Shanghai Restaurant

We went to the Shanghai restaurant on Saturday for a meal and Karaoke hosted by China Doll. the food was delicious. I had never been there before and was surprised. We know quite a few of the restaurants in Ottawa's China town. The service was friendly and accommodating. We had a few special diets with us and all left feeling well fed. KAraoke was fun. I will return and have already sent some people over.

Nice place to be vibrant and food taste great. You can enjoy comfort food with work colleague or friends for a nigth Out and of course China Doll will stop buy for a quick visit to make sure everyone is well served with a karaoke nigth until 2am and price $#Bon appétit 😎😀

I went to this place not knowing what I was getting in to. I'm not a big Karaoke person, and my party and I were kind of shy but the MC made us all so comfortable. The ambiance was great, the food (Ginger Beef) was awesome. The on-tap local organic beer was flawless and I ended up addicted to the whole karaoke thing. Once you sing your first song, you just wanna sing more! I'd recommend this place to anyone wanting to experience something awesome. Family operated and super nice staff, no complaints. Would do again!

A really wonderful restaurant! I've been there once for Karaoke night which was fabulous. I also attended a vegan dinner at this restaurant which included a lot of fun sharing plates. The food was delicious and classic! And of course, the lovely China Doll is a pleasure to see :)

We were here for karaoke on a Saturday night. It was really well done and the environment was perfect for it. It was a little crowded and as far as the karaoke goes I wish they had a monitor so you could hear yourself singing and stay in tune. Overall great place to go, would return!

A true landmark in Ottawa. I recall ordering from Shanghai as a child and the owner would walk to my house to deliver. It was expensive back then too... I recall my father paying 60.00 in the 80's. But, top quality food now too. Great place, always good food and service! Nice to see it is still around and doing well.

Loved the food. The service was warm and the decor was fantastic. Going on Saturday night during kareoke guarentees a fun time, with a range of enthusiastic singers belting out their favorite songs with China Doll helping everyone along the way.

It’s a Bingo and Karaoke’s night! Old fashioned, open to late and cosy. Such nice people. Love it!

I LOVE this place! I was introduced to Shanghai by a close girlfriend and her boyfriend a few years ago and to this day, it's still one of my favourite restaurants! Shanghai holds many events, like concerts, karaoke nights, dances, art sales, and bingo. They are also GLBTQI-friendly :) It's supposedly the first Chinese restaurant in Ottawa's Chinatown, completely renovated of course. The mood now is very intimate. It has red walls and is dimly lit, definitely a lounge kind of feel, but more comfortable. The sign itself is a work of art on its own, along with the painting on the side of the building, and all of the art that is showcased inside. Many local artists have put canvases and photographs on sale at Shanghai. They are usually hung up on the walls or placed in a long glass case beside the bar with small price tags beside them. I've had a few friends sell their graffiti and paintings here, and everyone gets to see them while eating and/or drinking, so it's a great way to get your art out there! Even Shanghai's washrooms are like one big mural. I've been here too many times to count! Even though it's a restaurant/lounge, it is family owned and you still get that home-y feel with the servers and staff - they're all incredibly sweet. They even have an e-mail list you can be added to, if you wish to get updates on their menu and events. Sometimes a DJ is playing some lounge beats, but never too loud. It's a great place to have a 1-on-1 dinner with someone. My favourite dishes are their Spicy Mint Noodles and General Tao's Chicken. The noodles are just a bit charred and the dish has plenty of fried tofu and vegetables in a chili-black bean sauce. The mint is a great touch. Incredibly tasty, especially for you vegetarians! Their General Tao's Chicken is one of the best I've tasted. It's not too sweet, not too hot, and there's plenty of it. It's fried crispy before a ton of sauce is poured all over it.. mmmm! As a bonus, if you're not into spicy food, you can ask for both of these dishes to be 'not spicy', and still enjoy the flavour. Word to the wise - their lychee martini has both amazing lychee flavour and extreme potency. Beware!

