Yes we are aware we are not discussing the exquisite delights of Shanghai Nightlife, of the Nightlife in Guangzhou, however we can discuss the Shanghai Restaurants in this article as there is an abundant number of them in Hongqiao. Particularly on weekends, Westerners with children flock to the Pedestrian Street on Hongmei Rd (at Lane 3338, across the road from the Pearl Market), where Western menus dominate among 30 restaurants, most of which have outside seating, all away from the street.
Simply wander down the way and see what appeals among Thai, German, Belgian, Mexican, Italian, American, and other cuisines. Two merit mention as particularly child-friendly: Blue Frog (no. 33, 5422 5119) serves casual American food such as burritos and burgers. Children are welcomed at all its several locations in Shanghai, but the set-up for kids is particularly impressive on Hongmei Rd, where there is a separate supervised indoor children’s play room with low tables and chairs and a kids’ bar with an outside play area leading from it.
The extensive children’s menu includes the standard pasta and burgers as well as salmon and steak, and a variety of juices. Just up the lane, Faith’s Diner (no. 17, 6465 8879) and Bastiaan Bakery (no. 18, 6465 8022), under common management, entice families with a small outside climber and pet bunnies in cages. Inside, Faith’s offers traditional diner fare such as meatloaf and macaroni and cheese and has a separate kids’ menu.
Bastiaan offers fresh breads, all-day breakfast, and a variety of sandwiches along with a kids’ menu featuring schnitzel and spaetzle. A small corner is set up for drawing and equipped with some
books – and, in the bathroom upstairs, you’ll find a changing table.
On Saturdays, a school teacher is engaged for story-telling. Elsewhere in Hongqiao, at Haya’s (2/F, 3219 Hongmei Rd, 6465 1166), children may tumble in a padded play area or eat from a kids’ menu while their parents enjoy Mediterranean specialties and home-baked pita and other breads. Johnny Moo (Block D, 3219 Hongmei Rd, 5175 9819) serves up classic American diner fare and is especially popular with teenagers for the milkshakes, burgers, and fries. At Bubba’s Texas- style Bar-B-Que (2262 Hongqiao Rd, 6242 2612), adults pig out on authentic barbeque and televised sports coverage; little ones sit at high chairs and color their placemats, while older children make use of the arcade games and golf machine. A kids’ menu is available.
Further west, in Minhang District near the American and British schools, a small strip of Western cafés lines one block along Jingfeng Rd. Rendezvous Café (no .435, 5226 4353 and 5226 4357) doesn’t have a separate children’s menu, but offers plenty of food that appeals to kids, including burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried rice, and milkshakes. Brown Café (no. 421, 6221 9375) offers similar fare, including pizza , fajitas, steaks, and a few children’s selections. A little further down the way at the Café du Village (no. 463-1, 6221 3520), toddlers may lounge in a pillow corner or look at books while their moms and dads enjoy a coffee and home-baked muffins.
Pudong In Lujiazui, first take your kids up to the top of the World Financial Center (100 CenturyAvenue) to walk across the glass floor and then, if you’re not too queasy, all the way down for a meal. On the second floor, you can choose Element Fresh or Blue Frog, or stop in at Julie’s Bistro (6877 9198) for homey Canadian fare – including poutine! The kids’ menu includes smoothies and waffles and crêpes along with more standard fare. On the basement level, everybody’s palate may be suited at Y’s Table (6877 6865). With open seating in the style of an upscale food court, guests may order from several different restaurants, so while the parents dine on Japanese food from Yakimiku, their offspring may chow down on pizza from Pizza Salvatore Cuomo and Grill. There are no children’s menus, but on weekends a separate play area is set up. Finish off with gelato or a pastry from Bottega.
Further out, in Jinqiao, it’s not a question of finding Western child-friendly restaurants, it’s a matter of choosing which among the many. At the Green Sports and Leisure Center (633 Biyun Rd), choose among Latina (with outdoor climbers near seating), Indian Kitchen, Blue Frog (with an extensive kids’ menu), or Simply Thai (next to a huge koi pond), all with outdoor seating adjacent to green space. Just across the way, adjacent to the Dulwich College playing field, kids rule at Slice (688 Biyun Rd, 3382 0652) especially on Wednesday nights, when pizza is half price, and on Saturdays after they come off the playing fields. A children’s menu is offered. Special kids’ events are popular, recently including a paper-airplaneflying contest off the second story.
Close by, drive down Hongfeng Lu, and you’ll swear you’re in an American suburb. It’s lined with Johnny Moo, Red Rooster BBQ House, New York Pizza, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Element Fresh, Hard Day’s Night, and Las Tapas for your and your children’s dining pleasure. On the corner at The Flying Fox (no. 225, 5030 9807), the owners have made a special effort to lure children with an expansive outdoor play area and an indoor playhouse with cushions and toys, both
situated so that the kids are in plain view from the main seating area. On Sundays, there is a special kids’ buffet, while parents dine on Irish country cooking. Look Hongqiao is certainly not competative with Nightlife in Guangzhou or Shenzhen but it is somewhere worth visiting we can tell you that.