"Paul Pairet's playful modern French on the Bund, with a 72-hour lemon tart and a river view. Book a window table for a first date."
Paul Pairet's lemon-and-lemon tart looks like a whole lemon and is, a fruit confited for seventy-two hours, the thin skin cut away to reveal sorbet and curd. It has been a fixture at Mr & Mrs Bund since the room opened on the sixth floor of Bund 18, with the Huangpu River and Pudong's towers filling the windows. Pairet, the chef behind three-Michelin-star Ultraviolet, runs this as his loose, late-night modern French eatery. Signature dishes run 110 to 420 RMB.
Paul Pairet built his Shanghai reputation here before Ultraviolet, his three-Michelin-star tasting-menu experiment, made him internationally famous. Mr & Mrs Bund is the playful counterpoint: modern French comfort food served family-style and late, the menu marked with PP for his signatures. The lemon-and-lemon tart, a whole lemon confited for seventy-two hours over sorbet and curd, is the icon; the black cod cooked in a bag and the jumbo shrimp in a citrus jar are close behind. Dishes run 110 to 420 RMB, with dinner landing around 500 RMB per person and up. The kitchen keeps serving past midnight, rare for a room of this standing. For the wider city, see the Top 10 Restaurants in Shanghai and the best French restaurants in Shanghai, or browse best French restaurants worldwide.
The dining room sits on the sixth floor of Bund 18, a restored 1923 neoclassical building, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the Huangpu River and the Pudong skyline. Sound runs lively and gets livelier late, when the room shifts from dinner to a glamorous after-hours scene. Lighting is low and theatrical, tables are comfortably spaced, and the dress is smart; this is a see-and-be-seen room. The house seats roughly 100, and a window table over the river is the seat worth requesting when you book.
Book a window table at Mr & Mrs Bund for a first date because the room does the romancing: the Huangpu River and the lit Pudong towers fill the glass, the modern French menu is shareable and unintimidating, and Pairet's playful signatures, the citrus-jar shrimp, the lemon tart, give you something to talk about. The late hours mean dinner can drift without anyone rushing the table. Reserve the window seat, order a few PP dishes to share, and let the skyline carry the evening.
Not for anyone after a quiet, traditional French dinner. The room runs loud and late, tilting toward a glamorous bar scene as the night goes on.
Is Mr & Mrs Bund worth it?
Yes, for the combination of Paul Pairet's cooking and one of the best river views in Shanghai. This is the chef behind three-Michelin-star Ultraviolet in a looser, more affordable mode: shareable modern French marked with his PP signatures. Dishes run 110 to 420 RMB, with dinner around 500 RMB and up per person. Go for the lemon tart, the citrus-jar shrimp and a window table over the Huangpu.
How do I book a table at Mr & Mrs Bund?
Book directly through the restaurant or by phone. The prize is a window table over the Huangpu River, so request one when you reserve and book ahead for weekends and holidays. The room is large enough that midweek tables are easier, and the late-night hours mean a 9pm or later seating is often available when prime dinner times are full.
What is the dress code at Mr & Mrs Bund?
Smart. This is a glamorous Bund room that shifts toward a bar scene late at night, so guests dress up; think a jacket or a polished dress rather than tourist casual. There is no strict jacket requirement, but the see-and-be-seen energy of the room rewards looking the part.
What should I order at Mr & Mrs Bund?
Order the lemon-and-lemon tart, the dish Pairet is known for, even if you think you are skipping dessert. For savory, the black cod in the bag and the jumbo shrimp in a citrus jar are the signatures, and the meuniere truffle bread is worth the table. Share several PP-marked dishes family-style and pace them across the evening.
Window table over the Huangpu for a first date and the skyline did half the work. The lemon tart is a magic trick. We stayed late and never felt rushed.
Took out-of-town clients and the Pudong view sealed it. Pairet's playful plates are easy to share and the room turns glamorous after ten.
Book direct or by phone. Window tables over the Huangpu are the prize; request one and reserve ahead for weekends.
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