I went here for the first time with a group of girlfriends and we had a great time. Shanghai, as the name suggests, is a Chinese restaurant offering a mix of traditional and popular Asian dishes. It's been around since the 70's and their claim to fame is that they were the first Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. More importantly though, they are home to the legendary Saturday night karaoke party hosted by over the top drag queen extraordinaire, China Doll. Being a family owned restaurant everyone gets involved which adds to the intimate house party feel of the place. Food-wise, the menu is pretty good. We ordered dumplings to start and shrimp pad thai, general tao chicken, coconut curry chicken and crispy beef to share. I think I would sum up the food as ordinary but good and site the dumplings and crispy beef as the stand out items. All washed down with a refreshing (and generously sized) Sapporo beer- ahhh! They also do lunch and take away so you can satisfy your crave just about anytime of day!

The crispy beef, lemon chicken, and egg rolls are TO DIE FOR. I also love the dim, red-lit vibe with lots of local art decorating the walls. Cocktail list is fun. Service is sometimes hit and miss but it's never awful. It's just a chill, fun place to eat chinese food that actually has flavor and isn't a bunch of watery vegetables in chicken broth. There's Karaoke on Saturday night with China Doll. Awesome.

I love the Shanghai mainly because of China Doll and the community building she does in Ottawa. We have eaten their a few times and some times were better than others. They have some really delicious fruit drinks as well as coconut curry dishes. Saturday night karaoke is really fun and I am not a karaoke lover at all. I highly recommend it. They have tomes of songs to choose from. China Doll makes everyone a star.

Holy funny experience! My bf hates karoke singers and when we arrived the drag queen came out and practically pulled us out on stage. It was great for some laughs..especially watching how disturbed bf was by the drag queen! The Chinese food was really pretty bad.

Go for the karaoke and bingo. Do not expect good things or good service if you order any food. Our order was screwed up, the food was either too bland, too oily, or too sweet, and it took way too long to get it. Friendly staff though.

So annoyed by this place!!! Went for dinner with friends. Food was good enough but we ended up paying through the nose! About $25 per person! I think the waiter was sneaky and upsold us on items. When we ordered our dishes he said something along the lines of "and I'll put you down for rice with that" and then he said "and tea?" and we all said "yes". Then when we got our bills we were each charged several dollars for both rice and tea. He made it sound like rice was included with our meal instead of being an addition. Had this been the case, we would not have each ordered our own huge bowls of rice and would have shared. Also, being charged to share a pot of green tea that would be free anywhere else along this strip of Somerset is ludicrous! I feel so ripped off!! Never again!

Shanghai is one of the most famous Chinese restaurants in Ottawa. It is small, and has a very small selection of food. It's mostly a drinking place, and the last drink I remember ordering was a chocolate martini, which was very chocolaty. The food is fancy, but when I ordered a tofu dish, I believe they put some chicken in with it, which is pretty undesirable for a vegetarian dish. I don't suggest going for the food. However the atmosphere is very cool. Dark reds fill the dim lit room. It's one of the few places in Ottawa that pays attention to it's atmosphere. I also don't suggest going on any day other than Saturday, and to go around 7:00pm, if not a bit earlier to get a good seat. China (Ottawa's most famous gay performer) is the star of a really funny karaoke show. She gives a display of serious talent, mixed with serious silliness. The show involves other people getting up to sing, though it's not a karaoke bar, so the regulars are few and far between, or they have something better to do on a Saturday night. China goes through a few wardrobe changes through the show, and most are quite over the top. Other stuff happens at Shanghai as well, but this happens every week, so get your ass in there and experience China.

Had a good time for karaoke at Shanghai.. People and staff were very friendly.. Other time I was there I had takeout and was good.. Will be back to review this another time when I actually have dinner there. Is a cozy family owned business.. In the heart of chinatown..

Super amazing owner and staff! We go to karaoke for an always amazing time, the drinks are reasonably cheap and they serve food till late, would highly recommend for people wanting a laid back vibe.

Shanghai has always been our go to for great takeout, and the best karaoke in town, but this week they proved to be even more special. Our family suffered a terrible loss early in the new year, and I asked them to cater the party after the funeral. They were so kind and understanding, and when they delivered the food, I even got a hug. Thx guys. You're the best. You made an almost unbearable situation almost bearable.

