Shanghai Haus is hands down the best Chinese food I've had in a long time. Every dish tasted fresh, comforting, and full of flavor. I ordered the broccoli beef, orange peel chicken, and the Shanghai red braised pork belly, and honestly there wasn't a single miss. The broccoli beef was tender and perfectly sauced, not greasy at all. The orange peel chicken had the right balance of sweet and citrusy with a little kick, and the pork belly was the star. So rich, melt in your mouth, and packed with deep savory flavor. All of the entrees come with rice, which makes it even better for sharing or leftovers. I also ordered their house made soup dumplings and they were incredible. Thin skins, juicy inside, and full of flavor without needing much extra sauce. You can tell this is a place that knows what they're doing. The food speaks for itself and I'll absolutely be coming back to try more dishes. Highly recommend if you're looking for quality Chinese food in the area. I loved how it was so clean inside and the staff was so helpful when giving me suggestions from the menu! Options like americanized chinese and authentic dishes filled the menu! read more

Shanghai Haus - @coffeeshopsofoc on IG for more reviews - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Pros: Nice decor and looks inviting Cons: Very slow service. Servers weren't attentive. The food was mediocre. It reminded me of cafeteria food. It was edible but not much flavor. Maybe other dishes are better? But I won't be back to find out. read more

Second visit here, and while the food is just okay, the bigger issue is the service and kitchen management. Some dishes came out under-seasoned, while others were overly salty so consistency is different across the menu. What really stood out was the timing. For five dishes, there was a 40-minute gap between the first and last plate hitting the table. If you try to wait for everything before eating, your food will be cold. Service was frustrating on this visit which just compounded the waiting game. It took multiple requests to get basic items, and some never arrived at all. Tableware wasn't properly set so not everyone had them until they came out with a dish. And only a few people even had napkins. So maybe grabbing it off another table is the best way. Kidding of course. Even simple follow-ups on late items seemed to disappear, only for us to ask again 10 minutes later. At a HK style café, something like beef chow fun would come out as quickly as fast food. Given that the restaurant was less than half full, it's concerning to think how they would handle a full house. Had to ask twice for the check, and twice again for to-go boxes. I'm sure it isn't always like this, but today was certainly an off day. read more

I visited this spot twice after hearing high praise from a friend, but unfortunately, I've decided it's not worth the 30-minute drive. If you are looking for authentic Shanghai flavors, you might be disappointed. We tried several traditional dishes, but they only reached a "passing grade" at best: * Shanghai Vegetable Rice: Instead of the traditional style, it was prepared like a clay pot rice. Once it cooled slightly, the rice became hard and chewy rather than having that desired crispy crust. * Salted Pork & Bamboo Soup: This was a new menu item, but the pork had very thick, large pieces of skin, and the "umami" flavor tasted more like seasoning/MSG than a slow-simmered broth. * Four Happiness Roasted Wheat Gluten: Average and unremarkable. Interestingly, the best dish was the Black Pepper Beef, which seems tailored more toward local/Western tastes. While the food was a letdown--especially with a bill over $110 for just a few dishes--the service is a solid 5 stars. The staff is incredibly attentive and observant. However, as my friend agreed, the food just doesn't justify a special trip. read more

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Back again for a family style dinner! Tried a few new dishes and my favorites are below: Shanghai Fish Fillet in Rice Wine Sauce - light and savory, I loved the crunchy wood ear mushrooms and bamboo in this dish. You can eat lots of this without getting sick of it. Beef Mala Dry Pot - flavorful delicious and spicy! I love lotus root. Beef was juicy. Salt & Pepper shrimp - A classic. Crispy and flavorful with lots of green onions. Sauteed seasonal veggie (water spinach) - also a classic. Perfectly executed! Garlicky and fragrant. Can also eat lots of this. Had all this food with hot tea, as you must. Had a great dinner with family here! Very clean and servers are attentive & reserved. read more

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I was really happy with my experience here! Came here for dinner last night and decided to check this place out. Service was quick and friendly, and food came out pretty quickly as well. I was very happy with the dishes with tried! Nothing we ordered was too salty, which I find is pretty common in other Shanghai style restaurants. My favorite were the Shanghai dumplings!!! The garlic noodles were also a 10/10. I will definitely be back here :) read more

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I was not impressed with this place. The decor is nice but wish the food quality was nice also. There was one guy in the kitchen speaking very loudly and our waiter seemed like he didn't want to be there. The food did not taste good at all. The noodles were soaked in some type of sweet sauce but the rice was half decent. The chicken in both of the dish was very rubbery. The tempura shrimp was the size of my index finger and it was just 4 pieces for the price. I won't be going back. read more

This is the best Shanghainese restaurant in Irvine/Lake Forest. Period. The food is very authentic and the service is very good. A lot of times they pack your leftovers for you too. This is a hidden gem. The only downside is they don't have alcoholic sesame balls on the menu, which is really weird. I have never been to a Shanghainese restaurant without osmanthus flavored alcoholic balls. read more

I was really disappointed by this place, especially given the glowing reviews. I never trust Yelp Elite reviews because they're usually solicited or offered free meals in exchange for reviews. After trying six different dishes, every single one tasted inauthentic and bland, with almost no salt or seasoning at all. I've eaten at many Shanghainese restaurants, and this was easily the worst I've had. I'm just a little confused on whether the owner or chefs taste test their menu dishes? The flavors were so flat that the food felt unfinished. It honestly tasted like everything was cooked without seasoning and sent out as-is. That's not subtlety -- that's just tasteless. The pricing makes it even harder to justify. A small broccoli dish was nearly $20, which would be fine if the quality matched, but it absolutely didn't. The value is way off. It got to the point where the meal was so unenjoyable that I had to re-stir-fry the food at home, adding salt, soy sauce, and oyster sauce just to give it some basic flavor. Based on my experience, the hype doesn't feel earned. I wouldn't return, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for authentic Shanghainese food. read more

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Food was excellent! We ordered the Shanghai sweet & sour pork ribs, Shanghai braised pork belly, and the Yuanduxian soup. They were all great! The sweet & sour pork ribs had the perfect sweetness & tanginess, it was not too sweet and not too tangy, and the ribs were soft, overall very delicious! The Yuanduxian soup was very nice too, it's in a huge pot that will likely serve 6 ppl. It has an assortment of pork and veggies, and the soup is a very traditional Chinese flavored soup that we enjoyed very much. Our waiter was very friendly, and the restaurant was clean and we'll maintained. We'll be back again! read more

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Came here yesterday for a late lunch. We ordered: 1) pork and mustard greens noodle soup x 2 - husband and I both got this and it was pretty tasty, good amount of thin noodles 2) Suzhou spare ribs - this was good 3) soup dumplings - kiddo enjoyed this 4) 2 bowls of rice - comes with the meal 5) crispy duck half size - decent, liked the sauce too Parking lot was not full at all, so many spots on a weekend; not sure why. Glad we found this spot to try in south OC! read more

Driving up to the restaurant, located in a large strip mall, it appeared that we would be eating outdoors and we were looking for inside seating. We took a chance and walked up to find the seating outside as only an option, found a welcoming indoor restaurant and were promptly seated. We were hungry but knew we would be sharing, so ordered beef with broccoli, chicken mixed vegetable and BBQ pork noodles....which turned out to be WAAAAYY too much food for 2! Portions were VERY generous and food was delicious, seasoned well and fresh. Prices were quite reasonable and we felt very fortunate to find exactly what we were hoping for. read more

I waited for almost an hour to pick up my food after they told me it was a 20 minute wait. The only thing the host offered me for this late service was a glass of water. It was terrible. read more

Shanghai Haus - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I love this place. I have been coming here for dinner for the last month. Everyone here is friendly. I love the food. Every dish is delicious. The owner is friendly. The employees are friendly. If you are looking for Asia food or love Asian food. This place is highly recommended. I am a picky eater come to Asia food but this place feels like home cooking . Amazing Food. Friendly ambiance. read more

Shanghai Haus - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The food was AMAZING! I've tried it a few times, and my favorite dish by far is the Shanghai Red Braised Pork Belly. OMFG, it is so decadently delicious! I did take out, so I cannot speak to dine-in. But the service was top-notch for pick up. read more

The beef soup was good ! We enjoyed our food. It's a big bowl, mabye good for 3 people read more

Shanghai Haus - Beef Soup - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The food was horrible. The service was the worst I've ever had. Will never come here again.

