Shanghai: Meet the Bund (1*)
Fujian flavours, Shanghai fine dining
Arriving in Shanghai after having not revisited for nearly a decade, we were curious to see how its dining scene had evolved.
There is no shortage of great tasting authentic Chinese food in the city, but our aim was to explore those local flavours in a fine-dining setting to see how regional Chinese cooking could be elevated — a step beyond the more casual Shanghainese eateries.
While the Michelin guide offers international recognition, the Black Pearl reflects a more local nod of approval in Mainland China, 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.
Booking the restaurant: Choose your mood (and location)
Meet the Bund has two locations in Shanghai, with two very different moods:
Meet the Bund Skyline: located on the 56th floor of The Bund Finance Center, features a very modern interior with floor-to-ceiling windows with views of “The Bund” (as the restaurant name implies) looking out to the iconic Oriental Pearl tower.
Meet the Bund Xintiandi: located in the Xintiandi entertainment and shopping district near the pedestrian street, is housed in a two-storey space among Shikumen facades, and features a more intimate interior with dim lighting, grand ceiling installations and beautifully textured furniture finishings.
We booked the Xintiandi location with help from Capella Shanghai, where we were staying, after being informed by the Skyline location that they could only offer a private room without views. For either location, you’ll want to make reservations in advance.
Arriving Meet the Bund Xintiandi, the restaurant front entrance 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 on the second floor, but they had arranged a small private room on the first floor instead, looking into 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 very comfortable and quietly private. For parties with more 4 to 5 more guests, it would be a perfect room to socialise in.
Tasting menu with a side of extras
Meet the Bund Xintiandi isn’t a fixed tasting-menu house. Service is very friendly, and you can select dishes from an a-la-carte menu, go with a tasting menu, or in our case, combine both.
We didn’t want the hassle of selecting dishes, but also wanted a few dishes we had seen photos of on the Michelin Guide and Xioahongshu, so took a set dinner and added a few dishes we’d saved from the various apps, including the much-talked-about Xiamen mud crab with glutinous rice.
Getting a bit carried away, we ordered 9 dishes between the tasting 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
The food was absolutely delicious, and we managed to clear most of the 9 dishes between two people, which explains for itself how we felt about the quality and flavour of the food. These three were definitely our favourites:
Fujian-style hen clams: deshelled, then set back into the shells, umami with deep savoury notes—an excellent start to the meal.
Xiamen mud crab with glutinous rice: incredibly aromatic sticky rice, and tasty crab roe tying it together. Worth the separate order.
Ginger Hetian chicken with conch: bright, refreshing and crisp textures; young ginger and scallion lifting the snappy conch, even for someone who rarely likes ginger in their food like myself, this tasted really good.
However, our least favourite was certainly the poached Dongshan squid. It was very tender but under seasoned or simply too clean for my preferences—it was the one dish we didn’t finish.
Besides the great flavours, service was very attentive and certainly at a Michelin one-star level. The meal was nicely paced over 2 hours, and the dishes between the tasting menu and our a-la-care extras were sequenced very nicely with a good flow. The tea-scented milk pudding dessert was a nice and refreshing finish to the meal. As a birthday gesture for my companion, the kitchen sent longevity noodles—a local custom and tradition. We were very pleased with the meal overall.
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