Edmonton isn't necessarily known as a hot spot for the best Chinese food in the country (it's no Richmond, BC or Scarborough, ON) but this cuisine is certainly on its way up. With renewed appreciation for the city's Chinatown and innovators like Fu's on the scene, people are taking notice in a delicious way. My stomach is very pleased to be a part of this renaissance and reframing of Asian fare in Edmonton. I bet you didn't know that we have soup dumplings in town - and I mean really good ones. Named Favourite Dish on the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 and 2024 lists, this was a dish that I absolutely needed to try. Visiting on a dark and cold Saturday evening, we made the trek out to Dominion Industrial, unsurprisingly not a part of the city that I often frequent. By now you know that I am always happy to venture around for food! The outside of the restaurant is very unassuming and you might even miss it if you don't know what you're looking for. Keep an eye out for the red awning and you'll know that you've found the right place. There's parking around the side and back of the building. Entering through the door and walking into the space, I was immediately struck by a wave of tantalizing hot and sour aromas. A friendly staff member guided us to a table in the decently-sized dining room and I began to take everything in. The room is somewhat modest but maybe a little futuristic with chrome-topped tables and matching chairs. Huge round tables are outfitted with big rotating trays in the center, waiting to accommodate large groups. I liked that each place setting was ready with a bowl, soup spoon, teacup, and chop sticks. A picture of the Shanghai city skyline decorates the wall. Circling back to the staff, we were served by two different women during our visit and both were absolutely lovely. Incredibly warm, friendly, attentive, and helpful. The menu is quite extensive and they were happy to answer all of our questions and made useful recommendations. They really elevated our visit! Upon sitting down we were delivered the customary pot of jasmine green tea - very welcome due to the frigid temperature outside. The warm sips were an ideal way to defrost while creating a plan for our feast. Shanghai 456 is known for their soup dumplings but they serve a whole lot more. The menu is really big and it took a little while for us to decide all of the different dishes that we wanted to try. We got there eventually but not without some effort! Once the order was placed the various plates began to arrive in no particular order. The feast had begun! We thought that a noodle dish would be a good "base" for the meal. I liked the sound of the Shanghai style smoked fish noodle but was informed that it was served as a soup. Soup is harder to share among a group so instead we went with the Shanghai Noodle Sautéed with Pork and Vegetables ($16.95). The ample portion of wok-fried noodles was served hot and delicious. Each tender and thick noodle was bathed in a tasty and savoury sauce. The cabbage within the dish added a nice fresh crunch and the thin strips of pork helped to round out the plate. These noodles were easy to eat and very satisfying. After that, we leaned into the Shanghai Dim Sum part of the menu hard - all remaining dishes came from this part of the menu, arguably what the restaurant is most known for. So much to choose from and so many plates that caught my eye! Next to arrive was the Sticky Rice Roll with Chinese Long Donut and Dried Pork Floss ($7.95). I was too intrigued by the idea of this dish to not try it. It arrived looking kind of like a sushi roll but that was the beginning and the end of the similarity. I'm a huge fan of Chinese long donuts (you can get the best ones in Edmonton at Shan Shan Bakery in Chinatown) so I was really curious to find out how this would work within a rice roll. Turns out, it works really well! A wonderful combination of sweet and savoury combined with some really interesting textural elements from the sticky rice to the crispy donut to the dry shards of pork. I've never tried anything like this before and it was fun to eat! Then it was time for the traditional Chinese broth-filled dumplings! Otherwise known as xiao long bao (or XLB if you're extra cool). "Xiao long" refers to the bamboo steaming basket which they are prepared in, while "bao" means bun and refers to the dumpling itself. They can be made with all sorts of different fillings on the inside. There is also a specific way for them to be eaten - you don't just start tossing them into your mouth (although I'm sure that no one would be mad if you did). The little ritual involved in eating the bao adds to the special experience. You are meant to lift the dumpling from its top with chopsticks and place it into your spoon. Then you poke a hole into the bottom of the bao to release the hot broth. There is soup inside of each dumpling! First you drink the hot broth out of the spoon and then you enjoy the rest o read more

