Shanghai's Unique 'Hai-Pai' Halal Dining Experience at Hongbinlou
[Internet Repost]
What makes this "Hai-Pai" (Shanghai-style) Halal restaurant in Shanghai so different?
Summary:
Foodies who have been working and studying in Shanghai for a while have probably noticed that things have really been looking up lately. Halal restaurants of all different cuisines and styles are popping up all over every district. Ten years ago, when I was working and studying in Shanghai, my weekly dilemma was, "Surely we're not going to that same place again this week!"
Foodies who have been working and studying in Shanghai for a while have probably noticed that things have really been looking up lately.
Halal restaurants of all different cuisines and styles are popping up all over every district.
Ten years ago, when I was working and studying in Shanghai, my weekly dilemma was, "Surely we're not going to that same place again this week!"
And now, alongside local Shanghainese noodles and Guanguanji, we've got the three Changying brothers from Beijing, Pin Huiwei from Hangzhou... and even Yunnan beef specialty spots, Tianshui mala tang, Huainan beef soup, and grilled fish joints~
So now, isn't everyone's dilemma just, "Which spot are we hitting up this week?"
After rambling on for so long, you've probably guessed that this installment is recommending a classic Shanghai Halal restaurant—"Hongbinlou", which in its current iteration is known as 「Huoxiale·Hai-Pai Halal Restaurant (Hongbinlou Branch)」.
01
Historical Heritage
The turbulent and twisting history of Shanghai's Hongbinlou
When people talk about "Hongbinlou," the one everyone knows well is the "Number One Halal Restaurant in China," opened in Tianjin in the third year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1853) and later moved to Beijing at the invitation of Premier Zhou Enlai. But this Hongbinlou, registered in Shanghai in 1993, doesn't seem to have much to do with that traditional century-old brand; it's likely just a shared name or a respectful nod.
According to online records from netizens, back in the 1990s, Shanghai's Hongbinlou was already located at the intersection of Huashan Road and Beijing Road. The entrance back then was quite small, but the interior was spacious and dim. It was famous for its niurou jianbao (pan-fried beef buns)—thin wrappers stuffed with savory, juicy meat—which were served year-round. (I wonder if they already had that curry-beef flavor back then?) They also served "fengshan lengmian" (fan-cooled cold noodles), which were super popular.
Later on, that old location went through urban demolition, and for a long time, nobody knew where it had moved. Sifting through information recoverable online, a new Xinjiang restaurant also named "Hongbinlou" popped up on Yuyuan New Road (near Urumqi Road) in the early 2000s.
Images sourced from the internet; please contact us to remove if there are any copyright issues.
Xinjiang restaurants are essentially all about yangrou chuan (Xinjiang mutton skewers), dapanji (big plate spicy chicken), nangbaorou (flatbread stuffed with meat), huangcai (tiger vegetable salad), and shouzhua yangrou (Lanzhou hand-grabbed lamb). Even though Xinjiang joints are everywhere nowadays, back then it was a pretty trendy thing, especially the nangbaorou, which people called the "Xinjiang pizza" long before the trend of "dalu nang" (flatbread with gravy) became a meme.
Later still, due to land requisition, Hongbinlou vanished from the public eye for a while, before reopening in the early 2000s at No. 75 Wanhangdu Road. It also brought in the Indonesian dining brand "Bali Bistro," which was a massive hit in Shanghai for quite a while. Foodie-jun used to walk past it all the time while working in Shanghai, though sadly never got a chance to try it—and now that era is history too.
Image source: WeChat Official Account @You E Le (Hungry Again)
02
A Fresh Start
Huoxiale redefines Hai-Pai Halal cuisine
In November 2024, Hongbinlou experienced a rebirth as the current 「Huoxiale」. Although the Dianping store name suffix is "Hai-Pai Halal Cuisine," the sign outside still reads "Silk Road Halal Food Market," so the overall vibe remains heavily focused on Northwest/Xinjiang cuisine. As for why they emphasize Hai-Pai Halal cuisine, I'll get into that in a bit.
The overall interior design leans heavily into Western Regions aesthetics. It's super refined, and you can really see the boss's taste and effort—they spared no expense shipping in specialty building materials from afar, with every single brick and tile embodying the local customs and culture of the Silk Road.
