Savoring the best for last

Dingxi Road in Changning district: If you search for "roast oyster in Shanghai" on the Web, the results will probably link you to Xiaohei Shenghao on Dingxi Road.

This is where you get value for money shellfish as opposed to high-end clams in Japanese restaurants.

Here, the oysters and mussels are sold at 10 yuan a piece, a fraction of that in exotic restaurants.

The profit margin is relatively low, considering that a live oyster costs 5 to 6 yuan at Shanghai’s wholesale seafood markets.

Other recommended dishes include cumin-cooked spinach, salted chicken cooked in beer and roast enoki mushrooms and lamb.

Dingxi Road really bustles at night and there are all kinds of regional cuisines such as Chongqing hotpot, Cantonese-style porridge, and even Tibet delicacies available to as late as 4 am.

Average expenditure is about 90 yuan per person.

Times they are a'changing

Huoshan Road in Hongkou district: We think no other restaurant knows how to better cater to the needs of young people and promote itself in the cheapest but most effective way.

Number 203, Huoshan Road is a late-night food stall that has its own accounts on WeChat and Weibo and provides free Wi-Fi access to its customers.

As a result, plenty of people are willing to fork out money for taxi fare and wait in line at midnight for a taste of its deep-fried dough sticks, soybean milk or glutinous rice balls.

The owner describes the public fervor as "frenzied" and says his cutting edge advantage is the ability to change with the times. Average cost is about 15 yuan per person.