Shanghai 456

We go to Shanghai 456 weekly now. It is the only restaurant we have been to that the entire family enjoys.
The food is authentic and delicious. The deep fried duck is the best duck I have ever had. We like the Shanghai noodles, green beans with XO sauce and the soup dumplings too.
The servers are really friendly and good with kids. As well, they are fast and efficient.
We moved here 6 months ago and this is our favourite restaurant hands down!

This is not the only place to go in Edmonton for Xiao Long Bao (Chinese Soup Dumplings).
Visited family in Edmonton over a weekend and ate my way through the city.
Craving some xiao long bao, we Unilocaled to see which restaurant had it and Shanghai 456 came up.
Taste: A-​Ok. The broth is really thick and not clear & light as it should be. Also, the top of the knot is thick. [some of my Taiwanese father-in-law’s opinion]. The broth was too fatty.
It satisfied us for our craving, but we knew Edmonton could do better.
Try out Shanghai Grill or «Da Shanghai» for better chinese soup dumplings.

I went to try xiao long bao after saw those positive reviews. I was disappointed by the taste. I also ordered yo pin guo. It is tasteless also.

I didn’t realize that this was the only place in Edmonton that you can go for dumplings that are also filled with broth. I hadn’t eaten them before so I didn’t know what to expect. They are absolutely delicious! Make sure that you give them a second to cool off before biting into an explosion of molten broth lol. The small bowl of red wine vinegar mixture (I’m guessing) was the perfect accompaniment.
Parking could be a bit tricky if it was busier but it is free.
It’s 4 stars as the restaurant was almost empty and the service was a bit slow, and they also are cash only. The dumplings are a 5 star for sure!

A nice family owned restaurant in the west part of Edmonton.
I brought my entire family here for lunch. A lot of the food is different, not what we’re used to. But for the most part it was good.
The XLB are delicious!!! I wish they would come out with different flavors rather than just pork but it’s still awesome. You can also order them for take out and steam them at home.
We ordered a huge variety of dishes to share with everyone. Of these included: hot and sour soup, house special hot pot (really filling), soup with tofu, pork, spinach and bamboo, Shanghai noodles, sweet and sour pork and drunken chicken.
None of us ate the drunken chicken. Perhaps it’s an acquired taste but it’s served completely cold. As for the other food it was okay, but the XLB were the best.
I’d recommend coming here for different kinds of soups (they have lots to pick from) and the XLB!

Arriving at 12:30 on a weekday, the restaurant had about 6 tables occupied and not very busy. The restaurant looked clean and simple, and there are tables for 4 around the outer edge and a few tables to accommodate larger groups. The service was prompt with taking our order and the food came out very quickly.
For 3 of us, we ordered too much food and had leftovers. We had the xiao long bao and they came out hot and fresh. I really enjoyed it with the sauce. I had the beef brisket noodle soup and there was so much noodles, my table mates each had a bowl or two and I had a few bowls. The beef wasn’t fatty, but nice and tender. There were a few big pieces of carrot in the soup too. The noodles were a little chewy and delicious.
We also ordered the rice cake served with vegetables, pork, and I think mushroom. The texture of the rice cake was good and not too thick and chewy. The other dish was a noodle soup that I didn’t try but my table mates really enjoyed as well.
They gave us complimentary dessert of 3 black bean sesame balls. They were a perfect way to end our meal as they weren’t too sweet and greasy. Our server refilled our drinks and took away our plates promptly. We didn’t feel rushed as we took our time to enjoy our meal and chat after. Glad to see more people come in for a late lunch and enjoy the great food.

The best place to get Xiao Long Bau in Edmonton.
I took my office workmates there for lunch, and it was empty. I thought it might have been closed at first.
I ordered the Xiao Long Bau (done with the traditional pork only) and they come 6 in one basket.
We also order the Shanghai Noodles and an order of Wor-​Tip.
I can honestly say that the Xiao Long Bau were the same quality I would expect in Richmond. Hot steaming broth, tasty and oh so good.
The Wor tip were seared on the outside and contained a hot beef inside. Delicous.
The whole meal with tax and tip were $ 20 each divided by 3.
I’m definitely taking more people there.
We also had a 4^th office workmate who ordered the GINGER BEEF combo, and according to my «I love mall chinese food» workmate, it was «pretty good!»
Why did it get 5 stars?
Good Value for the money. All of us had to go buy dumpling pants.
Free parking
Family owned and operated
Could it get better?
Cash only (although they will take credit/​debit over $ 40…if you insist)
Service was a bit slow, but I think the servers were also cooks.

