Middle Eastern

Ali YY
5B Dongping Lu
Shanghai, China
Phone: 021/6415-9448
Price - Y50 - Y165

Ali YY's ground-floor Xinjiang restaurant serves good, wholesome Uighur food for bargain prices. Dishes are low on grease and high on flavor. Try the fried Xinjiang noodles and the lamb kebabs. Upstairs, proprietor Kenny Tang (owner of the nightclub YY) has opened an Arabic restaurant, where he has made eating a true event, complete with superstylish soft red-velvet cushions, and your own personal pair of Ali YY slippers. Upstairs Y200 will buy you great platters of hummus and falafel. Reservations essential. No credit cards.

Others

1221
1221 Yanan Xilu
Shanghai, China
Phone: 021/6213-6585 or 021/6213-2441
Price - Y50 - Y165

This stylish but casual eatery has become a favorite of its hip Chinese and expatriate regulars. Shanghainese food is the mainstay, but just about everthing is on the menu. The dishes are imaginative, the service attentive, and the atmosphere pleasing. From the extensive 11-page menu (in English, pinyin, and Chinese), you can order dishes like sliced you tiao (fried bread sticks) with shredded beef, a whole chicken in a green-onion soy sauce, delicious shredded pork with sweet bean sauce and small pancakes, and shaguo shizi tou, or "Lion's Head" meatballs. Reservations essential. No credit cards.

Bourbon Street
191 Hengshan Lu
Shanghai, China
Phone: 021/6445-7556
Price - Y99 - Y165

Not surprisingly, this is the only place in town to get Cajun and Creole food. The three-story, upscale restaurant has a relaxing patio and serves beautifully presented dishes like Louisiana crab cakes, baked oysters, shrimp creole, and jambalaya. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V.