M on the Bund

Cuisine: Continental

Hours: Daily 6-10:30pm; Tues-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm; Sat-Sun brunch 11:30am-3pm; Sun tea 3:30-5:30pm

Address: Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu 5 Location seventh floor (entrance on side street at Guangdong Lu 20), Huangpu District (Downtown Shanghai)

Transportation Metro: Nanjing Dong Lu

Lodged atop a handsome seven-story colonial building on the Bund, this is the restaurant that put Shanghai dining on the world map in 1999. All Art Deco elegance, M boasts a terrace that affords unsurpassed views of the Bund, the Huangpu River, and Pudong's skyscrapers, as well as a "Glamour Room" for nightly dinner and drinks. The fine menu changes frequently to take advantage of fresh local ingredients, but signature dishes include the slow-baked leg of lamb and the exquisitely sublime Pavlova dessert. Increased competition from the neighboring Bund restaurants has forced service to improve in recent years after a dropoff. M has consistently been on the must-try list of many visitors, largely due to its previous renown and its glamorous environs.

Dishes to try: The seared tuna salad for appetizer, Duck cofit for main and the Earl Grey creme brulee or pistachio and lychee sorbet atop a sesame crisp for dessert. All this for $118 RMB (approx $20 USD) per person.