Shanghai Restaurant
“This is one place where I don't have to drive an hour to Edison or NY to get some good xiao long bao.”
“Amazing soup dumplings and love all the small dishes like their light pickled cucumbers and their scallion pancakes.”
“Disregard the previous negative reviews, this has to be one of the best Chinese/dim sum spots in the Bergen County area.”
Shanghai Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Have been here a couple times now and tried a variety of the items on the menu.
While their quality is way better than your average Chinese grease-out joint, I can't help but feel that some dishes fell short of their potential.
Dumplings and wontons would be my focus here, since they have been consistent good and tougher to find elsewhere.
Next would be the fried rice and pan noodle dishes. While they are not stellar, they are still better than average. They even got some spam action going on in the fried rice for some Korean influence.
Last and most disappointing would be the protein dishes. I have tried two different chicken specials as well as the twice cooked pork. Have to say that the main theme is pure heat. Outside of that, both texture and flavor are a bit lacking for me. Some dishes are also overly salty at times.
Overall, good place to dine if you're looking for better than average Chinese in the area. I would focus on their stronger dishes though.
The Story: I came here with my mom for brunch. I really wanted to give this place 5 stars but I can't =(
Food:
As usual, I ordered a ton of stuff.
Pig Ears in Chili Sauce – they were okay. I feel that it wasn't spicy enough.
Soy Milk – I feel like it is over priced for the amount you get.
Fried Dough – I did not enjoy these at all. They were not even crunchy.
Wantons – The filling needs more salt.
Scallion pancake – These things were the bomb. nice and crispy.
Soup Dumplings – I must really hate soup dumplings. I've tried them everywhere that offers them. I just don't like them.
Decor: Seats about 20 people tops. Small cafe feel.
Price: Over priced for the type of food you're getting but hey, I save $15-$30 on tolls.
Service: They were on top of their game. For a table of 3, we were demanding. (blame the child haha). They did a good job.
Parking & Finding the Place: Right off main street, has mini parking lot in the back.
Additional Thoughts/Tips: Would definitely come back to try other things. They take Mastercard and Visa
I hate to report that the soup dumplings did not live up to what I had hoped for. In my search to find the best soup dumplings in NJ, these were just missing the sweet/pork flavoring that I prefer. We also ordered the dan dan noodles which were lacking in flavor and spice. The "breakfast" dumplings were soaked in a dark greasy sauce that looked like they had so much flavor potential but there just wasn't a lot going on. The highlight was the pork string beans which made vegetable eating completely tolerable. Sadly, just a solid A-OK from me.
Come here for the dumplings, and enjoy some other dishes! I would have given this a higher review but two things—not many vegetarian options and theyre BYOB but were strict about the whiskey i had. Bummer…i guess wine only. However, the 6 stuffed to the rim veggie dumplings i had were killer. I was a little bummed that it was 6 but those 6 were perfect. Loved the pairings of glass noodles and veggies. Also, having them in a steamed basket was adorable. The seseme pancakes were really fried, but i loved it.A must get in my book. Also, my friend got some spicy soup and boy was her face on fire. So if youre not a fan of spice–beware!
PS…parking in the back and cash only!!
This is a fantastic little restaurant with top notch authentic Chinese food. It's on the small side and the lighting and seating reminded me of a cafeteria or the inside of a fast food restaurant, but what it lacks in ambiance Shanghai Restaurant makes up for in food quality.
Service was attentive and we brought two toddlers who had a blast, so in that sense I would call this establishment more or less "kid friendly".
I believe I may have had the BEST General Tso's Chicken I've ever had here at Shanghai last night. If not the absolute best than it was up there in top two and I've been ordering General Tso's for as long as I can recall.
Everything was fresh, delicious, and cooked to perfection. Soup dumplings were large and in general portions were nicely sized and prices were fair.
Would definitely return to Shanghai Restaurant and would recommend to others!!
Flush with a zen-like vibe on a Sunday morning, this modest Shanghai style eatery with on site parking, off the beaten path in Fort Lee, serves some funky and authentic food – and great complimentary oolong tea – at bargain pricing. Not as big a menu as Petit Soo Chow in Cliffside (see: yelp.com/biz/petite-soo-…) but for sure, just as sophisticated — and the service is better and more relaxed.
We went for Sunday morning brunch and shared 6 of their dumpling offerings, sliced cold pork ears, spicy beef and tripe, scallion pancake with beef, kung pao chicken, sautéed pea shoots, breakfast wonton soup, and lots of tea. Our tab for 4 was just under 60 bucks – a bargain in my book considering the quality and quantity of the food.
The cold pig ears were nicely cartilaginous and chewy, seasoned with hints of red chili, star anise, sesame and soy. Served first, with tea, this was an auspicious beginning. Even our fussy 8 year old ate some ears — a ringing endorsement!
The crab/pork soup dumplings were the best of the varieties we tried — even though the dough used for all dumplings was a bit too thick (Petit Soo Chow does a much thinner dough) but the stuffing was excellent – among the best I have tried. And if you are curious about how they make these puppies, you can watch a video loop of the process on a tv monitor that hangs just outside the kitchen (they fold each one between 25 and 30 times — we counted). The other dumplings were just ok – I would order the shanghai shao mai again — very unique flavor — the filling is drier and saltier than the others. The spicy tripe and beef was my favorite — silky, with good heat and crunch, salt and sweet and some sour on the back end. Umami city!
After brunch we chanced on a Korean barber shop down the block that's open on Sunday morning (see: yelp.com/biz/vincent-hai…). They gave our boys awesome haircuts for cheap. A winning combo for us for Sunday brunch – and now two reasons to be back, say once a month?
As an aside, I just love the Asian melting pot that is contemporary Ft. Lee! Reminds me of Chinatown in NYC (or SF for that matter) in the 1970's before excessive tourism and Mayor Bloomberg Disney-fied the place.
They open on major national holidays like nye, which was why we ended up in this place. Service was very friendly, which is the main reason for the 3 stars. The dishes tasted like they came from an amateur cook. The soup dumplings were good, tasted healthy, like from an aunt's home kitchen, but flavor wise, I've had many better ones. The rest of dishes don't taste any shanghainese, and the cook certainly likes ginger a lot. We found lots of chopped ginger in many dishes that don't usually come with ginger. Dishes were also bland, that my boyfriend had to rely on the salt shaker to finish his meal.
If you're craving soup dumplings and stuck on this side of the Hudson (away from China Town), this is the spot to head to! The soup dumplings here are delicious and quite authentic.
The menu is limited but all the food looks great. The waiter recommended the spicy noodles and yes, they were super spicy. It actually messed with my taste buds a bit. But that's exactly the kind of heat I was look for! It was definitely really good.
The place is BYOB and we had to ask for water. However, the wait staff were all super friendly and let us sit there for a long time after chatting. There is parking in the back which is easy to miss. The location is small and not many tables.
Also, remember, this is CASH ONLY. I wasn't aware of this – and thankfully I had cash on me!