The festive season is upon us, meaning it’s time to embrace the holiday heft, and even doubling down with some new F&B openings around town. You’ve got roughly six months until swimsuit season starts again, so bring on the sweatpants…and another serving of your monthly bountiful gossip bites.

Vivant by Johnny Pham

First up, famed French chef, Johnny Pham (previously of Taian Table) has officially opened his first restaurant, Vivant, in the historic Far Eastern hotel in Huangpu. An eight-course modern French fine dining menu is on offer, with hints of Vietnamese elements that represent Pham’s heritage. The wine and champagne selections are equally curated, led by Head Sommelier Felix Zhang, boasting one of the largest champagne lineups in all of China.

With seating for 30 (plus a bonus 10 people in a VIP private room), coveted seats are hard to come by since the establishment’s official opening date of November 26. Moral of the story: snag that reservation ASAP.

French dining is what diners will also find at the newly opened Ortensia on Maoming Bei Lu, with seasonal set menus starting at RMB2,288 (with an option wine pairing add-on for an additional RMB988.) Lunch sets go for RMB588 for an amuse bouche, starter, main, and dessert. The restaurant also has a connected bakery that bears the same name, with French-inspired patisserie confectionaries, Instagram-worthy shaved ice in seasonal flavors like persimmon, and coffee drinks.

Mercadito 166 

Sister venue to Mercado 505, Mercadito 166 just opened this month at Grand Gateway 66. A blend of Spanish culinary influence and Cantone cha chaan teng vibes come together with dishes like wooden charcoal-grilled paella, Spanish style fried tripe, Iberico ham tortilla, and the group’s signature Basque cheesecake. An everyday hangout, the venue is designed with Basque elements in mind – earthy materials like clay and brick accented by bright colors and playful installations. A meal at Mercadito 166 will set you back roughly RMB200 per person.

Doling out all things fermented, Kojic is a new café/bakery across from Basdban on the café Mecca of a street Yuyuan Lu. The majority of the menu features playful ingredient-laden sandwiches using their homemade bread plus a rotating selection of kombucha. The shop is backed by fellow bread veterans and owners of L’atelier Over Bakery, an incredibly trendy bread and pastry shop in Changning with a knock-out spread of baguettes, pretzels, buns, babka, and cinnamon rolls – essentially all things carbs.

Another fresh bakery, The Apple Picker swung open its doors on the south end of Gao’an Lu with a variety of French-meets-Japanese pastries, like cake rolls, cheesecakes, scones, choux, madeleines, and much more sugar-high worthy splurges.

Affordable Indian fare abound at Red Salt, a new restaurant in Changning. The pan-Indian menu sees beloved classic dishes like tandoori chicken, lamb masala, pani puri, channa masala, a variety of naan breads, samosas, biryani, and more. Stop by during lunchtime for even more pocket-friendly sets starting at just RMB66.

Jumping to southern Spain, Andalusia is a new Middles Eastern-meets-southern-Spain casual dining affair set to open in MOHO Mall in mid-December. The ample space offers seating for 120 guests between the indoor dining room and outdoor patio, spread across a mix of high tops, low tops, and sofas. Consulting chef Eduardo Vargas (of Azul Group) has put together a menu spanning shawarma to tapas, bridging the Moorish cultural and culinary exchange that historically took place between these two regions. 

Triple Neck

Over on Xinzha Lu, Shanghai native Henry Wang (who cut his teeth in London's bar industry) has returned home to open a three-story bar, playfully called Triple Neck, with the design narrative taking after the movie and novel phenomena surrounding Dune. Each floor will incorporate elements from different Dune planets, while simultaneously offering separate drink menus plus a distinct feel, moving more from evening into night as patrons ascend. 
Now in soft opening, the cocktails (a collaboration with Elon Soddu from London's Amaro Bar) will feature Shanghainese ingredients and Chinese teas, amongst other Shanghai-influenced details. 

Another newbie on the bar scene, Yao Bar has opened in the old Revolving Door space on Hefei Lu. The front area draws in the younger crowd with a daily free flow deal at the rock bottom price of just RMB188, while the back “speakeasy” portion of the venue sees higher end libations (going for RMB88-98 each) designed by Eason Yang (previously of Revolving Door). Comprised of Chinese ingredients, each of the eight signature drinks hone in on an element like earth, wind, sky, etc. There is also a smattering of classic cocktails.

Popular Filipino hangout Juanitos is closing its Jiaozhou Lu digs. But don’t fret, the owners have confirmed it is set to reopen backed by new investors next month in Shankang Li (across from the old Crush Wine Bistro space) for all your sisig, lumpia, and karaoke needs.

Onto the official closures, the biggest shocker is that three Michelin-starred Shanghai institution, Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet, is set to close next year. Earlier this month, Ultraviolet maintained its three-star status for the eighth year in a row in a ceremony for the 2025 Michelin Guide Shanghai. However, Paul Pairet has new plans for the venue, set to be revealed in due time. In short, if you haven’t had a chance to experience this one-of-a-kind dining experience, the time is now.

Little Catch

This fall also saw the closing of Shanghai’s first ever poke restaurant, Little Catch, backed by duo Jiayi and Wen Huang. The original Little Catch opened up a decade ago on Wulumuqi Lu, just as the poke bowl wave was sweeping the globe. Since then, it had expanded to multiple locations – and far beyond poke – but the team made the difficult decision to halt operations at the end of October.

Stiller

Lauded German chef Stefan Stiller’s Xintiandi bistro that bore his same name, Stiller, has closed after less than 18 months. The original Stiller in Shanghai had a solid run from 2008-2013. It was then revived in 2021 in Guangzhou, and finally reincarnated to Shanghai in March 2023. However, the elevated German fare and wine on offer didn’t seem to hit as intended; perhaps because clientele came with sky-high expectations to match Stiller’s claim-to-fame restaurant Taian Table, an entirely separate concept. 

Crush Wine Bistro

Another casualty, the aforementioned Crush Wine Bistro on Shaanxi Bei Lu held its final brunch blowout event last month, as owner Elliot Shay and chef Dylan Briley (previously of Goga, Mr & Mrs Bund) bid adieu to this upscale yet approachable New York-style wine bar.