As we head into Golden Week, we’ll keep this month’s gossip column short and sweet – so you can score the info you need and be on your merry way to whatever beachside villa awaits you. 

To start, Shanghai is on every global bartenders tongue these days as not one, not two, not three nor even four, but – rumor has it – FIVE of the world’s top bars have their eyes set on our dear city for opening bar concepts in the coming months.

Let’s count ‘em…

First there’s Handshake Speakeasy from Mexico City, the number one ranked bar in the entire world according to The World's 50 Best list in both 2024 and 2025. (We reported on this in our July edition of the hottest F&B Buzz, so check out the full story there). Handshake Speakeasy is opening a new concept in collaboration with the SG Group (Sober Company, Speak Low, Swirl, and numerous other Shingo Gokan concepts around the globe), right on Shanghai's very own Nanchang Lu next to Penicillin. Be ready because the bar is set to open this Fall, surely attracting imbibers from across the world.

Next, there’s Maybe Sammy, Australia’s powerhouse bar – known for its boisterous, high-theatricality service (including signature bubble guns, flavor blaster smoke bubbles, and master-level garnishes) – that has been featured on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for 7 consecutive years, as well as being crowned the Best Bar in Australasia for several years during this run. This opening is on the hush hush in terms of timing and exact location, but check back in next month for more info.

The rumor mill continues with the opening of another world-renowned bar: Himkok – a new Nordic speakeasy in Oslo that is both a taptail bar (pre-batched classic cocktails on tap) a distillery, and a cider garden. Himkok’s cocktail program is hyper-focused on indigenous Nordic flavors; it regularly highlights distinct regional ingredients like cloudberries, sea buckthorn, birch sap, and native herbs grown in their on-site greenhouse. How this will translate to Shanghai is still terra incognita, but we are eagerly awaiting its opening nonetheless.

Continuing along, Paradiso, the World’s Best Bar in 2022, located in Barcelona and famous for its avant-garden/borderline wacky-meets-whimsical cocktail presentations, is also rumored to be opening a Shanghai outpost in the coming months. More details to come!

Finally, no longer a rumor, but rather a reality, the team behind Bar Termini in London – a critically-acclaimed Italian-style coffee and cocktail bar with a 1950s retro Milan design aesthetic – has soft-opened Bar Cerino along Yongjia Lu. Featuring the same aperitivo heavy menu, with Italian staples like Garibaldi, Belini, Milano, and the like, there’s also some creative signatures (we’re looking at you Sesame Martini and Death in Venice). Most pours fall in the RMB78-128 range. Slightly more upscale in décor than the original Bar Termini, the space is designed to feel like a neighborhood hangout in Milan, replete with marble countertops, crimson winged bar highchairs, and a back bar lined with bottles of Aperol, Campari, and pre-batched Negronis. It feels very Camparino in Galleria, the historic flagship Campari bar located in the heart of Milan.
Bar Cerino, Room 101 & 201, 130 Yongjia Lu

In the same Italian aperitivo vein, Caffè Yaya is now open on Wuding Lu, bringing all-day dining to the NOA Hotel. Think spaghetti, espressos, and affogato anytime you please! This new spot from the team behind Yaya’s Pasta Bar and Nono’s offers a flexible menu designed for casual gatherings, inspired by the charm of old-world European cafés. With delectable dishes like black pepper beef spaghetti and a decadent salted caramel affogato, there's something for everyone from morning coffee to late-night drinks. Seating 30, Caffè Yaya invites hotel guests and locals alike to savor comfort Italian fare all day long. As Head Chef Dan Li says, it’s all about making pasta feel like home, no matter the hour!
Caffè Yaya, 1/F, NOA Hotel, 969 Wuding Lu

Le Chai Charcoal Grill (乐柴) opened mid-September on Wuding Lu, another dinner spot by the same team as Chez Jojo. This cozy, industrial-style charcoal grilling hangout uses traditional binchotan charcoal over an open flame to sear succulent meats like low-temperature marinated beef short ribs and crispy skinned charcoal-grilled saury. The space is outfitted with industrial brick walls, warmly-lit wooden tables, an open kitchen, and a relaxed vibe, ideal for after-work drinks and casual gatherings. Expect to drop roughly RMB150-200 per head.
Le Chai, 1052-3 Wuding Lu

Accents洋泾浜 on Yongfu Lu is a new contemporary Chinese resto with French flair, blending New York edge with historical Shanghai ambience. The restaurant celebrates the collision of diverse cultures, embracing a spirit of cultural reinvention through seasonal menus, opening rituals, and intimate seating. Think funly fusion plates like Roasted Pork Collar Steak over Scallion Fondue (RMB238), Baked Eggplant with Wagyu Beef Ragù & Parmesan (RMB138), and M7 Australian Wagyu Ribeye with XO Bone Sauce and Whiskey Foam (RMB498).
Accents, Room 202, 47 Yongfu Lu

Some spots to look forward to…

Great news for the banh mi lovers, Shanghai’s favorite banh mi street cart, Feral – which unexpectedly closed earlier this year on Maoming Lu – will reopen as Feral Xiaoye on Yuyan Lu, with an expanded menu and full restaurant that includes more banh mi offerings, pho, and other Vietnamese signatures.

READ MORE: Your Handy Guide to Shanghai’s Best Banh Mi

Their bread-and-butter (literally) is pocket-friendly sandwiches (RMB32-65), available in classic to contemporary flavors, from crispy pork to pastrami beef to black tiger prawn, and everything in between, best enjoyed with a drip Vietnamese coffee. Diners will be able to enjoy their banh mi in a space for 50+ patrons across both indoor and outdoor seating.
Feral Xiaoye, 753 Yuyan Lu

Bangkok’s high-energy, design-forward urban beach club rooftop Tribe is making its first international debut in Shanghai by late Fall of this year. The club will find its way onto the sixth-floor rooftop of luxury retail hub Plaza 66 in Shanghai's bustling Jing'an district. The space’s focal point will be an infinity sky pool overlooking the sprawling Shanghai skyline. Expect a tropical, beachy lounge vibe that seamlessly flows from chill daytime beats to a pure party vibe by night.
Tribe, 6/F, 1266 Nanjing Xi Lu

VayaMESA is set to be an upscale dining venue featuring “after dark experiences,” – a space that’s not a restaurant, not a bar, but somewhere in the middle. Created by the same team behind nightlife hotspot REVO, look forward to VayaMESA being all about “late nights, loud music, good food, and bad decisions.” (Exact location and menu details will be released next month.)