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Shanghai 456 is the only restaurant in Edmonton that offers decent quality dishes from the Shanghai area, so I'd give them 8.5/10. Items that are worth trying are: - Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Mini Pork Soup Bun): Probably the best in Edmonton. They also offer one with crab meat. - House Special Hotpot: A mix of goodies including fish balls, salty pork belly, vegetables, and noodles. One pot is enough for two people to share read more

The service was excellent! The servers were very attentive. The food looked and tasted delicious. We didn't wait very long for our food. The soup dumplings were so good with a nice amount of soup broth inside. My family really enjoyed the beef with tendon. The beef was nice, tender and full of flavour. The gailan with garlic was generously plated. I would have preferred to have the gailan with a sauce or meat or both for extra flavour. The restaurant was nice and clean. Family friendly set up. I would like to come back again to try more foods. read more

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What an amazing place with quality food. The service is kind, efficient and amazing. Such welcoming workers! The vibe is happy satisfied customers, such a great turnover of customers. Highly recommend, a must try!!!! read more

Shanghai 456 - Pork & Crab Soup Dumplings - Dim Sum Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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So I was here prior to COVID and I wasn't too impressed and in fact I found a hair in my food which no one seemed to be willing to fix. I decided again based on my very knowledgeble friend who suggested we come here for brunch. It is under new management since the last time I was there. Nothing has changed since I was there last time in terms of space. Same old worn out decor and furniture. Same menu. Same type of service. Food though was remarkably better and excellent for the price. We went with two soup dumplings - the pork and the pork with crab. Both were delicous. Both were really hot. Be careful when you bite into them the broth inside is boiling. However, it is worth the risk. Savoury and fresh and a delicious combination of hot broth and meat filling. We also tried the pan fried beef bun (available only on Saturday and Sundays). Golden and well baked with a lovely rich beef filling inside. The soy milk rice bar we weren't sure of what to expect. It was rich and savoury and we both enjoyed it. We had the rice cakes stir fried with bamboo shoots. Fresh, and inviting and a great contrast of chewy rice cakes and crisp vegatable. We also had the chinese long donut and the pancake filled with red bean place. Both came out fresh, puffy and hot. We totally loved our selections and food came out quickly. Will be back :) read more

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Decided to try this place as I was craving a nice soup. Ordered delivery through Door Dash. The Hot and Sour soup was delicious! Very flavourful and had plenty leftover for the next day's lunch. However, the Dan Dan Noodles were a real disappointed! It's really just noodles and some peanut sauce in a little broth. There's no real substance to it and looked like very little effort was put into it. The noodles were very sticky and overcooked. Have to give them koodos for packing separately from the sauce though. The green onion cake wasn't too bad. A bit too sweet for my taste. I will definitely be ordering the Hot and Sour soup again though. Perhaps, I will try something else next time as well. Couldn't give it more than the three stars since the noodles were such a disappointment. Ended up tossing them out. read more

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Ok believe the hype. Those little pork dumplings are worth the craze over them. Its what I came for and it did not disapoint. So steaming hot that I had to wait a bit before eating them as I learned from the first bite which almost burnt my tongue. (I was too excited) ive eaten in hong kong and some of the best chinatown restoraunts all over the country and this actually beats the dumplings in san francisco. (The only other place ive found these dumplings to be made properly in north america). I seriously dont understand how they put so much soup in these dumplings. Which gush out a hot tasty liquid when bitten into. 6 of them were filling for me. I had to take my pork wonton soup to go as I could only eat a few bites. The soup was average at best. Maybe a touch better than instant noodles since it really lacked in veggies. ( I only got three tiny sprigs of veggies and 6 wontons). I also tried the crab/pork dumplings. They were ok. I wont order it again. The taste of imitation crab was too overwhelming I almost spit it out. Maybe if u like artificial crab. But I often cant even swallow it. So next time ill order two pork dumplings. Thats it. Plus the complimentary mango pudding was a nice touch. A nice gesture and cleansed my palate from the soupy dumplings I came for. I will return. But only four stars bc my other dishes kinda sucked. But the fantastic dumplings made up for that. read more