First timer to Shanghai 456 and was a little disappointed. I got the smoked fish which was a cold appetizer. It was tasty but too greasy. Service is also a little poor, half the table was dirty throughout dinner (I watched the waitress clean it but she decided to leave half of the table unclean for some reason). The xiao long baos were got were also kind of cold and the dough was a bit thick. The cooler temperature of the XLBs meant that the soup inside was quite thick and unpleasant due to the high level of fats. I think I like Shanghai Grill’s XLBs better. I ordered the beef dumplings which were pan friend, those were pretty tasty. I also ordered the beef brisket noodle soup, and although the beef brisket was very tasty, the soup base was disappointing. Lastly, for dessert we had fried sesame dumplings, I wished they were like the cantonese soup based ones instead of deep fried. They were coated with a mung bean powder and I found the flavour a little bit odd.
All in all, food was quite tasty, but pretty greasy. I would come back and try some of the veggie dishes next time. Maybe I will update my rating then.

After reading the glowing reviews of this restaurant on Unilocal and other websites, I figured it was time to give it a try. A friend was in town on business with his spouse, I suggested we go here and give it a try. My partner came along as well so we had a party of 4 for dinner.
As others have pointed out, it’s a very low key location with little signage indicating its presence. When we got there on Monday, Oct 20^th, we noticed a sign that they would be closing on Tuesday for a 3 week holiday break so our timing was perfect.
My friend is Hong Kong born Chinese and has been in Canada since he was about 10 years old. When I go with him to Chinese restaurants, I generally suggest one or two dishes I’d be interested in and let him order. This is what happened once again so if I’m fuzzy on what we actually ordered, it was because my friend was speaking Cantonese with the server when he placed the order. He commented that the table next to us were speaking in Mandarin so this restaurant gets the local ethnic crowd, always a good sign.
For a starter, we had hot and sour soup. I am not a fan of this dish, so I abstained from having any of the soup but the other three in our group had some. My Chinese friend said it was just «OK» and thought that there was beef broth used in it. I will assume that is not the usual broth used based on his comments.
We had Xiao Long Bao of course. I had these many times during my 25 years of living in Vancouver. I would concur with other reviewers on here that the dumpling dough was a bit thick. But they were good, my partner had never tried them and enjoyed them a lot. Other dishes we had included the stir fried pea shoots, Shanghai noodle, a spicy pork dish that had red chilli’s and perhaps some dried shrimp or fish paste in it, a sort of sweet and sour-​ish pork dish that had lychee fruit in it, green onion cake [because this is an Edmonton standard and I like them] the green beans and a fried rice dish which came first.
All the food was good, no complaints. The Shanghai noodle is a personal favourite dish of mine and it was quite good. I still long for the Shanghai noodle from the defunct «Eastland» restaurant in Vancouver on Denman Street which I ate for many years, this was probably the best Shanghai noodle I’ve had here since moving to Edmonton.
Dessert was complementary, a pastry with a dark paste in it, perhaps sesame paste.
Overall a good experience. And my Asian friend said it was good enough that on his next business trip to Edmonton, he will take his mother. So if it’s good enough for a Hong Kong born Chinese guy to take his Mom, that’s a solid endorsement in my books.
Recommended, I will come back again some day with another group so we can have multiple dishes and sample a few more of their specialties.

