Lan Xin (Lyceum Restaurant)

Lan Xin, also known in English as the Lyceum Restaurant, is a long-standing neighbourhood restaurant on Jinxian Road in the former French Concession. It is listed as a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin Guide Shanghai, and the city government's food guide recommends it for hong shao rou, red-braised pork belly.

Hong shao rou is the dish that sums up Shanghai home cooking. Pork belly is braised in soy sauce with rock sugar until the skin is soft and sticky, the fat creamy and the lean meat tender, and the Shanghai version leans towards a dark, glossy, sweet-savoury sauce. Lan Xin cooks it in a wok over steady heat, reducing the sauce until it lightly coats each piece so that the cubes hold their shape. Order it with rice and a vegetable dish, and add other Shanghainese staples from the menu to share.

The restaurant is simple, with plain decor and limited seating, and that is part of the charm. It does not take reservations, so queues are common, especially at dinner and at weekends. Arrive at opening time to have the best chance of a table without a long wait. The city's food guide lists two sittings a day, from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 9pm.

Prices are moderate, and it suits couples, small groups and anyone wanting to eat where locals eat rather than in a hotel or a mall. Large groups may struggle to be seated together given the size of the room.

The dish has deep roots. The sixth-century agricultural text Qimin Yaoshu already describes meat stewed in seasoned liquid, and Dongpo pork, linked to the Song poet Su Dongpo, is a well-known slow-braised forerunner. The Shanghai version settled on pork belly, dark soy sauce for colour and rock sugar for a balanced sweetness, and the best examples have soft, collagen-rich skin, a creamy layer of fat and tender lean meat, which is what queues at Lan Xin are waiting for.

Taxi or ride-hailing with the street address is the simplest way to arrive, and Yong Fu and the Jin Jiang Hotel area are nearby if you want a contrast in styles on another night.