I enjoyed my lunch specials here at Shanghai Haus. The food came out hot and fast, along with egg dropped soup, Coke slaw and two slices of orange. Ambiance is cozy, comfortable and relaxing. I hope they do well since the food was delicious. The staff were friendly and came by to check-in often. read more

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I placed an order for pick-up on a Saturday. Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience with Shanghai Haus. First, I order two steamed white rice for our mapo tofu. Instead, I received and was charged for two sizzling rices, which resulted an additional $9. Second, the mapo tofu was extremely salty. It tasted as though I was eating ocean water! It was so salty that my tongue felt "numbish" similar to when you gurgle salt water for a sore throat. I will not be returning to Shanghai Haus. read more

Our previous neighbor told us about this new Shanghainese restaurant that recently opened in her area. I couldn't resist as I am Shanghainese myself, how can I NOT give it a shot? She brought me here and I was blown away because it tasted just like how I remembered back in the days living in Shanghai growing up. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of Shanghainese cuisines in my area, which is in the 626, I know right? But Shanghai Haus actually brought back the memories of living in Shanghai. By the way, Larry (master chef) came out of the kitchen, and asked how we liked the foods, if everything was to our liking. He is an authentic Shanghainese guy who simply loves and appreciates the authenticity of every Shanghainese dish. Now that's just cherry on top. No doubt I'll be back whenever I'm in the area. Great service, ambiance, and most importantly, the food! Keep up the good work, Larry. read more

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Food and service were amazing. We were a group of six for lunch and we ordered lots of different items from the menu and all were delicious. The staff were attentive. And the food was the best. We will be back! read more

Love coming here. Some of the best Chinese food around! Not to mention, the ambience and cleanliness as well. More than the food, the service and customer service is top tier. John and the owners were amazing. Great service is key. Highly recommend. read more

Ambiance is good and the food is quite authentic (my mom used to cook most of the dishes on the menu). Service is very good too. Overall a good place to come when I crave Shanghainese dishes. read more

Great Food and nice indoor seating. Service was quick and attentive. I like the wall mural and TV with Shanghai video. Kung Pao Chicken and Mongolian Beef were excellent. Both plates were more than enough to share and take home. This is not the old cheap and quick Chinese food. It's a great step up for both food and atmosphere. read more

Shanghai Haus - Kung pao chicken - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The food is authentic, my favorite is the stone pot vegetable rice, not too salty, tastes very comforting. The gluten and vegetarian chicken is okay but not the best, I really like the Suzhou pork ribs, so delicious. read more

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I'm so grateful to have such a delicious Chinese food place in FHR! The service is very good and they are very fast. I also like stopping here to eat in person, not just to go because the ambience is cozy. I recommend the honey walnut shrimp and any of the noodles. Also don't feel really heavy after eating here like I do at most Chinese food places. This restaurant is a delight! read more

Located in a wonderful shopping plaza, the restaurant has great outdoor seating. Some of the dishes are authentic but others are just so so. The spring rolls are from Costco. read more

Shanghai Haus - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

We ordered takeout from Shanghai Haus for a family get together to celebrate our daughter's birthday. The staff were patient and friendly when we placed the relatively large order. The restaurant itself is tucked into a cluster of restaurants in the Foothill Ranch Town Center and doesn't have a visible sign on the outer facade of the building. They've only been there less than a month, so that may certainly change. When we picked up the food, I noticed the restaurant interior was bright and inviting. As others have mentioned, parking was plentiful which is nice when meeting up with friends. We ordered a large variety of dishes and some of the standouts were the Shanghai Crispy Seaweed Fish Fritters, Shanghai Red Braised Pork Belly, Eggplant with Fried Tofu in Basil Sauce and the Yang Zhou Fried Rice. Takeout is never ideal for fully enjoying food and I'm sure the dishes would be even tastier if we dined at the restaurant. Next time, we hope to try some of their lunch specials! read more

