The Best Places in China
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Rank 1298. Jade on 36
Contemporary French
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Difford's Guide 4 stars · Difford's Guide
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #1298. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1298 Barber Shop 61.312
- #1298 Brew 61.312
- #1298 El Ocho 61.312
- #1298 Jade on 36 (this place) 61.312
- #1298 Taste Buds Cocktail Palace 61.312
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Tucked into the first floor of an apartment block on Wukang Lu, this cocktail bar commits to a decorating scheme where Qing dynasty meets Louis XVI, with gilt, lacquer, velvet in purple and scarlet, lion heads, and birdcages all arriving at once. The menu balances house originals against classics like the Bramble and Sidecar, though the room has already done most of the theatrical heavy lifting before your drink arrives.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
- Difford's Guide 4 stars · Difford's Guide
A Tie
Five places have the exact same Score, so they share #1298. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1298 Barber Shop 61.312
- #1298 Brew 61.312
- #1298 El Ocho 61.312
- #1298 Jade on 36 61.312
- #1298 Taste Buds Cocktail Palace (this place) 61.312
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The menu arrives formatted as an airplane boarding pass, which tells you most of what you need to know about Avant. Jerry Tian, formerly of Alinea in Chicago, runs this contemporary fine dining room in Nanshan with a borderless, hyper-seasonal kitchen that hopscotches cuisines without apology. Next door he operates a dessert shop with its own nine-course chef's table, because apparently one room wasn't enough.
The awards
- South China Morning Post South China Morning Post: 2026 · 100 Top Tables
- South China Morning Post 2026 · 100 Top Tables
A Tie
Four places have the exact same Score, so they share #1303. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1303 Avant (this place) 60.992
- #1303 Ensue 60.992
- #1303 Gem Garden 60.992
- #1303 The Bay by Chef Fei 60.992
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Rank 1303. Ensue
Contemporary Cantonese
A preserved radish puff shaped like a carrot, pulled from edible "soil" at the table, is a reasonable introduction to what this 40th-floor fine dining room is doing with Cantonese cooking. The team leans into obscure Guangdong ingredients and labor-intensive technique without the usual white-tablecloth severity, which takes some doing at this altitude. Rare regional fare, playful forms, and a Buddha's hand chocolate that somehow makes sense.
The awards
- South China Morning Post South China Morning Post: 2026 · 100 Top Tables
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- South China Morning Post 2026 · 100 Top Tables
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
A Tie
Four places have the exact same Score, so they share #1303. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1303 Avant 60.992
- #1303 Ensue (this place) 60.992
- #1303 Gem Garden 60.992
- #1303 The Bay by Chef Fei 60.992
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Rank 1303. Gem Garden
Teochew
Silk chandeliers and vintage collectibles set the mood in this dimly lit, courtyard-style Chiu Chow restaurant in Futian, where the kitchen follows the 24 solar terms as a guide to what's on the plate. The team, mostly Chaoshan natives, leans into heritage recipes and lu shui marinated dishes with a seasonal, back-to-basics discipline. A South China Morning Post 100 Top Tables pick, it draws the kind of crowd that arrives knowing exactly what to order.
The awards
- South China Morning Post South China Morning Post: 2026 · 100 Top Tables
- South China Morning Post 2026 · 100 Top Tables
A Tie
Four places have the exact same Score, so they share #1303. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1303 Avant 60.992
- #1303 Ensue 60.992
- #1303 Gem Garden (this place) 60.992
- #1303 The Bay by Chef Fei 60.992
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Rank 1303. The Bay by Chef Fei
Cantonese
A Cantonese dining room inside the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen, where the menu spans Lingnan and Chaoshan traditions as though the two had never been separated. Chef Fei has spent decades in this cuisine, and the kitchen handles both an elaborate dim sum lunch and evening plates like crispy eel with osmanthus honey without breaking a sweat. The kind of room where the steamed BBQ pork buns alone could anchor the afternoon.
The awards
- South China Morning Post South China Morning Post: 2026 · 100 Top Tables
- South China Morning Post 2026 · 100 Top Tables
A Tie
Four places have the exact same Score, so they share #1303. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1303 Avant 60.992
- #1303 Ensue 60.992
- #1303 Gem Garden 60.992
- #1303 The Bay by Chef Fei (this place) 60.992
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The awards
- The 50 2025 · Most Admired Hotel Group Award
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Rank 1308. Boxing Cat Brewery
Beer Bar
A craft brewery bar spread across three floors of Sinan Mansions, Boxing Cat is where Shanghai's American expat crowd discovered they didn't have to drink watered-down lager forever. Exposed brick, leather sofas, outdoor seating, a pool table, and table football upstairs give the place a cheerfully unfussy feel. Big screens run movies on the lower floor while the wifi-dependent tap away at laptops. The house-brewed beers are the whole point.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #1308. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1308 Boxing Cat Brewery (this place) 56.742
- #1308 Jazz Bar 56.742
- #1308 YongFoo Élite 56.742
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #1308. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1308 Boxing Cat Brewery 56.742
- #1308 Jazz Bar (this place) 56.742
- #1308 YongFoo Élite 56.742
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Rank 1308. YongFoo Élite
Traditional Shanghainese
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 3 stars · Difford's Guide
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Difford's Guide 3 stars · Difford's Guide
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #1308. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #1308 Boxing Cat Brewery 56.742
- #1308 Jazz Bar 56.742
- #1308 YongFoo Élite (this place) 56.742
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide