Shanghai 21 Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Their food is so fresh n yummy."
• "The shrimp dumplings were probably the best I’ve had in any dim sum establishment… ever."
• "The flavors were authentic. The xiao long bao wasn’t too greasy and had a taste of crab roe inside!"
• "Everything little things I ordered here are sooo freaking good."
• "Food was very tasty here. Everything is made fresh to order."
• "The soup dumplings were really good. They were hot and full of delicious broth with thin skin and juicy meat."
• "The food was absolutely amazing and the portions are so huge you can share them easily."

Cons:

• "Stay away from the seabass special, greasy and no flavor/unsalted/garbage."
• "The juicy buns were dry inside out."
• "The filling and broth here are average."
• "The food did not have flavor. Not even salt. I mean it was bland."
• "The tofu with sichuan style tasted funky and minced beef doesn't taste fresh."
• "The fish is not fresh at all."
• "The pork chop with noodles in soup was not my favorite. The pork chop was delicious, the soup was bland and the noodles tasteless."

Service

Pros:

• "Doing indoor dining for the very 1st time. Very satisfied with the experience."
• "Prompt service and a great local vibe."
• "Courteous and welcoming service made everything extra enjoyable."
• "The attention is really fast and kind."
• "Staff was also so attentive and kind."
• "Service was fast and food came out hot and fresh. Everything tasted amazing."
• "Service was friendly and efficient."

Cons:

• "The wait here can be annoying, they usually take down your name but it doesn’t really mean anything."
• "They automatically added 15% tip in the final charge but still asked for tips. Very greedy and very unprofessional."
• "Tired looking wait staff, not paying attention to customers."
• "Service was slow. They took forever to get tables cleared and ready for next guests."
• "After your food is dropped off, no one comes back to the table, or even close to it."
• "Service was quick but not very friendly."
• "The service pushy and poor."

Value

Pros:

• "They now take card payment too!"
• "If you pay with cash there isn’t a card fee so it’s usually a few bucks cheaper."
• "It was just delicious and the prices are moderate."
• "Great price considering the location."
• "Prices were affordable given the sizes were bigger than expected."
• "The value here is very good!"
• "Prices are amazing compared rest of Ny, scallion pancakes for $5.50 and the portions we got is nuts."

Cons:

• "Our total came to about $86 before tip."
• "You pay 5 dollar service cost and a tip, so at the end it’s expensive compared to other restaurants in China Town."
• "Prices have gone up significantly over the last few years, but are still somewhat acceptable."
• "The food was alright. The prices extremely high the portions tiny."
• "This place is more expensive than I had expected."
• "We found the dumpling prices a bit on the higher side."
• "They only accept cash and master card."

Ambience

Pros:

• "The place looks really old and needs a renovation."
• "The interior is bright and cheery and decently decorated."
• "The restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside but was clean and tidy inside."
• "The restaurant itself is kept pretty clean despite it being in Chinatown."
• "The vibe was super welcoming and home-y."
• "Authentic restaurant vibes."
• "The atmosphere was great, service excellent and the dumplings were amazing!!"

Cons:

• "The manner in which it was communicated was extremely derogatory."
• "Hard to imagine how this place has 4.5 stars. Avoid it if you are looking for real chinese food."
• "The only downside is that two nearby tables with many people caused a noise level that was uncomfortable."
• "Most food in this restaurant has nothing to do with Shanghai."
• "The ambience and decor is forgettable."
• "Atmosphere was very loud."
• "The clientele can be very loud at times, but that is part of the experience."