Shanghai Haus - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I'm ordering on DoorDash because I'm disabled and unable to visit their store in person. I was really excited to try this place because of all the good reviews, but I was unable to place an order due to their unwillingness to accommodate me. I simply wanted to substitute the chicken in the curry with shrimp or fish. It's not so hard. You just interchanged the protein. And then they can adjust the price on their end if they want, or I can order an extra menu item to cover the cost difference, or I can give them my credit card over the phone. They were unwilling to accommodate me in anyway and what really upset me about it was. I told them that I was bedridden and they didn't seem to be sensitive to that and told me that they can do it if I come to the store but not if I order on DoorDash, after I told them I can't. It just rubbed me the wrong way and made me not want to spend any money there. the price difference for them is negligble , and it's minimal effort for them to make the switch and they didn't care to do it to accommodate a disabled person and potential new customer. read more

Giving them a 4.5 stars for food, service and cleanliness. I got the kung pao chicken lunch special. Flavors were very good, and the lunch came with pickled cabbage and egg drop soup (with tomatoes and tofu). The soup was bland for me but I consume salt like nobody's business so I can't ding them for that. But, once I added salt and white pepper, it was great. I also ordered the orange chicken and chicken and vegetables lunch specials. They are for my kids to try because we get these at Panda (yes I know, not the same but they don't use MSG or most dyes). The restaurant is offering buy 2 lunch specials, get one free so it's $33 for 3 meals. They packaged to go meals and soups in nice containers that aren't those ridiculous styrofoam clam shells that leak all over . So extra points for that. I then added an order of lo mein to go just for my kids to try. Today, I decided to try the food at Shanghai Haus after my kids saw the restuarant while we were eating at La Tia. I went inside, asked for a menu and asked if they used MSG. I don't eat Chinese food out much because of this. There were two young ladies there on the day we came to ask about MSG. One did not speak English, one did fairly well. Admittedly, the communication was not the best but when asked if they used MSG, the lady who spoke fair English came up and said yes they do, but said I can ask that it not be added. I repeated what she said to confirm that MSG can be omitted. She said yes again, and that that not for every dish can have no msg (which I understand because some sauces or seasonings are not house made). Here is where I need clarification and want to let others know: I became aware of my MSG sensitivity for at least 20+ years so I always ask. Doesn't always mean that I won't eat at the Restuarant, just means that I can't beat there often or take my kids, one of which has a sensitivity. I fully familiar with how my body reacts to MSG such as the back of my neck tingling, but the most tell tale sign are the bumps appearing on my neck and face area. Anyone who knows me well will start seeing them appear on my face and forehead. Today, after I ordered, I went to wash my hands. In the restroom, I recalled that I did not ask them to omit the msg so I literally ran out, wet paper towel in hand, to ask that no msg be put in any of the food. My little 9yo is also very sensitive and it causes itches on her legs. Both the gentleman who spoke perfect English and young lady who served me told me they don't use MSG. I just assumed that meant they didn't add it to my meal (based on the information from the previous drop in). Within 30 seconds of me asking them not to use msg and the nice man telling me they do not, the food was delivered. I ate all of the soup, the pickled cabbage and 1/3 of the kung pao chicken bc I wanted to have my husband try it. As I was packing up the left overs, I felt one bump on the left side of my neck, below the ear. This meal is my first meal of the day. I fasted and had nothing but black coffee. As such, I know it's not any other foods that I have eaten. Itching around the face has consistently been signs of MSG sensitivity for me, and I say this with 20+ years experience. Also, when I ordered the side of lo-mein, I again ran up to tell them please no MSG, and again, she said they don't use MSG. I don't know if it's in the sauce or soup or what. Have not eaten the other dishes as they are for my kids but now I am a bit worried about the MSG/not MSG. I will see if I react to the other meals, and adjust my rating. The deal breaker for me is the transparency. Food places need to be honest. Most people don't care. Most restaurants use it in some form (seasoning mixes). I don't have a true allergy and won't die from it, but I don't want to itch all day and don't want my little one to either. I can go into the science of MSG being naturally occurring as it's a yeast but I know many places, of all cuisine type, use it. I just want honesty when I ask. So let's see how it goes. I'll update soon. Updated my rating bc they took the time to very thoroughly explain and confirm they do not use MSG. I feel comfortable taking my kids here and whatever it may be, it did not persist or worsen. read more

