We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Mentioned in

  • Where to Eat Chinese Food in New York Cityseriouseats.com

Details

CUISINES
Chinese, Asian
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly

Location and contact

Downtown Manhattan (Downtown)
0.1 miles from Chinatown
Improve this listing
Reviews (304)
Filter reviews
250 results
Traveler rating
98
103
23
9
17
Traveler type
Time of year
LanguageEnglish
More languages
Traveler rating
98
103
23
9
17
See what travelers are saying:
Sort and selected filters
Sort FilterEnglish
Updating list...
Reviewed January 9, 2023

We had dinner here on Christmas day, after seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. What a great way to end a terrific day and spend the holiday!

Date of visit: December 2022
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed December 23, 2019 via mobile

Off the plane from Florida and checked into the hotel, and the next thing we do is head for this restaurant for superb Chinese food. The menus now say Shanghai Dumpling and the staff say they changed the restaurant's name, but Trip advisor still lists...it as Shanghai Cafe. Small and as crowded as Times Square on New Year's Eve with locals, sometimes it's best to share a table to get seated faster (we did this time). Appetizers, soup, and entree can come all at once or in random order, so be prepared for surprises. We had pork and crabmeat soup dumplings (unreal!), wanton soup (I didn't like their wanton soup. That's the only gig on them), shrimp lo mein (ohhhh!), and chicken with broccoli (ahhh!). All this food for around $40! You have to try this place if you are around Chinatown. We look forward to visiting NYC knowing we will eat here.More

Date of visit: December 2019
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed December 16, 2019 via mobile

Four adults and a toddler: four racks of XLB plus stir fried rice cake with cabbage and shrimps, plus fried rice plus green onion pancake and the bill came out to about sixty dollars. And more importantly the XLBs were delicious. We had to wait...to get in and wait at the table a long time for the XLB. It was worthy every minute of it. The servers were very accommodating. The English name is cafe not dumpling as on the signage.More

Date of visit: December 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed December 13, 2019

A very unpretentious restaurant in Chinatown, as good on recent return visit as on first visit a few years ago. The porksoup dumpling was as fresh and tasty as remembered. The additional Hot and Sour soup and Shanghai braised noodles more than satisfied two hungry...tourists. Exceptional value.More

Date of visit: December 2019
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed November 25, 2019

We decided to stop at this location since it had great reviews for food. We were quickly greeted and seated. We asked to use the restrooms located at the bottom of the restaurant. The bathroom was disgusting Unfortunately the waitress we got with the eyeglasses...was unwelcoming. . We ordered crab Rangoon, dumpling, shrimp in spicy tomato sauce and shrimp fried rice. She pretended to take our order. She came back with the shrimp fried rice. We had no utensils and no plates. We asked another waiter for the crab Rangoon and he politely said we don't sell those here. When we asked our waitress why would she pretended to take the order if they didn't have it and that she should have told us and that it. She walked away. We asked to bring the sugar 2 times. It seemed like we were bothering her. We didn't think she deserved a tip. We paid just for the food. She came back and told us we had to give her a 5 dollar tip for her horrible service. Wont be coming back.More

Date of visit: November 2019
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed November 2, 2019 via mobile

Arrived on a busy Saturday night for some dinner. They managed to squeeze me in real quick with no hassle, was given time to browse the menu then my order was take soon after. Food arrived a short time later and was delicious. Cheap as...well so can’t fault the place. Will be back.More

Date of visit: November 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed September 28, 2019 via mobile

This place, now labeled Shanghai Dumplings, has excellent food. We sampled several dumplings, including the fantastic soup dumplings. The Szechuan dumplings were sublime as was the fried rice and the won ton soup. The service was exceptionally poor and the main reason it is not...5 stars.More

Date of visit: September 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed September 17, 2019 via mobile

Food wasn’t great. Bad service and an okay atmosphere. Waiters and waitresses are aggressive and very unwelcoming. The waiter it was like he was mad at us ordering food

Date of visit: August 2019
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed June 24, 2019 via mobile

