Old Jesse Restaurant (Tianping Road)

Make a reservation to avoid the wait and order the famous Shanghai-style braised pork belly and red dates with glutinous rice.

In their own words: “Right down the street from the quirky and famous Wukang Building in Shanghai's French concession is Old Jesse Restaurant, which has been serving up traditional Shanghainese dishes since 1990. There are several locations in the city, but we think the one on the Tianping Road is the one to try. It was cramped, cozy, and felt just right. We tried two famous dishes: Shanghai-style braised pork belly, and red dates with glutinous rice. Both of these dishes exceeded our expectations, and we couldn't have asked for a better place to spend the evening.”