This post will collect bars, cafes, lounges in Shanghai located on high floors and offering great views of the city. If acrophobia is a thing for your, stop reading now! The rooftop bars on the Bund do not qualify as they are not really located on a high floor. These are venues good for drinks and snacks, but some share the space with full fledged restaurants. They are listed on this page by floor number and they were tested mostly during afternoons, so this is not a night-life guide.
91th floor: 100 Century Avenue Restaurant
One of the restaurants of the Park Hyatt in Pudong, the 100 Century Avenue Restaurant is also available for guest for drinks and desserts. To my knowledge this is the highest dining venue in Shanghai (waiting for something new in the adjacent Shanghai Tower) as it is located on the 91th floor of the Shanghai World Finance Center (aka “the bottle opener”).
The view is truly spectacular. You can clearly see the Jin Mao Tower and, behind, the Oriental Pearl Tower. Across the river, the view captures both the Bund (to the left) and Hankou (to the right).
In one of my visits I tried their sundaes that were just mediocre.
They do better with their cakes. The chocolate mousse is memorable.
And they even have a namesake chocolate cake (not tried).
On weekends they even have a dessert buffet (with a very limited choice though). The cost is around 200 RMB per person.
Make sure to ask for the cake menu (they always fail to present it even if you specify that you are there for drinks and cakes). Service is underwhelming in this place.
A dessert will cost you around 100 RMB (15 USD) after tax and service charge. The desserts to share are better than the sundaes, so try to bring a friend along.
Address in Shanghai: 91-93/F, 100 Shiji Dadao (Century Avenue) / 世纪大道100号91-93楼.
47th floor: La Terrazza at Bulgari Hotel
The top floor of the Bulgari Hotel hosts Il Ristorante (The restaurant), Il Bar (The Bar), both operated by Niko Romito’s staff, and La Terrazza (The terrace). The latter has nice views of the Bund and offers high-teas (probably the most expensive in Shanghai at over 2000 RMB per person) and casual drinks and snacks. Unfortunately Niko Romito’s desserts are not served in this venue.
It is a narrow space, with some sofas and a touch of green. On a weekend visit, it was full of selfie-obsessed guests.
The view is interesting as the hotel is located in a position to dominate the Northern Bund.
I was with two friends and we had an hot chocolate (very Italian), a mocktail (very good), and a huge pot of tea (even if for one person only).
Prices were not prohibitive. We ended up spending 256 RMB in three (37 USD).
Inside, Il Bar deserves a mention for its impressive oval counter.
Address in Shanghai: 47/F, 33 Henan Bei Lu / 河南北路33号上海宝格丽酒店47层.
47th floor: Sky Dome Bar
This is the rooftop lounge of the Raddison Blu hotel in the New World complex near People’s Square.
The view is interesting, you can see Pudong at a distance and some other architectonic landmarks like Shanghai Museum, People’s Park and K11 Mall. Unfortunately the view is obstructed by the dome structure (that is remarkable per se, though). You can freely walk around the bar with probably a 270 degrees view.
They have an extensive drink menu, a few non-alcoholic choices (I settled for a tomato juice in my visit), and a few snacks. Nuts were complimentary.
With a juice, the price of admission was pretty reasonable, 58 RMB (8.65 USD). Service was ok. The place however was a bit worn-down and seemed in need of a renovation.
The view is better from the restaurant on the 45th floor, Epicure on 45.
Address in Shanghai: 88 Nanjing Xi Lu / 南京西路88号.
33th floor: Sky Bar
The Sky Bar is the cocktail lounge of the Okura Garden Hotel in the former French Concession. The floor is shared with two overpriced restaurants.
The view is remarkable as you can see a mix of old and new buildings.
I had a tea set. My choice of tea was longjing. The quantity of food was excellent, but the quality forgettable. Service was a bit cursory,
The afternoon tea set for one person was 149.30 RMB (22.20 USD) after tax and service charge.
Pro tip: take the panoramic elevator to get directly to the 33th floor and to enjoy the panorama as you go up. (The two pictures above are taken from the elevator; you can see the other side of Maoming Road).
Address in Shanghai: 58 Maoming Nan Lu / 茂名南路58号.