I had the opportunity to visit Shanghai as part of an educational trip in 2019 where I stayed near Shanghai University which was somewhere on the outskirts of the city area and the closest train station was Shanghai Circus World. Here are some of my experiences and thoughts as a vegetarian there.

Finding food

There is an abundance of options in the city area whereas in rural areas it is almost impossible to come across places with vegetarian options. Some stores will prepare vegetarian food if you request them and it is always worth giving it a try.

Baidu Maps

As with searching for other places in China, it is usually recommended to utilise applications such as Baidu Maps which is more local and provides the most accurate results. It is advised not to use Google Maps unless as a last resort.

My experience using Baidu Maps had been a pleasant one. However, there was no English option during my use there. Baidu Maps provided great detail in the city of Shanghai and even had layered views of malls similar to that of Google Maps.

On my first day there, I quickly searched for Baidu to locate the closest vegetarian options. On average, you will be able to find a vegetarian store within a distance of 1 to 2 stations or about an 8 min walk. If you are closer to the heart of the city area, you are more likely to find more options but the distance between stores is also roughly an 8 min walk.

Vegetarian food surrounding where I stayed.

Convenient stores

Unfortunately, it is quite hard to find even cup noodles that are vegetarian at the local convenient stores.

Asking the locals

In general, the locals have been extremely helpful (maybe because I am Chinese) and pointed out the places where there are vegetarian options whenever I approach them. The Chinese translation for vegetarian is “素食” pronounced in pinyin as “shu shi”.

First Impressions

自在軒

One of the places which I frequent was 自在軒. There were 2 outlets both one station away from where I stayed. My friend and I alternate between these 2 places during our stay there. When we were first finding the place, we took a wrong turn and had to trace back our steps. Both places are differently designed, one was relatively traditional while the other had a modern vibe. The restaurants were conducive and the staff was extremely friendly, some of which I remained in contact with until today.

Making a wrong turn.

The Bund

The Bund area which is popular with both locals and foreigners alike proved difficult to find food. When we first went searching for food, we ended up spending close to 20 mins (but it did give us a nice tour around the city).

There are some interesting vegetarian options around the bund area with some of them having a long history. You can find many varieties and options within this city area.

Overall experience

The restaurants were amazing places to dine in. Finding them for the first time was quite the journey but once you are familiar with the area, it is quite the breeze.

Some of the amazing food that I had.

Payment

Cash is seldom used in China but that did not hinder us possibly because it’s still a tourist area. Instead, WeChat has multiple functions from ordering food to paying for it. The entire process can be done on WeChat.

The general perception of vegetarianism by locals

Vegetarianism in China is generally not prevalent but there is a rising trend, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the local vegetarian stores are owned by Buddhist associations and many of the locals will be interested and impressed to know why you are vegetarian. Eating meat is viewed as being well off and as a status symbol. China had been an experience that will continue to reside in my memory.