Shanghai First Food Store Shopping Guide With Food Counters, Fresh Snacks, and Packaged Gifts

Shanghai First Food Store Shopping Guide

Start on the first floor of Shanghai First Food Store (上海市第一食品商店) for a fresh pastry and something to take home. The flagship is at 720 Nanjing East Road near Guizhou Road, a convenient stop if you’re walking from People’s Square toward the Bund. Look for Huadian’s butterfly pastries and the White Rabbit candy display before deciding whether to go upstairs for savory cooked foods. Leave yourself time to read the price unit on loose snacks and check the label on anything going in your suitcase. The route below takes you from the right entrance to the right counter, with a few Chinese phrases for checkout.

Quick Facts

Food Counters by Floor

If you only have time for one level at Shanghai First Food Store, stay on the first floor. You can get a pastry from the bakery counter and pick up a packaged gift in the same stop.

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First-Floor Pastries and Candy

Start with the name of the product you want. 蝴蝶酥 gets you to butterfly pastries, and 大白兔奶糖 means White Rabbit milk candy. The official account of the White Rabbit counter describes a large brand sign, a loose-candy display, and a separate gift display. A box and a bag can sit surprisingly close together.

For a snack on the walk, go to the bakery counter first and see what looks good in a small portion. If you’re buying for several people, start at the boxed displays. You can count individual packs there before you decide how much loose candy to add.

Cooked Food and Upper Floors

On the second floor, look for 一食当家 and the word 熟食, meaning cooked or prepared food. The store also uses the Yishi Dangjia name on snacks. Adding 二楼熟食柜台 when you ask points staff to the second-floor counter, even if they first direct you to a display downstairs.

Go higher with a specific purpose. If you want a table and soup dumplings, see whether Nanxiang is listed and serving that day. If you’re mainly there for a bag of pastries and a few gifts, the sports and theater floor can wait for another visit.

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Fresh Pastries and Savory Snacks

A small order gives you room to try something else along the pedestrian street. At Shanghai First Food Store, the two straightforward starting points are Huadian for a flaky pastry and the second-floor cooked-food counter for something savory.

Huadian Butterfly Pastries

Look for 华点食品 and point to 蝴蝶酥. These folded pastries resemble butterfly wings. The sweet, layered pastry works with coffee or tea, and the shape makes it easy to spot among trays of cookies and filled pastries.

If the display has several flavors, ask for 原味 if you want the original. You can also ask 哪一种是今天烤的？ for a batch baked that day. When you see a loose display and a sealed box of the same style, decide where you’ll eat it before ordering.

Shanghai has several bakers selling butterfly pastries, and photos from one shop often turn up in searches for another. If a friend asked for a particular brand, show its name before paying. For a local take on the pastry, start at the Huadian sign inside the building.

Meat Mooncakes and Cooked Foods

If you see 鲜肉月饼, the filling is meat. A Shanghai Huangpu report documented the flagship selling its own version during the 2025 mooncake season. If it’s on the counter when you go, ask whether there is a warm one available and buy it for that day’s walk.

The same report photographed Longhua Temple mooncakes (龙华禅寺月饼) near the entrance during that season. A sweet red bean filling may read 豆沙. If you’re choosing for someone who avoids an ingredient, ask about the filling and pastry fat separately. The word 素 on a sign gives you a starting point for that conversation.

• For a savory snack If you miss the seasonal display, head to Yishi Dangjia on the second floor. Look for red sausage (红肠) or ask what is ready to eat today. That’s a better question than asking for the biggest box when your next stop is a walk and your hotel has limited fridge space.
• Before ordering a takeaway Ask whether the portion can go straight into a takeaway bag and whether it needs refrigeration. If the portion is too large, look for a smaller serving at another counter. If you’re ready to sit down, check the third-floor directory for Nanxiang and read the menu at the door before joining a line.

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Packaged Gifts and Travel Snacks

At Shanghai First Food Store, start with the boxed displays if you’re buying for someone else. For one person, choose a flavor they like and a box that fits in your bag. For a group, count the individually wrapped pieces so everyone gets one.

A Box of Shanghai

Lao Xiang Zhai Packages At Shanghai First Foodhall

Ask for 一盒上海, the retailer’s A Box of Shanghai range. Shanghai’s state-assets authority identifies it as a flagship offering. Reporting from the store has described butterfly pastries, sea-salt cookies, and other baked snacks in the range. Ask for 蝴蝶酥礼盒 if a box of butterfly pastries is what you want.

Some packages show landmarks such as the Wukang Building (武康大楼) or Waibaidu Bridge (外白渡桥). Use the artwork to pick a gift, then turn the box around to compare the contents. A picture of a Shanghai building tells you very little about the number of pieces inside.

Some assortments mix sweet and savory pieces. A seasonal box featured in a People’s Daily report included butterfly pastries and braised dried tofu. If the recipient has dietary restrictions, ask for the ingredient panel for every variety in the box. A single-flavor box can make that check easier.

White Rabbit Candy

For White Rabbit, start by deciding between a gift tin, a retail bag, and a small selection of loose wrapped pieces. A tin travels well if the recipient likes the packaging. A bag takes up less room if the contents are what you care about.

