Home cooking participation
Help with suitable kitchen steps and learn how a Jiading family prepares its seasonal home dishes.
¥150 per group
Jiading Ayi’s family
Cuisine: Local Shanghainese style
Location: Jiading
Price: ¥368 per person
Group size: 1–6 guests
Meet Jiading Ayi’s family
Auntie Shen — a true daughter of Jiading Old Town, the very cradle of Shanghai's famous soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao). Since 2016, she has been a Superhost on Airbnb, welcoming hundreds of guests into her courtyard home. Though her English is limited, her hospitality is universal: she has traveled widely herself and communicates flawlessly through the language of delicious food.
She’ll be joined by her daughter (management at foreign-owned company) or her daughter’s childhood friend (multinational corporate background), ensuring smooth conversation and cultural bridge-building over the meal or other activities.
Optional add-on activities
¥150 per activity, per group — not per person. Your first selected activity is complimentary when you book today; each additional activity is ¥150 per group.
Jiading Old Town walk
Explore the lanes around Jiading Old Town and hear the local food stories behind the area’s famous soup dumplings.
¥150 per group
Sample menu
Step into Auntie’s cozy home (together with her daughter!) where the kitchen fills with the aroma of slow-braised Hong Shao Rou (red-braised pork belly) and simmering Egg Dumpling Soup—true Benbang comfort food. The menu follows nature's calendar:
Spring
- Fresh bamboo shoots dug from the backyard garden
Summer
- Giant juicy grapes from Malu Town (famous local specialty)
Autumn
- Osmanthus lattes made with flowers shaken from tree in the yard
Winter
- Frost-kissed vegetables from the earth, transformed into hands-on Vegetable & Pork Wonton (Wrapping lessons also available)
You'll dine family-style at auntie's sunny garden or indoor wooden roundtable (2-6 guests max), enjoying dishes you won't find in restaurants—just honest, seasonal home cooking.
Getting There
Jiading, Shanghai
- ≈ 60 min from the Bund
- ≈ 55 min from Jing'an Temple
- ≈ 65 min from Lujiazui
Nearest metro: Malu (Line 11) — a short taxi from the station to the house
Local Shanghainese home dining at Jiading Ayi’s table
Guest Reviews
Katina · friends couples
The family, Aunt Shen and her sister were beautiful hosts. I will remember their smile, easy to talk with and really embraced us. The food was cooked with love but the dumpling making was hilarious. We affectionately called them 'the united nations dumplings' — ours didn't look like Chinese dumplings, but they surely tasted like them and we had loads of fun making them. I'm enriched by this beautiful experience!
Danny · families
Thanks for having us, it was a terrific experience and we are glad we could be the first ones to try it out! The food was delicious and the hosts very welcoming. I think it's a great initiative and will be very popular once word gets out.
Danil & Katerina · friends couples
We already miss the amazing food from our Saturday lunch. In fact I've just discovered a new Shanghainese restaurant a 20 min walk from our home. It seems to have the iconic dishes like Si Xi Kao Fu and "Grandma's braised pork" in a black pot that looks like what Aunt Shen treated us to... We must explore this place urgently! It's been a highlight of our trip and I've been telling my colleagues about this experience. It's a unique opportunity to experience life in China in a different way, meet new people, learn something new and of course have some good food. Definitely keen to do this again when we're back to China next! Appreciate your hosting the lunch too and telling us more about what led you to launch the project, the dishes served, and Chinese culture.
Ethan Xu · friends couples
The experience was great, and exactly what we were expecting and looking for. The absolute standout was the food… flavours exactly as I remembered eating as a child in Shanghai. The company and conversation was fantastic as well. It was good to talk about Shanghai as I remembered it, and as it is now. My friend got a lot out of it too; he really enjoyed the home-cooked meal after two weeks of eating street snacks and at restaurants. We really appreciate the quick and clear communication, from you as well as Auntie Shen and her daughter. It made the process smooth and painless. Also appreciate getting picked up and dropped off at the metro station.
Sophie & friend · friends couples
The best restaurant in Shanghai that isn't a restaurant. This is real home cooking — where the wok has been seasoned by use for decades, homegrown ingredients come straight from the garden, and the interactions are genuine. An experience that lets you connect with local culture on a deeper, more meaningful level.