Eat Like a Local: Street Breakfast Tour in Shanghai
Description
Savor the taste of Shanghai’s famous breakfast wontons, pulled noodles, savory pancakes and more on this 3-hour, small-group walking tour with a knowledgeable local guide. Begin your day with a stroll past water calligraphers and tai chi masters in Xiangyang Park, before meandering to street stalls and a wet market to experience Chinese cuisine freshly prepared in front of you. Be sure to come hungry on this child-friendly tour, limited to small groups ensure a personalized experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our walking culinary tours are designed to get visitors off the beaten path and into authentic local shops where they can eat shoulder to shoulder with locals. Since 2010, UnTour Food Tours has taken thousands of guests to our favorite mom-and-pop-owned shops. UnTour Food Tour has been featured in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, National Geographic, Monocle, CNN, The Sunday Time Travel Magazine, Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse, Samantha Brown Travels, The Guardian & more. Come explore Shanghai's tastiest authentic cuisine with us!
Some of Shanghai’s best food is found streetside in the morning hours. Explore a local market and taste the Chinese breakfast of champions with this street food tour through the beautiful former French Concession neighborhood. You’ll meet our trusted vendors selling classic local dishes, including the world-famous jianbing (Chinese crepe), steaming baskets of the city’s finest soup dumplings, freshly-pulled noodles, and much more.
Start your morning off at Xiangyang Park. Stroll through one of the former French Concession’s most energetic parks – and watch the retirees practicing tai chi, water calligraphy, line dancing and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Finish your tour in the shadows of IAPM, one of Shanghai's most luxurious shopping malls with great local boutiques, bars, cinemas, and restaurants (although you won't need to eat again for hours after the tour).
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please advise any specific dietary requirement at time of booking - 72 hours advanced notice is required to be able to cater to any dietary restrictions.
- Wear comfortable shoes and come hungry
Reviews(244)
I’ve done a few food tours in Shanghai and this was the best one. Li did a fantastic job of sharing the local culture and some history of Shanghai while taking us down hidden alleys and seeing the old shikumen style homes. The food was delicious (although always too much food) and Li was entertaining and funny. Great choices of places, nice walking route. Excellent guide. Highly recommend.
Rachel was really nice and knowledgeable. The tour was great.
Really great experience and would highly recommend
A most wonderful 3 hours spent enjoying the way millions of locals start the day. Full of revelations of how Shanghai eats and lives. Woven into the history of the city. Exceptional value lead with joy by a knowledgeable guide. Sign up today
Hi Simon, thank you for the fantastic review! We absolutely agree with your description of “a breakfast or six!” We’re so glad you enjoyed discovering how Shanghai wakes up each morning and that the mix of food, history, and local life made for such a memorable start to your day. Thanks for the recommendation!
We had a fantastic time on the Untour Shanghai Breakfast Tour with Rachel as our guide. Focusing on the French Concession area was a lovely choice. It gave us the opportunity to explore beautiful tree-lined streets, charming local neighborhoods, and learn about the history and character of one of Shanghai's most interesting districts. The walk was easy-paced and relaxed, making it enjoyable for everyone. We were fortunate to have lovely weather during our visit in May, which made the experience even better. The food was excellent throughout the tour. Highlights included a delicious jianbing, fresh soy milk, and dumplings at a local government-run senior center, which was a unique and memorable experience that we would never have found on our own. Rachel was knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the city. She shared fascinating insights about the neighborhood and daily life in Shanghai, while also giving us plenty of practical local tips. We are coffee enthusiasts and were looking for specialty coffee shops selling Yunnan beans. Rachel pointed us in exactly the right direction and recommended several excellent local cafés that we enjoyed during the rest of our stay. This tour was the perfect combination of great food, local culture, history, and insider knowledge. We highly recommend it to anyone visiting Shanghai and wanting to experience a more authentic side of the city.
Hi Sawan, thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the mix of local food, history, and neighborhood exploration with Rachel. It’s especially nice to hear her coffee recommendations helped you discover some great cafés during the rest of your stay. Thanks again for joining us!
Highly recommend both the dinner or breakfast tours to orient your exploration of the city and eat SO MUCH food. Our breakfast guide Rachel was particularly articulate about everything we tried food wise as well as giving us historical context for the food we were eating and the neighborhood we explored. We brought our toddler and had to leave the travel stroller outside or folded up to get into some tight spots, but it was easy to accomplish and family friendly. Allergies were also easily accommodated. I will recommend to my friends
Thank you for the fantastic review! We’re happy the tour worked well for your family and that dietary needs were easy to accommodate. Thanks for the recommendation, and we hope to see you again on a future visit!
I did the Shanghai Breakfast Food Tour with Hope Zhang and absolutely loved it. The food itself was incredible — everything from fresh jianbing to scallion pancakes and dumplings — but what made the experience special was how much context and history Hope added throughout the walk. It felt like part food tour, part neighborhood history tour through the Former French Concession. Hope was warm, knowledgeable, and thoughtful about dietary restrictions, and she took us into small local spots I never would have found on my own. I also appreciated that the tour balanced classic Shanghai breakfast staples with broader insight into Chinese food culture and daily life in the city. Come hungry — there’s a lot of food. Highly recommend if you want a more authentic, local experience in Shanghai beyond the typical tourist itinerary.
Hi Anna, thank you for the fantastic review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the combination of food, history, and local life that Hope shared along the way. Thanks again for joining us, and we’re happy to hear you left full!
I had a great morning on what ended up being a private tour with Li! If you’re an early riser and want to see what the locals eat for breakfast, this is a must. Everything was so delicious and I left feeling very full! Thankfully all the walking helped. Li shared so much about the food and the areas we walked through and was a really wonderful guide. Could not recommend this tour more!
Hi there, thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed your morning with Li and got a taste of how Shanghai starts its day. The walking definitely helps make room for all that breakfast! Thanks again for joining us.
I had the most amazing experience with my guide Rachel. I was only in town for a few days and wanted to maximize my time (ie eat as much as possible!) I left very happy and full, and appreciated the cultural context we received. I definitely recommend this tour if you want to explore Shanghai's local food scene.
Hi there, thank you for the fantastic review! We’re so glad Rachel helped you make the most of your short time in Shanghai. Exploring the city through breakfast is always a fun way to dive into local life. Happy to hear you left both full and happy – that’s our goal!
Hope was great! We loved the food and the little bits of local lore
Hi Joseph, thank you for the kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the food, the local stories, and your time with Hope. Hope to see you again on a future visit!