What’s there to say about Shanghai 456 other than amazing! That and their XLB’s are heavenly Xiao long baos, I could eat these by the dozen… everyday. I’ve been to Shanghai 456 over half a dozen times by now (back when they were in their original (OG), old school cafeteria digs by the old municipal airport) and it always hits the spot. Their newest location (relatively new), is just as ghetto (which I love), is in a random industrial area. Just look for the red awning, which of course, has no name on it. I actually love their sign. Hilarious how small it is.
Anyways, our latest trip to the ‘456 was on a Sunday for lunch with the fam jam. There were six of us and we were hungry. We tried:
— Xiao long bao ($ 7.50) — six of the most glorious, let me suck out all the delicious soup from you dumplings that you can find in town. Honestly, they are that good. Heck, we saw another table order 5 of just XLB’s…or was it 6? Basically, you have to order this when you go!
— Special fried rice with shrimp, BBQ pork and mixed vegetables ($ 11.95) — a nice change from your usual Chinese style fried rice. This one was tasty without being overloaded in salt and soya sauce. Fresh and fried very nicely.
— ½ Drunken chicken ($ 17.95) — the chicken comes out cold style but wow, it was super flavourful. Tender and marinated with a soya sauce/​wine base. Definitely a winner. It also came with a side of pickled vegetables (radishes, carrots, cabbage, etc.).
— Green beans with X.O. sauce ($ 11.95) — another must order dish! This is a dish I wish I could replicate at home. Crisp but still tender green beans with dried shrimp, garlic and the infamous XO sauce.
— Rice cake sautéed with pork, Chinese spinach and bamboo shoot ($ 10.95) — first time ever ordering this dish and we were pleasantly surprised. The rice cakes/​noodles were really tasty.
— Prawns in mayo sauce with peaches ($ 15.50) — one of their special items on their Chinese only menu. It was smothered in mayo sauce (too much) but the prawns were tasty. It was lukewarm though when it should have been piping hot and crispy.
— Shredded turnip and ham puff pastry ($ 4.75) — two big puff pastries stuffed with ham and shredded vegetables. They cut them in half for you to share — similar to the football’s you get in dim sum but these are better and less greasy.
— Shanghai sticky rice roll with Chinese long donut ($ 5.25) — I’m not a fan of the Chinese «donuts», essentially just dough. My sis thought this was something else when she ordered it. Just glutinous.
— Sweet eight treasure sticky rice ($ 5.75) — just much like loo mai fun when you go to dim sum. Sweet and salty. We clearly ordered too many rice dishes but that’s what happens when your sis is gluten AND can’t eat eggs. Yikes.
— Complimentary dessert — mango pudding. Always the best way to end a meal. So soft, silky and smooth.
Anyways, you want Shanghainese food? Go to Shanghai 456. You want XLB’s? Go to Shanghai 456. You want good food? You know where to go.

It was my first time here but my friend has been here many times. I heard that the service is a bit slow so my friend arrived earlier than I and ordered first. She was the only one there around noon but it soon filled up with about six other tables by 12:15. The restaurant is average size with parking around the building and street.
We had the dumplings which looked homemade and larger in size than at other restaurants. You get six on a plate and they were very tasty, the juice from meat inside squirts out as you take that first bite. You don’t really need the sauce that they give you with it.
The shanghai fried noodle was loaded with lots of cabbage and bean sprouts and the portion was huge, we each had a bowl and took the rest in a doggie bag and the styrofoam container was full. My friend did request that they cook it with less oil so I didn’t find it too oily.
The other dish was the shanghai style noodle soup with shredded pork. The bowl was also huge, I was quite surprised. It had lots of veggies, chinese mushrooms and pork.
It looks like they offer quite a few dishes and the XLB seems popular. I’m looking forward to going back to try some new items. They only thing is that I didn’t see a menu available except that someone took pictures of one and posted it.

ordered 2 trays of XLB 2 Unilocal
Shanghai noodles 2 Unilocal
Special fried rice 2 Unilocal
Free mango treat at end of meal 3 Unilocal
XLB skin was too thick and a bit chewy
Shanghai noodle too greasy
Special fried rice was ok
Overall i was disappointed with the food.
I’m spoiled because I eat in Richmond at the amazing restaurants there.

The soup filled dumplings (XLB) are sooooo goood;the flavor burst in your mouth as you first bite into it. We ordered a spicy pork noodle dish, veggie, house special fried rice, hot and sour soup and the XLB for under 60 $ which is not too bad (for three people but good for four).

