Located close to the bustling Frankfurt MyZeil is the “new-old” name causing delicious, German-winter-long queues. Shanghai Nudelbar 上海屋 might be the new sign above the door, but inside you may recognize the nostalgic flavors. Yes – it’s run by the very same owner and chef from Feinschmecker 好味道. For my Shanghai-born-and-raised friend, one slurp of soup here is like a time machine, taking her straight back to childhood lanes and home kitchens.
Outside the door, it’s easy to see guests’ dedication – they brave the cold, bundled-up babies in arms, waiting to be seated. Even with a reservation, we often feel compelled to savor and scoot, making room for the next guests.
Restaurant Profile
🏷️ Name of the Restaurant: Shanghai Nudelbar 上海屋
📍 Adress: Ziegelgasse 7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
🍜 Style: Chinese Cuisine – soups, noodle dishes, rice dishes, dumplings, dim sum, chinese crepes/jianbing, vegetarian options etc.
💰 Price: around 10 – 20 EUR per Person (incl. Drinks and Tips)
Let’s dive into the flavors behind all the hype.
Snacks & Starters
#42 双档汤 (Double-Stuffed Soup)
The ultimate warming elixir. This delicate chicken broth is light, soothing, and fragrant with white pepper, carrying a subtle, natural veggie sweetness from hours of simmering. Floating within are glass noodles that slide down like silk, and two types of tofu parcels. The tofu knots and fried tofu puffs are sponges for the savory broth, bursting with juicy, umami-rich pork filling.
Gather a little cabbage, pak choi, a tofu parcel, and a sip of broth in one spoonful, you’ll get an explosion of warmth – earthy bean aroma, tender pork, and sweet veggies – a Shanghai-style “super soup” that nurses both stomach and mood.
#43 鲜肉小馄饨 (Shanghai Mini Wonton Soup)
These cloud-like wontons are the taste of memory for my Shanghainese friend. The broth has a savory freshness—with a clear chicken flavor, a warming hint of white pepper and fragrant sesame oil.
The wrappers are ethereally thin, yet still springy and resilient. Each petite purse contains a juicy, well-seasoned pork morsel that’s meaty but not heavy.
With that distinctive white pepper lingering in the aftertaste, my friend exclaimed with satisfaction: “One sip, and I’m back in my childhood.”
#62 油条 (Fried Dough Sticks)
An edible utensil. On its own, it’s crisp, airy, and plain in flavor. But its destiny is to dive.
Dip it into soy sauce or soy milk for a classic breakfast, or—for the ultimate hack—submerge it in the glorious wonton or double-stuffed soup.
It soaks up the soothing liquid, creating a sublime contrast: a crunchy exterior and a warm, soup-soaked, bursting interior. It’s a deeply satisfying.
#63 小笼包 (Soup-Filled Dumplings – Xiao Long Bao)
Approach with care: gently nip the delicate, steamed skin and suck first. A geyser of flavorful, scalding-hot pork broth erupts—the magic of this Xiao Long Bao soup dumpling.
The filling is generously porky, brightened with fresh ginger and scallion to keep it balanced, not cloying.
Dip the remainder in vinegar with a drizzle of their homemade chili oil, you’ll get a rich, tangy, spicy, and savory bite that demands immediate repetition. So, we almost always order more than one basket.
#56 素鸡爆毛豆 (Braised “Vegetarian Chicken” with Edamame)
A cold starter featuring sù jī or “vegetarian chicken”: it’s not poultry, but tightly pressed, marinated tofu skin rolled into a firm log. It has a meaty, chewy texture and an incredible ability to absorb the anise-infused braising liquid.
Paired with fresh, sweet edamame beans, this dish is a juicy, fragrant mixture of savory soy sauce, nutty sesame oil, and the warm, licorice-like star anise.
#73 煎饼果子 (Jianbing – Chinese Savory Crepe)
A street food royalty. The large, thin crepe is cooked on a griddle until slightly charred, carrying a wonderful smoky note. It’s embedded with eggs, scallions, and black sesame seeds for texture and flavor. Inside lies a layer of crispy fried crackers, peanuts, pickled vegetables, and fresh lettuce.
The glue that holds them together is the 甜面酱 (tiánmiànjiàng)—a wheat paste that’s savory, fermented, deeply umami, with a malty, almost caramel-like undertone. Every bite is a carnival of contrasts: soft and crispy, savory and fresh, nutty and sweet.
Customize it with extra fillings like chicken, beef, or youtiao (fried stick dough), but the classic version is already good enough.
Mains:
#44 荠菜鲜肉大馄饨 (Shepherd’s Purse & Pork Wonton Soup)
A definition of comfort. These are the big version of the mini wontons. The broth is clean, yet robust with toasted sesame oil and white pepper. The filling is a generous, juicy blend of pork and shepherd’s purse. This wild, foraged green has an earthy, grassy, and slightly nutty flavor that pairs well with the rich pork, creating a comforting bite.