This seemed like the only Shanghai food option in Edmonton. We stopped by right as the restaurant opened its doors. Menus and tea were dropped once we were seated. We ordered a number of items to try. Food tasted surprisingly decent. The soup dumplings had a lot of soup. The skin was thin and the meat was flavourful. The dipping sauce was missing slivers of ginger for authenticity sake, but this is Edmonton so there is not much competition happening. All the other dumplings were tasty. The pan fried beef buns were huge and I found the wrapper to be a bit on the thick side. I ordered sweetened soy milk and it arrived cold. I forgot to ask the server about temperature and automatically assumed it would be a bowl of hot soy milk to dip the Chinese donut in. Service was fast for a busy restaurant. We did not have to wait too long for food to arrive. Interestingly, our server spoke Cantonese to us when we entered the restaurant. It is a different part of China for those who do not notice the language differences. read more

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Xiao Long Bao! Xiao Long Bao! Xiao Long Bao! Shanghai 456 has the best Xiao Long Bao I've ever had. Each piece is piping hot and has great flavor. We order multiple trays each time we visit. The pea tips and fried rice are also good. read more

Tried eating here again after a couple of years. The last time we came, we noticed that the quality of food had fallen dramatically...happy to report that one of the few Shanghai cuisine spots is good again! I'm not sure if they are under new ownership (I don't recognize any of the staff anymore), but the xlb's, pot stickers, etc are delicious! I'm not 100% what the English names are for my faves but will try my best in translating in my pics. Prices are decent, the space is pretty much on par for most Chinese restaurants in YEG (no frills...it's a place to eat good food but nothing fancy and don't expect a fancy ambiance or much attention paid to service level). Come for the food, the staff are nice. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Shanghai 456 - "Dow miu"...pea shoots cooked in broth - Dim Sum Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Good dumplings and veggies. Soup dumplings with crab and vegetable dumplings had really good flavour and balance. Had pea tips and eggplant, also delicious. Dan dan noodles were very confusing. Maybe I shouldn't order a Sichuan dish in a place called Shanghail 456. They had no spice, no Sichuan peppercorns (ma la), no sour pickled veggies, and no pork, The noodles were a big disappointment in an otherwise good meal. read more

I dont know what people love about the place. It's pretty basic. Had the beef brisket noodles.. lots of broth. 1/4 piece of baby bol chocolate and tiny cubes 6 of beef. XIAO LONG BOW WERE OK. Flat. And even the wor tip was sad... flat and barely had any meat. It had a lot of broth in the dumpling, which should not be. Dnr read more

There's not many places I'll go for Chinese food. I make an exception for Shanghainese food. I've been to Shanghai 456 many times now having taken friends, family and co-workers and they've all loved it. If you want a more in-depth review, take a look here. Took J and L out for an early Friday dinner. They've never had XLB's before or Shanghai food for that matter. My mind was blown and clearly I had to do my duty and show them the ropes. That and try a couple new dishes obviously. - Fun see ($16.95) - this one is on their special menu but if you want something different and absolutely delicious, order it! Just point to the picture on the menu. These noodles have the perfect, chewy bite. I'd order this again in a heartbeat. - Bok choy (E16) ($11.95) - Shanghai bok choy stir fried with garlic sauce. They were out of their green beans with x.o. sauce - HOW is that even possible - so we went with something simple. Sometimes simple is best. - Xiao long bao (A2) ($6.95) - obviously, we ordered two baskets of XLB's because one is never enough. Each basket contains six of the most plump, juicy, delicious soup filled dumplings you will find in the city. Hands down. Give it a little bath in the vinegar soy sauce and be prepared to be blown away. Always a must order. - House special hot pot (C7) ($21.95 medium) - hot pot with homemade fish balls, salty pork belly slices, meat, vegetables and glass noodles. I've had this before on another occasion but we wanted something warm to fill our stomachs. This hit the spot with a good variety of vegetables inside (enoki mushrooms, bok choy, tofu, cabbage). The meat itself is meh - too salty but that's to be expected for this type of dish. However, the broth is flavourful and the glass noodles add that chewy, comforting texture to bring things together. - Wor tip (A3) ($7.50) - pan fried beef dumplings. These came out last but holy crap, it was piping hot. Seriously, Jman burnt his tongue because he couldn't wait. Excellent crispy dumplings and with a bit of soup inside them as well, watch out. - Sesame balls - they always bring something at the end for dessert and this time it was sesame balls with black sesame paste inside. Fresh, hot and gooey. I think L fell in love with this one - she wanted a couple more to take home. What more is there to say? Each time that I hit up the 456, I'm always happy and get my fill of XLB's. Order a couple of their staples and then branch out a bit with a new dish or two that you've never had before. read more

