Songyuelou - Shanghai

After a long walk in YuYuan Old Street, we were relieved to find a decent vegetarian restaurant serving authentic Chinese cuisine. We had read about this two-story restaurant on Tripadvisor and had high expectations due to the glowing reviews. However, we were slightly disappointed as the food was only average. We ordered fried rice, soup noodles, and fried spring roll, with the spring roll being the standout dish. The service was also lacking, with waiters being rough and indifferent. The restaurant was only partially filled when we visited around 2pm. The menu has pictures and English translations. Overall, the restaurant offers affordable vegetarian options in YuYuan Old Street, and is recommended for vegetarian shoppers in the area. There is a clean washroom on the second level if needed.

We were seated on the ground floor and given an English menu with tick boxes for ordering. We ordered two different types of noodles along with a side dish. The service was fast, the restaurant was clean, and the staff were helpful. The restaurant is conveniently located next to entrance number 5 of the Yuyuan Bazaar.

I visited this restaurant for breakfast at 8:30am on a Thursday morning. I started by grabbing a veggie steam bun and a veggie siu mai from the street side takeaway counter, both of which were affordable, tasty, and fresh. Like other reviewers mentioned, you can point out the items you want and specify the quantity at the cashier. After browsing the area, I returned to the dining room on the main floor and ordered the Assorted Vegetarian Noodles for CNY 12. The serving was generous and satisfying, with fresh noodles, flavorful broth, and a variety of vegetables and tofu. I appreciated that the dishes weren't greasy, as I didn't order anything deep fried. Unfortunately, I couldn't confirm which items were vegan due to my lack of Mandarin language skills. Overall, I recommend checking out this restaurant for great food at a reasonable price, and the surrounding area is perfect for exploring on foot. Additionally, I couldn't find any other vegetarian restaurants nearby that were open before 10am.

7 10am: 4 dishes only for breakfast, including three noodle dishes and one wonton dish (today). Easy to order point and pick 12rmb But simple noodle dish (not gf)

There are two parts, ground floor for the locals and the top floor for the tourists. It appears the ground floor prices are significantly cheaper than the top floor.  But the ground floor the menu was in Chinese only.  The food did not look that appetising, and it was fatty and gluggy.