Christmas. Check √

New Years. Check √

Chinese New Year. Almost Check. (You’re probably reading this while on a plane, train, or automobile to be bombarded by “Why aren’t you married yet? Did you gain weight? Eat more!” via an onslaught of six Chinese aunties, or you’re escaping to a remote beach somewhere. For your sake, we hope it’s the latter, but we all know it’s most likely the former.)

What we’re saying is that Shanghai is in that weird in-between time — no man’s land of holidays when we’d all rather be hibernating. Which is pretty much what’s happening in the city right now as we face a lull in new venues before the mad flurry of spring time openings.

Here’s the latest Shanghai F&B buzz to sustain you until February.

Aster by former Ultraviolet Chef Josh Paris

Former Ultraviolet head chef Josh Paris has announced the opening of his own restaurant, Aster by Joshua Paris, set to launch in Q2 of 2025. With the aster (a perennial purple flower) as the restaurant’s symbol, the space will feature vaulted, seven-meter-high European cathedral-like ceilings adorned with hanging paper elements designed to mimic the flower’s petals. The restaurant will emphasize sustainability, incorporating upcycled paper menus and controlled waste. This philosophy extends to the creative food and drink program, which takes a seasonal approach and highlights community contributions and collaborations with local producers, resulting in lighter dishes with clean yet assertive flavors. The 48-seat venue, located in a new development along Yongyuan Road in Jing’an, aims to deliver fine-dining-level hospitality, details, and ingredients in a more laid-back, fun setting, complemented by a proper cocktail bar that stays open into the witching hour of the weekend mornings.

La Jade

Yangzhou native, Liu Chang (aka chef Cielo) iis now the head chef of newly opened La Jade in the Hilton Shanghai City Center on Yan'an Rd W. This imaginative tasting menu restaurant (with a set price of 1,880 yuan +10% service charge per person, with an optional wine pairing for 1,180 yuan for seven glasses) is all about the marriage of Eastern ingredients and Western techniques. Liu’s impressive pedigree spans studying Huiayang cuisine in China, working in Italy for five years at Agosti followed by a stint at Milan’s one Michelin-starred Tokuyosh, an internship at Noma in Copenhagen (only the third Chinese mainland chef to score this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity), and eventually at Shanghai’s very own Yongfoo Elite.

La Jade is the culmination of all of these global culinary experiences, demonstrated throughout a 20+-course seasonally rotating menu. Think cod sperm “mapo tofu,” Spanish pork pluma dribbled with sea buckthorn and mustard seed jam, a masa corn “cake” topped with fiery minced green pepper and century egg plus a drizzle of burrata cream and rice vinegar jelly, and mont blanc piped with water caltrop rather than chestnut. It’s a rollercoaster of a menu where each next course brings an unexpected international turn.

To reserve a coveted space at the table, call 153 1709 1253.

Matto

The Mammamia Group just soft opened Matto this week on Yanping Road, a “salumeria alcolica” concept with 35 seats, like a grocery store with a wine and cocktail bar. Expect cold cuts, cheeses, olives, preserved vegetables, finger food, pizzas, and more, coupled with pocket-friendly wine and both aperitivo and craft cocktails. The drinks are the focus, with the food providing that necessary stomach space for more imbibing. To kickstart the launch, they are hosting funky DJ nights every Thursday from 8:30-11:30pm with free flow cold cuts for 98 yuan per person and wines by the bottle discounted by 15%.

Ferra Bar

Brewlosophy co-owners Jerry Liu and Ogi have opened Ferra Bar on Xiangyang Road, with the tagline “elevating simplicity, one highball at a time.” It’s no surprise then that the bar’s drink program centers around highballs — of which there are currently three options — plus a Brewlosopy beer on tap, a cider, and a kombucha. Sharing a space with Cantonese roast meat shop Bird Hut, the venue serves “ducks by day, drinks by night.” It’s a no frills, down-to-earth joint offering community vibes as a welcome neighborhood mainstay.

Yugo Grill is facing some “ongoing management issues” that is resulting in slightly mixed messaging on if they are still open or not. One team member announced the closure in the restaurant’s WeChat group chat on January 16 entitled “Temporary Closure of Yugo Bar and Grill,” followed by another member creating a separate group chat and continuing to take reservations. For the time being, the restaurant is still doling out Yugoslavian fare and stacked pljeskavica burgers, but let’s see how the dust continues to settle in the coming weeks.

Charbon has closed :(

Global skewers and soft-serve sundaes are no longer on the menu at Paul Pairet’s Charbon, as the iapm Mall venue closed its doors at the end of last month. This follows closely on the heels of the closure of Roodoodoo, another Paul Pairet Group restaurant in Pudong, and last November’s announcement of the impending closure of Pairet’s most renowned establishment, the three-Michelin-starred Ultraviolet. What this means for the rest of the group remains uncertain, but fingers crossed that their other Shanghai institutions, Mr & Mrs Bund and Polux, continue to thrive throughout 2025.

La Siesta has closed :(

Andalusian tapas bar, La Siesta is set to close this weekend, on January 25, after a 2-year run on Shaanxi Rd N. Owners Isaac Ye (previously of Tres Perros) and chef Sergio Moreno (previously of Commune Social) are hosting a blowout goodbye party on January 24 for all those seeking those last sips of vermut and last bites of marinated olives, pan con tomate and gambas al ajillo.

Madina has closed :(

Last June, Pho To Shop on Wuding Road was converted into casual Moroccan-themed restaurant Madina, backed by the same group as the old Munchies. (Remember it?). But the tagines and flaky filo pies only lasted two shakes of a (stewed) lamb’s tail as it’s already shut down and been re-branded as another Vietnamese restaurant Pho Mi. And so the cycle continues…

Roma has closed :(

Other haunts that bit the dust as of late: Italian resto Roma in Jing’an, everyone’s favorite grilled cheese joint Co. Cheese on Nanchang Road, and nightclub fan favorite System.