Shanghai has had Spanish restaurants for more than twenty years. Las Tapas opened its first one on South Maoming Road in 2004, and by the time it had opened a third, it says, there were only four Spanish restaurants in the city. Three of them were Las Tapas. Our Shanghai listings now include tapas chains, chef-led dining rooms and small neighbourhood bistros. This guide goes area by area, using what each restaurant tells us about itself.
Xintiandi
EP Estado Puro by David Guzmán is the most ambitious Spanish kitchen in the area. Estado Puro is the tapas concept of Paco Roncero, a Spanish chef with two Michelin stars, and the Shanghai branch sits in Xintiandi's North Plaza. Chef David Guzmán has led it since 2021, adapting Roncero's modern techniques to local produce and diners. Expect updated tapas rather than a traditional bar menu.
For something looser, Tomatito is a casual, colourful tapas bar by Willy Trullas Moreno in the Hubindao mall on Hubin Road. The menu sticks to Spanish classics: croquetas made with pork or chicken, patatas bravas, tortilla and albóndigas. It has a large terrace looking over Xintiandi Park.
Brownstone, a local tapas group, also has a branch in Xintiandi. Its founder, Mr Brown, came back from travelling through Barcelona, Madrid and Seville and opened the first Brownstone in 2010. There are now several around the city, including a rooftop at the West Bund Dream Center.
Former French Concession
Mercado 505 has been open since 2018 on the corner of Wulumuqi North Road and Huashan Road, behind floor-to-ceiling windows. The name means market, and the menu leans on product: carabinero prawns, several kinds of jamón, paella cooked over an open fire, a long cheese list, Basque cheesecake and churros con chocolate.
Albaluz, an Andalusian name for the first light of sunrise over the sea, started in 2014 at Hengshan Fang. It now has two addresses: Albaluz Cookening & Tabernita on Tianping Road in Xuhui, and a newer Albaluz on Wukang Road. The kitchen cooks traditional tapas with seasonal ingredients and some Asian techniques mixed into the Mediterranean base.
Vecinos (the word means neighbours) on Middle Fuxing Road aims for everyday Spanish food at fair prices. Casa Baja, on West Yan'an Road, is a small restaurant run by Spanish chef Aitor, who has been cooking for more than ten years.
Jing'an
Mustache has been on Julu Road since 2014. It serves paella, seafood, Ibérico pork and tapas, puts real weight on wines from different Spanish regions, and has a garden. OLLA, on North Maoming Road in the old Zhangyuan block, is a tapas and Spanish wine bistro that mixes traditional dishes with creative tapas built on local ingredients.
Tapa Tapa, owned by Lenbach Group, has a branch on Fumin Road and others in Hongkou, Yangpu, Xuhui, Qingpu and Pudong. The group says its menu is co-written with chefs from Spain and elsewhere, and the Fumin Road branch lists hundreds of wines.
Pudong
Madrid 1995 opened its first Shanghai branch in Qiantan Park Lane. It works through the day: coffee and churros in the morning, then ham and Spanish wine later on, with hams hanging over vintage wooden tables and private booths for quieter meetings.
In Lujiazui, PINTXOS at IFC serves pintxos, the small Basque bites on bread held together with a toothpick, under a Spanish chef. Las Tapas also has a branch in Jinqiao with a large garden.
Minhang and Qingpu
Las Tapas on Hongmei Road sits on the bar street known as Laowai Jie. It was the group's second restaurant, opened after the original Maoming Road site ran out of space. Further west, Macarena Spanish Restaurant & Bar has been on Gaojing Road near Hongqiao since 2014, serving Ibérico ham, olives, seafood and paella, with Spanish art on the walls.
Tips for eating Spanish in Shanghai
- Chains dominate. Brownstone, Tapa Tapa and Las Tapas each run several branches, so check which address you are booking.
- Xintiandi and the Former French Concession have the most Spanish restaurants close together, which makes them the easiest areas for a two-stop evening.
- If you want to compare, order the same plate in two places. Croquetas and patatas bravas show quickly how serious a kitchen is. Our croqueta guide explains what to look for.
