The Old Town's core, around the Yuyuan Bazaar, is one of the best places in Shanghai to eat xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in their home city — the dish was invented in the Shanghai region and the versions sold in the bazaar area range from tourist-facing to genuinely excellent. The restaurant that originally developed the dish at its best is now part of the Lin Long Fang chain, operating in the bazaar.
Beyond soup dumplings: the bazaar area and surrounding streets serve most of Shanghai's classic snack foods in concentrated form — pan-fried buns (shengjian), sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, sesame pastries, red bean paste cakes, and candied hawthorn on a stick. Eating through the bazaar food stalls is the most time-efficient way to sample Shanghainese snack culture.