The Taiwanese chain that put soup dumplings on the international culinary map. Each xiaolongbao is folded with exactly 18 pleats, served at a controlled temperature with sliced ginger and black vinegar. It is expensive by Shanghai standards — three to four times the price of Jia Jia — and the dumplings are not actually better, but the consistency is impressive and the experience is foreigner-friendly.
Multiple branches across the city: Xintiandi (the original Shanghai outlet), IFC mall in Pudong, Plaza 66 in Jing'an. Reservations are usually unnecessary at off-hours; mid-day and evening you may wait an hour.