Simply ok, very fast. They gave us the check just after we finished the last dumpling 😂 Clean, nice waiters 👍🏻

Date of visit: June 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed June 22, 2019 via mobile

Together with girlfriend we went there specifically after we saw the show "Food, I love you". It is common Chinese venue with slow service, no fancy furniture etc. But! I felt in love with their dumplings. They were awesome!!! Actually, I have already missed them....Btw, Tsingtao beer was also tasty.More

Date of visit: June 2019
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed April 16, 2019

Truly the best soup dumplings we have ever had. This place is great - fast, cheap and the dumplings are the absolute best I've found. Don't let the lines scare you off - they are so quick and it's worth the wait. Everyone orders the...soup dumplings and bok choy - two really great dishes, but plenty else to try as well.More

Date of visit: April 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed April 4, 2019 via mobile

We liked our food so much we went back for a second meal! Important to know: They only accept cash! We went in the first time around 3:00 on a Saturday and it was packed. I narrowed down my selection to braised chicken noodles ,...but did not know if I wanted gravy or stir fried. Our waiter immediately said to do the stir fry. It was so good. It had noodles, small pieces of chicken, onions, cabbage, mushrooms and fried egg. It was truly delicious. It was a good sized portion. The pork dumplings were also very good. We went again around noon on a Wednesday, and although there was a steady business, not as packed as before! The good news, the food was just as good as the first time!More

Date of visit: April 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed March 3, 2019 via mobile

Came on a very quiet Thursday night, only one other table besides us. We quickly ordered the Soup Dumplings, Scallion Pancakes and Shanghai Pan Fried Noodles. The dumplings had more soup inside than most places that makes them even more delicious....the pancakes were very good,...very crispy....the pan fried noodles were probably the best I have ever had, crispy and the sauce made it great when combined, the texture was fantastic. The service was quick, attentive, the restaurant was very clean but keep in mind, this place only accepts cash, no other forms of payment. Try this place for all that I mentioned but you will return for the soup dumplings most....More

Date of visit: February 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed January 24, 2019

We went to Shanghai Dumplings this week for the first time, and really enjoyed it. First of all, it was very clean, and the staff was warm and friendly. They also were very accommodating when we asked for forks and knives instead of chopsticks. We...were a group of 4, so 2 servings of the soup pork dumplings were enough for all, and they were delicious. We ordered scallion pancakes, which were light and very good. 1 serving of those is enough for 4 people, as 1 serving comes with 4 pancakes. We also ordered chicken, shrimp, and pork lo mein, and sesame chicken both of which were excellent, and pork fried rice which was good but a little greasy. The meal comes with delicious tea as well. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and will return!More

Date of visit: January 2019
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Reviewed December 30, 2018 via mobile

First time back since they reopened. Food was good but in the past blew my socks off. Didn't get that feeling this time. Service was very fast and efficient and wait staff was very friendly and pleasant.

Date of visit: December 2018
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
View more reviews
Best nearby
Best nearby hotelsSee all
Hotel 50 Bowery
2,258 reviews
.11 miles away
U.S. Pacific Hotel
83 reviews
.12 miles away
Wyndham Garden Chinatown
2,337 reviews
.12 miles away
World Hotel
432 reviews
.13 miles away
Best nearby restaurantsSee all
La Bella Ferrara
248 reviews
.05 miles away
Puglia Restaurant
488 reviews
.06 miles away
Casa Bella
856 reviews
.06 miles away
Best nearby attractionsSee all
Little Italy
3,632 reviews
.03 miles away
Church of The Most Precious Blood
8 reviews
.05 miles away
Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America
9 reviews
.09 miles away
Fishion Herb Center
33 reviews
.01 miles away
Questions & Answers
Ask a question
Cholito25
May 12, 2017|
Answer
Response from 188gilp | Reviewed this property |
Yes indeed!!!
0
Votes
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing

SHANGHAI CAFE, New York City - Chinatown - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Shanghai Cafe

Yes, Shanghai Cafe offers takeout services.

Shanghai Cafe is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 3.5
  • Value: 4.5
  • Atmosphere: 3