No. 9 (Nagao Kanji's)

Tucked on Anlong Road in Shanghai's densely Japanese Gubei neighborhood, No. 9 is a deeply personal izakaya operated by Japanese proprietor Nagao Kanji. The restaurant draws on Nagao's hometown traditions from Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku, most visibly in the signature sea bream rice—delicately prepared tai sashimi layered over steaming rice with golden egg yolk, soy, and mirin—and in the marinated grilled chicken leg, finished with a splash of hot oil. Other highlights include salt-and-pepper grilled chicken liver and a curated selection of Japanese sake and shochu. Operating evenings only until midnight, it is the kind of neighborhood izakaya where Japanese expats return week after week.