NomfluenceA Shanghai Food and Drink Blog

Crave: An All-Day Bakery, Bistro & Wine Bar

By Rachel Gouk•
Crave: An All-Day Bakery, Bistro & Wine Bar

Crave is a café and wine bar at the Xinle Lu and Donghu Lu nexus. Fresh baked pastries and coffee, photogenic sandwiches and breakfast plates, and wines by the glass. And they have a coveted corner lot terrace.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

What To Order at Crave

On the lunch menu are sandwiches and breakfast plates from ¥58 to ¥108, supplemented by a display of freshly baked pastries.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Kouign Amann (¥18)

A good starting point is the Kouign Amann (¥18), mini versions of the crispy, buttery, sweet treat. Follow up with a slice of Coffee Walnut Tart (¥48). It's heavy on the coffee (as it should be), and has a nice crust.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Coffee Walnut Tart (¥48)

The sandwiches are rather petit — the portions are small enough for you to try other dishes but still fulfilling. Go for the Mortadella Ham Sandwich (¥68), loaded with mortadella, mozzarella, mascarpone cream, spinach, garlic oil, vinaigrette, nuts and raisins.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Mortadella Ham Sandwich (¥68)

They also make use baked goods from their pastry case. The Steak Sandwich (¥78) takes their croissant and stacks it with sliced steak, confit potatoes, cornichons, caramelized onion and garlic mayo. This one was pretty tasty.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Steak Sandwich (¥78)

For something brunchier, there's the Sausage Brunch Plate (¥98). It comes with side salad, avocado, eggs, bacon, vegetables, and bread. There’s a lot going on here. Not a fan of the bacon, but the sausages are good.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Sausage Brunch Plate (¥98)

Drinks situation: Espresso/Americano (¥26); wines by the glass from ¥50-100, beer from ¥35, cocktails from ¥60.

Crave, a cafe, bakery and wine bar in Shanghai. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

It’s good for a quick lunch if you’re in the area. The pastries are great. (Get that Kouign Amann!) The outdoor seating will definitely draw a crowd.


Crave
Click here for the venue listing.

RG

About Rachel Gouk

Founder & Editor, Nomfluence

Rachel Gouk is a seasoned dining journalist based in Shanghai with over a decade of experience covering food culture, restaurant developments, and the Asian culinary landscape.

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