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Arriving at 12:30 on a weekday, the restaurant had about 6 tables occupied and not very busy. The restaurant looked clean and simple, and there are tables for 4 around the outer edge and a few tables to accommodate larger groups. The service was prompt with taking our order and the food came out very quickly. For 3 of us, we ordered too much food and had leftovers. We had the xiao long bao and they came out hot and fresh. I really enjoyed it with the sauce. I had the beef brisket noodle soup and there was so much noodles, my table mates each had a bowl or two and I had a few bowls. The beef wasn't fatty, but nice and tender. There were a few big pieces of carrot in the soup too. The noodles were a little chewy and delicious. We also ordered the rice cake served with vegetables, pork, and I think mushroom. The texture of the rice cake was good and not too thick and chewy. The other dish was a noodle soup that I didn't try but my table mates really enjoyed as well. They gave us complimentary dessert of 3 black bean sesame balls. They were a perfect way to end our meal as they weren't too sweet and greasy. Our server refilled our drinks and took away our plates promptly. We didn't feel rushed as we took our time to enjoy our meal and chat after. Glad to see more people come in for a late lunch and enjoy the great food. read more

Shanghai 456 - They gave us free dessert! - Dim Sum Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

The food and dishes were really authentic and came Out so fresh and warm out of kitchen. I like my food hot out of the kitchen. The drunken chicken is really nicely prepared. It was not over cooked and the sauce was not too salty which makes it good to enjoy the left overs. Went in the weekend so able to order their weekend special beef filling pan fried bun. It was juicy and the dough was fresh and soft. I'm really sensitive with certain pork smell and the soup dumpling (Xiao lung bao) was good. The top of the dumpling dough was a little thick but overall nice done. The tipping sauce didn't have the sliced ginger but it didn't ruin my whole experience. The restaurant furniture is outdated and give you a real Chinese restaurant in rural china. It add characters and haven't been back for a while so will be back for sure read more

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This is one of my go to places for Xiao Long Bao: Steamed Soup Dumplings Filled with Minced Pork, they are pretty big and always delicious when it's piping hot. I would strongly suggest eating these XLB right away and don't forget to drizzle the sauce that comes with it. It is bomb dot com I usually order that first, as it takes awhile to prepare. While I'm waiting , I dig into their Dan Dan noodles. There's something about the xo sauce mixed with peanut soup combination makes and the pickled cabbage in it that makes it feels so hearty. Not only that it gives your warm fuzzy feelings inside, the noodles in there are perfect sized and oh so chewy. Definitely not very spicy but good enough for flavouring. read more

Shanghai 456 - Dan Dan Noodles - Spicy peanut sauce noodles with XO sauce - Dim Sum Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Best chinese restaurant in edmonton! Definitely have to try the pan fried pork buns and the crispy ginger beef

This place is a little out of the way (in terms of not being a central location), but the food is unreal so it is worth the trip. The decor is nothing fancy, but there are cool photos of Shanghai plastered on the walls. I have dined in, but recently my boyfriend brought me home takeout. I had my favourite and a staple menu item: XIAOLONGBAO (Steamed pork soup dumplings). These things and the sauce that come with them are unreal. I have had other dishes in the past which are also great, but these are so unique. They are tender, flavorful, and that blast of soup is so yummy! read more

Little hole in the wall restaurant that I would've never known about till I drove by. Ordered shrimp fried rice and I must say it was the best shrimp fried rice I've had in Edmonton!!! Perfect authentic flavour , literally made me wanting more. I'm so sad that I was not able to find this place sooner before I moved from the province! Definitely check this place out , if I'm ever back in town I will go again! read more

