It's Time For Shanghai Restaurant Week
If you don't already know, Dining City runs its Restaurant Week event twice a year, usually in March and September, offering great deals for lunch and dinner at heavily discounted prices. Lunches start at 78 to 148 RMB and dinners from 118 to 258 RMB depending on the venue. There are also "Elite Dining" deals at higher price points for those who want something a bit more indulgent.
Deals vary from amazing value to extremely underwhelming and is not always based on the quality of the venue. For example, some places seem to take this as an opportunity to cash in and make some extra money by offering a very basic set meal which often would not represent a better deal than their usual daily menu offering. On the other hand, some restaurants seem to look at this event as a chance to show off their capabilities and try to attract new customers who may then become regulars. I tend to hunt for the latter.
A good example of this would be Tomatito, a Spanish restaurant near Xintiandi. Their Restaurant Week lunch deal is always first on my booking list every 6 months. This time round, they are offering a set lunch that includes:
- Sautéed wild shrimps with garlic and chili
- Codfish croquettes
- Sesame cracker with avocado and watermelon salsa
- Piquillo peppers stuffed with spicy slow cooked pork served with Tomatito’s XXX fermented chili & chipotle hot sauce
- Pulled chicken, char grilled corn, fava beans, carrots, peas, coriander & arugula mix topped with potato crisps
- A choice of Juicy Valencian style chicken, broad beans & rosemary rice or Grilled snapper with seasonal vegetables
- Crème brûlée Catalan style
Yes, you get ALL of the above for 118 RMB and I am hesitating to publish this before I secure my booking, because it is a no-brainer.
There are of course many other deals to be found and part of the fun is searching through the multitude of venues and menus and deciding which ones to book.
Bookings can be made via the Dining City website and booking open to the public from 10am (Beijing time zone) on 26th August 2025 (priority booking has already opened if you hold a qualifying ICBC Bank credit or debit card). The event begins on 27th August and ends 28th September 2025.
