LJ Shanghai is a must when craving soup dumplings in Cleveland! Soup dumplings were perfect for the cold cleveland weather, the sweet and sour pork fell off the bone, the cucumbers were crisp and refreshing and the pan fried beef noodles were so so good. The handcut noodles were probably my favorite. The noodles were chewy, beef was tender and overall seasoned so well! We ordered a variety of dishes and all were 10/10. read more

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Tiny cute spot! The menu is limited which makes it really unique. We ordered a little bit of everything from soup dumplings to soup noodles to dried noodles! Everything came out hot, fresh, and yummy. Service was decent, food makes up for it though. read more

LJ Shanghai - Spicy wontons - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Great food! I recommend the soup dumplings, spicy chaoshou, and the cucumbers (excellent palette cleanser). Restaurant was clean and service was very attentive. My water was never empty! Also was cool to learn the restaurant was named after, who I assume, was the owner who was also our server. Very affordable for the amount of food given. Great place to check out, especially in the colder months when you're craving comfort food. Will definitely be back!!! read more

We have 3 ppl and order 3 dishes for $40. Food k great we loved them. There are a lot of customers which means they are good. Waitress is very friendly, I saw her chitchatting with many frequent customers, probably a great sign I indicating they are a great store! Decoration inside is very cozy and welcoming. Will recommend to friend who's visiting Cleveland for good Chinese Shanghai noodle read more

The food was delicious, but be aware that this restaurant only accepts cash. What really ruined the experience, though, was how they handled tipping. When we paid, no one mentioned anything about a required tip, nor were there any signs warning customers that tipping is mandatory. My friend and I had exactly $40 in cash, so we ordered $39.96 worth of food. After we paid, a woman came up to us aggressively demanding a tip, insisting that we owed her $5 more. We explained that we didn't have any additional cash, just $1 left between us. Despite that, she continued pressuring us and wouldn't let it go. In the end, my friend had to leave and find an ATM while I stayed at the restaurant. We essentially weren't allowed to leave until we gave them the tip. It was extremely uncomfortable and left a very bad impression, despite how good the food was. read more

4.5/5 Honestly, this is the best pho I've had in Cleveland. I would recommend getting the spicy beef noodle soup, you wouldn't be disappointed! No lie, my girlfriend and I came four days in a row nonstop. The service was great every time, grandma makes you feel like you're right at home. Plus, the property is protected by Smith & Wesson. The only reason I'm giving this 4.5 and not 5 stars is because this place is cash only and there is no ATM... Other than that, I love it here! read more

This place is the real deal y'all. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be getting likely the best Shanghainese meal I've ever had in CLEVELAND out of all places. I'm from Southern California and live in Chicago, and I was very impressed with the quality of food and service here. Typically, I'd say the service is too friendly for it to be authentic, because majority of the time I find myself at a Chinese restaurant, due to cultural differences, staff is normally not attentive unless you flag them down or don't show much friendliness as a whole. That's just how it is and usually the food is bomb at those places. I was skeptical, but this place really delivers well on both ends. Food was absolutely amazing and had the perfect amount of spice level for us. The spicy dumplings were incredible, and I loved my Chongqing spicy pig intestine noodle soup bowl. Everything about it was amazing. The ladies were so sweet and constantly asking if I needed a water refill or to let them know if I wanted my hydroflask refilled at any time that I had brought in. This place was poppin' with not only non-Chinese, but Chinese as well. I would HIGHLY recommend this place if you're a foodie and living in or passing through Cleveland. The location is in an unassuming area, but don't judge a book by its cover. It seems like "Asia Town" in Cleveland is slowly growing! read more

