Most of the Spanish restaurants in our China listings are single venues. Brownstone is different. We list 12 of its addresses: nine in Shanghai, plus one each in Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. This post covers what the group's own records say about how it started and how the venues differ. Opening hours aren't listed for most of them, so check with the venue before you go.
How Brownstone started
The founding story is the same across the group's listings. A man the restaurant calls Mr Brown travelled through Spain, including Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. He visited markets, met chefs and tried different cooking methods and flavours. He came back to Shanghai in 2010 and created Brownstone so he could cook those memories again and put Spanish favourites on the table.
The records don't name a signature dish. They do show a group that grew in Shanghai first and later opened in three other large cities.
The Shanghai tapas bars
Most Brownstone venues are tapas bars inside shopping centres or office buildings. In Shanghai our directory has these:
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - IAPM: Room 220, 2F, IAPM Plaza, 999 Huaihai Middle Road, in the Former French Concession.
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - Fucheng Road: 28 Fucheng Road, Lujiazui, Pudong.
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - 96 Plaza: Unit 130, 96 Plaza, 796 Dongfang Road, Pudong.
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - Taikoo Li: Store W-L2-09, Taikoo Li Qiantan, Lane 500 Dongyu Road, Pudong.
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - Jiuguang Center: B2, 2188 Gonghe New Road, Jing'an.
- Brownstone Xintiandi Dongtaili: first floor, 111 Ji'an Road, Xintiandi.
- Brownstone Tapas & Lounge - Yongjia Court: 570 Yongjia Road, Xuhui, in the Former French Concession.
Yongjia Court is listed as a Tapas & Lounge rather than a Tapas Bar. Two more Shanghai venues, covered below, are separate formats.
Brownstone View: the rooftop garden
Brownstone View is on the 4th floor of Building 12, 2266 Longteng Avenue, Xuhui, in the West Bund Dream Center. Its record calls it Brownstone's first rooftop garden restaurant. It sits at the highest point of the Dream Center commercial district, and the garden has an open view of the river. We included it in our Shanghai Spanish weekend route.
Brownstone House: the villa by the Suzhou River
Brownstone House is at 160 Daduhe Road, Putuo. Its record calls it a higher-quality Brownstone. Mr Brown made another trip to Spain with Chef Aitor to look for ideas on food and architecture, and the House opened after that work.
The building is a detached villa by the Suzhou River. Brownstone worked with a Spanish design team on a European-style building, with a large main hall and several private rooms for business dinners and private events. The record says the kitchen is run by a Spanish executive chef and that the cooking is authentic Spanish food made from fresh ingredients. The House lists a phone number (021-52920186), which is the simplest way to ask about private rooms.
Outside Shanghai: Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - Zifeng Plaza, Nanjing: 1F-A02, Zifeng Plaza, 6 Zhongshan North Road, Gulou District.
- Brownstone Tapas Bar - The Mixc, Hangzhou: inside The Mixc mall, Jianggan District.
- Brownstone Tapas & Lounge - The Mixc Shenzhen Bay, Shenzhen: The Mixc Shenzhen Bay, Nanshan.
Which Brownstone to pick
- For a quick tapas meal near shopping or offices, any of the Tapas Bar addresses.
- For a view, Brownstone View at the West Bund Dream Center.
- For a group dinner or a private room, Brownstone House on Daduhe Road.
- Outside Shanghai, the Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen venues are all in large malls.
If you want to compare Brownstone with other Spanish restaurants in the city, see our Shanghai listings.
