Renovated to spanking modernity in 2018, this is Shanghai’s most famous dumpling restaurant – some love it, others see an overrated tourist trap. Decide for yourself how the xiǎolóngbāo rate, but lines are long and you won’t even get near it on weekends. There are three dining halls upstairs, with the prices escalating (and crowds diminishing) in each room.
The takeaway deal (including crab meat) is comparable to what you pay elsewhere for xiǎolóngbāo, but the queue snakes halfway around the Yuyuan Bazaar.