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Jingan's Sky
Not only did they put serious effort into the hardware, but they also hired master muralists to paint Silk Road frescoes, letting diners experience the culture of the Western Regions through food while they eat.
The bowls, plates, containers, and grills in the restaurant are all sourced directly from their places of origin, and the servers wear traditional attire, greeting every guest with warm, down-to-earth smiles. It's now a seriously photogenic and totally worth-visiting Halal food spot in Jing'an District.
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
Speaking of the atmosphere, there's one detail people rarely pay attention to that is crucial for your dining mood: the omnipresent second-hand smoke and alcohol fumes in traditional Chinese restaurants. Sometimes you're eating out, almost full, and suddenly a wave of smoke drifts over from the next table, instantly killing your appetite... But Huoxiale's main selling point is being a "smoke-free and alcohol-free wellness-friendly restaurant." Lots of people on Xiaohongshu are praising it as female-friendly and kid-friendly, and Foodie-jun totally agrees—this is the kind of restaurant that truly respects everyone who loves good food!
Of course, whether a restaurant is good or not ultimately comes down to its dishes and flavors. Beyond nailing traditional Xinjiang dishes, Huoxiale also expertly incorporates seafood and Shanghainese cuisine, making it a true fusion restaurant.
Xinjiang Bashibai Mutton Skewers
Sizzling Xinjiang Bashibai mutton skewers transport you to Xinjiang in a single bite. Shanghai's ultimate taste of "Western Regions street food vibe": sizzling mutton skewers paired with ice-cold Kvass—the peak combo for a summer night market!
Hui Muslim Jiasha
Crispy and golden on the outside, savory and fragrant on the inside, a bite of Hui Muslim jiasha makes you feel like you're experiencing a millennium of Western Regions culture. The golden miracle of the intangible heritage stove: picking up the legend of Xinjiang beef jiasha with a single pair of chopsticks.
Hand-Grabbed Lamb
Image source: Dianping @Baozou Xiong
Bashibai spring lamb nourished by Tianshan mountain snowmelt is made into shouzhua yangrou (Lanzhou hand-grabbed lamb), with meat that is glossy and rich like fat. After being simmered in plain water, a gentle slice of the knife releases juices with an amber sheen. Dip it straight into salt and eat—the fresh sweetness blooms across your teeth. This is the grassland's most authentic gift.
Shawan Big Plate Chicken
Rugged Xinjiang ingredients combined with meticulous, slow-simmered street food mastery—pick up the piping hot romance beneath the Tianshan Mountains with a single chopstick. Golden free-range chicken coated in thick, rich sauce, with belt noodles soaking up the flavorful, spicy oil, while green and red peppers and potato chunks dance on your tongue.
Astana Beef Ribs
The beef ribs are slow-cooked for a long time, rendering the meat tender and melt-in-your-mouth. Every single rib radiates a rich meaty aroma, paired with the house-special sauce that strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory—you won't be able to stop at just one piece.
Some people say that the freshness and sweetness of seafood belong to the ocean, while the richness of Xinjiang cuisine comes from the desert, making the two hard to reconcile. Yet 『Huoxiale』 shatters culinary boundaries by featuring seafood inside a Xinjiang restaurant, revitalizing "Hai-Pai Halal." Their seafood is not only diverse in variety but also exceptionally fresh, with every single bite tasting like a gift from the ocean. Grounded in traditional Xinjiang cuisine and Hai-Pai dishes, they deeply mine the street food soul of old flavors while blending Silk Road regional profiles with refined Western culinary creativity. This ensures every dish meets Halal standards while offering both comforting familiarity and surprising new dimensions on the palate.
Halal Ertix River Cold-Water Fish Qiaoertai
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
One of the house-signature seafood dishes, the fish is tender and juicy, with every bite showcasing its firmness and delicate flavor. Paired with a house-special sweet and tangy sauce, it perfectly accentuates the natural freshness of the fish.
Scallion-Fragrant Rocket Squid
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
The springy tenderness of ocean-caught squid is locked in using the exclusive techniques of a 30-year veteran chef. The squid is tender and bouncy, coated in a rich, peppercorn-infused savory sauce. The numbing pepper profile blends with the natural sweetness of the seafood to create a marvelous fusion of Hai-Pai elegance and Western Regions flair~
Sizzling Salt-and-Pepper Mantis Shrimp
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
Selected plump mantis shrimp, deep-fried until crispy, then tossed in a salt-and-pepper sauce mixed with specialty seasoned salt and Western Regions spices. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweetness and a fiery kick burst forth on the tongue.
