everything was good except the soup dumplings. They were quite doughy, didn't have any soup inside, and interestingly were the last item to arrive. Everything else was enjoyable and reasonably priced. Service was decent, and the restaurant wasn't too packed when we arrived, so we were seated immediately.

So I came here for the lunch plate. I ordered super last minute like an a hole buuuuut they were super sweet and accommodating. The chowmein is delicious They give you egg drop soup and an egg roll The only reason I give it 4 stars out of 5 was because the actual chicken portion of the plate is very very small

Definition of hole in the wall! Such a small restaurant, you may miss it by driving by too quick. However their food is great! We ordered the twice cooked pork, dan dan noodles, sweet and sour spareribs, and the braised pork with mustard greens. Everything was exceptionally delicious. We ordered these 4 dishes for take out and the total was around $70. I've read a lot of complaints about the service here, but it's a hole in the wall Chinese spot, the service will never be that good. The thing about Chinese restaurants is that you are here for the food not the service. (Get takeout to avoid bad service) Anyways, i will be back.

Been going here for years. Food is very authentic, I recommend the appetizers like the onion pancake, dumplings and beef noodle soup. Service is always friendly - a lot of them speak Cantonese

Drove down from San Francisco with the family to eat here, as it's one of my mom's favorite Shanghainese restaurants. The restaurant is really small with only a few tables inside, and their restroom doesn't even fit inside the restaurant - it's in a small outhouse around the corner and in the back of the restaurant. I'm not really sure what the names of the dishes are since I left my mom do the ordering, BUT some high/low lights: - Appetizer fried fish: The big thing here! Fried to perfection and the meat was so tender, and it's easy to separate the bones. - Appetizer marinated fish: Pretty salty, it's a cold dish. Would've tasted better warm. - Appetizer tofu: Good as well, it's another cold dish and it's so tempting to eat all of this as you wait for the rest of your food to come. - Wonton soup: Ok, the soup base was a bit bland, and the wontons don't have much filling. - Xiao Long Bao: Meh. The wrapper skin was really thick and there wasn't much soup inside. - Sheng Jiang Bao: Same criticism of the XLB - thick breading, not much soup inside, and the bottoms weren't crispy.

A solid family-owned Shanghainese restaurant this is. Tattered through the years is their interior. A line there was of picking up and making takeout orders. Quickly seated we were. Service was fine. A huge menu to ponder over. And, as forewarned, a long wait there was to each dish arriving to our table. While tasty were their "Braised Pork Meatballs", "Leeks with Eel", and, "Gi Chai with Bean Curd Sheet"; what I'll remember most is their classically prepared vinegary sauce, marvelously sticky: "SWEET & SOUR SPARERIBS SHANGHAI STYLE". CHEERS!

Just want to post this to let everyone know they are closed for now. The food here is always good. Just came here last week to find out they are taking time off for now.

I went to the restaurant recently , ordered Qing jiao Xiang gan Rou si (shredded Pork w/ smoked tofu and green pepper）. This is the first time I revisited the restaurant since the pandemic. I was very disappointed. You can see the picture I attached, there are only a few slices of green pepper and small amount of pork, most is Tofu. And the price went to so high $17.49. I saw they are working hard to take care customers, so I still gave them $1 tip. Watching their food qualities, especially when they are no lack customers. Hope this helps!

Food is good and I love soup here and Shanghai meal. Recommend this place to Chinese people who love Shanghai cuisine.

Great Shanghainese food! Had the best Sheng Jian Bao I've had in the bay with a great outer shell and a fresh pork filling. We also ordered the fish head soup which had a good creamy soup with lots of meat on the fish. In addition, the fresh water prawns and drunk chicken were great! Both were tender and well seasoned. All in all, definitely one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in the bay and would visit again.

Best Shanghai cuisine in the bay area. I just wish they can open more locations. Definitely gonna go aback and try many other dishes on the menu. Recommend going in a big group so you can order a variety of dishes.

Food is excellent, we ordered the soup, Tung Ball pork ( this the best I have eaten, definitely will come back), Red and green pepper stirred fry with pork tummy(?) and salted pork and green with rice in clay pot. This is the first time we try this restaurant after COVID. They keep doing what is good before and done better. Big compliment to the chef

Everything good here. The best XLB and green onion cake. Food is delicious Service is tops. Parking is easy. Go there often.

still pretty good with more affordable prices now in 2024, pork kidney, wine chicken, Jellyfish Salad, shanghai vegetable rice(in clay pot) all pretty good friendly service beef tendon in a clay pot was okay though, overcooked without much texture left

Maybe they changed the chef? Used to be a lot better pre 2020 times! This clay pot rice was burnt and had the smell and taste throughout the meal. Shanghai noodles were good but not the sautéed eggplant. They are still busy and have a loyal customer base.

I've been here many times. The food was not bad, but not the best either. However, the staffs are very nice and helpful. One of my favorite dish is their drunken chicken. I also like their 上海菜飯. Their dumplings are ok. Price is not bad and the portion is good. Parking is a minor issue coz not a lot of street parking around the area. Overall, it's not a local place to dine in.

Hidden gem - Authentic Chinese - this is the place all the Chinese-Americans go to, b/c they know it's the real deal. The service gets a little distracted (b/c their busy), but they are friendly and quick - and the food is good.

Very authentic Shanghainese cuisine- highly recommended. 糖醋排骨，腌笃鲜，三丝，酱鸭，马兰头，生煎，小笼包，鲫鱼，菜饭，酒酿桂花小丸子。

The food portion is quite small. Clay pot feels like half portion. Gets busy after 6pm on weekends.

I was in the mood for some Shanghai dumplings so gave this place a try. Nice, friendly service but underwhelming dumplings that lacked taste.

Me and my husband love this place! People here are amazing and they have great authentic Chinese food. We go here often and highly recommend this place!

Excellent food, service great, parking a little difficult. It's still recommended to visit. Authentic food.

Wonderful nice and cozy place for good ol' Shanghainese food! Brings me back to my childhood. Claypot rice is divine while Shanghai soup dumplings are very juicy. Service is always great and friendly. All wait staff and owners are super friendly.