The Union Trading

bar · Modern The Union Trading Company is one of the most consistent mid-tier French Concession rooms — a casual cocktail bar with a serious underlying technical commitment and a team that has been quietly excellent for years. The cocktail list is modern-classic in shape, with a small stable of seasonal Asian-leaning signatures and a willingness to take bartender's-choice direction in a way that most rooms at this price tier are not equipped to do.

The atmosphere is louder than the leaders above, the seating is mixed counter and booth, and the food programme is functional rather than ambitious. The Union earns its place by being one of the two or three rooms in the city where the third drink of the evening is reliably as careful as the first, which is not a description that fits most Shanghai venues at this volume.

For the full ranking, see our editorial round-up of the 10 best cocktail bars in Shanghai, the broader Shanghai cocktail bars guide, and our category index of cocktail bars worldwide.