My most favorite place to eat. Been going here the last 33 yrs. Always good & if not they fix it. Wonderful menu of choices. Appetizers are yummy. The original owners sold it 2 yrs ago & new owners are just as great. The personnel are always delightful in helping you have a good time & meal. My hubby loved the hot & sour soup the best... The ambience is very nice. Best place in Durham!! read more

TL;DR: Authentic dishes mixed with Americanized Chinese. Takeout: Spicy Dumplings (great sauce, a bit oily) Shrimp Dumplings (steamed, big and juicy) Shrimp Stuffed Tofu Hotpot (one of their house specials, delicious and comes with sauce on the side) Mapo Tofu (mild, though they can kick it up - we had it with extra egg and it absorbed the sauce quite well) Happy Family (mixed meats and vegetables, generous portion) Parking: Near the former Kroger in a strip mall, look for Chick-fil-a. Lots of parking but gets busy. Service: Prompt and friendly. Overall: 3.5-4. Have gone in the past for lunch and found a very Americanized Chinese menu. Dinner has a wider variety. Hopefully this fills the void with my previous place going in the wrong direction. Would definitely recommend it. read more

Food is great and always fresh; their egg rolls are good; but their croutons are the bomb - Enjoy!! If there are problems they correct it immediately!! However they need to provide a better bathroom experience - Not Always clean read more

I had not been to Shanghai in such a long time and had forgotten how good the food is there. I had the Garlic Shrimp and fried rice and it was very good. read more

The food has lost flavor and quality. I couldn't eat it and I have tried, even on a different visits. I'm done. It hasn't been the same since we lost Lie Li Wong. I'm sorry to write a bad review but it's not good anymore. So sorry. Getting a new chef would be a suggestion. Restaurant is noisy too. Bussing tables during lunch and staff yelling across tables. Not the same place it was. read more

A favorite place to go for an inexpensive lunch with work colleagues! The Cashew Chicken is my favorite, and it's a huge portion, enough to take some home for dinner. read more

The shangai food is always delicious and always fresh. The attention and service to customers is always great. My family and I love coming here always. read more

The food here is excellent, probably the best Chinese in Durham. I've tried several dishes and they all were served fresh, hot and were very tasty. Definitely try their noodle dishes, they truly shine. Would be a 5 star review, but a few things missing: only canned soda, no alcohol worth trying, and service is slow. Outside of that, it's great, and worth your time and money. read more

I have been going there since 2015 and get genuinely great service from the server Mike very amazing customer service and very knowledgeable. read more

Three of us came in to eat tonight and it was surprisingly busy for a Sunday night. Nonetheless, we were seated at a coveted booth. One thing I did notice in the beginning was that of our three menus, only one had an "Authentic Cantonese" page, so please look out for it! To start off, we were given a complimentary hot tea, which was very nice for a chilly night like tonight. From here, we just ordered family style: Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant Typical Chinese eggplant dish served with fried shrimp in between. Eggplant was cooked long enough to make it smooth, but not long enough to make it mush. Recommended. Garlic Chinese Broccoli Typical Chinese broccoli dish with plenty of garlic, which I did not mind at all. Again, cooked to a good amount but definitely not overcooked. Beef Stew Hot Pot Awesome dish! Beef was cooked super tender and full of flavor that it soaked in from the soup. Felt like the dish had been cooked for a long time. There were random pieces of lettuce that come with the stew which I thought was a little weird, but maybe it's a usual part? Either way, excellent dish for my taste buds. Singapore Rice Noodles Another superb dish! We ordered the protein option which came with chicken, roast pork, and shrimp. For me, it could have had more curry/cumin flavor as it was sliiiiiiightly on the bland end, but I would definitely order it again and recommend. Plenty of steamed white rice came complimentary which is not always the case at other restaurants. It was appreciated here! The portions here are large for the amount of food served. Three grown adults were fully stuffed, and we had enough to take home for another meal for the 3 of us. The customer service was good, too. Despite it being busy, the waiter made sure we were doing well and even joked with us a little to brighten up our meal even more. Considering the taste profile of the dish, service, and value, 5 stars from me! read more

