Christmas. Check.

New Years. Check.

Chinese New Year. Almost Check. (You’re probably reading this while on a plane, train, or automobile to be bombarded by “Why aren’t you married yet? Did you gain weight? Eat more!” via an onslaught of six Chinese aunties, or you’re escaping to a remote beach somewhere. For your sake, we hope it’s the latter, but we all know it’s most likely the former.)

What we’re saying is that Shanghai is in that weird in-between time – no man’s land of holidays when we’d all rather be hibernating. Which is pretty much what’s happening in the city right now as we face a lull in new venues before the mad flurry of spring time openings.

Here’s the latest Shanghai F&B buzz to sustain you until February.

Aster by Joshua Paris

Former Ultraviolet head chef Josh Paris has just announced the opening of his own restaurant, Aster by Joshua Paris, set to launch in Q2 of 2025. With the aster (a perennial purple flower) as the restaurant’s symbol, the space will boast vaulted seven-meter-high European cathedral-like ceilings with hanging paper elements to mimic the flower’s petals. The restaurant will have a strong sustainability focus, with upcycled paper menus and controlled wastage. That same sentiment translates to the creative food and drinks program, a seasonal approach that emphasizes community contribution and collaboration with local producers, resulting in overall lighter dishes with clean yet assertive flavors. The 48-seater space in a new development along Yongyuan Lu in Jing’an aims to offer fine dining level hospitality, details, and ingredients but in a more laid-back, fun setting, amplified by a proper cocktail bar that extends into the witching hour of weekend mornings.

La Jade

Head Chef Liu Chang (right), Pastry Chef Vitória Caixeta (left)

Yangzhou native, Liu Chang (aka chef Cielo) is now the head chef of newly opened La Jade in the Hilton Shanghai City Center on Yan'an Xi Lu. This imaginative tasting menu restaurant (with a set price of 1,880 yuan +10% service charge per person, with an optional wine pairing for 1,180 yuan for seven glasses) is all about the marriage of eastern ingredients and western techniques. Chang’s impressive pedigree spans studying Huiayang cuisine in China, working in Italy for five years at Agosti followed by a stint at Milan’s one Michelin-starred Tokuyosh, an internship at Noma in Copenhagen (only the third mainland Chinese chef to score this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity), and eventually at Shanghai’s very own Yongfoo Elite.

La Jade

La Jade

La Jade is the culmination of all of these global culinary experiences, demonstrated throughout a 20+-course seasonally rotating menu. Think cod sperm “mapo tofu,” Spanish pork pluma dribbled with sea buckthorn and mustard seed jam, a masa corn “cake” topped with fiery minced green pepper and century egg plus a drizzle of burrata cream and rice vinegar jelly, and mont blanc piped with water caltrop rather than chestnut. It’s a rollercoaster of a menu where each next course brings an unexpected international turn.

To reserve a coveted space at the table, call 153 1709 1253.

Matto

The Mammamia Group just soft opened Matto this week on Yanping Lu, a “salumeria alcolica” concept with 35 seats, like a grocery store with a wine and cocktail bar. Expect cold cuts, cheeses, olives, preserved vegetables, finger food, pizzas, and more, coupled with pocket-friendly wine and both aperitivo and craft cocktails. The drinks are the focus, with the food providing that necessary stomach space for more imbibing. To kickstart the launch, they are hosting funky DJ nights every Thursday from 8:30-11:30pm with free flow cold cuts for 98 yuan per person and wines by the bottle discounted by 15%.

Ferra Bar Owners Jerry Liu (left), Ogi (right)

Brewlosophy co-owners Jerry Liu and Ogi have opened Ferra Bar on Xiangyang Lu, with the tagline “elevating simplicity, one highball at a time.” It’s no surprise then that the bar’s drink program centers around highballs – of which there are currently three options – plus a Brewlosopy beer on tap, a cider, and a kombucha. Sharing a space with Cantonese roast meat shop Bird Hut, the venue serves “ducks by day, drinks by night.” It’s a no frills, down-to-earth joint offering community vibes as a welcome neighborhood mainstay.

Yugo Grill

Yugo Grill is facing some “ongoing management issues” that is resulting in slightly mixed messaging on if they are still open or not. One team member announced the closure in the restaurant’s WeChat group chat on January 16 entitled “Temporary Closure of Yugo Bar and Grill,” followed by another member creating a separate group chat and continuing to take reservations. For the time being, the restaurant is still doling out Yugoslavian fare and stacked pljeskavica burgers, but let’s see how the dust continues to settle in the coming weeks.

Charbon

Global skewers and soft serve sundaes are no more at Paul Pairet’s Charbon, as the iapm Mall-situated venue shut down at the end of last month. This comes riding on the coattails of the closure of Roodoodoo, another one of the Paul Pairet group’s restaurants in Pudong, and the official announcement at the end of last November regarding the impending closure of Pairet’s most renowned restaurant, three Michelin-starred Ultraviolet. What this means for the rest of the group is still unclear, but fingers crossed that their other Shanghai institutions, Mr & Mrs Bund and Polux keep going strong throughout 2025.

La Siesta

Andalusian tapas bar, La Siesta is set to close this weekend, on January 25, after a 2-year run on Shanxi Bei Lu. Owners Isaac Ye (previously of Tres Perros) and chef Sergio Moreno (previously of Commune Social) are hosting a blowout goodbye party on January 24 for all those seeking those last sips of vermut and last bites of marinated olives, pan con tomate and gambas al ajillo.

Pho to Shop

Last June, Pho to Shop on Wuding Lu was converted into casual Moroccan-themed restaurant Madina, backed by the same group as the old Munchies. (Remember it?). But the tagines and flaky filo pies only lasted two shakes of a (stewed) lamb’s tail as it’s already shut down and been re-branded as Pho Mi, also specializing in pho. And so the cycle continues…

Roma

Other haunts that bit the dust as of late: Italian resto Roma in Jing’an, everyone’s favorite grilled cheese joint Co. Cheese on Nanchang Lu, and nightclub fan favorite System.