🍕 Pizza in Shanghai, China
Welcome to the ultimate pizza guide for Shanghai, China. Whether you're hunting the city's finest wood-fired Neapolitan, the most creative local-ingredient pizza fusion, or the most beloved neighbourhood pizzeria, this guide covers everything a pizza lover needs to know about Shanghai's pizza scene.
🏆
Top Spot
Da Marco (Dongping Road) — Shanghai's most
📍
Best Area
Former French Concession & Jing'an
💰
Price Range
¥120–280
⭐
Must Try
Shanghai soup dumpling (xiaolongbao) ins
🍕 Must-Try in Shanghai: Shanghai soup dumpling (xiaolongbao) inspired pizza — Shanghai's most extraordinary Sino-Italian fusion creation
This is Shanghai's signature pizza experience — the creation that defines what great pizza means in this city. Do not leave Shanghai without trying it.
🏆 Best Pizza Restaurants in Shanghai
The definitive list of Shanghai's finest pizzerias — from iconic institutions to beloved neighbourhood spots:
- 🍕 Va Bene (Former French Concession)
- 🍕 Da Marco
- 🍕 Bottega Shanghai
- 🍕 Pelikan
- 🍕 Pizza 4P's Shanghai
🍕 Pizza Styles Available in Shanghai
🍕
Neapolitan
🔥
Wood-Fired
🍞
Roman Al Taglio
🧀
Pizza Bianca
🌍
Local Fusion
🥗
Vegetarian
💡 Pizza Tips for Shanghai
- 🔥 Wood-fired is best: Always look for a wood-fired oven — the 900°F heat creates charring, rise, and flavour that a gas oven cannot replicate
- 📍 Best area: Head to Former French Concession & Jing'an for the highest concentration of quality pizza in Shanghai
- 🍅 San Marzano tomatoes: The best pizza sauce uses San Marzano DOP tomatoes — sweet, low-acid, intensely flavoured
- 🧀 Cheese matters: Fior di latte for everyday pizza, buffalo mozzarella DOP for premium — the difference is significant
- 🕐 Timing: Neapolitan pizza is made to order and ready in 90 seconds — it should arrive within minutes, not sit under a heat lamp
- 💰 Value: The best pizza in Shanghai is not always the most expensive — neighbourhood pizzerias often outperform tourist-facing restaurants
- 🌍 Local ingredients: The most interesting pizza in Shanghai uses local ingredients alongside Italian technique — ask what regional produce features
🍕 Pizza Styles Compared
| Style | Crust | Oven | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍕 Neapolitan (VPN) | Thin, soft, charred | Wood-fired 900°F | Purist tradition |
| 🍞 Roman al Taglio | Thick, rectangular | Electric | By-the-slice casual |
| 🧀 Pizza Bianca | Thin, no tomato | Wood or gas | Cheese focus |
| 🌍 Contemporary | Sourdough, varied | Wood-fired | Local innovation |
| 🏠 Local Fusion | Varies by city | Varies | Unique experience |
❓ FAQs — Pizza in Shanghai
What is the best pizza in Shanghai?
Da Marco on Dongping Road in the Former French Concession is Shanghai's most celebrated Italian restaurant — open since the early 1990s, it has served Shanghai's Italian expat community and Chinese food enthusiasts for over 30 years. Va Bene in the Former French Concession is another Shanghai Italian institution. Pizza 4P's, the Japanese-founded chain famous in Vietnam, has also opened in Shanghai to great acclaim.
What is the Former French Concession pizza culture?
Shanghai's Former French Concession — the tree-lined, low-rise neighbourhood of Art Deco mansions and heritage buildings that was the French colonial quarter until 1943 — is now Shanghai's most vibrant dining and café district. The neighbourhood's Parisian atmosphere has attracted French, Italian, and international restaurants of the highest quality. Walking the Former French Concession's streets, the quality of Italian restaurants (and therefore pizza) is extraordinary for a Chinese city.
What is Shanghai's Sino-Italian pizza fusion?
Shanghai's most creative restaurants experiment with Sino-Italian pizza fusion using Shanghai's iconic foods. Xiaolongbao (Shanghai soup dumplings) inspire pizza toppings that incorporate the flavours of the dumpling — thin pastry, rich pork broth, and ginger. Scallion oil chicken — a Shanghai dish of poached chicken with scallion and sesame oil — appears as a pizza topping at fusion restaurants. These creations are entirely Shanghai's own.
How much does pizza cost in Shanghai?
Quality Italian restaurants charge ¥120–200 for pizza. Premium Former French Concession restaurants run ¥180–280. Fine dining Italian restaurants cost ¥250–400. Shanghai is expensive by Chinese standards but affordable for international visitors.