Pier 39 39号码头
172 Jinxian Lu,
Huaihai Zhong Lu
near Shaanxi Nan Lu, Metro Line 1 Shaanxi Nan Lu Station
进贤路172号
近陕西南路, 地铁1号线陕西南路站
6258-1939
Open 11am-10pm
Price Y100-Y199 per couple
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- City Weekend says
This café brings fresh northern California cookin' to Shanghai with a spread of San Francisco treats that includes a creamy clam chowder (in a sourdough bowl, of course), seafood pastas and salad with smoked chicken. West coasters, it's time to get your "chowda" on!
- Contributor Description
excellent clam chowder in sour dough bread bowl... a great place for a chat with friends...
Contributed by bottle
3 years, 5 months ago
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cityweekend
Most Recent Reviews
My office used to be located in that building and I was having lunch there almost everyday. I love the Greek Salad and most of the sandwiches on the menu. Never had issue with the service, except couple of mistaken orders, but given the density of the company offices in the building and Pier 39 customers, I find it normal for city like Shanghai. I wonder if the venue is still there after the building renovation...
If you want to come here for a sandwich or pasta or anything else besides the clam chowder - don't! The only thing here that is worth stopping by for is the clam chowder in the sour dough bread bowl. Because the space is small, there will likely be a wait in the colder months of the year. Though, if you're craving some nice chowder in the summer heat, by all means get in there -they have AC!
Clam chowder is very tasty, and at a very decent price too. Very filling, perfect for a winter day. Only qualm is the slightly crowded environment that customers have to sit in, but that's a minor price to pay for the clam chowder.
Went there on a wintry day :) Perfect time for clam chowder! We went there without a reservation (laziness on our part), and although the tables were reserved, we only waited a bit until we were served. Had the clam chowder bowl and a fresh apple juice. Reasonable price for clam chowder - not a lot of clams, but it cures the winter doldrums. Hearty, creamy soup, cute little clams and a toasty warm bread bowl. Too much bread, and as I'm not really a heavy eater, you could split it between two if you wanted to. The managers and servers are all very nice :) I haven't tried much of the other food though.
went there on a cold night.. place packed with customers.. so we went to the chilly rooftop for a bowl of clam chowder in sour dough.. it was awesome on a cold chilly night over in the rooftop sipping soup and admiring the night lights... though the clam chowder wasn't as authentic as the original one that i tasted in san frans, it was good enough for me.. couldnt taste the clams but soup was thick enough.. with the plain biscuits i wished they gave more.. the one portion of bread bowl was just nice for 2 people.. if it wasnt so cold, the rooftop would make an awesome place for a date.. service was pretty fast and not as bad as they describe in this website.. worth a visit for a nice meal..
nowhere else I'd rather be in the middle of a snowstorm (I have a feeling that one is coming this winter!!) than with a cup of Pier 39's clam chowder. I like how it gets its texture from melted potatoes. The fatty dose of cream helps as well, although they could definitely add more clams into the recipe.
This is a great treat!!! Took me right back to the pier experience in San Fransisco. The restaurant is small and intimate. The lighting had burned out and it was dimly lit and hard to see, but then again, maybe that's the vibe they are going for. Looking forward to going back soon ;-)
Being a San Francisco-themed restaurant, I would expect their clam chowder in a bread bowl to be a good winter comfort food. I was disappointed to find that the clam chowder was not very creamy and seemed to contain more potato puree than being actually milk- or cream-based as the New England-style clam chowder commonly served. The bread bowl should be a sourdough and crusty, not soft. A couple patrons next to me ordered fruit smoothies, which were generous in size and looked good. At this Pier 39, you should not come for the traditional San Francisco-style clam chowder in a [sourdough] bread bowl.
Clam chowder is good, but don't expect it to be as good as in the States. It's not full of clams either. The bread bowl looks huge, but it actually ends up the serving portion is the same as the cheaper cup of clam chowder (much of the soup gets absorbed into the bread).
