i Shanghai Delight

"TL; DR: Get the shengjian bao. Don't get anything else. So I've been going mostly to the Fremont place and I've only ordered from the San Ramon place once so when I was visiting Pleasanton I decided to come dine in the place. Compared to the Fremont place this is much larger with fewer crowds. I ordered pretty much what most Shanghainese would've ordered. Service is fairly efficient and good enough even if it's a little short staffed. I think shengjian is more rushed (they didn't keep the shapes when served) but still the best in the Bay Area (unfortunately). The smoked fish is so so and too salty and soggy from the sauce but at least it's better than many other Shanghainese places. So I'd order it only if you really miss it. The eel is not fresh so it's too fishy. The rice cake is so so but decent if you want something different from shengjian to fill you up."

"We had been eaten at this restaurant several times, also all other three locations. We have a party of six and ordered 14 dishes, business of this restaurant at San Ramon is kind of slow whenever we were there. Three items are very good, sweet osmanthus scented glutinous rice cake, crab roe pork dumplings/xiaolungbao, steamed purple glutinous rice with red bean paste. The rest dishes are ok."

"The food is traditional Shanghai cuisine, with acceptable quality. However, the service left me disappointed, particularly when ordering takeout. Perhaps I had an unfortunate experience, as the person on the phone seemed impatient, rushing me to place my order quickly. They even declined more orders, giving the impression that they don't value takeout orders as much due to lower tips compared to dine-in. I'd suggest the owner or those in charge to consider improving service quality, as it's crucial for the success of small businesses. As an unsatisfied customer, I hope this feedback helps in making positive changes."

"Came for the xiaolongbaos but ended up ordering more than we could consume. In general, everything was pretty authentic and the xlbs were unbelievably juicy. One thing I noticed, though. Food were served on regular plates/bowls/steamers but guests were giving plastic utensils and paper plates/bowls even for indoor diners. We all know that xiaolongbaos stick to paper so they break if not handled carefully on those cheap paper plates. Covid does NOT transmit via eating or food; if restaurant management is reading this review! Nothing can be transmitted using good porcelain washed in a dishwasher or by hand. Although the food is amazingly delicious and deserve 5-stars, I'd hate to contibute to a lot more trash just for a few good buns."

"Everything was a little sweet which is typical of Shanghai food. I liked the spicy pork noodle and the pan fried dumplings the most. Everything seems fresh and not too oily. You check what you want on a paper menu and the food comes out pretty quickly"