It was my first time here but my friend has been here many times. I heard that the service is a bit slow so my friend arrived earlier than I and ordered first. She was the only one there around noon but it soon filled up with about six other tables by 12:15. The restaurant is average size with parking around the building and street. We had the dumplings which looked homemade and larger in size than at other restaurants. You get six on a plate and they were very tasty, the juice from meat inside squirts out as you take that first bite. You don't really need the sauce that they give you with it. The shanghai fried noodle was loaded with lots of cabbage and bean sprouts and the portion was huge, we each had a bowl and took the rest in a doggie bag and the styrofoam container was full. My friend did request that they cook it with less oil so I didn't find it too oily. The other dish was the shanghai style noodle soup with shredded pork. The bowl was also huge, I was quite surprised. It had lots of veggies, chinese mushrooms and pork. It looks like they offer quite a few dishes and the XLB seems popular. I'm looking forward to going back to try some new items. They only thing is that I didn't see a menu available except that someone took pictures of one and posted it. read more

I finally got to try the pan fried beef buns! Slightly crispy on the outside, chewy bun, and with beef and soup filling.I had the chewy/crispy rice rolls with soy milk again, the always green beans in XO sauce, and the Shanghai style hotpot which is quite an assortment of different things. I added photos of all these dishes above . The red bean/coconut free dessert was the best so far I think. This came to $41 although with the hotpot it was far too much for 2 people so the hotpot came home for dinner. As always I can't recommend this place enough for great and authentic Chinese food. The people who work there are really friendly too and there is always at least one lady who speaks English, who can help a bit with working out what to order. The menu has one side with English translations and an all-Chinese side. There is an English translation though which you can ask for. read more

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Previously, I had only been to this Shanghai restaurant once, but some friends who now live in the area wanted to try it out, so we decided to meet up and catch up here for lunch! They were quite excited after having read some great reviews about it. Atmosphere: 3/5 Unassuming location and a bit on the smaller side. We initially thought it was a little sketchy...and had a little difficulty finding parking up front so ended up in the back. When we got in though, the restaurant was already quite full for having only just opened. We were seated at a round table which seemed adequate Food: 3/5 We ended up trying their most popular items including Xiao Long Bao, beef dumplings, shanghai noodles sauteed with pork and vegetables, rice cake sauteed with pork chinese spinach and bamboo shoot, and vegetables. I thought it was average for Shanghai food but good portion sizes. It was similar to chinese food and was a little oily for me, but that is also to be expected for Shanghai cuisine. The meal did come with free dessert, which was mango pudding to share amongst us. Service: 2/5 I think this is also to be expected; we had to carry a baby seat back to the table as the staff would not help us. Price: 3/5 Reasonable for the amount and quality of food Overall: 3/5 Overall I would say this restaurant is pretty average for Shanghai food; very similar to Chinese food which one can get at any other Chinese restaurant except for some specialty items like xiao long bao - a good treat only once in a while! This type of cuisine was a bit oily and filling for me but many find it enjoyable. Service and atmosphere may not be the best. Overall adequate. read more

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Ordered salted and fresh pork hot pot to be delivered to my house. Charged $14.95 with two pieces of green leaves, 4 pieces of un-chewable bamboo shoots and "purple" pork belly... are you kidding me?! I've been a returning customer and always get good service when I'm dining in. I'm very shocking to see the poor quality of the take-out service. Very sad about this. read more

Shanghai 456 - Dim Sum Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

I live in NYC and love the food in Chinatown. Recently I was visiting my folks in Edmonton, and was surprised when my dad insisted that we go to this new place close to the Municipal Airport. It's a small cafeteria-style place next to the Edmonton Flying Club, serving Chinese food along with standard Western food like burgers and fries. The dan dan noodle soup was delicious, the green beans were crunchy and succulent, and the beef brisket with tofu skins was better than anything I've eaten in NYC's Chinatown over the past 15 years. We were so full after all that, we had to take home our dessert: sticky rice balls covered with crushed peanuts and filled with black sesame. Definitely try this place if you like Chinese noodle shops and inexpensive, delicious food. There is a one-page menu with English on one side and Chinese on the other side. read more

