The Cannery
1107 Yuyuan Lu
Changning District
Shanghai 201500
Tel. +86 21 52760599
The dishes
West Coast trio tartare (Salmon, amberjack, prawn – Truffle ponzu – Tempura nori & shiso leaf)
Mac -n- Cheese
Clams in white wine sauce
Sirloin Tip Steak 300 g (imported Wagyu)
Mark’s Smash Burger (Wagyu beef blend, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion)
Pan-seared halibut (Confit baby potatoes, fennel pollen, charred broccolini, romesco sauce)
Kale Caesar Salad
Yuyuan Lu Bread Pudding (Baked Bread Pudding, w/Orange, Raisin, Bourbon sauce, vanilla Bean Ice cream)
The Cannery Creamery Ice Cream (She Sells Seashells by the Seashore Salted Caramel -n- Biscuits; Black Velvet -n-Spice Dark Chocolate and Blackberry Swirl)
The Cannery has long been one of Shanghai’s most successful easygoing dining destinations, a unique restaurant/lounge combination that is both people- and dog-friendly. Previously under ownership of the MUSE Group, a dining empire that owned and ran countless dining venues not just in Shanghai but in other Chinese cities too, The Cannery recently underwent an organizational change and is now independently managed by Mark Klingspon and his team. Justly famous with the city’s foodies for its relaxed, friendly vibe, spacious interior with bar and chic lounge low seating, and comfy external patio, not to mention excellent seafood especially (with a canning theme -hence the name of the restaurant-, so items like duck liver and steamed clams are, or were in the past, served from cans); a good wine list; and great craft beers and cocktails, The Cannery celebrated its nine-year anniversary this past July. And while the lounge remains utterly beautiful, armed with one of the prettier interior designs of the city, the food and wine menus have been tweaked, if not revamped. The food is showing more of a Pacific West Coast vibe, with an emphasis on both raw and cooked fresh seafood, and more seasonal dishes. Classics like the hamburger and the cured salmon remain, however, and some of those have been noticeably improved, such as for example the Mac -n- Cheese, that has never been as good as it is now. I would venture to say that part of the food’s improvement (not that it wasn’t very good before, it’s just that it’s even better now) is the merit of consultant chef Dylan Smith, who had starred previously in Shanghai restaurants like Crush (sorely missed) and Gago and had set the Seattle food scene on fire years ago. What has instead clearly improved, and quite a bit, is the wine list. While five years ago or so The Cannery and all the restaurants in the Muse group boasted wine lists that were not just broad in scope but offered interesting, excellent wines at fair prices, for a time that followed there was a noteworthy shift to a majority of natural wines that were mostly undrinkable for everybody except those fixated on drinking angular, smelly, unbalanced wines the only merit of which is the “natural” label. I have no difficulty in stating that I had stopped going to The Cannery for that very reason: I simply could never find much I wanted to drink there, wine-wise, and when I go to lunch or dinner, I do want to drink wine. Not beers, not cocktails, not water. I don’t know if it’s just my impression or if a shift in wine list wine choices did happen or not, but I find that there are more choices nowadays that are compatible with my drinking preferences. Clearly, I think we are all better for it. Patrons can also bring their own wine bottle to the restaurant and by buying one wine off the list corkage is waved, and so that’s great too. In the end, it all adds up, food, design, wine and service, to The Cannery being one of my favourite go-to eating spots in all Shanghai, especially when I want to just kick back, alone or with friends, in a non-fussy dining environment.