Blah. We were excited to try the new location after they got booted from the airport. I really wanted to like the new Shanghai 456 but it just didn’t do it for me. First my wife and I got seated in the very back of the restaurant near the washrooms. The worker didn’t even get me a chair so I pulled one in from the other table. About 10 minutes later another couple was seated beside us.
We ordered dan dan noodles, fried dumplings and of course XLBs. The noodles and fried dumplings were very quick to come. Both dishes were good but it was a bit of a wait for the XLBs. When the XLBs did come they brought out a bunch for a multiple tables, including the table next to us, who just happened to have the exact same order as us but placed their order after us. I didn’t think much of it at the time because I thought maybe they ordered the crab dumplings or something. More time passes until they ask us what we’re waiting for… well I guess they forgot and gave our order to the table next to us. Before we finally got the dish they had to come back two more times to ask if we received it yet.
Overall, we ate ²⁄₃ of our meal and then had to wait an hour for the XLBs because they forgot about it. When we did get them, they were just OK. I don’t know if they rushed it or they changed the recipe, but they were really bland and weren’t tasty at all. Shanghai 456 I thought was known for their XLBs, but they really dropped to ball here. Doesn’t help that service has always been poor and remains poor.

2 Stars for nice hosts and server.
Food wise this came down to a comparison with Shanghai Grill. And no comparison as the food here is 2 steps below in terms of flavours in comparison.
XLB — very bland in comparison and lacked the soupiness when broken,
Lo Mein noodles with spicy meat sauce — taste is pretty good but not enough meat was given. Noodles were overcooked and really stuck together.
Pancake with leek & egg — taste was pretty good but greasy. And the grease had a taste that it has not been changed recently.
I would probably not come back as for a couple dollars more per dish, I would rather go to Shanghai Grill and feel satisfied.

Ok believe the hype. Those little pork dumplings are worth the craze over them.
Its what I came for and it did not disapoint. So steaming hot that I had to wait a bit before eating them as I learned from the first bite which almost burnt my tongue. (I was too excited) ive eaten in hong kong and some of the best chinatown restoraunts all over the country and this actually beats the dumplings in san francisco. (The only other place ive found these dumplings to be made properly in north america). I seriously dont understand how they put so much soup in these dumplings. Which gush out a hot tasty liquid when bitten into. 6 of them were filling for me. I had to take my pork wonton soup to go as I could only eat a few bites.
The soup was average at best. Maybe a touch better than instant noodles since it really lacked in veggies. (I only got three tiny sprigs of veggies and 6 wontons). I also tried the crab/​pork dumplings. They were ok. I wont order it again. The taste of imitation crab was too overwhelming I almost spit it out. Maybe if u like artificial crab. But I often cant even swallow it.
So next time ill order two pork dumplings. Thats it. Plus the complimentary mango pudding was a nice touch. A nice gesture and cleansed my palate from the soupy dumplings I came for. I will return. But only four stars bc my other dishes kinda sucked. But the fantastic dumplings made up for that.