Actually, come to think of it, I don't come here for clam chowder anymore, but for the fruit smoothies and signature salad (it comes with half an avocado!) I want the recipe for the dressing.
They completely blew it on the service front.
When we headed over for dinner, we were told that all tables were full downstairs, and if we wanted, we could order and pay for food in advance and head upstairs to the terrace to eat. Though an inconvenience, we agreed to sit in the office space next to the restaurant and made our orders. After around 15 to 20 minutes, a waitress brought us our food...in TV dinner tin trays, wobbling from side to side. My salad was overflowing from the bowl such that I could not mix/stir it at all without spilling half of it. When we demanded to know why we weren't given proper dishware for our food, the waitress ignored us and SLAMMED all the silverwares on the table.
We then demanded to talk to the manager. When she came, she insisted that all customers upstairs are given the same shitty treatment and refused to budge other than apologizing for the waitress who failed to set the table for us. When we suggested that she should have told us we were not going to be treated like the other customers downstairs before she asked us to sit up on the terrace, she did not seem to comprehend at all what the problem was and repeated the fact that everyone was treated the same up stair over and over again.
The food was okay, but tasted terrible given the service we received. The salad looked appetizing, however it had a 90-10 ratio of lettuce to everything else. The smoked chicken mushroom parmesan was more like a left over casserole. The dish was a complete lumpy mess that did not taste good at all.
This is one place I do not plan on returning to.
Although the food was pretty tasty when we ordered a delivery from them, we thought the chicken looked a little undercooked. But we thought we were paying foreigner prices for foreigner food, this chicken must be smoked or something.
Our mistake. 1.5 days of painfully explosive diarrhea later, we finally went to the doc's and were prescribed antibiotics.
Will probably never try this place again. Nothing personal, just an involuntary pavlov's dog style heaving/wretching/gagging reaction every time we hear the numbers 3 or 9 or see anything to do with boats.
Good clam chowder. The rest was OK!
Via Delivery: I always gripe about small portions when ordering delivery - yes, I understand it's delivery, no I don't understand why portions have to be smaller for the same price when I'm not even paying for ambiance, taking up restaurant space, etc. So I was immensely, pleasantly surprised to see my delivery man hand over big, fresh portions of food from Pier 39 the other day. Thank you, finally, for letting me get my money's worth.
It's cosy and very nice place.
ok. went there to try out the bread bowl clam chowder everybody is raving about. honestly, i really don't understand.. are you guys for real? i was expecting thick creamy chowder with chunky clam, but no... it's pretty watery and the small little baby clam is a complete disappointment. sandwiches and salad is just average given the price. please keep it real guys
Absolutely loved the smoked chicken sandwich. Good portions, okay price, would recommend it any time! Yes the space is quite small, but the service is nice and the environment is quite intimate.
a cool place, but the shop is little small. it's unpleasant to see goods get cluttered at the counter. their clam chowder is superb! the seafood pasta that i had had an acquired taste.
will definitely go back again for their clam chowder !
Small quite little place. No the clam chowder isn't the Ive ever had but it is still quite good! Their sandwiches and salad are really nice and fresh! I had a few fresh juice drinks, whish they just make it cold instead of me asking for ice all the time but ti wasn't a big deal. I though it was very reasonable priced.
Will definitely be coming back!
There was nothing much to rave about the calm chowder, seriously. I was expecting better. There was simply too much potato bits in the soup. However, I adore the sourdough bread alot. It was abit on the salty end, but its chewy texture compensates for it. And my best advice would be to get your friend to order the seafood tomato pasta, so that when it gets boring to pair the bread with the soup, you can always turn to the tomato for help. ;)
The clam-chowder is semi-competent. It's a nice restaurant with good bread on their good sandwiches, but they don't get the signature dish right. If you think the clam chowder is good you might as well just make it yourself. Don't worry if you get it right you'll obviously be pleased with any old slop.
