Shanghai: Dine at Local Home with English Speaking Hosts

Enjoy a homemade dinner in a local home in Shanghai. Savor a meal made from ingredients picked from the host's garden. Learn about Chinese culture and cuisine with local English speaking hosts
This is a home dinner, not a cooking class. You come, you sit, you eat, and you leave with a full stomach and a genuine connection to local life in Shanghai.

We have a range of hosts that are in the downtown of Shanghai (Xuhui, Jing'an, Pudong, Huangpu etc), or in the suburbs where you can see a different Shanghai (Songjiang, Jiading)

Here are the sample host profiles:

Meet Jiading Ayi: Auntie Shen is a true daughter of Jiading Old Town, the historic cradle of Shanghai's famous soup dumplings. She has been welcoming international guests into her home since 2016 — first as an Airbnb Superhost. What sets Auntie Shen's home apart is her courtyard garden, where she grows the vegetables that end up on your table. I

Meet Grace: Grace was born in Guizhou, a mountainous province in southwest China known for bold flavors and vibrant minority cultures. She spent over a decade living abroad — mainly in the United States — before finding her way back to China through a familiar longing: the taste of her mother's cooking. What started as homesickness became a passion.

Meet Echo: Echo is a Shanghai local who cooks for her family every day. Her food is classic Chinese home-style — simple, comforting, and meant to be shared. She lives in a bright apartment in Shanghai with her husband, her daughter, and a friendly dog who may or may not join you at the table.

Our hosts can host up to 6 guests, making it one of the few experiences in Shanghai that works just as well for a family with children as it does for a group of friends or colleagues.

Before your visit, confirm your dietary preferences and receive step-by-step directions to the home, including phone number and WeChat so you won't get lost. Two days before, you'll receive Home Dining Cheat Sheets, a beautifully designed cultural primer on Chinese dining that answers the questions most foreign guests have before their first home dinner in China.

Sample Menu

Appetizer
1. Garden Greens with Diced Tofu
(Finely chopped malantou greens with seasoned diced tofu)

2. Braised Spring Bamboo Shoots
(Tender seasonal bamboo shoots glazed in a savory-sweet soy sauce)

3. Traditional Shanghainese Smoked Fish
(Deep-fried fish marinated and lightly smoked with Chinese five-spice)

Main Course
4. Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
(Succulent pork ribs in a rich, velvety caramelized glaze)

5. White-Cut Local Chicken
(Classic poached chicken with a delicate skin, served with garlic-ginger dip)

6. Handmade Fish Ball Soup
(Delicate, hand-minced fish balls in a clear, nourishing broth)

Staple & Dessert

7. Auntie's Handmade Wontons
(Ayi's special pork and vegetable wontons in a savory soup)

8. Red Bean Glutinous Rice Balls Dessert
(Sweet red bean paste filling in warm, chewy rice balls, served in a light syrup)

Note: the menu changes with the seasons and the hosts. Dietary restrictions? Let us know when booking. We've accommodated vegetarian, halal, non-mammalian, and more.

Para garantir a disponibilidade, reserve o mais cedo possível. A reserva antecipada vale a pena considerar especialmente se você estiver planejando a viagem durante a alta temporada, como feriados ou fins de semana.

Esta excursão você pode cancelar sem custo até 24 horas antes do início da viagem. Se você cancelar após 24 horas ou não comparecer à excursão, ainda será cobrado o preço total da atividade. Chegar atrasado na coleta ou partida será considerado como não comparecimento.