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Dear Culinary Backstreets,
My family is planning a trip to Shanghai. We want to dine like the locals but also make sure our little ones get their fill. Do you have any recommendations?

Shanghai’s dining scene is innately kid-friendly. Waitresses at hole-in-the-wall noodle joints often ferry trays while balancing a baby on their hip, and you’ll spot grade-school students doing homework in the dining room while their parents work in the kitchen. But if you’re looking for food that will appeal to both picky toddler and adolescent foreign palates, you can’t go wrong with China’s proudest culinary invention: noodles.

Places that knead and pull their own noodles to order, like Henan Lamian, are great for families, serving up steaming bowls with a side of entertainment. Kids and parents alike will ooh and aah over the gastronomic magic trick that turns a pile of dough into perfectly symmetrical strands. For another take on the handmade noodles, Lanzhou-style lamian joints hand-slice their pasta using a curved knife that flicks thick slices of dough into a vat of boiling water in the blink of an eye.

The peanut sesame noodles at Wei Xiang Zhai are always a winner, no matter whether you’re eight or 80. If your kid can’t handle the spicy chili oil that slicks the peanut butter sauce, ask for the dish 不辣 (bú là, not spicy) and the waitresses will happily leave it out.

For tiny noodle joints like these, it’s best to go during off-peak hours (before 11:30 a.m. and after 1:30 p.m.). The lunch rush can be crushing and isn’t conducive to relaxed family dining.

If you’re looking for a sit-down affair, head to Xin Dau Ji. The Hong Kong import serves excellent dim sum favorites, like steamed shrimp dumplings and fluffy pork buns, but they’re most famous for their roasted meats. A window near the entrance offers hungry diners a peek into the kitchen; the suckling pig, goose and pigeon roasting on spits will whet everyone’s appetites. The back of the patio spills out into Xiangyang Park, originally a park for French children during the concession era, and kids can run wild past the trees, fountains and tai chi practitioners – all within eyesight of the table.

If Mom and Dad need a little break from the kids, head to Garlic. Sure, the restaurant is Turkish, not Chinese, but they have a basement play area complete with an indoor playground. Adults sit upstairs among the white tablecloths and stemware, devouring haute Turkish dishes and signature cocktails.

For dessert, don’t miss Lillian’s. The Macanese have perfected the Portuguese egg tart with this flaky custard pastry. Or head to Nom Nom for a cookie and gelato fix, where you can double the fun (and sugar content) by letting the little ones select their favorite flavors for bespoke ice cream sandwiches. – Jamie Barys

Read our related advice columns on kid-friendly dining in Barcelona and Istanbul and Athens.

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Jamie Barys and Kyle Long

Published on October 08, 2013

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