The counter has displayed multiple flavors of its milk candy. Look for 原味 for original or show the flavor name on a photo. If you’re choosing for a group with mixed tastes, check whether the outer package says it contains an assortment and how many pieces it contains.

Labels and Luggage

Before you carry the box to the cashier, find 净含量 for net weight, 配料表 for ingredients, 保质期 for shelf life, and 贮存条件 or 储存条件 for storage. If the shelf life is given as a period, find the production date (生产日期) as well. Some dates are stamped on an end flap.

Ask 这个需要冷藏吗？ if you’re unsure whether an item needs refrigeration. For an allergy, point to the ingredient and ask about shared equipment if that matters to you. If staff can’t answer clearly, choose a different product with a label you can verify.

Metro Exits and Storefront

The easiest approach to Shanghai First Food Store from the west end of the pedestrian street is via People’s Square. If you’re coming from the Bund or already on Line 10, East Nanjing Road station puts you on the other side of the shop.

From People’s Square

At People’s Square station, follow the signs for Exit 19. It brings you out on the New World City side, by the west end of the shopping street. Cross Middle Xizang Road (西藏中路) toward the pedestrian-street entrance and continue east toward the Bund.

Pass the shopping complex at the west end and look for Guizhou Road. Check the storefront number as you approach 720. The big No. 1 Department Store at 830 sits closer to the west end. If that’s the pin your phone selected, keep walking east along the pedestrian street.

From East Nanjing Road

From Lines 2 or 10 at East Nanjing Road station, use Exit 3 for the pedestrian street. Walk west, away from the Bund, toward the larger building numbers. If you reach the 830 department store from this direction, you’ve passed the food shop.

Near 720, look for 上海市第一食品商店 on the frontage. People’s Daily described the shop opposite Sun Ya Cantonese Restaurant (新雅粤菜馆) in a 2025 visit. The Chinese names and house number are easier to match on a map than the various English versions.

Shelf Prices, Checkout, and Receipts

Take a moment at the counter before you order by weight or hand over a gift box. At Shanghai First Food Store, the choice that affects your bill is often the unit printed under the price. A weighed order also gives you a chance to check the total before the bag is closed.

Price Tags and Weighed Orders

On packaged items, look for 元/盒 for yuan per box or 元/袋 for yuan per bag. 元/个 means per item. At a loose-food counter, look for the weight next to the price. A 斤 is 500 g. A 公斤 is a kilogram.

If the price is per 500 g, a 250 g portion comes to half the posted amount at that rate. Use the example to check the unit, then ask staff to show you the total on the scale or quote it before packing.

Card, QR, and Cash

Look for your card network on the checkout terminal or ask 可以刷境外银行卡吗？ Shanghai’s commerce authority listed the 720 address in an earlier international-card directory. A reporter also saw overseas mobile-wallet payment at the shop in 2024. The practical test is the sign and cashier at the till you’re using.

If you’re paying by Alipay or WeChat Pay, confirm the yuan total first. Follow the cashier’s cue to show your payment code or scan the merchant code. Check that the app and cashier both show the order as paid before putting your phone away.

Departure Tax Refund Paperwork

A deputy manager told Shanghai Huangpu in August 2025 that the store’s service desk could prepare departure tax refund paperwork. If a refund affects what you buy, ask the 服务台 which items and receipts qualify that day before paying for a larger basket.

Shanghai’s tax guide sets a minimum of ¥200 in eligible purchases at the same participating store on the same day. It also requires departure within 90 days of purchase and within 183 days of the most recent entry. Keep eligible items unused and unconsumed for departure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this the No. 1 Department Store?

Shanghai First Food Store is at 720 Nanjing East Road. The similarly named Shanghai No. 1 Department Store (上海市第一百货商店) is at 830 on the same street. Save the Chinese name and street number together. If your map only shows an English name, open the address details and check the street number before you start walking.

Q: Can I visit just before closing?

The store listings show a 10 p.m. closing time. If you arrive late for a particular bakery counter or a sit-down meal, call ahead and give the counter name in Chinese. For a flexible stop, check the first floor for boxed products when you arrive, then choose from what’s on the shelves.

Q: Can I buy a small amount by weight?

At a loose-food counter, ask for the weight or yuan amount you want before the clerk fills the bag. A small order makes sense when you’re deciding between flavors. Confirm the price unit and let the clerk show you the total. A boxed version can have a separate price and pack size.

Q: Are these the Park Hotel butterfly pastries?

Huadian Foods on the first floor is the counter to look for if you want butterfly pastries during this visit. If someone asked you to bring back the Park Hotel version, show the Chinese name 国际饭店 and verify the maker on the package. The folded shape is common to several Shanghai bakeries.

Q: Can I get my tax refund at the store?

Ask the service desk about issuing the departure refund documents for the items you’re buying. A 2025 report confirmed that paperwork service at the flagship. Take your passport and ask for the sales invoice and application form. For a same-day payout, ask whether the shop currently participates before counting on that option.

Q: Can I take a fresh meat mooncake home?

Eat a fresh meat mooncake in Shanghai and choose a labeled gift for the flight. Check your destination’s rules using the actual filling and country of origin. For the United States, USDA requires travelers to declare agricultural products, and an officer decides whether an item can enter. Keep original packaging and receipts.