Just a little past the halfway mark and 2017 is already a year loaded with fabulous openings in the world of food and drink. It's given us simple chargrilled meats, classy brunch spots, innovative cocktails, inspired fusion concepts, tours of global cuisine, healthy bites, stunning desserts and the best slices this city has ever seen – and we've still got plenty of time left for more. From high-end restaurants and casual cafés to cocktail bars and pizza joints, here are the best new openings we've seen so far in 2017.
The Chop Chop Club
Paul Pairet outdoes himself once again with this excellent carvery concept at Three on the Bund.
Second Floor, Three on the Bund Three on the Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu (5308 5399).
Sober Company
The huge new concept from the Speak Low team has three main parts – Sober Café (small plates and all-day brunch), Sober Kitchen (with modern takes on Chinese dishes) and Sober Society (a top notch cocktail bar) – and they're all excellent.
99 Yandang Lu, near Nanchang Lu (5309 8261).
Homeslice Pizza
From well-known chef and food personality Nat Alexander, this New York-style pizza joint slings some of our favourite slices in the city.
Found 158, 158 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu (5309 9332).
The Magnolia Room
The unique second venture from bartender Mack Ross – hidden inside his cocktail bar Tour – offers excellent snack-paired drinks and scratch-and-win lottery menus with chances to win boozy prizes.
104-105 Bldg E, United Valley, 462 Changle Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu (6075 5821).
ban ban by Sproutworks
The next winning concept from the ever-growing Kelley Lee empire (Boxing Cat, Liquid Laundry, Lil Laundry, Cobra Lily, Cantina Agave, Sproutworks), this addictive fast-casual fusion eatery combines Asian flavours with Western-style grain bowls and proteins.
Fifth floor, Room 518, IAPM, 999 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu (3363 7737).
Cobra Lily
Take a fabulous pan-Asian food tour with stellar cocktails in hand at this hip restaurant and lounge set in an old shikumen at Xintiandi.
Xintiandi North Block, No. 19, Lane 181 Taicang Lu, near Madang Lu (5351 0116).
Above the Globe
From Eddy Yang of Tailor Bar, the Shakespeare-inspired lounge above the make-believe McKinnon Hotel offers comedy, tragedy and history menus with cocktails that fit the genres.
Seventh floor, 1013 Beijing Xi Lu, near Jiangning Lu (173 1736 9152).
Diner
Boasting the tagline 'home of judgment-free indulgence', this retro-style American diner has all of the hangover-busting foods your body needs, courtesy of Chef Austin Hu (Madison Kitchen, Union Trading Company, Bonobo).
145 Wuyuan Lu, near Wulumuqi Zhong Lu.
Palmetto
Chef Gavin McAleer is plating up comforting American eats that don’t ask for forgiveness, exemplifying the famous Southern hospitality of a country kitchen. Bldg A3, 800SHOW, 800 Changde Lu, near Changping Lu (3255 3368).
Blackstone Magic Bar
Cocktails and magic, you say? Opened by the talented and charismatic Hong Kong magic man Anson Chen, China's first magic bar boasts molecular cocktails mingling with mysterious tricks and magical history, performed by intelligent, passionate magicians.
Found 158, 158 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu (139 1846 2770).
Rastaco
Akin to a mum-and-pop taco truck that decided to retire its wheels for a bricks-and-mortar space, this minimalist operation of tequila shots and tacos for 20RMB has some of the best cheap eats of the pricey Shanghai landscape.
15 Ruijin Er Lu, Lane 225, near Taikang Lu (131 1718 7684).
Brut Cake Café
The little cafe and coffee shop in Jingan from food blogger Priscilla Young and her husband Jun Wu offers up delicious, casual Western fare with Chinese touches.
698 Yuyuan Lu, near Zhenning Lu (173 2100 8129).
Zeitgeist
The restaurant and beer garden is filling the Bavarian void in Shanghai with golden-fried schnitzel, plump wursts, hearty roast pork dishes and other hearty eats.
537 Haifang Lu, near Xikang Lu (3220 5986).
Xixi Bistro Bar and Lounge
Offering your choice of vibes in the form of posh tiki bar or bold and modish lounge a la 1930s Shanghai, find excellent East-meets-West cocktails in this reincarnation of Xixi Bedroom.
Xintiandi North Block, No 16, Lane 181, Taicang Lu, near Huangpi Nan Lu (6321 8861).
Colca
Newly-opened Colca offers 'Peruvian food with flair’ from chef Eduardo Vargas (Azul) and his executive chef Oscar Beltran, who pool together their Peruvian and Spanish roots for an exquisite range of contemporary dishes you won’t have tasted before.
Second Floor, Unit 2201, 199 Hengshan Lu, near Yongjia Lu (5401 5366).
Mr. Bánh Mì
From the team behind excellent Vietnamese eatery Cyclo, this walk-up sandwich shop puts together awesome versions of revered Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches.
272 Wulumuqi Lu, near Wuyuan Lu (182 1767 9554).
Pirata
Chef Ling Huang's tapas kitchen comeback has seen nothing but fully booked tables every night since reopening its doors in May with its well-curated selection of small tapas-style dishes and modest sharing plates of simple, fine-tuned Spanish fare that occasionally bats its eyelashes at other global flavours.
9 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu (5404 2327).
Second Moment
Hidden behind Spicy Moment on Wuyuan Lu, this new spot from Eddy Yang of Tailor Bar is a chilled-out, unpretentious neighbourhood bar with two menus of great cocktails; ‘From Shangri-La’, focused on floral flavours and tiki drinks, and ‘Behind the Curtain’ with classic, ‘forgotten’ drinks.
71 Wuyuan Lu, near Changshu Lu (6472 0775).
Highline
With a kitchen belonging to Anna Bautista (Coquille and Scarpetta) and Sean Jorgenson (Liquid Laundry), this achingly cool restaurant and lounge offers a menu that reads like a California exile’s empty stomach fantasies.
Sixth Floor, The Ascott 282 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Songshan Lu (6333 0176).
POKEPOKE
Opening a slew of new venues in the past six months, the poke game is on point for this new contender in the world of raw fish and rice.
18 Changle Lu Lane 339, near Xiangyang Bei Lu (5459 1588). Multiple locations.
Trio
From bartender Kimi Chu (formerly of Heyday), this cocktail bar in the Former French Concession boasts a deep-house soundtrack, chill, sophisticated interior and solid roster of drinks gives has all the right parts in all the right places.
36 Taian Lu, near Xingguo Lu (185 2131 6919).
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