Eating Sandwiches in Shanghai
For newcomers to Shanghai, the honeymoon of eating cheap Chinese food may soon start to wear off and you are left walking the streets in search of pizzas, burgers, pasta and even sandwiches. The Chinese taste for white sweet bread does not quite pass muster when you are missing decent French baguettes. Fortunately, Shanghai has the best choice of international food on mainland China and there is something for every occasion and budget.
If you can not be bothered to look around very far and want to stay in a Western comfort zone then you will easily find a Starbuck’s that will serve you with a plastic wrapped tuna salad sandwich. For 17 RMB, it is not bad but it’s the sort of food you buy when you are in a hurry and there are much better alternatives.
My favourite is Cabah Cafe on Huai-Hai Middle Road (junction Gao-An Road) opposite the library. All the ingredients are fresh and tasty. You get a choice of different breads and fillings including vegetarian, chicken, fish and other meats. The sandwiches are always big enough to share between my wife and myself. The coffee is excellent and there are also great pizzas and cakes. The only trouble is it is very small and you can not always get a seat. Lunch for two, including drinks and cakes is less than 100 RMB.
We also like Coolzey on West Jianguo Road, which offers a similar deal to Casbah for the same sort of price, but it is not quite as good.
Some of my friends enjoy BYB on Nanchang Road by the junction of Ruijin Road, but you a little more for slightly elegant surroundings. It doesn’t offer anything remarkably better or different.
If you fancy spending a little more, then I recommend Arch by the corner of Wukang Road and Huai Road, heading towards Xuijiahui. The food is excellent, not just for sandwiches. To be perfectly honest the vibe at the Arch is more of a wine bar than a relaxed coffee house, so it is always busy with young hip international architects and their Chinese girlfriends. It’s not always easy to find a seat. I haven’t been their during the day, but I imagine it is more relaxed.
Wagas offers really nice food, including sandwiches, wraps, pasta and falafels. The food always tastses clean and healthy. I like their big plates of salad and fruit smoothies. The best thing about the food at Wagas is they make it a little different so you get sunflower seeds and pumpkins in the food, which is better than dry and boring fare of some Western food vendors. They have several branches in Pudong and Puxi, but I tend to go to their shop on Madang Road, opposite Huangpi Road metro station. Two people can eat at Wagas for 130 RMB or thereabouts depending on how greedy you are.
A lot of people like Element Fresh, but I have eaten several uninspiring meals at their restaurants on many occasions. As a non-meat eater, I find their food to be rather dry and bland. The sandwiches and smoothies are OK but they are similarly priced to Waga’s without being any better.
If you get sick of eating Western food, then you can always go back to eating Chinese and Asian fare but shame on you if you come to China and never try any of the local offerings!