If you think I'm ranting, pay attention to how many people have called the bowl sourdough bread, when the restaurant doesn't claim it's sour and it obviously isn't. If these people can't even tell if their bread is sour or not, they obviously aren't able to judge the fine points of a meal.
Just to be clear-- it isn't sourdough bread. It doesn't say sourdough bread anywhere on the menu or or the board. It's just a plain bread bowl that is slightly chewy like real sourdough which is a very chewy bread. It doesn't even taste sour! :- )
Named after the famous Pier 39 in San Francisco, Pier 39 is a tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it cafe tucked away on Jinxian Road. Considering it's just a few minutes walk from our place, we decided to check it out after hearing some good reviews. It was completely packed with diners when we rocked up for lunch, so we decided to get away from the squashiness in the tiny cafe and sit upstairs on the spacious balcony.
The food took quite awhile to arrive, at least 20 mins. Totally bewildering, considering a salad takes mere minutes to put together, and the clam chowder is already cooked in a big cauldron (I would assume). I'm not a fan of inefficiency, so it was disappointing to be kept waiting with not even a hint of a "thanks for waiting" when the food finally arrived.
Gripe aside, the food really was terrific. The California Garden Salad with avocado, seasonal leaves, cherry tomatoes, egg, homemade lemon vinaigrette was exactly what we've been craving since we came to Shanghai - a big, fresh salad with half(!) a sliced avocado and an assortment of toppings. It came with an absolutely delicious salad dressing which was slightly sweet and tangy. This would have been great served with some hot buttered bread or garlic bread.
The Clam chowder in Sourdough bread, their signature dish, was very impressive. It's easily as close as it gets to the real thing, though not exactly the same. The bread is a lovely light sourdough, but the outside was a little too chewy and hard to pull apart - it should have been more crisp/crusty on the outside. The soft inside was delicious though, especially soaked with the chowder. The clam chowder was rich and creamy, and tasty but not too salty. Totally filling and so divine.
Their Banana milkshake was a bit of a disappointment. It was just some banana blended into milk, so wasn't very sweet or tasty. A far far cry from the amazing and rich banana & chocolate milkshake that we had today somewhere else, which had vanilla ice cream blended into it as well. This one by Pier 39 was just very bland and uninteresting, will definitely not get this one again.
I'd go back for their salads and clam chowders, no question. Am pretty keen to try their pasta too, but I find it hard to deviate from their luscious clam chowder ;) They also deliver if you order more than 50元, which is brilliant!
Just for the native San Franciscans-- the bread is not SF style sourdough and the clam chowder is not quite there either. A pat of butter will get it closer to the original, but it's really potato chowder with some clams (and too much bay leaf). 'Tain't Boudins, but still worth the trip at least for the big salads and swift service.
Oops... here's my rating. I always forget this bit before submitting my review.
Sorry!
If Carlsberg made clam chowder, they would probably be the best clam chowder in the world. But until that happens, I'll be paying Pier 39 the highest tribute in dishing out the best clam chowder (dare I say) in this part of the world.
Forget the other items on the menu and go straight for the RMB52 clam chowder in bread. After scrapping the last bits of chowder and bread at the end, I was absolutely stuffed. With a massive smile on my face, of course.
The place is tiny and I kinda hope it stays that way - there are not many places in Shanghai that gives a diner a sense of real cosiness and intimacy without going OTT on candles and glassware.
A real gem of a street. There's also a cool lomography store down the way. Pier 39 has sublime sandwiches. I found myself entranced by the soft and fluffy fresh ciabata bread, the fillings were very tasty and pleasantly moist, leaving me sufficiently replete, RMB 40 seemed a quite reasonable price for such a killer sandwich. My only gripe was that their coffees only come in massive sizing, unless you order it takeaway. The place was pumping when I went their and it seemed that everyone had their own macbook at the ready, scanning through articles between courses. One shouldn't look out of place and read a newspaper or print magazine, or you may get some odd looks from the ever-growing growing macbrigade.
