A week in Shanghai definitely has its highs and lows. But despite the cellphone zombies crowding the streets, imminent death-by-motorbike and “cloudy” (aka smoggy) skies, it was hard not to love the city. And maybe that’s because for me, my stomach gets the biggest vote when it comes to deciding what I love. Over the course of our week there, I was able to indulge (overindulge, some might say) in soup dumplings pretty much every day, eat at everywhere from simple food stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants and come home wondering why more cities don’t have machines in the metro that will squeeze orange juice fresh for you. Headed to Shanghai? Here are a few food-related experiences that you shouldn’t miss out on.

Dumplings: It’s hard not to find dumplings of all sorts in the city, but good dumplings are another matter. We kicked off our week of eating along Huanghe Road, first stopping at Yang’s Fried-Dumpling for shengjian bao, pan-fried soup dumplings (above left). They were nice and crunchy-crispy on the bottoms, with a tender top shell and super flavorful broth inside. We got an order of the Yang’s original and a combo platter; both rocked my world. We sat at a table with a Chinese couple (space is at a premium at many of these joints), who pantomimed the proper way to eat them so we wouldn’t scald ourselves with the hot broth: poke a hole in the top with a chopstick, suck out the broth and then chow down the dumpling. (BTW, we loved the dumplings so much that we ended up going to another Yang’s location the next day).

And since we still had a bit of room in our stomachs, afterward we headed across the street to Jia Jia Tang Bao, famed for its xiaolongbao, or regular soup dumplings (above right). Sure, we had to wait, and sure, we had to cram our bodies into shared tables in a tiny room, but that was all part of the fun. The dumplings were worth the wait and the close quarters.

Also, because I’m a sucker for anything really pretty, we had to stop at Paradise Dynasty in the Réel Mall to try the multicolored—and multiflavored—soup dumplings (top photo). Though the least appealing colorwise, the garlic ones were the best, followed by truffle.

Bubble Tea: While wandering around a mall near our hotel one day, we came across this place called The Alley, a bubble tea shop but with varieties we haven’t seen back home yet. I ordered a Brown Sugar Cocoa Bubble Latte (right), which came with brown sugar-covered tapioca pearls that they call Deerioca—check out the logo on the cup. Ian went with a warm Oreo-flavored drink. Wow. Both were amazing and kick-started our quest to get a drink at one of their locations every day (there are a ton around town). As with much in life, nothing we drank the rest of the week compared to those initial bubble tea revelations, but we never gave up trying. (Okay, the red fruit cheese tea at Lelecha—more on that later—came close, but The Alley still had it beat by a bit.) These teas can be yours, too, even if you don’t live in or plan to go to Shanghai. The Taiwanese company has expanded into Europe, Canada and Los Angeles.

Custard Tarts: How can you not love a city where you can buy custard tarts, fresh from the oven, as you pass through a subway station? We became addicted to those from Lillian Bakery. The crust: super flaky and buttery. The custard: creamy and sweet, but not too sweet. And there are 50 of these bakeries sprinkled around Shanghai! (But not one at the airport, alas.) I recommend buying more than you think you’ll need/eat; you’ll always underestimate.

Yi Long Court: We were lucky enough to spend a lazy—and totally delicious—lunch at this two-star Michelin restaurant in the Peninsula hotel. The food is based in Cantonese cooking, but executive sous chef Jacky Zhang infuses it with modern elements to keep things interesting. Our meal started out on a high note and only got better. An appetizer mix of dumplings, spring rolls, barbecued pork and roast duck (above) was followed by tomato soup with veggies and seafood. The wok-fried Australian beef cubes were one of the best items I had all week: very tender with a lot of umami, in a beefy sauce that glazed the meat. Crazy good. I finally got to try some hairy crab, too, which was in season and is marketed everywhere. The meal was capped off with a pair of sweet dishes, an almond cream (somewhat like a soup) in which floated rice dumplings and a mini egg tart.

Breads at Lelecha: This place was on my list to check out, but it was our last day and we were nowhere nearby, so the odds looked slim. Before heading to Paradise Dynasty for one last soup dumpling, however, we took a tour through the basement food hall in the Réel Mall near our hotel, The PuLi Hotel and Spa. Of course, it ended up being a tasting, not a tour, because 5 minutes in, I spotted an outpost of Lelecha that I didn’t know exist—but which was obviously not a secret since about 20 people were waiting ahead of us in line. The smart part is that they have you wait along the windows fronting the ovens, so you can see all the wonderful breads coming out of the ovens, in hues of pink and green and purple and dark, chocolately brown. So much to choose from and only one stomach. With dinner waiting for us upstairs, we went for a simple appetizer course of a chocolate “dirty” bun (meaning, it’s smothered in chocolate and then cocoa powder) and a red fruit cheese tea. Inhaling a little too much cocoa powder on my first bit made it a truly unforgettable experience—and I’d be in trouble if we had shop near us. Also, a tip for drinking the milk tea: Push the straw down into the drink with each sip so that you get a little of the sweetened cream “cheese” followed by a mouthful of the fruity drink.