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Northern Chinese cuisine is rare; the type of Chinese food that most people are familiar is southern style, with all the spices. Shanghai 456 specializes in the former, with a focus on dumplings and noodles. I've been here a couple times now and recommend this spot highly! First of all, it isn't Din Tai Fung, but the xiao long bao is delicious and tasty. My only complaint is that I think they're a bit too big! The dumplings are meant to fit entirely in your mouth and this one is a bit of a two-bite chomper. Still, it's tasty and satisfying. One of the things that surprised me is how much I love their special pork belly and pea shoots! Really quite delicious and fall apart tender. It's not pretty on the inside -- it really looks like a run down cafeteria with an open kitchen -- but whatever. I think it's worth it. Kinda pricey for Chinese food in general, but if you really want dumplings, this is the place to go in Edmonton. read more

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Great authentic shanghainese style food. Prices aren't that bad. Friendly servers. Quiet environment. Overall a pleasant dining experience read more

Shanghai 456 - Steamed Pork buns - Dim Sum Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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Was very good Avoid the standard combo meals and ordered a steam and pan fried buns Hot and sour soup and pork tenderloin Was delicious with enough left over for supper read more

All I can say is wow. The food was amazing. The dumplings are delicious, the ginger beef was crispy and tasty and the soup had a wonderful subtle flavour. If we lived in Edmonton we would be here all the time! read more

My family and I have recently began frequenting Shanghai 456 this year, and I have to say it's one of my favourite restaurants! The Shanghai noodles are the best I've ever had, they're so satisfying and have that delcious wok-flavour. The ginger beef is also the best we've had, my family and I love it. It's got the perfect balance of flavours and is always the perfect texture. My cousin also loves their soup-filled dumplings. My family is quite hard to impress and so the fact they love this place speaks volumes! read more

The place to go for soup dumplings! Can't go wrong at a price of $7.95. They're really good. Also definitely try the shanghai noodles- authentic. We also ordered the shanghai sweet and sour ribs to try since it looked like everyone else around else had an order on their table, which I also recommend! They were mild in sweetness and very flavorful (not the typical Chinese sweet and sour you normally think of). This place is a hidden gem, hole in the wall kind of joint. Environment is nothing fancy and quite basic. Service was on the slower side with only one guy manning the tables. But if you're looking for authentic shanghai food, this is the place! read more

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First time I tried this restaurant, was a big disappointment. The taste of foods was plain, identical to what you get from fast food stand in malls or grocery store. The volume of each dish was so small, almost half of what you normally get. This is far from an authentic top rated Chinese Restaurant. Will not come back. Seriously questioning validity of Yelp rating. Jason read more

We haven't been to Shanghai 456 in a while. We went again recently and brought some friends to experience it. They loved it! Mostly because they were wanting us to order as they had been previously but didn't quite get the "authentic dishes". We got a variety of dishes including the infamous siu leng bao (pork filled steamed buns), a noodle dish, fried pork steamed buns (only avail. On the weekend), beef soup noodles, Buddha bowl veggie noodles, stir fried green beans and more! The menu is in English as well so there really shouldn't be too much trouble with ordering. There are pictures of their more common dishes that people order on the menu. read more

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This is not the only place to go in Edmonton for Xiao Long Bao (Chinese Soup Dumplings). Visited family in Edmonton over a weekend and ate my way through the city. Craving some xiao long bao, we yelped to see which restaurant had it and Shanghai 456 came up. Taste: A-Ok. The broth is really thick and not clear & light as it should be. Also, the top of the knot is thick. [some of my Taiwanese father-in-law's opinion]. The broth was too fatty. It satisfied us for our craving, but we knew Edmonton could do better. Try out Shanghai Grill or "Da Shanghai" for better chinese soup dumplings. read more

