Steaming bowls of ramen and fabulous sandwiches on the go – a great meal doesn't have to break the bank. Here are this year's nominees for New Cheap Eats of the Year. Show your most-loved restaurants, eateries and food personalities you care – and enter for a chance to win a trip to Macau while you’re at it! Click here to vote for your city favourites – shortlisted or not.
BAOBAO
Slinging and steaming crafty baos at only slightly higher rates than normal, this Hangzhou chain’s fresh, tasty and ever-rotating selection of buns make for excellent cheap bites on the fly. From black-doughed burger baos with cheesy mushroom filling, to sour lotus root and sweet apple and pork buns, BAOBAO mixes old school Chinese staple with new school flavours that make for some of the city’s most interesting baos.
380 Shaanxi Nan Lu, near Fuxing Zhong Lu, Xuhui district.
Little Catch Poke Café
By now, poke is a given in Shanghai – fatty, luscious chunks of seafood on rice aren’t anything revolutionary anymore, but it was the fishmongers over at Little Catch that made this so. Launching hot of the success of the petite shop on Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, second addition Little Catch Poke Café offers all the signature bowls that rocketed the team to fame, plus a bulked up selection of offerings from the sea, lots of options on toast and even breakfast.
Second Floor, 89 Taixing Lu , near Wujiang Lu, Jingan district.
Madison Kitchen
This small six-seater American-style deli from Shanghai-favourite chef Austin Hu serves up some serious sandwiches. Whatever you’re chasing – be it a classic tuna melt, a hefty meatball sub, or a kimchi grilled cheese (all 55RMB) – the winning combination of house-made breads, fresh and flavoursome ingredients, and generous portions means you’re not going to go wrong here. 1414 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu, Xuhui district.
Midnight Burger
Staying open till midnight every night of the week, Midnight Burger is the answer to your late-night munchies on the cheap. The menu is short but sweet with only three burgers to choose from – a cheeseburger, a chicken burger and a sweet potato and quinoa veggie burger – all of which are under 50RMB. Plus, there aren’t many other places in the city where you can fries with legit truffle mayo (that actually tastes like truffle) for 25RMB.
785-3 Huashan Lu, Changle Lu, Jingan district.
Ramen David
Following a role in a television programme about opening a ramen shop called ‘Davi’, ‘celebrity-turned-chef’ David Ito whacked a ‘d’ on the end of the name and transformed this noodle joint into a brand that, sixteen years later, boasts six branches throughout Japan, two in Macau and, as of last year, one in Shanghai. Stardom aside, it’s a solid spot to inhale some cheap and tasty ramen – and wash it down with a frozen Kirin.
288 Fengxian Lu, near Jiangning Lu, Jingan district.
Rastaco
Akin to a mum-and-pop taco truck that decided to retire its wheels for a brick-and-mortar space, Rastaco’s our kind of vibe. The one-man show is a minimalist operation specialising in cheap, fully loaded and truly delicious tacos (and shots of tequila). It's one of the year’s most welcome newcomers.
15 Ruijin Er Lu, Lane 225, near Taikang Lu, Huangpu district.
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