Fabulous clam chowder soup! Creamy yet not overwhelming, it is brim-filled with delicious ingredients. The smoothies and sandwiches were also very yummy and the portions are excellent for a post-workout meal.
It is a great pity that the place is really tiny, but the great smiles and friendliness of the service staff more than helped to compensate for the lack of space. Definitely a place for repeated visits!
Really yummy clam chowder bread bowl and the ambience of Pier 39 is really quite cosy. Went on a Friday evening and the place is packed to the brim, but not overwhelming. The Berry Topper smoothie is yummy too, really wholesome good stuff!
Place is bangin'. We got the smoked chicken pasta (48RMB), breadbowl chowder (52RMB), and smoked salmon salad(42RMB). Totally filled, couldn't eat another bite.
If you go for lunch, you can order a sandwich and add the chowder for only 15RMB.
Plus they deliver if you order over 50RMB.
HOLLAAAAAAA
San Francisco Treats
San Francisco may not have created creamy clam chowder, but it gave it a delicious home in a sourdough bread bowl. It's fitting then, that Shanghai's new clam chowder café is named after San Francisco's Pier 39, the epicenter of the bread bowl chowders. Owner David Sun and his niece, manager Candy Tang, hail from Shanghai, but both have spent considerable time in the Bay Area. The influence is undeniable, from the black-and-white portraits of the city's hilly avenues to the fresh, healthy options and personable service. The chowder (RMB28 a cup, RMB52 for bread bowl) itself is creamy without being heavy. Softened potatoes boost the texture, spiked with generous chunks of gummy clams. But, alas, the bread does not have the tangy sourdough flavor and crisp crust that make “chowda” a San Francisco favorite. The French-style round still serves its purpose though, creating a gooey fusion of chowder and bread. The surprise front runner was the signature salad (RMB58), a fresh medley of Swiss cheese, avocado, tomato, egg, onions and tender smoked chicken, complete with homemade vinaigrette. The seafood pasta (RMB48) contained plenty of shrimp and mussels in a rather bland but creamy mushroom sauce. Overall, we were impressed. The café offers an excellent taste of Pier 39 in Shanghai, minus the sea lions. Kellie Schmitt
The Clam Chowder, as described in previous reviews, was excellent--a rare commodity in Shanghai. This is a very small establishment but has a good menu. The Smoked Salmon sandwich was also excellent--and only about a 5 minute walk from Shanxi Nan Lu subway station on line 2. Definitely a good location. We will definitely be back--especially when the when the weather gets warmer terrace opens.
Nice small new cafe on rapidly changing Jinxian lu (between Maoming & Shaanxi nan lu). Relaxed atmosphere, huge windows, wireless internet and a nice lunch and dinner menu. The clam chowder in bread bowl is definitely a good choice but the pasta with asparagus i had on my first visit was very tasty as well. Run by a friendly and service minded Shanghainese girl who lived in San Francisco for 5 years (where she acquired her love of clam chowder). Place stays open 'til 10pm, with plans to extend those hours til even later in the near future.
excellent clam chowder in sour dough bread bowl... a great place for a chat with freinds...
Find of the Week | Smokin' Salad
This San Francisco-themed restaurant is already known for its authentic clam chowder, but we looked beyond the crusty bread bowl and found our next foodie favorite. Pier 39’s fresh signature salad (¥58) is chockful of greens that seem like they’re purchased from a farmer’s market just down the street. A bed of crisp lettuce, arugula and frisée hold hearty helpings of juicy diced tomato, creamy hard-boiled egg, thin slices of red onion and generous chunks of Swiss cheese and smoked chicken. It’s all tossed with a tangy, housemade terragon-based herb vinegarette. The aromatic herb enhances the slightly fruity olive oil with an addictive flavor. The exact ingredients are a secret, but this star dressing manages to be sweet, salty and just a bit tart (with a slight crush of lemon) at the same time. We can never resist eating all the avocado first.
Joanne Yao