Shanghai 456 is one of Edmonton’s few restaurants offering xiao long bao (XLB), a soup filled dumpling and specialty of Shanghai cuisine. Previously located on Airport Road, it closed last November with a promise of a return in the new year. The new year has come and their new location was next on my long list of eats.
You’ll find Shanghai 456 at 14 456 — 118 Ave, just further north of Telus World of Science. Whether or not they intentionally looked for an address that included «456″, I found it pretty amusing. Don’t bother trying to find a sign that actually says «144 St» though because there isn’t if you’re heading westbound on 118 Ave. It’s right on the southwest corner, intersection of 145 St and 118 Ave. It didn’t help at all that the sign was a measly unlit square overshadowed by the banner. Perhaps too soon to say, but if that’s all the signs that are going up, I suggest you just spot the blank red store front banner to locate it. Parking available on the west side of the building, as well as in front of the restaurant alongside the smaller road.
Compared to their location before, the number of seating seems to be the same, with the only improvement being that it actually looks like a restaurant now instead of an old cafeteria of Edmonton’s city airport! Fair warning: something is up with their floors. Just that particular tile, or perhaps just a coincidence that both Sharon’s and my boots were sliding along with no grip. Slick! Be careful, especially if you have wet shoes or heels!
Of course, we ordered the xiao long bao. Glad to say that the quality have remained as they were! Nicely wrapped by a thin dough and lots of soup! Prices have increased though to $ 7.50 per basket of 6, from their $ 6.95 fare. A small cost when you consider their new location must have higher rent.
A new dish that I haven’t tried before at Shanghai 456: the house special hot and sour soup, as per Sharon’s request. Normally I’m not a fan as most that I’ve tried are too sour for my liking, but this version was a good balance of spicy and sour. A really good portion if you ask me, with lots of tofu, chicken, and vegetables. I would definitely order it again!
Not wanting to order just regular xiao long bao, we ordered the ones with crab meat to change it up. I prefer the traditional dumplings, but these would be a great option for any seafood or crab lovers. Packed with real crab, the flavor definitely overpowers the pork, which could be a good thing if that’s what you were looking for.
Complimentary dessert is standard at Shanghai 456, or at least it’s always been every time I’ve been there. This time it was freshly made black sesame pastry. The pastry was crisp and flaky, with the black sesame filling being not too sweet. Absolutely loved it! You can order it if they’re offering a different dessert for the meal as well, Lotus Blossom, $ 3.50.
Verdict: It’s the same place as it was at its previous location. So for those who have sat in the old cafeteria and experienced the original Shanghai 456, expect the same but with slippery floors, and a more restaurant-​like feel. For those who have never tried, you’re missing out on some great Asian comfort foods. My only qualm about this place is the service. When it gets busy, it literally becomes a standstill. I understand that the dumplings need to be freshly made and steamed, which could take a while especially if each table is ordering most likely more than one basket, but there must be a better way to get those bad boys out! We arrived for lunch on a Monday at 12:30pm. Our first order of xiao long bao didn’t come to our table until 1:20pm (that’s almost an hour folks!), as did our hot and sour soup. Last to come was the crab version and by the time we finished, it was already 2pm. My apologies to Sharon for such an extended lunch hour although we both knew what we were in for. It was a consolation that the owner did come out to apologize to each and every table and thanked them for waiting, but dining experience would drastically improve if they could find a way to bang those little dumplings out. Great visit and highly recommended, just bring your delicate chopstick skills and patience.

Northern Chinese cuisine is rare; the type of Chinese food that most people are familiar is southern style, with all the spices. Shanghai 456 specializes in the former, with a focus on dumplings and noodles. I’ve been here a couple times now and recommend this spot highly!
First of all, it isn’t Din Tai Fung, but the xiao long bao is delicious and tasty. My only complaint is that I think they’re a bit too big! The dumplings are meant to fit entirely in your mouth and this one is a bit of a two-​bite chomper. Still, it’s tasty and satisfying.
One of the things that surprised me is how much I love their special pork belly and pea shoots! Really quite delicious and fall apart tender.
It’s not pretty on the inside — it really looks like a run down cafeteria with an open kitchen — but whatever. I think it’s worth it.
Kinda pricey for Chinese food in general, but if you really want dumplings, this is the place to go in Edmonton.

I finally got to try the pan fried beef buns! Slightly crispy on the outside, chewy bun, and with beef and soup filling. I had the chewy/​crispy rice rolls with soy milk again, the always green beans in XO sauce, and the Shanghai style hotpot which is quite an assortment of different things. I added photos of all these dishes above. The red bean/​coconut free dessert was the best so far I think. This came to $ 41 although with the hotpot it was far too much for 2 people so the hotpot came home for dinner.
As always I can’t recommend this place enough for great and authentic Chinese food. The people who work there are really friendly too and there is always at least one lady who speaks English, who can help a bit with working out what to order.
The menu has one side with English translations and an all-​Chinese side. There is an English translation though which you can ask for.

I grew up eating amazing Chinese food in Vancouver, and this little restaurant reminds me of Chinatown when I was a kid. Shabby décor but amazing food. I loved it!
I don’t often eat Chinese food in Edmonton due to the crappy ‘Western’ cuisine aspect. But this place features dim-​sum dishes and a good menu of other delectable items. Although it is a humble little establishment, it is clean and the kitchen is open to view, so although I am a hygiene freak I felt pretty comfortable.
I also am glad I read other reviews on Unilocal because if I didn’t know where to look, I might have missed it! It is located in the Edmonton Flying Club hangar, so once you get there just follow the little faded signs. Once you get close enough, you should be able to follow your nose the rest of the way.