It’s about to be the dawn of a new year, and we are eager to find out what delicious treats 2025 has in store for us. Like any beginning, the start of another year for F&B in Shanghai is sure to be chock-full of the excitement surrounding new trends, fads and phenomena that 2025 will bring our taste buds. But sadly, with the year coming to a close, so is the case for many iconic Shanghai institutions. This month saw some giants fall…hopefully making way for newcomers to rise from the ashes, phoenix style.

Cheers to the foodie rollercoaster to come.

La Barra 

A win for the night owls, La Barra has officially reopened in the same space…kind of. After announcing the closure of the full Armada Group of venues (Bonica, La Barra, La Mezcaleria, and Loggia) last August, the group has kept half of its previous space (where Bonica and La Barra were before, connected via a newly built internal staircase). The downstairs will offer more evening lounge vibes with internationally-inspired bistro bites by consulting chef Alexander Bitterling (of Fuxing Bakery, previously of Something, Hunter Gatherer, and Thought for Food), plus four of the favorite tacos from the old El Paisa…while the upstairs will be the same house music-driven club that you know and love. For now, the space will only be for after sunset, but boozy weekend brunches are set to launch after Chinese New Year.

Coquille

One of Shanghai's most elegant and exclusive fine dining seafood-centric affairs, Coquille, shut down during the month of November for a full refurbishment and revamp in every way possible. After its official reopening mid-December it’s all about the trendy and new. Think new décor – mustard yellow juxtaposed against coral patterned black and white print; new layout – with live seafood tanks as the focal point; new music program – by Victor Aime of Le Baron; and a new menu – featuring performance-heavy offerings like tableside flambéed seafood, French onion soup gelato, a foie gras chocolate bar, and more showstoppers.

It’s a lot of showmanship, ideal for all you influencers-in-the-making out there aiming to build up Douyin content.

Nebula

Sneaking in a soft opening before Chinese New Year, modern Spanish fine dining Nébula is swinging its doors open in CPARK, Changning. The kitchen is helmed by Spanish Michelin-starred Executive Chef Jonathan Rubio, who arrives on the Shanghai scene with 15 years of experience under his belt, staring at venues like Michelin-one-starred IKARO in Logroño, Spain, and as the Executive Chef of KRIOLLO in Ecuador.

The eight-seater chef’s table space and six-table main dining area (plus two private dining rooms for four and eight people, respectively) offer up a RMB1,280 set menu, playfully dubbed “fun dining.” Picture a blend of the culinary cultures of Spain, Ecuador, China and Japan that culminates in dishes that respect tradition while also innovating. On the drinks front, there’s an extensive 240+ bottle wine list, including 80 Spanish wines from 21 producing regions on the Iberian Peninsula. The restaurant is outfitted in interstellar-inspired elements, designed by Gan Nian Design, the team behind Keeze interior. Paintings are customized by Danish abstract artist Lis Just. Bookings are by reservation only.

1929 by Guillaume Galliot

Nestled in the nearly century-old historic Jinjiang Hotel (formerly known as the Cathay Mansion), 1929 by Guillaume Galliot is a new collaborative dining venture between renowned Michelin-starred French chef Guillaume Galliot and the innovative onefifteen brand. The name 1929 is a tip of the hat to the year this historic building was constructed by the Sassoon family, one of the most influential families in modern Shanghai history. With a contemporary French design aesthetic, the space transcends time, from a historical gem to a modern-day immersive dining experience.

There’s an open kitchen, a chef’s table for eight lucky diners, a main dining room, and a bar lounge, plus a second bar salon up the winding staircase that showcases cocktails inspired by the spice trade routes across Asia.

Head Chef Marco Morandini

The menu is traditionally French, coupled with Asian influence that reflects Chef Galliot’s 20 years of experience in Asia, executed daily by Italian Head Chef Marco Morandini (previously of Caprice and Estro in Hong Kong, Il Ristorante Niko Romito in Tokyo and Beijing, and Alain Ducasse at Morpheus in Macau).

禄婶鸡煲 Likesome Chicken Pot

Loft Hotpot in INS at Fuxing Park has rebranded to Guangdong’s trendiest hotpot chain, 禄婶鸡煲 Likesome Chicken Pot Serving up signature Chaoshan-style chicken hotpot (made from free-range, 180-day old mountain forest chickens that are slaughtered fresh daily), and other Guangdong broths, like Giant Grouper (龙趸鱼), clocking in at 20 kilos shipped in daily, ndian gooseberry (油柑) chicken pot, Hong Kong-style fish maw and chicken soup, satay hotpot, and more. There also serving up some unctuous oysters at just RMB13 a pop, with most tabs in the RMB100-180 per person range. In just the first six days of operations, it’s already climbed to Huangpu District’s 5th hottest restaurant according to Dianping.

Everyday Italian comfort fare is what diners will find at Pomodoro in PAC, a new mall opening on Wuding Lu. Backed by the same group as Il Teatro in Xintiandi, Pomodoro – meaning tomato in Italian – sees an approachable menu that traverse the country’s gastronomic culture from north to south: 24-hour proofed pizzas, freshly made pastas, Venetian-style cicchetti, grilled seafood and steaks, plus Italian pastries, with an average check around RMB100-150 per person. Visitors can enjoy both the expansive indoor and 100-square meter outdoor terrace for al fresco dining.

On Yongkang Lu, casual Taiwanese eatery Genial Kitchen opened just last month, with a menu of pocket-friendly Taiwanese classics, like beef noodle soup and braised pork rice, plus homemade pineapple cakes.

Onto the closures, this month we reported how the shuttering of the Camel Group shocked the city, closing the doors of all their venues – The Bull & Claw, El Santo, D.O.C, and Kin Urban Thai – overnight on December 1. This represented one of the highest-profile expat-founded F&B closures in recent years, after the surprise closures of Element Fresh and City Shop.

Another one that really rocked the boat, Shanghai's longest-running English-language food delivery app, Sherpa's, announced its end on December 31, concluding a 25.5-year run in our beloved city.

Others that bit the dust as of late: Simply Thai, La Maison (RIP that incredible terrace), the club that no one could ever find aka Stardust, American-style beer bar Mad Dragon, and BOR Eatery (which will hold its last day of service for brunch on January 1).