5 stars for Shanghai karaoke because this is a guaranteed night of fun. The staff is super chill (and great singers!), the song selection is excellent, beers are decently priced, the kitchen is open late and China Doll is certainly one heck of a host. Really, really fun.

This place should have a large red sign sign on the front door on Saturday nights: WARNING! STUPID KARAOKE SHOW AS OF 9 PM! This place should NOT assume everyone knows about this going in. We went in there unsuspectingly around 8:30, ordered our food and a beer. By 9, no food had arrived yet, but all of a sudden this large Drag Queen came out belting out tunes very badly and the godawful karaoke show began. Our table was right next to the "stage" and the whole thing was an appalling attack on our senses. If this is your cuppa tea, fine, enjoy, but it's the last thing you expect when going out for a decent Chinese meal. they should close the kitchen and just be a bar with snacks during this so-called show. The service was distracted, slow and inattentive. The food was mediocre and the portions smaller than most comparable places. The dumplings and General Tao's chicken were ok. The steamed rice portion was ridiculously small. The vegetable stir fry with hoisin sauce had an unpleasant burnt aftertaste. We hardly touched it. We were never asked how things were. Dishes arrived at odd intervals. We were halfway thru our chicken before any rice arrived and the veg dish arrived after that. It took ten minutes to get a glass of water. We could not have a conversation because of the loud music and "singers". For a great Chinese meal with no nonsense, try the Jadeland a few doors down.

This review is solely for the karaoke since I didn't try their food. Saturday night, after dinner, my friends and I decided to find a karaoke bar. We found this place with the awesome drag queen China Doll. the place was packed and had a great atmosphere and lots of fun. We ended up screeching a few songs out before we left satisfied. Like I said, I don't know about the food, but if you're looking for a karaoke bar, this is the place to go!

Dishes lacked flavour. Overuse of sauces. I think this place is popular for their karaoke than their food. Gets very crowded after 21:30. Good for friends gathering but we wouldn't return

Tried to kill me with shrimp. Extremely allergic. I DO NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL. Could have been in the hospital.and to top it all off. "THEY NEW" Also the waiter was slow and extremely RUDE !!!!!

I love, love, love the Shanghai! Is the food the cheapest in Chinatown? No. Is it the most authentic? No. Best Asian fusion? Debatable. However, the owners have created a really unique lounge vibe here with their kitschy take on Chinese decor. The sister and brother owners are supporters of the arts, and good, good people who have made the Shanghai their own playful venue with a tasty asian fusion menu, disco bingo and karaoke nights complete with their very own house drag queen Chinadoll. The atmosphere is always very welcoming and the food is above average for Chinatown, and only slightly more expensive than the So Good down the street.

I loved it! I went several years ago and had a great time; it is definately a unique experience.

You had better have an open mind and be ready for fun. This place is unique and it's out and proud to tell you! The capacity of the room is maybe 50 people. The song book has always been good for me. I've seen some people bring their own karaoke discs and they'll play them. The host is a drag-performer called China Doll and she will tell you the what-what. I don't really go for the food but rather the late night drink and revel. It's nice that it's small enough that the crowd usually gets friendly and you don't have to wait long for your song choice to come up.

The worlds worst food and service. The best Karaoke Ottawa has to offer. Since I review food, I say one star, but since I LOVE karaoke, I will bump that up to two. Do with this information what you will, but what I recommend is to walk one door down, eat at Mekong, and go to the karaoke at Shanghai after you've already eaten.

Food wasn't anything like authentic Shanghai food (the hot and sour soup was actually sweet). The waiter was friendly though but he took extremely long to get us our food and bill.

This place is very fun Saturdays nights because of the karaoke and the general atmosphere. If you are looking for food or drinks, this place is terrible. You'll wait easily an hour to get anything off the mediocre menu, and good luck getting the drink you actually ordered. Double up on the cocktails when you do get the chance, might be the end of the night before you get that second round.

New to Ottawa, we tried this shop, but it was terrible. I've been to over 45 countries and this is a very Canadian-flavored restaurant instead of being a real "Chinese" food establishment. The spring rolls were made with cinnamon!! Not what the taste buds were expecting - yes, they had shrimp and cabbage so it wasn't a "dessert". :( We won't be back. We got it delivered to us in the hotel.