Shanghai has 29 Spanish restaurant listings in our directory, spread across the city. This weekend plan stays in one district: the West Bund in Xuhui, on the west bank of the Huangpu. Three listed venues sit there, two of them inside the same complex, so you can spend a Saturday and a Sunday eating Spanish without crossing the city.
One practical note first. None of the three venues below has opening hours listed in our directory, so check with each one before you set out, especially for lunch.
Saturday: two floors of the West Bund Dream Center
Start at the West Bund Dream Center, 2266 Longteng Avenue. Two Spanish restaurant groups from our directory have branches in this complex.
Tapa Tapa West Bund is on the first floor of Building 6 (Room 107). Tapa Tapa is a Spanish restaurant brand owned by Lenbach Group, and its listing describes the group's idea as "humble cuisine with Michelin-starred chefs", with a menu written together with chefs from Spain and other countries. It works as a sharing-plates stop: order a few tapas and keep the evening open.
Then walk over to Building 12 in the same complex. Brownstone View is on the fourth floor of Building 12. According to its listing, it is Brownstone's first rooftop garden restaurant, at the highest point of the Dream Center commercial district, with an unobstructed view of the river from the garden. The brand's own story is that its founder, "Mr Brown", travelled through Spain, including Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, visiting markets, meeting chef friends and trying different cooking methods, and opened the first Brownstone in Shanghai in 2010.
Doing both in one evening is the point of the plan: small plates in Building 6, then the Building 12 rooftop for a drink with the river view. If the weather is bad, the rooftop is the part to swap out.
Sunday: Mesa Alegre on Ruining Road
For Sunday, move to Mesa Alegre, Unit L1-12a on the first floor of Building 3, 268 Ruining Road. Its listing places it in Xuhui's West Bund, by the river, and describes a bright, relaxed room. The dishes it names are Iberian pork, paella and tapas with a modern twist, with sangria or Spanish wine to drink. The listing also suggests it for a drink after a walk along the riverside, which fits a slow Sunday.
Paella is the dish to look at here, and our suggestion is to share it between two or more. Our directory doesn't list Mesa Alegre's portion sizes or how long its rice takes, so ask when you order, and get a few tapas for the table in the meantime. Our paella page explains what to look for in the pan.
If you want more: the same groups across Shanghai
Both Saturday brands have other branches in our directory, which helps if you are staying elsewhere in the city.
- Tapa Tapa has six Shanghai listings: West Bund, Fumin Road in Jing'an, Magnolia Plaza in Hongkou (the Fumin Road listing calls Magnolia Plaza the first store), Daxue Road in Yangpu, Panlong Tiandi in Qingpu and Jinqiao in Pudong.
- Brownstone has at least seven more Shanghai listings besides Brownstone View, including Xintiandi, IAPM on Huaihai Middle Road, 96 Plaza and Fucheng Road in Pudong, and Yongjia Court in the former French Concession.
What to order on a Spanish weekend
None of these three listings gives a full menu, so use the dishes they name and the classics you'd expect at any tapas table. A few pointers from our dish guides:
- Croquetas: the crust should be thin and crisp and the inside creamy, not stodgy.
- Patatas bravas: fried potatoes with a spicy sauce, sometimes alioli too.
- Jamón ibérico: ask whether it is hand-carved, and eat it at room temperature.
- Sangria: Mesa Alegre names it; it is often made by the jug for the table.
For the wider picture of Spanish dining in the city, including the French Concession and Pudong, read our guide to Spanish restaurants in Shanghai or browse all Spanish restaurants in Shanghai.