Fragrant Creek Tengjiao Fish
Built on a foundation of Sichuan-style rattan pepper (tengjiao) numbness, slow-simmered with Silk Road spices to enhance the aroma, and finished with a drizzle of Xinjiang-origin sesame oil. The progression of numb, fresh, savory, and tender flavors builds layer by layer, presenting a fish seafood dish with incredible flavor depth.
In the 1990s, Shanghai's Hongbinlou sat as a Halal restaurant on the northern edge of the Jing'an Temple commercial district. Back then, it was famous not only for its unique Halal delicacies but also for blending old Shanghai romance. One dish in particular, the "fengshan lengmian" (fan-cooled cold noodles), carried the memories of an entire generation. But as the times changed, that flavor of old Shanghai romance gradually faded away. Today, Huoxiale has moved into Shanghai's Hongbinlou to operate "Hai-Pai Halal," taking over the old craft of "fan-cooled cold noodles" to revive Hongbinlou's classic cold noodles and recreate that bowl of old Shanghai charm.
Fan-Cooled Cold Noodles
Old-school cold noodles demand a lot from the noodle chef, requiring serious mastery of boiling techniques. Because these noodles aren't steamed; they're boiled in a pot, lifted out, tossed evenly in cooked oil, and then cooled down using an electric fan. An experienced veteran master can pull out a single strand while boiling, pinch it gently with their fingers, and instantly know whether the noodles are done. When lifting all the noodles out, they can't be too fully cooked because the noodles continue to change while being cooled by the fan until they reach absolute perfection.
The production process and ingredients of these traditional cold noodles continue Hongbinlou's classic Halal-meets-Hai-Pai old recipe. Using classic Shanghai spicy fermented bean curd sauce (laifu jiang), fresh beef bits, diced bamboo shoots, and diced dried tofu, everything is simmered down in sauce until reduced. That spicy sauce topping is thick, rich, glossy, and undeniably fragrant.
Curry Beef Head Soup
Cold noodles are smooth and springy, but eating them entirely on their own can feel a bit dry. Pairing them with a bowl of fragrant curry beef soup at this point instantly awakens your taste buds! The clean-tasting broth counteracts the coolness of the noodles, warming the stomach and quenching any dryness—this is the ultimate summer noodle-and-soup pairing. Slurp a few strands of noodles, sip a couple of spoonfuls of soup, and eat a few slices of the tender beef from the curry soup—now that is pure satisfaction.
Huoxiale's bowl of curry beef soup doesn't have an overpowering curry powder taste. Crafted through attentive, slow simmering, every single spoonful carries the milky fragrance of lamb bones combined with the rich savoriness of beef bones. Rejecting heavy seasonings, it leaves only natural milky aromas blooming lightly on the palate, like a grassland morning breeze sweeping across your taste buds—just pure and balanced perfection.
According to Huoxiale's boss, "Tiger Brother," more traditional Halal Shanghainese dishes will be added in the future to carry forward the legacy of "Hai-Pai Halal."
As I mentioned at the beginning of Chapter Two, why would a Western Regions-themed restaurant emphasize "Hai-Pai" Halal cuisine? I believe this "Hai" (sea/ocean) isn't just about the ocean; it's also about the "Hai" of Shanghai culture. So I asked DeepSeek what a "Hai-Pai restaurant" is, and the answer told me: Hai-Pai restaurants refer to dining establishments rooted in Shanghai's regional culture, blending the culinary essences of China and the West, characterized by "inclusiveness, refinement, and a talent for innovation." You can understand it as a "Shanghai-style" restaurant, but the core of this style is "fusion" and "innovation."
Therefore, compared to the Beijing and Tianjin Hongbinlou locations—which represent century-old heritage and tradition—Shanghai's Hongbinlou is about innovation and fusion. From Shanghainese cuisine to Xinjiang cuisine, Indonesian cuisine, and now Xinjiang cuisine plus seafood and Shanghainese dishes, who knows, maybe blending Indonesian cuisine back in won't be impossible in the future!