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Y'all. I was 27 when I had beef chow fun for the first time, and I cannot believe I let my life be deprived of beef chow fun for so long. Obviously, that is what I suggest you order at Shanghai because it is seriously one of the best noodle dishes ever, but I also really like their shrimp stuffed tofu hot pot. Shoutout to my sisters for introducing me to Shanghai and Jiyoung in particular for forcing me to order beef chow fun! Shanghai is doing takeout and delivery only at this time. Last time I went (earlier during quarantine), they had plexiglass between the customers and employees for pickup. They also have online ordering available. read more

Shanghai - Beef Chow Fun!! - Cantonese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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The food here is great! It's my go to spot for something tasty! The menu has so many options that I've tried something new each time! I enjoy how quaint the inside of the restaurant is. The service is great, please be nice to the staff they can get really busy. read more

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Simple good chinese food! I was craving some chinese food that I reminisced eating when I was back in southern California. This place hit the spot and had the smells even when I got takeout! The menu is pretty extensive and I was considering either noodles or salt and pepper pork. I ultimately went with the noodles and got the beef chow fun and the portion size is pretty sizeable and can definitely split with another person. I didn't get a chance to try the other things but I can definitely say it is authentic and isn't your typical NC chinese takeout that's not as authentic. This place keeps it real and I am so happy to eat something I remember growing up with. So summary: lots of parking, fantastic tasting food, takeout for now with COVID, and very authentic :D read more

Shanghai - Beef chow menu ~$12 - Cantonese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

You might want to think twice about eating here unless you like cockroaches with your food, and that's dining in! I'd been on a search for a Chinese restaurant that offers a Poo-Poo Platter and it's not easy to find anymore. I haven't been to Shanghai in years, but saw it on their online menu. We headed over and had soup first and then the platter arrived. We'd started eating the beef on a skewer when I noticed a live roach meandering around the crab ragoon and heading to the pork ribs. It was very casual, as if it thought I couldn't see it, but definitely on the move. My eyes nearly exploded out of my head and my spouse got the nearest employee who saw it and got the owner. It escaped before we could squash it. We were offered another platter, but pooh-pooh on that! We wanted nothing more to do with Any food here, said we'd pay for the soup we ate, and just wanted to get to the exit - stat! Apologies were made and we were told no need to pay anything. I later learned they have been under new ownership since October. Please beware unless you want the extra protein!!! read more

Shanghai - Poo-Poo Platter w/live unwanted cockroach. - Cantonese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Wonderful food, very large portions, acceptable ambiance, surly service. This restaurant in in a shopping center so we didn't know what to expect, but we will be back! read more

Good food, service and Ambiance, therefore it's popular so sometimes you might have to wait for a table. That bothers you, there is a KFC just up the street that's not so popular. read more

Traveling and found this place. Food was delicious. Kung pow was very spicy service was excellent. They serve hot tea with each meal

Update: two hours after my spouse threw up I threw up 5 times between 4M and 8AM. This was the only food we ate that night. I am still a little queasy today. I highly suspect the wontons in the soup being undercooked. But who knows. Maybe something was wrong with the noodles and the ocean of soy sauce masked it read more

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Yo the customer service is extremely wonderful. The know how to run a successful business

I have been here twice - and take out one. Tonight we ordered one dish and walked out after a few bits is was soooo tired, soooo stale, soooo lifeless. I can't imagine how anyone could rate is above 1 star. The food tastes stale. The seasonings are dead - like the dishes were cooked months ago, frozen, and reheated 3 days ago and served tonight. A McDonald's has fresher-tasting food. read more

Five star, no questions asked. This place has delicious food, great portions and a good price. My favorite is the Shrimp Stuffed Tofu--my goodness. I wish I could get this in my town. We ordered Hunan Shrimp which was good too! This place is very popular, even with quarantine going on, so many people were waiting to get food. This is clearly a local favorite! read more

Always a pleasant experience! Very cool atmosphere and the food is always good and consistent. The servers are great and personable.

