Shanghai Cafe

so so food awful service!!! This place once upon many years ago had great fresh food however the service has always been horrible. I always go back becuase of the food however after eating there yesterday I realized I will never go back. Food was not fresh & it tasted bad and top it off as always the server was very unfriendly making faces at every request. So not only did I had to put up with bad service during my meal but now you have to paid a mandatory gratuity fee (tip) to server. I thought tips were earned base on good service & great attitude which obviously this server lacks so why should we pay him to give bad service on top of paying for their no so cheap food! more

I have been going to this restaurant on and off now around 10 years. I must say the only reason I go back is for their fresh, steamed, spring rolls, which is the only thing I order. I love them and the pricing is great! It always takes me a while to go back because the service is so awful. One server in particular is so rude. He never says hi, smiles, answers questions, nothing!! It's not fair to have to even pay for such a bad experience like that. Then again I choose to go back so.. I used to take it personally , feeling I'm unwelcome there. Now I know it's just them and their bad work ethics, unhappiness, or whatever is going wrong in their own lives. I just wished they knew how I and many others I know have been treated there. Now I have fun going there and being extra nice to them, then laugh when they walk away, it's comedic now. So until I find somewhere else that serves such good and fresh steamed rolls at their price, I will suck it up and continue to order from them. more

When i was a kid, we sponsored a vietnamese refugee family to come here to the US an live with us for a year until they got on their feet. They taught my dad how to make vietnamese fish sauce and the best egg rolls in the whole world. Outside of our family dinners or New Year celebrations with the vietnamese community, this is the only place in Salt Lake where you can get totally authentic super amazing vietnamese egg rolls done just right. Go forth and eat some now. The service is sometimes a bit stern. No nonsense allowed. My friend who was 23 once ordered a beer and was told, ""No. You too young."" End of conversation. However, the food is consistently fantastic, and the service is really fast. You sit down, you order, you get your food. Also, the Pho (noodle soup) is a real bargain and the rice noodle salads are amazing. The BBQ pork with either rice or noodles is really good as well. Whatever quirks the owners have, they more than make up for it with dependably amazing food, great prices, and never making you wait to eat when you are starving. If you are looking for pretty waiters and waitresses with amazing manners, try Trio. If you are looking for home cooked vietnamese style food at a great price with speedy service, this is your place. more

I have to say i at least go there once a week.. my fience' and i love this place. the people know us and always know what we want. thers no need to order once they see us the place the order. my fiance' has been going there since his dad worked for the mayor. yes i would say the people can smile a bit more. but overall everything is awesome and great. flavorful food, and you get alot for your money trust me. Pros: CHEAP awesome food, speedy service Cons: i would say the atmosphere, it needs an up do. more

So I have been coming here since I was about 7 years old with my dad, I am now twenty and just placed a call for take-out. Yes I will admit the restaurant is a bit dingy, but it is Family owned, and I personally have seen some of the people work there grow up. They are not specifically friendly, but it comes and goes, some days they are, some not, but I know one thing they are ALWAYS speedy with they're service, my food has never taken longer then 10 minutes to get to my table, or to be taken home from a takeout order. I have some very fond memories in this restaurant and recommend it. The food is delicious.. if you don't like the atmosphere, just get takeout, and also, the prices are reasonable for the portions... Try the Vegetarian Vietname's egg rolls, and the Vegetarian Lemon Chicken, or Lemon Grass Chicken... basically everything off their Vegetarian Menu will be delicious, I haven't ever tried there real menu, because I just fell in love with their fake chicken.... mmm... Pros: Great Food Cons: Wait Staff more

I did an order for pick up and didn't tip. The Credit Card slip I have clearly said $14.51. The charge on my bank account is $17.51. Clearly someone penciled in a tip... It's called stealing. I won't be going back there give the dishonest nature of the buisness. Pros: Good food.... Cons: The Wait Staff more

I used to be a regular at Shanghai Cafe, until I found out the ""veggie chicken"" is made with egg (Not a vegetable last time I checked!), and my pregnant wife ordered the vermicelli rice noodle with fried tofu off the vegetarian menu, and It came with fish sauce (again not vegetarian, but on the vegetarian menu, and fish are high source of mercury!). I have felt very deceived and disappointed with items on the ""vegetarian"" menu. There are other vegetarian options in this town that are much better! Pros: easy parking, ok if you eat fish and eggs i guess... Cons: Vegetarian items may contain fish or eggs... AKA Not vegetarian! more

This restaurant's food is not real Shanghai style. Food is too salted, and the service is bad. That is why only few peope are eating there. Never try it!!! Nover try it!!! Pros: Paking Cons: eating more