03
More Than Just a Restaurant
Giving drifters a heartwarming place to belong
According to reports, the management team behind this venture crossed over from the jewelry industry. After the pandemic, they started fresh, building Xingdeng Education Venture Capital and post-investment incubation, fostering small-and-beautiful dual-circulation brands, and integrating a three-industry-merged food supply chain. It's truly exciting to see this resilient batch of entrepreneurs adding fresh bricks and tiles to the Halal food industry.
I'm very fortunate to have been longtime friends with one of the founders. When I asked him why he decided to open a restaurant amidst such an intensely competitive catering market, he shared a past story with me:
Twenty years ago, when he first came to Shanghai, he felt just as desperate for a familiar circle. At the company where he worked back then, even though there were many people, he went everywhere alone every day and felt terribly lonely. When he first arrived, his salary was 1,800 RMB, of which he sent most home and kept just 300 RMB for living expenses.
Stepping into a Xinjiang restaurant back then felt like coming home. He couldn't afford to buy a meal, but he could talk to people. So opening a restaurant became a persistent dream in his heart—to create a heartwarming place for people wandering far from home.
That's why Huoxiale's positioning from the very beginning was never just a restaurant, but rather a space combining food, socializing, music, and culture. It aims to become a community center and an incubator for commercial innovation.
And what does a "community center" mean? It means in this joyful space called Huoxiale, people share, listen, communicate, and grow together. This isn't just a slogan; from opening day until now, it has been continuously put into practice, kicking off the "Firewood-Adding Officer" campaign where many hands make light work. Since July up until now, they've hosted numerous events covering all sorts of fields.
Traditional Chinese Medicine public welfare classes. What kind of magic does a restaurant have that makes people never want to leave once they arrive?
Ethnic music performances. Who says restaurants are just for stuffing your face? Music + food + socializing maxes out the joy instantly!
Jewelry knowledge sharing: "Silk Road Radiance & Maritime Pearls: When Hai-Pai Halal Meets Jade and Gemstones."
Baduanjin wellness teaching: An unconventional cultural restaurant—practicing ancient Baduanjin qigong at a Hai-Pai Halal spot in Shanghai.
There will be even more events in the future. If you want to join in too, you can scan the QR code to learn more and sign up!
What makes this "Hai-Pai" (Shanghai-style) Halal restaurant in Shanghai so different?
Summary:
Foodies who have been working and studying in Shanghai for a while have probably noticed that things have really been looking up lately. Halal restaurants of all different cuisines and styles are popping up all over every district. Ten years ago, when I was working and studying in Shanghai, my weekly dilemma was, "Surely we're not going to that same place again this week!"
Foodies who have been working and studying in Shanghai for a while have probably noticed that things have really been looking up lately.
Halal restaurants of all different cuisines and styles are popping up all over every district.
Ten years ago, when I was working and studying in Shanghai, my weekly dilemma was, "Surely we're not going to that same place again this week!"
And now, alongside local Shanghainese noodles and Guanguanji, we've got the three Changying brothers from Beijing, Pin Huiwei from Hangzhou... and even Yunnan beef specialty spots, Tianshui mala tang, Huainan beef soup, and grilled fish joints~
So now, isn't everyone's dilemma just, "Which spot are we hitting up this week?"
After rambling on for so long, you've probably guessed that this installment is recommending a classic Shanghai Halal restaurant—"Hongbinlou", which in its current iteration is known as 「Huoxiale·Hai-Pai Halal Restaurant (Hongbinlou Branch)」.
01
Historical Heritage
The turbulent and twisting history of Shanghai's Hongbinlou
When people talk about "Hongbinlou," the one everyone knows well is the "Number One Halal Restaurant in China," opened in Tianjin in the third year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1853) and later moved to Beijing at the invitation of Premier Zhou Enlai. But this Hongbinlou, registered in Shanghai in 1993, doesn't seem to have much to do with that traditional century-old brand; it's likely just a shared name or a respectful nod.
According to online records from netizens, back in the 1990s, Shanghai's Hongbinlou was already located at the intersection of Huashan Road and Beijing Road. The entrance back then was quite small, but the interior was spacious and dim. It was famous for its niurou jianbao (pan-fried beef buns)—thin wrappers stuffed with savory, juicy meat—which were served year-round. (I wonder if they already had that curry-beef flavor back then?) They also served "fengshan lengmian" (fan-cooled cold noodles), which were super popular.