Dined in and was greeted at the door with friendly smiles. As you are taken to your table, you immediately notice the aroma of delicious food being prepared in the kitchen. A pot of hot tea is brought to the table and you are then drawn in to the whole experience as you look around at the decor and platters of hot food coming out of the kitchen. They have a huge menu and a section of Cantonese dishes that all sounded so yummy. But for some reason, we played it safe as this was our first time eating there. We started with an Egg Roll and ordered the Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, Szechuan String Beans and Sesame Chicken. Everything was fresh and served hot. Lots of flavor. We can't wait to go back and be more adventurous with our choices. So happy to have found great Chinese food! read more

"Good Chinese food near Duke University" We hadn't gotten food from Shanghai for many years, but now with the stay-at-home order, we're revisiting some old places. Shanghai delivered via Grubhub. My daughter and I split the sesame tofu and the Singapore rice noodles with shrimp. My son got two orders of steamed shrimp dumplings. (He was happy at that option since SO many local places only have pork dumplings.) The price seemed heftier than most fast-food Chinese at first, but we understood better when we got the food-- the portions were HUGE and the quality was much higher than from such fast-food places. The sesame tofu came in a REALLY thick semi-sweet/salty sauce and was cut into big pieces, and MAN did it taste good. It was listed as spicy but really wasn't to me. The Singapore rice noodles could easily have been two meals even for big eaters. It did have more heat/ zing to it than the tofu and also had a delightful flavor-- we ordered it with extra vegetables, and I'm glad we did since it came with a good but not overwhelming amount of veggies like that. Would've been nice to have had a bit more shrimp in it. My son like his dumplings, but he only got 6 in each tray, meaning each dumpling cost over a dollar. Not the best deal, but it was tasty. Overall, I recommend. I can't speak for ambiance or service since all this was done via Grubhub, but quality was good and price was fair. A-OK. read more

Excellent food tbh if your a seafood guy here is your spot Food was amazing friend rice curry sauce amazing! read more

Amazing experience this evening. Outstanding food (house lo mein, General's chicken, and scallop dish). Great service. Nice, lowkey ambiance. 5/5 recommend! read more

This is THE best of the best. the long lines and jam-packed take out counter tells all. We eat here almost 3-4 times a month. Their food is fresh and delicious. Some of our faves include the seafood soup, shrimp stuffed eggplant, sweet and spicy eggplant, Kung Pao anything, salt and pepper shrimp, lomein, and their whole fried fish (w delicious ginger soy sauce on the side) ---- YOWZA!!! The staff are incredibly fast and friendly and know many of the regulars. This is in a shopping plaza, so there is typically plenty of parking. The portions are generous, allowing for great leftovers. I think this is the (not so hidden) gem of Durham. If you haven't tried Shanghai, you are missing out. read more

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Great food and fast. Great service. Good for families and friends Many different types of dishes read more

A small, family owned business with friendly folks? Absolutely. But the point is really that every time I get a cold, I would absolutely throw hands for a bowl of their curry noodle soup. Nothing is as tasty, nor drains the sinuses quite so efficiently. Oh, and the rest of their food is pretty great too! read more

Been eating here since 1983. Great people, great food. Authentic food and a kind people. The have drinks too

Value for money and very authentic chinese cuisine. Food is good for 4. Service is fast. Place is not what it seems from the outside but a lot of people eat here. read more

I grew up in Durham NC and Shanghai was always one of my family's favorite local restaurants. It may have changed ownership since we last had food here, but the typical dishes we ordered were very disappointing compared to past experiences and similar restaurants. Our family ordered sesame tofu, orange chicken and vegetables. The food was very bland and it tasted like all of the dishes were cooked using the exact same sauce. All of the dishes also had a fishy aftertaste, making it seem like all had been cooked using kitchenware that had just been used for fish. Sharing this review just to let the owners know the food wasn't as expected! But we'll still try to support this local restaurant. read more

Quick service in a nice atmosphere. Food was hot, well prepared and quite tasty Tea was automatically served at the time of seating. Very nice as you don't get that service very often now days read more

