Buckle up baby, this summer is going to be a steamy ride. Maybe it's the endless plum rains or record-breaking, undulating heat waves set to break every El Niño record ever, but everyone who is anyone is opening a restaurant or bar this month.

First up, Guangfu Lu along Suzhou Creek has gotten a major F&B facelift as of late. What started with Fotografiska and its in-house Mona, a Mediterranean-meets-Asian fusion restaurant (which just released a new menu that is totally worth checking out), has since expanded into an entire complex of trendy eateries, cafés, and wine bars.

First up there’s Juniper (which we wrote about in the January F&B Buzz here), a European-style brasserie that opened at the end of 2025. It has since garnered quite the loyal following for its down-to-earth eats and picturesque décor to match.

Next to that is Badu, a plant-adorned café, sandwichery, and patisserie with a drool-worthy lineup of cakes, tarts, and other confectionaries available by the slice. There’s also a short lunch menu comprised of sweet and savory tartines, ideal for a slow afternoon with creekside people watching.

Just inside the complex is a second (and now the only) outpost of Ragù – a pan-Italian street food concept backed by Filippo and Yan Murari, with all manner of classic Italian bites, from fritto misto to crispy fried panzerotto, from hearty pizzas to the restaurant’s most photographed dish – meatballs served in a cone – and everything in between.

In the back courtyard La Baraka by Paul Pairet, a decked-out food truck with picnic table seating, is doling out sugary renditions of the renowned chef’s signature French toast in funky flavors like peanut butter, lemon curd, Nutella with marshmallows, cheesecake with speculoos crumble, and toffee with caramelized rice krispies. In addition to the French toast, the truck serves up some scrumptious ice cream and sundaes, a spinoff of Charbon’s menu (that closed last year on the top of iapm Mall). Savory snacks like cheesy hot dogs and a croque monsieur (similar to the fan-favorite from Chef Pairet’s Polux) round out the offerings.

Parisian bistro 16è is set to open in the coming months, so be on the lookout for that.

In other sugar-dusted (or in this case, slathered) news, Cinnabon has officially opened its first Chinese mainland flagship store at the PRSCO Mall on bustling Huaihai Zhong Lu in Huangpu district. Dessert lovers can expect to find the brand's iconic freshly baked cinnamon rolls, crafted with hand-rolled dough, Makara cinnamon, and generous cream cheese frosting. The menu features all the signature favorites, including the Classic Roll, Caramel PecanBon, and Minibon, alongside espresso drinks and Chillattas.

Notably, the bakery has subtly adapted its famous recipe by reducing the sugar content in its rolls and frosting to better suit local palates. Because of its highly anticipated arrival, expect lines snaking down the block with warm, wafting aromas of cinnamon and sugar to accompany the wait.

After a string of successful pop-ups over the last few months, MAIZ, a family-run taqueria known for its modern Mexican cuisine, is launching its first location in Shanghai at the iconic Found 158 complex on Julu Lu.  Diners should look forward to a menu focused on meticulously sourced, made-from-scratch ingredients, featuring signature favorites like Camarones bowls, birria tacos, and plant-forward options, all to the backdrop of home-made, grilled-to-order masa tortillas. The venue, slated to open in July, will boast a vibrant, family-friendly vibe that transitions effortlessly into a lively evening hangout with craft drinks.

Taking over Second Sister Yunnan space is a refreshed Chinese concept by the same team, the Azul Group, Long’er Yunnan in 1000 Trees Mall on Moganshan Lu. The menu sees regional favorites, like mi xian rice noodles served in the quintessential copper pot, stir-fried Yunnan mushrooms, chicken hotpot, grilled lemongrass fish, stir-fried beef and mint, and so much more. Like other Azul concepts, the menu is more than ample, with options appealing to all palates. 

Another cheap and cheerful Thai lunch spot worth the stop-in, Thai Bei began welcoming guests into its sun-soaked, Instagram-worthy space this last month along Xinzha Lu. The menu is almost entirely made up of Thai curries, spanning the rainbow of yellow to red to green, with diner’s choice of beef, chicken, shrimp, lamb, or vegetables, all ranging from RMB28-39. There’s even a durian chicken curry we’ve got our eye on. Aside from curries, Thai mainstays – tom yum, coconut milk chicken soup (tom kha ga), papaya salad, lemongrass chicken wings, and the like – also make a showing.

Cobb’s Home Market is a new, airy Xintiandi eatery on Huaihai Zhong Lu with Western hybrid cuisine and tapas. Sun streams through floor-to-ceiling windows, shining light on crowd favorites like Roast Chicken, Japanese Butter-Fried Oysters, Slow-Cooked Curry Rice, Foie Gras Beef and Porcini Mushroom Teriyaki Rice, Pork-Cutlet Sandwich, and more. The space sees an expansive terrace, ideal for summer (once these plum rains dry out).

As for closures, Chef Tom Ryu’s casual Korean restaurant Wuli closed to make room for his ever-popular Korean fine dining restaurant upstairs. As Nabi is one of the hardest reservations in town to snag, hopefully the additional seats will make it that much more accessible.

Another sad goodbye, pour one out for Chef Lucky Lasagna’s passion project, Italian bistro (with the city’s tastiest Roman style pizza al taglio) Bambino. Chef Lucky has moved onto greener pastures, opening his own open-fire kitchen restaurant in Zhujiajiao, that, from the sounds of it, is worth the plane ticket to check out.

After more than a decade, one of Shanghai’s OG craft cocktail bars that helped put our beloved city on the global drinks map, EPIC, shuttered its doors for the last time along Gaoyou Lu at the beginning of June. Helmed by seasoned mixologist Cross Yu, this three-story bar (which won the prestigious Campari One to Watch Awards at Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021) announced its closing was primarily due to lease issues. We know though that this won’t be the end for Yu nor his team, who continually “do EPIC sh*t” – the esteemed bar’s tagline.