Later on, that old location went through urban demolition, and for a long time, nobody knew where it had moved. Sifting through information recoverable online, a new Xinjiang restaurant also named "Hongbinlou" popped up on Yuyuan New Road (near Urumqi Road) in the early 2000s.
Images sourced from the internet; please contact us to remove if there are any copyright issues.
Xinjiang restaurants are essentially all about yangrou chuan (Xinjiang mutton skewers), dapanji (big plate spicy chicken), nangbaorou (flatbread stuffed with meat), huangcai (tiger vegetable salad), and shouzhua yangrou (Lanzhou hand-grabbed lamb). Even though Xinjiang joints are everywhere nowadays, back then it was a pretty trendy thing, especially the nangbaorou, which people called the "Xinjiang pizza" long before the trend of "dalu nang" (flatbread with gravy) became a meme.
Later still, due to land requisition, Hongbinlou vanished from the public eye for a while, before reopening in the early 2000s at No. 75 Wanhangdu Road. It also brought in the Indonesian dining brand "Bali Bistro," which was a massive hit in Shanghai for quite a while. Foodie-jun used to walk past it all the time while working in Shanghai, though sadly never got a chance to try it—and now that era is history too.
Image source: WeChat Official Account @You E Le (Hungry Again)
02
A Fresh Start
Huoxiale redefines Hai-Pai Halal cuisine
In November 2024, Hongbinlou experienced a rebirth as the current 「Huoxiale」. Although the Dianping store name suffix is "Hai-Pai Halal Cuisine," the sign outside still reads "Silk Road Halal Food Market," so the overall vibe remains heavily focused on Northwest/Xinjiang cuisine. As for why they emphasize Hai-Pai Halal cuisine, I'll get into that in a bit.
The overall interior design leans heavily into Western Regions aesthetics. It's super refined, and you can really see the boss's taste and effort—they spared no expense shipping in specialty building materials from afar, with every single brick and tile embodying the local customs and culture of the Silk Road.
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Jingan's Sky
Not only did they put serious effort into the hardware, but they also hired master muralists to paint Silk Road frescoes, letting diners experience the culture of the Western Regions through food while they eat.
The bowls, plates, containers, and grills in the restaurant are all sourced directly from their places of origin, and the servers wear traditional attire, greeting every guest with warm, down-to-earth smiles. It's now a seriously photogenic and totally worth-visiting Halal food spot in Jing'an District.
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
Speaking of the atmosphere, there's one detail people rarely pay attention to that is crucial for your dining mood: the omnipresent second-hand smoke and alcohol fumes in traditional Chinese restaurants. Sometimes you're eating out, almost full, and suddenly a wave of smoke drifts over from the next table, instantly killing your appetite... But Huoxiale's main selling point is being a "smoke-free and alcohol-free wellness-friendly restaurant." Lots of people on Xiaohongshu are praising it as female-friendly and kid-friendly, and Foodie-jun totally agrees—this is the kind of restaurant that truly respects everyone who loves good food!
Of course, whether a restaurant is good or not ultimately comes down to its dishes and flavors. Beyond nailing traditional Xinjiang dishes, Huoxiale also expertly incorporates seafood and Shanghainese cuisine, making it a true fusion restaurant.
Xinjiang Bashibai Mutton Skewers
Sizzling Xinjiang Bashibai mutton skewers transport you to Xinjiang in a single bite. Shanghai's ultimate taste of "Western Regions street food vibe": sizzling mutton skewers paired with ice-cold Kvass—the peak combo for a summer night market!
Hui Muslim Jiasha
Crispy and golden on the outside, savory and fragrant on the inside, a bite of Hui Muslim jiasha makes you feel like you're experiencing a millennium of Western Regions culture. The golden miracle of the intangible heritage stove: picking up the legend of Xinjiang beef jiasha with a single pair of chopsticks.
Hand-Grabbed Lamb
Image source: Dianping @Baozou Xiong
Bashibai spring lamb nourished by Tianshan mountain snowmelt is made into shouzhua yangrou (Lanzhou hand-grabbed lamb), with meat that is glossy and rich like fat. After being simmered in plain water, a gentle slice of the knife releases juices with an amber sheen. Dip it straight into salt and eat—the fresh sweetness blooms across your teeth. This is the grassland's most authentic gift.