Great location, great Vietnamese food! I am consistently eating at Shanghai and on my most recent trip I discovered that they have expanded their menu and now serve alcohol. So the atmosphere and the wait-staff can be unattentive, I honestly don't care as long as their great food stays consistent! I recommend the vermicelli noodle salad with a BBQ meat (my favorite is the chicken). The potstickers, spring rolls, and egg rolls are also mouth watering! Get down to Shanghai Cafe and give it a try! You won't be sorry... Pros: Awesome Vietnamese food, easy parking, something for everyone Cons: Tacky atmosphere more

THE FOOD NEXT DOOR IS ABSOLUTELY WAAAAY BETTER. The service too. House of Tibet has a more unique flavor as the dishes are Tibetan. They include more potatoes which I like. If the people at Shanghai weren't soooo rude to me and my family for needing refills on our waters I would never have tried House of Tibet. Pros: Veggie dishes are great Cons: everything else more

In response to stormmyst...better food is not next door...why would you even write this in a review? You're not reviewing house of tibet, this is about Shanghai. Also, kid friendly? how so? Another thing...they are not slow, if anything they are too fast. more

I always manage to come for lunch, service is ok, a little slow even when there aren't many people there. The food is good, I almost always go in a large group and it's fantastic for that. We all order different entrees and the nifty spinning circle in the center of the table makes sharing easy peasy. Great place for kids, they don't mind special orders at all. Overall the food quality is good, I've had better, and in fact prefer to go next door to the House of Tibet if I can catch them when they are open. Not a bad value for the cost in my opinion. Pros: Good food, great for kids Cons: Better food next door if they are open. more

I live out of state but everytime I visit I make eating at Shanghai a priority. I've never had the problem with friendly service that other reviews have alluded to. Always greeted and treated nicely. Their vermucelli noodles with shredded pork is quite possibly my favorite meal. Spring rolls and egg rolls with the peanut sauce are to die for. The parking is accessible the room is spacious. more

I've eaten at Shanghai for the past 10 years. For quick, delicious Vietnamese specialties, this is the place to go. The food is top notch and I reccomend it to all my friends. The egg rolls and spring rolls are absolutely amazing. I strongly reccomend the Vermicelli noodle salad with bbq pork. Try it! Pros: Fast,Cheap, Delicious Vietnamese and Chinese Food, Amazing Vegetarian selection Cons: None! more

try the tofu lemon grass its great. the spring rolls are fairly good but if you are up for the fat/cals of fried food check out the vegetarian fried egg rolls. these are not your typical egg rolls and will leave you craving more. also the vermicelli noodle salads are cheep and great. stick to the Vietnamese selections and its hard to go wrong. Pros: great cheep food Cons: do the employes hate me? why don't they say ""you're welcome?"" more

My top 5 fave SLC restaurant. Cheap Eats and Veg friendly. Even meat eaters will love the vegetarian chicken. My faves are- spring rolls, vegetarian chicken malony soup, vegetarian fried wontons, flat rice noodles with vegetarian chicken and the moo-go-gai-pan (Veg chicken!). The servers fill up your glasses even if they aren't empty and it is in a shopping center. But there is great parking, cheap food, and the best fake meat I've ever had! Group and Family Friendly! Pros: Cheap, Vegan/Vegetarian, Vegetarian Chicken more

The best fried egg rolls in the state - bar none. Every person I've introduced to this restraunt agrees they are divine. This is my favorite restaraunt in Salt Lake, because I know that the food will be good, the service will be quick and the bill will be low. The waiters are not especially friendly, but they are very prompt and refill your water after almost every sip. Like the other review said, their specialty is Vietnamese food, not Chinese food. So if you want Chinese food, go somewhere else. I recommend the egg rolls, spring rolls, noodle dishes, and lemon grass plates. Pros: Inexpensive, Fast, Egg Rolls! more

I love this place for the VIETNAMESE FOOD. Because that is what they primarily serve. If you want highly americanized chinese food go somewhere else. This place is a wonderful place to get authentic great tasting cuisine. please disregard the first and blatantly STUPID review of this fine restaurant. Ask 99% percent of thier patrons and they will agree. This is the place for awsome VIETNAMESE food. Service was fast and very friendly. Pros: Delicious, affordable more

I have found few places with worse Chinese food. My wife and I went based on the recommendations from this site, but let me caution everyone...Don't bother! The only good thing about it was that the food was cheap, but I still felt like I got ripped off! Both our dinners were bad tasting, and there was dried food all over the tables and the highchair they brought out for our daughter. I've had better Chinese food from the supermarket deli! Pros: inexpensive, good parking, not crowded Cons: bad food, dirty, bad food more

Vegetarian Friendly! Don't miss the spring rolls, they are a favorite. more