Really good Chinese American food near my apartment. The menus are in English, so no need to worry about having to translate. Shanghai offers very standard yet classic dishes, like kung pao chicken, cashew chicken, broccoli beef, and more! It's a step up from Panda Express, essentially. My family and I came for lunch, and we were all very satisfied with our orders. In particular, I received a very healthy portion of my black bean chicken rice plate, which was big enough to last for both my lunch and dinner. I also loved how welcoming our hostess was. She was so attentive to our table, and was so happy being able to speak to my parents in Cantonese. Will definitely come back in the future to satisfy any of my Americanized Chinese food cravings. read more

Shanghai - Black bean chicken - Cantonese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

If you want a blend between authentic Chinese Food and Americanized Chinese Food, this is the spot. They have both a "Cantonese Style Menu" that is typically more geared towards their Asian-represented customers and an "Americanized-Chinese Menu that is geared towards everyone else. I tried out their family-style "Cantonese Style Menu". The list wasn't extensive, there were only about 15-20 different dishes that you could choose from. My family and I had a hard time choosing what to pick. In the end, we picked the Salt and Pepper Pork Chop, Shrimp Stuffed Tofu Hot Pot, Sliced Beef with Scramble Egg, Water-Boiled Fish (New Dish, Not on Menu), and Creamy Vegetable Beef Soup. Overall, the food was pretty good. Everything tasted pretty authentic and my parents love coming here. If I had to recommend one dish, it would probably be the Salt and Pepper Pork Chop. This restaurant has been around for at least 20 years according to my Dad. The decorations were pretty Chinese inspired too, with the ancient Chinese-style awning and gates. The service could have been better. It was a busy Sunday Night, and I give them some leeway, but it definitely could have better. The waiters were definitely overwhelmed and couldn't attend to our table at all besides bringing the dishes to us. Overall, the experience was pretty good. The food was decent, and my parents love coming to this place. Would recommend to those trying to find some decent Chinese food that is authentic. read more

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Best Chinese we've found in Durham! Always delicious, and they have options for choosing all white meat or mixed on the menu, so you can really get what you want. Service is always on point. We love this place and drive out of our way to eat there! read more

This restaurant was recommended by a friend, and then the glowing yelp reviews from fellow elites confirmed that this was the place to try! We had a really good takeout meal from Shanghai this weekend! We tried the vegetarian egg roll, as well as the pork egg roll. We tried the egg drop soup and hot and sour soup (hot and sour was amazing!). We tried Mongolian beef, shrimp lo mein, and salt and pepper shrimp (watch out for the pepper- these are HOT!!!). Everything was delicious and packaged perfectly. The menu had lots of other things that I would love to try, but for our first visit we kept it to our old favorites. Definitely a must-try! read more

I cannot believe I am now finding out about Shanghai! Beef chow fun is a must try- it's amazing. Everyone at my table loved it! I also enjoyed Kung pao chicken. I'm so happy to have found a decent Chinese restaurant near me! read more

Friendly service and it was clean inside. However, I did not enjoy my food. Presentation was there but the white rice was kind of hard and not the kind of yummy sticky goodness I expect from Chinese takeout. Veggie spring rolls were okay, but I probably wouldn't order them again. Tofu Homestyle looked good but I found the sauce's flavor unpleasant. I took a few bites, but didn't find it worth eating. 3/4 of this dish ended up in the trash. Maybe their other dishes are good, but I won't be going back to try anything else. read more

Shanghai - T5. Home-Style Tofu - Cantonese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This chinese food is a bit overpriced, but well worth it for the amount you get! I think each entree is a minimum of 3 meals, unless you're very hungry and are all quite delicious! My reason for the 3 stars is because we ordered it online for a 5:10 pick-up but didn't receive our food until 5:35 due to some delay in the kitchen about adding extra broccoli to a meal... don't know why adding broccoli takes 25 minutes, but very annoying and they didn't even offer to comp anything or give us additional food. Nonetheless we will be back for chinese becasue I think they offer the best lo-mein i've ever had. Just be careful when ordering online! read more