Shawan Big Plate Chicken
Rugged Xinjiang ingredients combined with meticulous, slow-simmered street food mastery—pick up the piping hot romance beneath the Tianshan Mountains with a single chopstick. Golden free-range chicken coated in thick, rich sauce, with belt noodles soaking up the flavorful, spicy oil, while green and red peppers and potato chunks dance on your tongue.
Astana Beef Ribs
The beef ribs are slow-cooked for a long time, rendering the meat tender and melt-in-your-mouth. Every single rib radiates a rich meaty aroma, paired with the house-special sauce that strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory—you won't be able to stop at just one piece.
Some people say that the freshness and sweetness of seafood belong to the ocean, while the richness of Xinjiang cuisine comes from the desert, making the two hard to reconcile. Yet 『Huoxiale』 shatters culinary boundaries by featuring seafood inside a Xinjiang restaurant, revitalizing "Hai-Pai Halal." Their seafood is not only diverse in variety but also exceptionally fresh, with every single bite tasting like a gift from the ocean. Grounded in traditional Xinjiang cuisine and Hai-Pai dishes, they deeply mine the street food soul of old flavors while blending Silk Road regional profiles with refined Western culinary creativity. This ensures every dish meets Halal standards while offering both comforting familiarity and surprising new dimensions on the palate.
Halal Ertix River Cold-Water Fish Qiaoertai
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
One of the house-signature seafood dishes, the fish is tender and juicy, with every bite showcasing its firmness and delicate flavor. Paired with a house-special sweet and tangy sauce, it perfectly accentuates the natural freshness of the fish.
Scallion-Fragrant Rocket Squid
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
The springy tenderness of ocean-caught squid is locked in using the exclusive techniques of a 30-year veteran chef. The squid is tender and bouncy, coated in a rich, peppercorn-infused savory sauce. The numbing pepper profile blends with the natural sweetness of the seafood to create a marvelous fusion of Hai-Pai elegance and Western Regions flair~
Sizzling Salt-and-Pepper Mantis Shrimp
Image source: Xiaohongshu @Sharon_Jing
Selected plump mantis shrimp, deep-fried until crispy, then tossed in a salt-and-pepper sauce mixed with specialty seasoned salt and Western Regions spices. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweetness and a fiery kick burst forth on the tongue.
Fragrant Creek Tengjiao Fish
Built on a foundation of Sichuan-style rattan pepper (tengjiao) numbness, slow-simmered with Silk Road spices to enhance the aroma, and finished with a drizzle of Xinjiang-origin sesame oil. The progression of numb, fresh, savory, and tender flavors builds layer by layer, presenting a fish seafood dish with incredible flavor depth.
In the 1990s, Shanghai's Hongbinlou sat as a Halal restaurant on the northern edge of the Jing'an Temple commercial district. Back then, it was famous not only for its unique Halal delicacies but also for blending old Shanghai romance. One dish in particular, the "fengshan lengmian" (fan-cooled cold noodles), carried the memories of an entire generation. But as the times changed, that flavor of old Shanghai romance gradually faded away. Today, Huoxiale has moved into Shanghai's Hongbinlou to operate "Hai-Pai Halal," taking over the old craft of "fan-cooled cold noodles" to revive Hongbinlou's classic cold noodles and recreate that bowl of old Shanghai charm.
Fan-Cooled Cold Noodles
Old-school cold noodles demand a lot from the noodle chef, requiring serious mastery of boiling techniques. Because these noodles aren't steamed; they're boiled in a pot, lifted out, tossed evenly in cooked oil, and then cooled down using an electric fan. An experienced veteran master can pull out a single strand while boiling, pinch it gently with their fingers, and instantly know whether the noodles are done. When lifting all the noodles out, they can't be too fully cooked because the noodles continue to change while being cooled by the fan until they reach absolute perfection.
The production process and ingredients of these traditional cold noodles continue Hongbinlou's classic Halal-meets-Hai-Pai old recipe. Using classic Shanghai spicy fermented bean curd sauce (laifu jiang), fresh beef bits, diced bamboo shoots, and diced dried tofu, everything is simmered down in sauce until reduced. That spicy sauce topping is thick, rich, glossy, and undeniably fragrant.
