| Address: | 598 Fengyang Lu (by Nanjing Xi Lu) |
| Phone: | 5228 3882 |
| Cards Accepted: | All Major |
| Nearest Metr | Middle Henan Road |
| In a Sentence: | Kitschy Polynesian hits the shores of Shanghai. |
| Our Review: | We remember the first time we walked into Trader Vic's Beverly Hills (next to the Beverly Hills Hilton) past the throngs of party-goers and celebutante's and wondered "what is the ruckus all about?". And then we realized we had somehow stumbled into a South Pacific themed restaurant, complete with wait staff in bright, colored Hawaiian shirts. Well, after a night of fun (and a few too many drinks), we realized that most people come to Trader Vic's to imbibe on the exotic cocktails - from Mai Tai's (legend has it the Trader actually invented the Mai Tai) to Coco Locos to a slew of other tropical concoctions you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Shanghai. Shanghai's version might not have the same glamorous location as the one in Beverly Hills (it is on the 2nd floor of an apartment complex near Thai Gallery), but the same experience has been replicated, as it has been done at each of Trader Vic's other 25 locations around the world. The menu is a mish-mash of Western and Asian-influenced dishes, none of which stand out as phenomenal. There are lots of finger foods, including: sushi, sashimi, spare ribs, fried prawns and potstickers. And there are some standards including a Caesar salad made tableside, steak cooked in a wood-fired oven, and several stir-fry dishes, so it should be pretty easy to find something to suit everyone's taste buds. But with prices on the high side (expect to spend 400 RMB + per person for dinner and drinks), our recommendation would be to first check out Trader Vic's during Happy Hour from 5:30-7:30, when drinks (normally 75 RMB and up) are half-price and you can sample some appetizers without breaking the bank. |
| Best Dish: | You can't go wrong with any of the appetizers. |