Blah. We were excited to try the new location after they got booted from the airport. I really wanted to like the new Shanghai 456 but it just didn't do it for me. First my wife and I got seated in the very back of the restaurant near the washrooms. The worker didn't even get me a chair so I pulled one in from the other table. About 10 minutes later another couple was seated beside us. We ordered dan dan noodles, fried dumplings and of course XLBs. The noodles and fried dumplings were very quick to come. Both dishes were good but it was a bit of a wait for the XLBs. When the XLBs did come they brought out a bunch for a multiple tables, including the table next to us, who just happened to have the exact same order as us but placed their order after us. I didn't think much of it at the time because I thought maybe they ordered the crab dumplings or something. More time passes until they ask us what we're waiting for... well I guess they forgot and gave our order to the table next to us. Before we finally got the dish they had to come back two more times to ask if we received it yet. Overall, we ate 2/3 of our meal and then had to wait an hour for the XLBs because they forgot about it. When we did get them, they were just OK. I don't know if they rushed it or they changed the recipe, but they were really bland and weren't tasty at all. Shanghai 456 I thought was known for their XLBs, but they really dropped to ball here. Doesn't help that service has always been poor and remains poor. read more

Shanghai 456 is one of Edmonton's few restaurants offering xiao long bao (XLB), a soup filled dumpling and specialty of Shanghai cuisine. Previously located on Airport Road, it closed last November with a promise of a return in the new year. The new year has come and their new location was next on my long list of eats. You'll find Shanghai 456 at 14456 - 118 Ave, just further north of Telus World of Science. Whether or not they intentionally looked for an address that included "456″, I found it pretty amusing. Don't bother trying to find a sign that actually says "144 St" though because there isn't if you're heading westbound on 118 Ave. It's right on the southwest corner, intersection of 145 St and 118 Ave. It didn't help at all that the sign was a measly unlit square overshadowed by the banner. Perhaps too soon to say, but if that's all the signs that are going up, I suggest you just spot the blank red store front banner to locate it. Parking available on the west side of the building, as well as in front of the restaurant alongside the smaller road. Compared to their location before, the number of seating seems to be the same, with the only improvement being that it actually looks like a restaurant now instead of an old cafeteria of Edmonton's city airport! Fair warning: something is up with their floors. Just that particular tile, or perhaps just a coincidence that both Sharon's and my boots were sliding along with no grip. Slick! Be careful, especially if you have wet shoes or heels! Of course, we ordered the xiao long bao. Glad to say that the quality have remained as they were! Nicely wrapped by a thin dough and lots of soup! Prices have increased though to $7.50 per basket of 6, from their $6.95 fare. A small cost when you consider their new location must have higher rent. A new dish that I haven't tried before at Shanghai 456: the house special hot and sour soup, as per Sharon's request. Normally I'm not a fan as most that I've tried are too sour for my liking, but this version was a good balance of spicy and sour. A really good portion if you ask me, with lots of tofu, chicken, and vegetables. I would definitely order it again! Not wanting to order just regular xiao long bao, we ordered the ones with crab meat to change it up. I prefer the traditional dumplings, but these would be a great option for any seafood or crab lovers. Packed with real crab, the flavor definitely overpowers the pork, which could be a good thing if that's what you were looking for. Complimentary dessert is standard at Shanghai 456, or at least it's always been every time I've been there. This time it was freshly made black sesame pastry. The pastry was crisp and flaky, with the black sesame filling being not too sweet. Absolutely loved it! You can order it if they're offering a different dessert for the meal as well, Lotus Blossom, $3.50. Verdict: It's the same place as it was at its previous location. So for those who have sat in the old cafeteria and experienced the original Shanghai 456, expect the same but with slippery floors, and a more restaurant-like feel. For those who have never tried, you're missing out on some great Asian comfort foods. My only qualm about this place is the service. When it gets busy, it literally becomes a standstill. I understand that the dumplings need to be freshly made and steamed, which could take a while especially if each table is ordering most likely more than one basket, but there must be a better way to get those bad boys out! We arrived for lunch on a Monday at 12:30pm. Our first order of xiao long bao didn't come to our table until 1:20pm (that's almost an hour folks!), as did our hot and sour soup. Last to come was the crab version and by the time we finished, it was already 2pm. My apologies to Sharon for such an extended lunch hour although we both knew what we were in for. It was a consolation that the owner did come out to apologize to each and every table and thanked them for waiting, but dining experience would drastically improve if they could find a way to bang those little dumplings out. Great visit and highly recommended, just bring your delicate chopstick skills and patience. read more

