About this place

Xintiandi is….erm….well…rather difficult to describe, but I will give it my best shot. Xintiandi is located downtown nestled between the towering skyscrapers. It is without question, one of the busiest urban tourist attractions in Shanghai. Covering an area of 60,000 square meters, Xintiandi contains a plethora of specialist outlets ranging from retail, entertainment, cultural, recreational, commercial and residential facilities…

Okay bugger it. Xintiandi is basically a big area of old Shanghai style houses called “Shikumen” that house shops, museums, restaurants, offices, hairdressers, etc. The shops here stock high quality knick knacks, gifts and things for the home but they come at a High Quality price. That was so much easier!! Phew…

Xintiandi is also home to Kabb, one of my favorite restaurants. There is also a Toni & Guy hair salon for those in need of a trim (a bit pricey, but well worth it).  Xintiandi is basically the Harrods of Shanghai; great if it is to your taste. If not, give it a miss.

One certain plus for Xintiandi is a mall with a large screen cinema showing movies in English on the back side of the complex.

Some notable locales at Xintiandi:

Kabb (see review in restaurant section)
Simply Thai (see review in restaurant section)
Starbucks - Need I say more? For a great alternative check out The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf which plays host to expat coffee meetings every Sunday at noon.
Toni & Guy Hair Salon
CJW Xintiandi - A smaller venue of their jazz franchise, Tel: 6385 6677
Rendevous - Bar & restaurant, Tel: 6336 5383
La Maison - Restaurant, dance hall, and bar
ARK livehouse - Live music venue, Tel: 6326 8008

UME international Complex, Tel: 6384-1122, ext 807 for English

One last note: If you are feeling peckish, but just want to snack, go into the basement of the mall (the metro station is in the basement of a mall). Then look for Kawasaki, a fabulous bread and desert shop, but don’t dare leaving without trying their strawberry Danish or coconut and raisin cake.

The complex is located on Huang Pi Nan Lu (near Huaihai Zhong Lu) and Xingye Lu, but have no fear... all taxi drivers know Xintiandi! Alternatively take metro line 1 to Huang Pi Nan Lu station and follow the English signs from there. If you do get lost, it is basically behind the metro station.