Add €2 for red-chili oil. It introduces an aromatic heat and an enticing red hue, turning the soothing soup into an exhilarating, mouth-tingling broth.
#82 酱爆鸡拌面 (Stir-Fried Chicken Noodles)
This dish sings with the smoky, breathless energy of a Shanghai street stall (大排档 dàpáidàng).
It’s the taste of a quick, flavorful stir-fry where soy sauce caramelizes and flavors sear into the noodles. Tender chicken, crisp bell peppers (paprika), and tofu chunks are tossed with noodles in a savory, soy-based glaze.
The key is the 锅气 (guōqì)—the “wok breath.” That irreplicable charred, smokiness that comes from blistering heat.
Mix it well from the bottom, where the saucy, savory goodness pools. The scattered peanuts add a final crunch to the hearty, unpretentious street food flavor.
#86 红烧狮子头面 (Braised Lion’s Head Meatball Noodle Soup)
This dish has a mighty name. 红烧 (hóngshāo) refers to the classic Chinese “red-braising” technique—a slow simmering in soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and spices, creating a deeply soy-umami, slightly sweet, and savory flavor, with a glossy, rich aroma.
The 狮子头 (shīzi tóu), or “Lion’s Head,” is a colossal, tender pork meatball, symbolizing a lion’s head, with greens as its mane. It’s famous for its impossibly soft texture – big, airy, and full of broth – achieved through careful mincing and binding.
Served in a sesame-perfumed broth with greens and springy noodles, this is a bowl of profound umami, with a huge meatball deeply permeated with soulful hongshao warmth.
#89 牛肉汤面（原味） (Beef Noodle Soup – Original)
A bowl this honest and comforting is a rarity in Frankfurt.
The broth is clear yet profoundly flavorful, with tastes of long-simmered beef and likely a chicken base – soothing, deep, and not overly salty.
The beef itself—often with tendon—is stewed to fall-apart tenderness, juicy and chewy in the best way.
The noodles are the alkaline kind: springy, elastic, and ideal for the sublime broth.
Topped with fresh scallions, this is a minimalist bowl where every element shines and comforts.
Dessert:
#71 红豆沙小麻球 (Sesame Balls with Red Bean Paste)
These golden-brown orbs are a festival of contrasts.
The exterior is a crisp shell of toasted sesame seeds that holds sticky, chewy, and glutinous rice dough.
Inside is a core of smooth, subtly sweet red bean paste. It’s not cloying, but earthy and comforting.
Nutty, roasty, sweet, and chewy, it’s a small moment of indulgent, fried happiness.
Shanghai Nudelbar is very much about versatility. Beyond what’s highlighted here, the menu covers many other iconic dishes, such as 生煎包 (Shēngjiān Bāo)— Shanghai’s famous pan-fried soup dumplings with a crisp, sesame-seeded bottom and a juicy, soft top – crunchy, fluffy, and bursting.
There are also potstickers, vegetarian dumplings, marinated cold dishes, Sichuan Dàn Dàn Noodles, rice balls, fried noodles and rice, plus an entire lineup of noodle soups in different kinds of flavors.
The whole menu is very approachable – delicious and affordable, with dishes big or small that meet you exactly where your appetite is.
Number 83 Pork Liver Noodles 🍜
For those who love this flavor, I highly recommend it 😋
The moment the noodles are served, a rich, mouthwatering aroma fills the air. The noodles have a great chew, the pork liver is tender and silky, and the sauce is perfectly balanced, coating every single strand of noodle.
The Xiaolongbao wrappers were a bit too thick, and some were missing the soup. Overall, it was okay.
To be honest, the portions are small, so I didn’t feel very full. The jianbing is nice though.
Thanks for the info! Haven’t been since the pancake place got a new owner. Guess it’s time to check it out again 😀
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but the pork liver noodles are really good. A friend recommended them, and I had zero expectations. But they completely surprised me. You can taste how fresh the pork liver is without it being overpowering. It was my first time trying it, and I was genuinely impressed
Thanks for sharing. They also have quite a few Shanghai-style snacks. The pan-fried buns are really good. I didn’t expect them to have a double-stuffed soup either.
The pork-stuffed tofu knots are tasty. The broth tastes like a chicken-based soup, and it’s pretty nice.
Their noodles are a bit too soft for me, but the location is great. They still sell jianbing. I’ll definitely be going back regularly.
The Spicy Chicken Noodles are really good. It was recommended by the owner’s sister. The chicken pieces are coated in a layer of flour and fried to crisp, super tasty!
Highly recommend this place to anyone who loves Shanghai cuisine. The dishes are homestyle, nothing mind-blowing, but the flavors are really delicious. Plus, the owner and his sister are incredibly friendly!
The broth of the small wontons, with that sesame oil, and the seasoning of the different meat fillings taste exactly like home. And the recipe itself comes from years of tradition, passed down from elders in my Shanghai family 😭
This place is a breath of fresh air among Chinese restaurants in Frankfurt.
No over-seasoning, just honest, home-style Shanghai cooking. Incredible!