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Best DIM SUM in the city, took me a while to find this place but it is a diamond in the rough. Very reasonable prices and I always leave feeling happy and full. read more

The best place to get Xiao Long Bau in Edmonton. I took my office workmates there for lunch, and it was empty. I thought it might have been closed at first. I ordered the Xiao Long Bau (done with the traditional pork only) and they come 6 in one basket. We also order the Shanghai Noodles and an order of Wor-Tip. I can honestly say that the Xiao Long Bau were the same quality I would expect in Richmond. Hot steaming broth, tasty and oh so good. The Wor tip were seared on the outside and contained a hot beef inside. Delicous. The whole meal with tax and tip were $20 each divided by 3. I'm definitely taking more people there. We also had a 4th office workmate who ordered the GINGER BEEF combo, and according to my "I love mall chinese food" workmate, it was "pretty good!" Why did it get 5 stars? Good Value for the money. All of us had to go buy dumpling pants. Free parking Family owned and operated Could it get better? Cash only (although they will take credit/debit over $40...if you insist) Service was a bit slow, but I think the servers were also cooks. read more

I grew up eating amazing Chinese food in Vancouver, and this little restaurant reminds me of Chinatown when I was a kid. Shabby decor but amazing food. I loved it! I don't often eat Chinese food in Edmonton due to the crappy 'Western' cuisine aspect. But this place features dim-sum dishes and a good menu of other delectable items. Although it is a humble little establishment, it is clean and the kitchen is open to view, so although I am a hygiene freak I felt pretty comfortable. I also am glad I read other reviews on Yelp because if I didn't know where to look, I might have missed it! It is located in the Edmonton Flying Club hangar, so once you get there just follow the little faded signs. Once you get close enough, you should be able to follow your nose the rest of the way. read more

Went here for the first time with my family on Chinese New Years and were we glad that we did. We had the duck, stir fry fish, sweet & sour pork, xiao long bao, mushroom/snow pea tip stir fry and seafood soup. I enjoyed how all the dishes came out piping hot, fresh from the wok, and bursting with flavours. The dishes were carefully prepared with attention being paid to timing, texture, and flavour. I don't think that people come here for the ambiance as its simple surroundings are underwhelming. As other fellow Yelpers have mentioned, parking is somewhat a hassle because it's limited. As a complete hole-in-the-wall kind of place, the food is excellent so, car pool with your friends and make it to dinner here sometime. read more

When most people, myself included, talk about a "hidden gem", we usually mean, a really fantastic joint that tucked away in some strip mall across town. But Woks Up Express is truly hidden (you won't find it unless you know exactly where to look) and an absolute gem. This casual restaurant specializing in the cuisine of the Shanghai region is located in the Edmonton Flyer's Club building at the City Centre Airport. There are no signs out on the street telling us that the restaurant was inside, and if I hadn't read that it was in the Flyer's Club, we would have driven right past it. I am certainly glad we found it because what a delicious meal it was. We ordered the Dan Dan Noodle Soup with the special XO sauce (that's a sauce made from dried seafood and peanuts). Outstanding!! We also had the green onion pancake, which was unlike the ubiquitous green onion cakes around town in that it was a crispy pancake stuffed with green onions. In addition, we ordered the steamed vegetable dumplings and the red bean stuffed pancake (more of a dessert). All of the food was amazing. And very reasonably priced. I think we spent under $30 and the two of us had a leftovers for lunch the next day. That's certainly a rarity in Edmonton. The food is absolutely yummy, though quite different from the Chinese food to which I am accustomed (westernized Cantonese). However, I like to think of myself as one who has an adventurous palate, so for me, this is a good thing. From this first introduction, I declare that I am a fan of Shanghainese cuisine, and I look forward to deepening my acquaintance with the food of this region by returning to Woks Up Express again and again. Oh, they only take cash and I didn't see an ATM on site, so be sure to have the money with you. read more