So I was indecisive for lunch went to the food court glanced around, noticed a New Pl., Shanghai Haus decided to give it a try got the orange peel chicken, which has been a favorite for years, but I have not been able to find a place to duplicate a lunch place that I used to go to years ago in Newport over by the airport when I was a UPS driver a few of us would meet there for lunch. It was called orange chicken guy had an unbelievable lunch deal and he gave you a ton of food, but his specialty was orange chicken and it was the bomb to take a term back from the past. So I got home loaded the bowl with some rice and poured the good stuff on top first bite took me right back to this place. Unbelievable so good so perfect and for just under 20 bucks I have easily two meals maybe more a lot of food thank you guys. You'll be seeing me much more often. read more

I came for lunch today with a coworker. I had a such one schnitzel. My friend had chicken curry. The food I would've probably given a 3 rating for. It was just average. The service however, was not good. The restaurant was empty and the service was still not good although it was quick. I don't think I would come again. read more

Really enjoyed it, fresh ingredients, cooked to order and some interesting fusion options. Portions are large, two adults could probably share 1 entree. Service was also good. Haven't tried much, but liked the "dry pot" a lot (great szechuan peppercorn numbness) and the shrimp was fresh and well cooked, so giving it 5 stars for now. read more

We saw the review and visit this place, but a $43 soup ruin our entire experience. This was not even any fancy recipe soup, it is most typical soup that every Shanghai Reaturant will serve-Yan Du Xian, however, this restaurant manage to screw this soup up big time. It was completely tasteless and tasted like cloudy water with odd taste, we ask server why this soup charge so much, they answered they use very expensive ingredients which is one green leaf vegetable, tofu and few pieces of ham. Yup, no more! Really not worthy, nothing impressive but huge disappointment. read more

Honey walnut shrimp, braised pork belly, chicken lo mein, and cream cheese wontons were all delicious. I will definitely return next time I am craving good Chinese food. read more

2nd time dining here. Had a couple of new dishes. The pork dumplings, lo mein and the meatballs along with our usual beef noodle soup and rice cakes. All dishes were delicious and plentiful. You also got to love it when your water glasses are filled without asking, excellent and friendly service read more

Shanghai Haus - Rice cakes and tofu - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Ordered the bbq fried rice. Staff seemed friendly and mentioned that the food would be ready within 10-15 mins. I arrived after 12 mins and requested that there be no peas or carrots in the fried rice. When I arrived home there were peas and carrots in the rice. Slightly disappointed but it was just the start. Rice was cold and by the texture was also undercooked. read more

Newly opened authentic Chinese restaurant with an extensive menu and lunch specials. Very attentive staff and the Shanghai themed wall painting is very pretty too! read more

Shanghai Haus - Lunch special - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The food was delicious! The sever was attentive and patient. Great location. Will go back to try other dishes.

3.5 stars Decent but a little pricey Chinese food in a food court area next to the closed theaters (formerly CINEMARK and REGAL) at Foothill Ranch. Excellent parking as the lot is huge. Since it is part of a food court, there is limited seating inside the restaurant but lots of covered outdoor seating shared with the rest of the food court. BF bought chicken lo mein ($15 as of March 2025) and an order of shanghai bao (xiaolongbao) - ($13 as of March 2025). Portions were very good sized. The lo mein was so-so and a little too garlicky. Xiaolongbao were good, but you only get 6 of them. read more

Shanghai Haus - Xiaolongbao - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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