A Curated Guide to Shanghai: Food, Coffee, Shop and Sightseeing
We believe travel is an ongoing dialogue with the world, a school made of unfamiliar streets, new languages, ancient rituals, and different ways of seeing the world.
Nibi was born in Mexico and like me, it found a home in Barcelona. We have always found inspiration in the meeting of cultures. We travel to listen, to learn, and to be inspired by what we discover.
Meet Our Guest Writer
Like Nibi, our dear friend Tiffany Seder, is shaped by many cultures, from her Shanghai heritage, to her New York upbringing, and now her ongoing Barcelona adventure. It felt only right for her to inaugurate our Nibi Curated Travel Guides.
Tiffany invites us into her Shanghai, through favorite restaurants, to-go coffee and matcha places, hidden local shops, quiet temples, and the many layers of a city shaped by over 6,000 years of history.
Where to eat:
White foods (白膳呜食寮) :
A Japanese restaurant and tea house where you can find affordable rice bowl sets paired with the best matcha and matcha flavored desserts.
Matcha Mochi
Ren He Guan: A shanghai classic restaurant famous for its crab rice, a cherished place for locals and visitors to enjoy a meal.
Dinxing Road Egg Pancake (定兴路蛋饼摊): Located in Huangpu district, this traditional little store has an auntie making the best egg pancakes you’ll find for breakfast or lunch (the line is worth it.)
Yuan Gu Yun Jing (元古雲境):
Right off of Yuyuan Road, you’ll find a beautiful and peaceful tea house restaurant that has healthy and herbal Chinese meals, served alongside aromatic teas and tea inspired desserts (perfect for a rainy day inside.)
Jifubao (鸡福宝(万火酒场) : A small restaurant with few seats, but I always come for the chicken ramen it is so creamy and delicious.
My Go-To Coffee Spots:
Matcha Wang:
One of the most popular matcha cafes in the city because of their sheep matcha, which is carefully painted for every order. Even Zendaya and Tom Holland were seen here for their movie preview!
Wabi Coffee: Popular spot for photos because of how aesthetic the exterior is, but serves great coffee and teas and perfect for spending some quality time with yourself (or friends.)
Butterful and creamorous: This bakery and cafe has multiple locations across the city but it’s a popular french cafe known for their unique pastries and interior design, would definitely recommend giving it a try!
Manner Coffee: Chain coffee store across the city but they have an amazing banana latte that i’ve been addicted too.
Cubic3 (Yuyuan Rd):
Open air concept that has amazing pastries and affogato, perfect if you want to people watch.
Where to shop:
Hai550:
My all time favorite mall that has multiple floors full of small local brands. Every weekend they have a flea market on the 1st floor that has a theme every week so it’s always new of pieces and small businesses. Plus they have the famous matcha cafe that has the viral sheep matcha (Matcha Wang.)
Anfu Road : A street filled with boutiques and local shops that has unique fashion pieces for every style. Very popular among young shanghainese locals to come and shop + take photos
Xintiandi:
Such an iconic spot in Shanghai as the city preserved its historical heritage, you can find all sorts of brands here ranging from local to designer. Plus there are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops around so you can grab a coffee and do window shopping!.
Things you can’t miss while in Shanghai:
Yu Garden:
A traditional and historical garden that was established in 1577, it’s one of shanghai’s best attractions to immerse yourself in a piece of history. There are so many restaurants and food vendors in and outside of the garden, plus plenty of shops to find silk scarves, traditional pastries or trinkets to take home.
The Bund: Best to go at night to see the iconic Shanghai scenery with Pearl Tower being the center of attraction! It’s one of the most famous areas in all of Shanghai where you will find the best view of the city by the waterfront.
People’s Park: a personal favorite of mine, people’s park is a popular spot for local aunties and uncles to spend time together. It’s a beautiful park with a lotus filled lake and pavilion where you can spent slow moments walking around and enjoying the view. On the weekends you will find Shanghainese elderly hosting a dating market for their children, where you’ll see signs that give information about their older children to help them find a partner:) It’s a long going tradition and you’ll remember an importance piece of shanghai if you visit!
Jing’an temple: A Buddhist temple in the middle of the city that’s close to being 1700 years old! It’s iconic for its golden exterior and a beautiful spot to take photos and experience Buddhist architecture.
Day Trips:
One of the most beloved daytrips to take is going to Suzhou, which takes about 30 minutes by high speed train. You’ll find traditional canels and waterways built for transportation, and can book a ride yourself for an affordable price! Suzhou is also known for silk and you will definitely find the cheapest silk pieces around the city!
Where to go out:
INS CLUB: If you want to dance then INS is the place to go! They have 6 floors of different music and genres so there’s something for everyone, and it’s a go-to place for locals and tourists in Shanghai.
Changle Rd: A popular road in Shanghai for bar hopping, filled with different types of bars. I’m obsessed with this Mango Beer I had at TapThat (very small bar stand) and it tasted just like mango juice haha.
Until next time Shanghai,
Perhaps the beauty of travelling is not only in the places we arrive, but in what we carry home with us. A new flavor, a forgotten ritual, a different way of moving through a city, a story that stays with us long after we leave, inspiration for upcoming collections.
We loved sharing Tiffany’s Shanghai and we are excited to share more Nibi Curated Travel Guides soon!
Morocco Trip
If you want to join Tiffany in her next trip, you can check out this 8-Day Moroccan Winter Surf and Yoga Retreat she is co-hosting: