Very mediocre food overall and I highly suggest you eat somewhere else. Soup dumplings: the filling was like a big fat meatball. Broth was good but the meat inside wasn't super flavorful and it was HELLA dense. No balance whatsoever Chive pancakes: errr definitely better but she was a little pasty looking. Definitely needed some more time in the pan because it was limpy af. Filling was normal. The sauce? + meatball + noodles dish: errrrr DEF PASS. I don't know how to even describe it, like the meatball was the same meat as the pork dumplings?!?!?!? LOL. The sauce or broth was SUPER thick. Not exactly light and refreshing and the flavors weren't it either. Felt like a mosh pit of things lying in the kitchen The fried rice: The ONLY redeeming quality. It has bacon in it and was super flavorful and rich. Downside is it's a bit too greasy but flavor ig??? Taro buns: your regular buns, not too sweet. Doubt it's made in house tho LOL. read more

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We ordered the beef noodle and a sesame chicken. The food was good but service was not great. I went in and the staff saw me but no one came to ask me what I needed. They just stood together by the wall until finally someone came over with someone else's take out order and finally asked if I needed help. Staff not friendly or inviting so I'll pass. read more

Shanghai Bun - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

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If you aren't Chinese -- prepare yourself. There is good food here, no love though. It's obvious the place is built on greed.

The food was awesome. Just know it is served family style and reasonably priced. The specials menu looked great as well. The restaurant is a little dated, but that makes for a good meal. read more

Excellent authentic cuisine with superb service! The waitresses are hard workers and aim to please! The spicy chicken dumplings with peanut sauce is the best! This is one of our favorite restaurants! read more

Horrible service - ordered on line for 6:00pm pick up today , 2/21. Had to pay when ordered. It is now 7:15 and still no sign of the food. It seems that they are just interested in getting as many orders as possible without actually delivering the food when promised. This is the last time I will ever order from there! Pathetic read more

Great place to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine. Service is very impressive. I like their dishes than the buns and dumplings. Too oily. read more

Food quality was sub-par, in my opinion. Didn't eat too much at the restaurant and threw away the leftovers. Also, have to order dinner portions on the weekends, even during lunch. read more

Good Chinese food and they don't charge you tax if you pay in cash but our most recent take out experience soured us so we'll never come back again. Ordered take out. Came 45 min after promised time and the order still wasn't ready. Paid for the bill. Waited an additional hour. Counted the items and saw that the order was missing all the soup dumplings. At that point, they were like we called you, but, surprise, they didn't. Not sure why they charged us for the soup dumplings if they weren't able to fill that part of the order. Had to then argue to get a refund. Sucks that they were understaffed on a Saturday night and in the middle of lunar new year, but the rudeness really put me off this place. read more

Shanghai Bun is an absolute gem and hands down my favorite spot for dim sum and Chinese cuisine! The waitstaff here are incredible, kind, attentive, and working so hard to ensure every customer has a great experience, even when the restaurant is packed. As a regular, I'm always greeted with warm smiles and treated like family, which makes every visit feel so special! I visit here with different friends every other week and everyone I invite always wants to go back! The welcoming ambiance and sincere hospitality truly set this place apart from other restaurants!! If you enjoy dimsum the xiao long baos (soup dumplings) are a must, the flavor is unreal and tastes so good with the vinegar and soy sauce they give you! shrimp dumplings and any of their baos (buns)! I am a huge fan of their eggplant dishes, the eggplant with tofu and basil is my favorite. The basil really makes dish fragrant and delicious! If you're looking for amazing food and top-notch service, Shanghai Bun is the place to be! read more

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Cute restaurant near the Princeton Junction station--it seems to be a fairly popular spot amongst older West Windsor and Princeton locals. The service was excellent; all our food came in really quickly, and the staff were lovely. The XLB (pork soup dumplings) that we ordered as an appetizer were the highlight of our dinner. They were fresh, hot, juicy, and flavorful. Even family members who almost always avoid pork in every form were delighted by the dumplings. Everything else we tried was...disappointing. The fried dumplings with chicken and string beans weren't particularly flavorful. They almost tasted of raw string beans? I'm not sure if this was intentional. The pad thai was far too sweet and tasted almost like ketchup. The sesame chicken had an unnatural orange-ish tinge. Which is fair--maybe it's what I should always expect when ordering a takeout classic. The fried rice wasn't particularly flavorful, and the white rice that came with our chicken dishes was a bit dry. Most of the food that we got was very mediocre, but I may come back just for the xlb! read more

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The red bean cakes (dou sha su bing) are flaky and enjoyable. The red bean filling is not too sweet. They're pretty small. Service was fast and better than the standard Chinese restaurant. Can get crowded, but lots of booths and tables available. Roomy vibes. read more

Shanghai Bun - Red bean cakes - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

Amazing soup dumplings. My husband tried the mei fun with beef and also thought it was very good.

It's authentic to say the least. More "diner" than white-table restaurant but you're there for the delicious food and definitely not the ambiance. Recommend eating in and not doing take out. The freshness of the food doesn't travel as well. Not that it's bad, but it's so much better when you eat it there. read more

Was not impressed by the food here. Felt like it was more for Americans than authentic Chinese food. Beef noodle soup was average and broth was not as tasty. The salt flavor was on the bottom so you have to stir before eating. Cucumber appetizer didn't have that much flavor either. Just salty and barely spicy. Soup dumplings were lacking flavor but did have some soup inside. Lo mien was average. Fried fish fillet had huge pieces but it would have been nice if they cut it into smaller pieces before frying for ease of eating. Not that kid friendly since they didn't like it when kids talked loudly or laughed. Had to also ask multiple times for forks. read more

Been here many times and this is a great local go-to spot for us. Of course the Shanghai buns are a must have. The vermicellli noodles are delicious and I personally like the rice cake with bacon. We tried the chili beef special, which was disappointing since it was like beef boiled with chili sauce. All good, wanted to try new things but that wasn't for me. It can get very busy on the weekends, much better on weekdays. Food is great, the service is ok, could be friendlier (depends who you get), but I'd overlook that because I like the food! read more

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I do not recommend this place. The gluten is supposed to be soft like a wet sponge, but some pieces are hard. Makes me think this dish been days old. The wine chicken does not look appetizing (dry and not fresh) and it tasted weird (not a sour taste where it is spoiled). Also, do not trust the photos. The fish is not fried on the photo. Won't be back even if the meal is free. read more

Shanghai Bun - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

Great food, best chinese food, excellent atmosphere, great service. Highly recommended! read more

I am tired of being ripped off and manipulated at local restaurants and businesses. Coming in for supper I ordered a meal with soup and dumplings. I was never served the soup I ordered. I asked the waitress to take it off my bill. She kept asking to give it to me. I already ate my meal and it should have come first. I said no. Then she said she would give it to me free to take home. When I got my cash change she didn't remove the charge. When I was a kid, my parents showed me in a Chinese restaurant how the male owner was taking the ladies tips. We never went back there and I am not going back here. read more

Shanghai Bun - Soup not served with my meal. - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

Their service was so good for a Chinese restaurant!! I was pleasantly surprised. Their beef noodle soup was the best in my opinion. There is pickled cabbage on the bottom so make sure to mix before consume. We tried a bunch of other dishes, like eggplant (pretty good), pork belly, green onion pancake, siumai, lamb, etc but most of them were too sweet for us. Tasty but sweet haha All in all pretty good though! read more

Shanghai Bun - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

Rounding down from 3.5 The interior is nothing fancy, which is absolutely fine, and I like the big window in the back where you can watch the dumpling team churning out dumplings. Service can be rough. The recent times we've been there, they've seemed understaffed, and you may need to exercise more patience than is normal. The appetizers here can be hit and miss. The soup dumplings are reliably good, but I've had better elsewhere (but not in the area). The other dim sum offerings run the scale with the spicy chicken dumplings (although they aren't very spicy) being my fave, and the scallion pancake being absolutely god awful both times I've ordered it. The pork dumplings and pork buns are good, but the shrimp roll put the hum in ho-hum. I'm not a huge fan of the shrimp shumai (the shrimp seems blah), but my wife loves them. The soups I've had there have all been pretty tasty, with the pork mustard green noodles being my fave so far. What keeps me coming back (other than being the only soup dumpling place around) are the special meals. The Crispy Soy Bean Fish is beyond great when they get it right, but I've had it on the oily side a couple of times too. The chicken with bones casserole is tasty, and the fried fish with tofu casserole has been killer good each time I've had it. All the fish dishes we've tried so far have been pretty good, whether whole fish or filet (ginger scallion is a nice choice). As with many Chinese restaurants, we tend to have better luck ordering food that we see in other tables that looks interesting. If they can get their consistency and service together (and do something about the scallion pancakes!), they'd be four stars instead of three. read more

Tucked away next to a Dominos and Dunkin hides one of the best Chinese restaurants I have ever been to. I got soup dumplings (Xao long bao) And it was so juicy and soft and the soup was just amazing, not to mention the beef noodles were very savory and the beef so soft! The waiters were so kind and nice to us and the vibe was so good! 5 of 5 stars, my favorite resturant hands down! read more

I have eaten here many times, and intend to continue doing so. While we occasionally have an issue of a dish going missing, we also have a tendency to order more than we need anyway, so we go over the check and have things adjusted and all is fine. Otherwise, the portions are plentiful to share around a table, taste fresh and like they are made in house, and come out quickly. I have come here for everything from a date, to simply sharing a meal with family, and they all get the job done wonderfully. I will always recommend getting a soup to share, an order of custard buns, and some soup dumplings. Otherwise, explore the menu and I doubt you'll be disappointed. read more

We used to goto this local Chinese restaurant often but the dishes I used to like, double sauteed pork and fish fillet with scallions and ginger do not taste too fresh anymore. The soup dumplings are ok. read more

Been there a few times now. We love it. Shredded pork peking style was great. Very good fried rice. Fast service from beaker. read more

Shanghai Bun - Shredded pork peking style - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

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No restaurant could possibly stay in business for as long as Shanghai Bun and be as consistently disheveled as they were last night. Okay the place was packed but 75 minutes to get an order of lukewarm fried rice, cold sesame chicken and a listless looking order of mixed vegetable tofu doesn't begin to describe the mayhem. I contemplated sending it all back but I didn't have another 75 minutes to invest in a replacement. We would have bolted but now my fondness for the absurd was kicking in - exactly the same rationale that I employ when never walking out of a Drew Barrymore film festival. All around us customers were complaining of missing dishes, cold tea and checks that refused to appear in a timely manner. Why the waiting customers who were packed twenty deep in the tiny vestibule continued to cool their heels for tables that never turned will remain a cosmic mystery. Strangely, I'll be back just to see if the experience was indicative of permanent chaos or just a very bad day. To their credit, Shanghai has been in this location forever, anchored in a strip mall with constant turnover. But like my dinner, my opinion remains just south of lukewarm. Here's to better days... two stars. read more

Excellent service and delicious straightforward Taiwan/HK Chinese food. XLB was on the bigger side. Juicy soft meat and super hot mouthing burning tasty soup, that's how it should be. Scallion pancake light and airy, Sesame honey pork ribs, nice tangy sweet and crunchy. Shrimp cashew but got a slurry soupy version without cashew. My mandarin is not as good as my Cantonese, so might have said the wrong thing? But receipt actually said cashew shrimp! Shrimp fried rice standard with plump my shrimp, not close to being over cooked. read more

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While this restaurant had been the gold-standard for genuine cuisine and soup dumplings for years in the area, unhygienic practices cannot be overlooked. For the entirety of my hour-plus time dining there for lunch today, I witnessed first-hand the relentless nose-picking, face touching, and lack of washing hands by the young-ish man who is always found at the hostess stand taking orders, seating guests, handling to-go orders and processing payment. read more

Shanghai Bun - Hands in and on nose and face repeatedly - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

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The food here is delicious! Definitely on the higher end of quality in the area, and well-worth the $$. Spicy chicken dumplings and pork soup dumplings are staples here, and the rice cakes were also well-made. The chicken with peppers was very flavorful but too spicy for me to finish, so I'd recommend thst dish for my spice lovers. The front can get a bit disorganized especially during rush hour and they should definitely invest in a better pick-up system. A few of us were helping call out numbers that were ready to the rest of the customers waiting for their food. read more

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I had lunch here with a friend a few weeks ago for the first time. The seafood soup was enormous but delicious and perfect for a cold winter day. Then, this past weekend I had dinner here with friends. One ordered chicken and broccoli, which I tasted, and it was excellent. I ordered Sha Cha beef, which I had never heard of and it was very good. The menu is unusual and I like that. Portions were large enough to require take-home boxes for leftovers. The steamed vegetable dumplings and the mini wonton soup were also excellent. My only complaint is that on Saturday night the place was crowded and the noise was deafening. We sat close to the kitchen, so the bells constantly dinging from there made the noise level worse. That said, all-in-all it was a good dining experience. read more

I left a review for this place in 2018 and it's still one of my favorite places! Today we got the mini wonton again, bbq prok buns, pork soup buns, spicy peanut noodles and jasmine tea and they were all delicious. Our server was friendly and amazing read more

Everything was delicious and came out quickly. We ordered eight items and waited maybe 15 minutes before dish after dish came out. The pork soup dumplings were one of our favorites. The mapo tofu was also amazing. The other dishes: spicy chicken dumplings in peanut sauce, shrimp shumai with minced pork, Szechuan beef, and kung pao chicken were also yummy. Between the speed and quality of the food, we had no complaints. Even with all the dishes, we only spent around $25 a person which was also a pretty good deal. read more

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We were craving some spicy Chinese food on this cold winter day, so looked up what was around and found SB to be a fairly close drive. We arrived at the restaurant without checking if they were busy since we were going for an early dinner (~6pm). And surprise! it's a full house, turns out it was Chinese new year's :) well we still were very lucky to get a table in about 15 mins. While waiting we glanced through the menu and had already decided what we were going to order, purely based on fellow yelpers recommendations. So we got pork soup dumplings, which were fresh, flavorful and filling. Spicy chicken dumplings which were equally good. Pork and chive buns which we found to be a little bland. For mains, we got chicken hot peppers which was nice tiny chunks of juicy and spicy chicken with two different kinds of spicy peppers, the heat was not overwhelming to our palate, however it had an pungent aftertaste to it. We customer requested a fish entree to be made in garlic sauce with steamed fish, so this one was a bit disappointing because the gravy was mostly on the sweeter side, wasn't expecting this at all since all the garlic sauce entrees had a red chilli symbol next to it indicating a spicy dish. The service was on point. Waiter was cheerful and friendly. Checked on us a couple of times despite being super busy. Food arrived in the right sequence and right intervals. We will surely be adding this place to our list of favorite Chinese take outs! Keep it up Shanghai Bun ! read more

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This place is such a gem!! We were craving soup dumplings and decided to come here. The pork soup dumplings were right up there next to Joe's shanghai in NYC. We also ordered the sautéed green beans with pork, fried flounder, and double cooked pork. Everything was super fresh, delicious, and the prices were very reasonable! Ambiance was great- a little crowded but that's how you know it's a good place. Service was fast and friendly. We live 45 minutes away but we will be back- this is our new favorite Chinese restaurant! read more

I could not recommend this place more. I went there for the first time last week. Since then, I have ordered it to go and plan on going there tomorrow. The soup dumplings are up there with ones I've had from north Jersey, if not better. The beef or chicken chow fun are both amazing. The hot beef with peppers is to die for. I like to get the beef in hot chili oil with extra beef and extra tofu to take home. Service is great and they do a great job of getting food out relatively quickly. I would definitely bring my friends and fam here often. read more

I have been going there in the past 15 years, first for the soup dumplings, then have come to like almost everything. The quality has been consistently excellent with great advice from the staff read more

Clean, convenient, local. Craving some dumplings? No problem, Shanghai Bun is here for you. If you look up dumpling places in Princeton area there are not many around. One day, I was craving dumplings and decided to check out local restaurants. Even though, Shanghai Bun was rated 3.5 stars and decided to give a try. If you planning on coming here during lunch or dinner time do not even bother parking up front, it's packed! I was able to drive around the shopping mall and locate plenty of parking space in the back (abandoned shopping mall parking lot). Even though I came here for soup dumplings I decided to give a try for some pan fried pork buns, scallion packages and beef fried rice. Service was fast and staff was very friendly. I would rate dumplings and beef fried rice 8/10. Dumplings tasted great but did not have much soup in it. Fried pork buns tasted amazing but did have very thick dough, where I would prefer less dough and more filling (9/10). What I loved the most were the Scallion Pancakes! They were very crispy and juicy. I recommend it. Thank you for reading this and I hope you find this helpful. read more

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Since Chinese food is on top of my list, I make my business to try new places. And since we recently moved, I ran into this one. Let's say I over ate. Let's just say that anyone not 5-starring this establishment for its food has no real clue about Chinese food. This isn't your strip mall restaurant with the pictures in front of the lighted display; this authentic as it gets. I will step aside choosing to review specific dishes, but everything was exceptional and the service was excellent! Do try the pork and shrimp shumai as an appetizer; the pork soup buns, too. Amazing Szechuan Chicken! Just wow. read more

Shanghai Bun - Szechuan - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

I got mapo tofu and the pork soup dumplings. The pork soup dumplings were great, but the mapo tofu was a bit bland. I think I was looking for something with a bit more flavor and numbing spice. Perhaps marinade the tofu longer? But if you're craving soup dumplings this is a great spot! Not too hot coming off the steamer and great flavor and bun thickness. read more

Shanghai Bun - Mapo tofu - Shanghainese Near Me - West Windsor, New Jersey

They gave us the wrong shrimp dish and the Shanghai fried rice did not have any egg in it. The only vegetable was bok choy and it was mostly rice very little steam pork. Very disappointing read more