Curry Beef Head Soup
Cold noodles are smooth and springy, but eating them entirely on their own can feel a bit dry. Pairing them with a bowl of fragrant curry beef soup at this point instantly awakens your taste buds! The clean-tasting broth counteracts the coolness of the noodles, warming the stomach and quenching any dryness—this is the ultimate summer noodle-and-soup pairing. Slurp a few strands of noodles, sip a couple of spoonfuls of soup, and eat a few slices of the tender beef from the curry soup—now that is pure satisfaction.
Huoxiale's bowl of curry beef soup doesn't have an overpowering curry powder taste. Crafted through attentive, slow simmering, every single spoonful carries the milky fragrance of lamb bones combined with the rich savoriness of beef bones. Rejecting heavy seasonings, it leaves only natural milky aromas blooming lightly on the palate, like a grassland morning breeze sweeping across your taste buds—just pure and balanced perfection.
According to Huoxiale's boss, "Tiger Brother," more traditional Halal Shanghainese dishes will be added in the future to carry forward the legacy of "Hai-Pai Halal."
As I mentioned at the beginning of Chapter Two, why would a Western Regions-themed restaurant emphasize "Hai-Pai" Halal cuisine? I believe this "Hai" (sea/ocean) isn't just about the ocean; it's also about the "Hai" of Shanghai culture. So I asked DeepSeek what a "Hai-Pai restaurant" is, and the answer told me: Hai-Pai restaurants refer to dining establishments rooted in Shanghai's regional culture, blending the culinary essences of China and the West, characterized by "inclusiveness, refinement, and a talent for innovation." You can understand it as a "Shanghai-style" restaurant, but the core of this style is "fusion" and "innovation."
Therefore, compared to the Beijing and Tianjin Hongbinlou locations—which represent century-old heritage and tradition—Shanghai's Hongbinlou is about innovation and fusion. From Shanghainese cuisine to Xinjiang cuisine, Indonesian cuisine, and now Xinjiang cuisine plus seafood and Shanghainese dishes, who knows, maybe blending Indonesian cuisine back in won't be impossible in the future!
03
More Than Just a Restaurant
Giving drifters a heartwarming place to belong
According to reports, the management team behind this venture crossed over from the jewelry industry. After the pandemic, they started fresh, building Xingdeng Education Venture Capital and post-investment incubation, fostering small-and-beautiful dual-circulation brands, and integrating a three-industry-merged food supply chain. It's truly exciting to see this resilient batch of entrepreneurs adding fresh bricks and tiles to the Halal food industry.
I'm very fortunate to have been longtime friends with one of the founders. When I asked him why he decided to open a restaurant amidst such an intensely competitive catering market, he shared a past story with me:
Twenty years ago, when he first came to Shanghai, he felt just as desperate for a familiar circle. At the company where he worked back then, even though there were many people, he went everywhere alone every day and felt terribly lonely. When he first arrived, his salary was 1,800 RMB, of which he sent most home and kept just 300 RMB for living expenses.
Stepping into a Xinjiang restaurant back then felt like coming home. He couldn't afford to buy a meal, but he could talk to people. So opening a restaurant became a persistent dream in his heart—to create a heartwarming place for people wandering far from home.
That's why Huoxiale's positioning from the very beginning was never just a restaurant, but rather a space combining food, socializing, music, and culture. It aims to become a community center and an incubator for commercial innovation.
And what does a "community center" mean? It means in this joyful space called Huoxiale, people share, listen, communicate, and grow together. This isn't just a slogan; from opening day until now, it has been continuously put into practice, kicking off the "Firewood-Adding Officer" campaign where many hands make light work. Since July up until now, they've hosted numerous events covering all sorts of fields.
Traditional Chinese Medicine public welfare classes. What kind of magic does a restaurant have that makes people never want to leave once they arrive?
Ethnic music performances. Who says restaurants are just for stuffing your face? Music + food + socializing maxes out the joy instantly!
Jewelry knowledge sharing: "Silk Road Radiance & Maritime Pearls: When Hai-Pai Halal Meets Jade and Gemstones."
Baduanjin wellness teaching: An unconventional cultural restaurant—practicing ancient Baduanjin qigong at a Hai-Pai Halal spot in Shanghai.
There will be even more events in the future. If you want to join in too, you can scan the QR code to learn more and sign up!
