Exploring the Night Markets with Untour Shanghai

Whenever I travel to a non-English-speaking country, I learn several words before arriving: hello, goodbye, thank you, and delicious. To me, the last is the most important.

Food tells us a story—from the way it tastes to the people who prepare it. It’s a gateway to understanding a culture and its people. And when you tell someone you enjoy their cooking? Well, you’re not only making their day, but opening a window to a whole new world.

This is something I’ve struggled with since moving to Shanghai ten months ago. It’s not that I haven’t eaten enough Chinese food, because my increasing pant size will tell you otherwise. It’s the language barrier, and the struggle to get past formalities and into meaningful discussions with local people. And even though I’ve made some attempts to learn the language, I realize that becoming fluent enough to open this window is somewhat of a lofty idea.

The now defunct Shouning Lu (read more about Shanghai’s disappearing street food scene here).

Luckily, I recently discovered a food tour group that has made this desire a bit more feasible. UnTour was founded in 2010 by a woman named Jamie Barys, a food writer and longtime Shanghai expat. She says, “More and more people rank eating local foods in authentic settings as their number one priority when traveling, but discovering where the locals eat can be difficult in an unfamiliar location.” Barys states that Shanghai especially can be overwhelming with the language barrier and street food options.

I personally hadn’t eaten much street food before joining Barys’ night tour last month. Stories of recycled oil and ingredient sourcing had scared me away. Plus, I wasn’t sure what to order and where to order from. But in just one night, I made up for it.

A Look at Untour Shanghai’s Night Market Tour:

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Crawfish and scallops are a staple on Untour’s Night Eats tour.

 Along with about ten others, I met the Untour team on Shouning Lu to experience our first night market of the evening. It began with an explanation of the market, along with identifying all of the items being grilled and barbecued. Then it was off to a local restaurant to eat all the street food after it was prepared. Crawfish, lamb kebabs, garlic scallops, lotus root skewers, green bean skewers, snake, and roasted garlic eggplant filled the table. “Make sure not to fill up, guys!” our tour guide warned. But it was hard to show restraint, and the food kept coming.

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My favorite way to eat garlic scapes and snake: on a stick!

After sampling a variety of fruit puddings and custards, we waddled over to a hole-in-the-wall noodle shop on Fangbang Lu for beef noodle soup, hand-sliced noodles with lamb and peppers, and noodles with egg and tomato. The chefs welcomed us into the kitchen and dazzled us with their flour pulling and knife skills. We finished with pepper cookies and beer.

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In the kitchen, watching the chef make hand-sliced noodles.

The history of noodles and noodle making in Shanghai was fascinating, and our new “No Carb Left Behind” diet was going along famously, but people were beginning to fill up. So we took a walk through the old town. It was raining, but the lit-up temples and hanging lanterns provided a beautiful backdrop to our much-needed stroll.

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Shanghai’s old town at night.

After about 15 minutes, we reached our final destination at the hawker stalls on Sipailou Lu, near Fanbgang Lu. The vendors showed us how to make their dishes, then we sat down at another local restaurant to enjoy more noodles, pan-fried rice cakes, flat bread, garlic broccoli, and peanut sesame brittle. By the end, members of the group were unbuttoning their pants. Most had a glazed-over look to their eyes. Everyone was smiling.

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More delicious food on sticks.

In one night, I learned more about Shanghai’s food culture than I had in ten months on my own. Sure, along with knowledge, I gained a couple of pounds, but it was nothing a week of dieting couldn’t cure. I’ll be back for more. And this time, I’ll come even hungrier than before.

Along with the night market tour, UnTour Shanghai also offers a breakfast tour and a hands-on dumpling tour. For more information, visit www.untourfoodtours.com.


*Please note that Shanghai’s street food scene is constantly changing. Since this article was published, Untour has had to alter the route several times. To learn more, read my follow-up article “Disappearing Shanghai: Untour’s New Night Market Route.”

9 Comments
  • Shine Stevens
    Posted at 23:52h, 10 May

    Yes, it was an absolutely wonderful food adventure!!! Well written!!

  • Joyce
    Posted at 14:12h, 11 May

    True comment about learning how to say “delicious”. I love that you make the effort to say those things 🙂 Untour Shanghai sounds like a great idea to really learn about the local places and get a taste of real life. I hope to go someday!

    Characters & Carry-ons

    • admin_jennifer
      Posted at 00:27h, 12 May

      Thanks so much for reading! And yes, definitely add this to your “Shanghai to-do list” if you’re ever in town 🙂

  • Gary
    Posted at 16:45h, 15 May

    Just moved to Shanghai and your blog has helped me quite a bit! Thank goodness for social media! Keep up the great work

    • admin_jennifer
      Posted at 00:55h, 17 May

      I’m glad to hear! Thanks so much for reading and the compliment. Welcome to Shanghai! 🙂

  • Chanel | Cultural Xplorer
    Posted at 12:36h, 30 May

    Shanghai is high on my list of places to visit in China! This sounds like a great experience and I would love to visit the city’s markets when I do get there 😀

    • admin_jennifer
      Posted at 00:00h, 01 June

      Thanks for reading, Chanel! Shanghai is absolutely amazing. I will make sure to write a post soon about what not to miss 🙂

  • Bob & Winnie Hamblin
    Posted at 12:46h, 23 February

    The food looks wonderful and so do you! 🙂

    • admin_jennifer
      Posted at 21:58h, 23 February

      Thank you so much! 🙂