Shanghai: Meet the Bund (1*)
Fujian flavours, Shanghai fine dining
Arriving in Shanghai, we wanted to try what locals actually rate, and a fine-dining lens on regional Chinese cooking beyond more casual Shanghainese establishments. While the Michelin guide offers international recognition, the Black Pearl reflects a more local taste, and Xiaohongshu (RED) is certainly the definitive barometer of what’s good amongst a wider audience. Triangulating those led us to Meet the Bund, a Michelin one-star, Black Pearl two-diamond Fujianese restaurant, also ranked No. 14 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025.
Arrival and first impressions
Meet the Bund has two addresses, with two very different moods:
Skyline: on the 56th floor of The Bund Finance Center, modern lines, floor-to-ceiling glass Bund views with the Oriental Pearl tower.
Xintiandi: a newer, two-storey space among Shikumen facades in the Xintiandi shopping district, more intimate and textural.
We booked the Xintiandi location with help from Capella Shanghai, where we were staying, after Skyline could only offer a private room without views. For either location, you’ll want to make reservations in advance.
Xintiandi opens into a low-lit, intimate reception; staff greeted us promptly and introduced us to the waitress who looked after us for the rest of the evening. We were guided down a short corridor, walking past a chic spiral staircase, which leads to the main dining room on the second floor with a striking ceiling installation with beautiful interiors.
We’d expected a regular table, but they had arranged a small private room on the first floor instead, overlooking the pedestrian alleys in the Xintiandi area. It came with a side pantry for service, a sofa lounging area, and a large round table. The set-up we had was comfortable and quietly private. For parties with more guests, it would be a perfect room to socialise in.
Tasting menu with a side of extras
This isn’t a fixed tasting-menu house. You can go a-la-carte, choose a preset, or mix both. We took a set dinner and added a few dishes we’d saved from Xiaohongshu, including the much-talked-about Xiamen mud crab with glutinous rice. Getting a bit carried away, we ordered 9 dishes between the fixed menu and our extra selections. The team sequenced the dishes sensibly, and a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc paired neatly with a seafood-leaning line-up. Needless to say, we accidentally over-ordered for two—but the cooking was so good we managed to finish most of it.
What we ate
Fujian Ngoh Hiang (five-spice meat roll)
福建五香卷Fujian-style hen clams with sauce
闽式捞汁黄蚬子“Zhangzhou” ginger Hetian chicken with sliced conch
漳州嫩姜河田鸡捞拌螺片Chicken soup with clams
鸡汤汆海蚌Xiamen steamed glutinous rice with mud crab
厦门红蟳蒸米糕Poached Dongshan neritic squid in broth
水煮东山小管Baked Lipu taro with scallion oil gravy
原创葱头油肉汁焗荔浦芋头Stir-fried greens
清炒山苏Milk pudding with Wuyi Da Hong Pao tea
武夷山大红袍茶冻
Many highlights and one miss
Fujian-style hen clams: deshelled, then set back into the shells, umami with deep savoury notes—an excellent opener.
Xiamen mud crab with glutinous rice: incredibly aromatic rice, and tasty crab roe tying it together. Worth the separate order.
Ginger Hetian chicken with conch: bright, crisp textures; young ginger and scallion lifting the snappy conch, even for ginger skeptics like myself.
Poached Dongshan squid: tender but under seasoned or simply too clean for my preferences—the one dish we didn’t finish.
The meal took just over 2 hours, with plates cleared quietly and courses well-timed. The tea-scented milk pudding was a clean finish. As a birthday gesture for my companion, the kitchen sent longevity noodles—a local custom and tradition.
Delicious Fujian food, great service and atmosphere
We’re grateful for a dinner that delivered great Fujian flavours with Shanghai polish. For two, including the set, added signatures, several glasses of wine and juice, the bill was just over RMB 2,500. For a central Shanghai Michelin address with polished, attentive service and confident cooking with seafood and great flavours, that felt very fair.
The cooking skews rich and deeply savoury—many dishes layer umami—so expect a lot of flavour and a lasting richness on the palate.
If you’ve covered Shanghainese classics and want a different regional view, I would certainly recommend Meet the Bund. Xintiandi is a comfortable, intimate choice; Skyline is for the cityscape. Be sure to order the signatures. We’d happily return; we’d repeat the clams and the mud crab rice.
I’d give the experience an 8/10.
Meet The Bund Xintiandi
338 Hungpi South Road, Xintiandi, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Phone: +86 021-63358826
Instagram: @meetthebund_sh