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The food was average, but we were informed multiple times during our visit that there was only one cook so we absolutely cut them some slack for that. The problem was the service. An older lady, who never spoke to us, slammed down glasses of water and a plate of chopsticks and walked away. Then after a while our server, a younger woman, came to the table and just glared at us. I asked for an item on the menu and she grunted loudly and made a slashing motion with her hand. We were all confused. Finally she said "no more of that". So I picked something else. My husband asked for ribs. Grunt. Slash. Ok, no ribs. He ordered something else. Our friends ordered and she turned silently and left. Eventually one dish came. A little while later another showed up. Mine arrived and did not at all resemble the description. It was bowl of plain noodles in a sort of brown coating. Not really a sauce. It was definitely not what I ordered and tasted weirdly like licorice. My husband never got anything at all so, since the rest of us were underwhelmed with our food, he asked to cancel his order. The server came and yelled loudly at him, saying he never ordered anything. Then she returned and yelled some more, saying instead that our friend had eaten my husband's dinner. Our entire experience was disappointing. read more

One of my top restaurants in Cleveland. Good for a group of 5-8 people so you can try a variety of the plates family style. It's a smallish restaurant though so maybe call ahead to see if they have the room. You should be fine for lunch time on a weekend Highly recommend the flat noodles, the soup dumplings and a spicy pork dumplings they have on the menu Bring cash as they prefer it but will also take most credit cards except Amex . Service is friendly without being overwhelming read more

Fantastic restaurant with delicious food! My friend and I went there for the first time and got three plates: soup dumplings, fried bean curd, and a vegetable udon noodle dish. Everything tasted amazingly! The service was fast and friendly - we were seated immediately around lunchtime and the whole place was busy with happy customers! Don't let the outside fool you, the restaurant is quaint and lovely! I can't wait to come back and try more meals! read more

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Good food, quick service, cash only, family run and authentic. Limited menu but the items they do have are done well.

Wow. The best beef stew noodle in town. Spicy. Very nice. Didn't get a chance to try anything else. read more

LJ Shanghai - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Food- EXCELLENT! Best soup dumplings that I've ever had. Pork and shrimp wonton soup was also the best I've ever tasted! If you like spicy, and they mean it, order the spicy beef soup. Yummy! Service- they did a great job! Friendly people. Ambiance- a little hole in the wall restaurant. It's adequate, but honestly, I don't care so much. This is an amazing place that I HIGHLY recommend. read more

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Decided to come here right before the show at Playhouse Square. You really have to go out of your way to come here...and we did because one of the couples that we were with suggested it. To be fair, most of the dishes on the menu are pork or shrimp, and we don't eat either one of those. We tried 3 dishes: seaweed salad, cucumber with garlic, and one beef dish. We were not impressed. 2 couples that were with us did seem to like their dishes, but we didn't try them, so I can't really comment. Service is fast, the place itself is pretty small and very basic. They don't let you split checks. read more

One of the most authentic Chinese restaurants I've been to in Cleveland. The staff is super friendly, the prices are perfect for the quantity of food you get. The soup dumplings are a must get. I also got the spicy chaoshou, so so good, ust make sure you have a glass of ice water next to you! If you like spicy this dish is definitely for you! All in all everything was great and I'll be returning soon! Thanks Lj! THE BEST SPICY DUMPLINGS read more

While in town for work, stopped by for dinner by myself. This is a nice low key spot. The soup dumplings were my favorite and great read more

LJ Shanghai - Garlic Cucumber with Garlic, spicy beef Chong Qing Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, and soup dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Very different Chinese food and plating of meals. Some items are very good and others okay. Hard to choose menu has pictures, but size and taste vary tremendously. Get in early, order quickly all at once. They run out of food. They can get very busy. read more

Came here Sunday for lunch and it was very popular! Plenty of street parking on the Main Street and side streets. Staff were prompt and kind. We stayed a little longer after we paid and we were not rushed out despite the busy crowd which was much appreciated. There were two of us and we wanted to try many dishes and ordered the soup dumplings, Pan Fried Beef Daoxiao Noodle, Chongqing Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, and fried rice cakes. This was my friend's first time trying these type of Chinese dishes and she LOVED it. Being Chinese, I can be critical sometimes with my culture's food and this place does a great job. Soup dumplings were juicy and such a great price! I loved the crunch of the nuts in the beef noodle soup and there was a great portion of beef and noodles. My least favorite were the rice cakes but that's because I favor bolder flavors and this was more simple but still tasty regardless! My favorite were the pan fried daoxiao noodles just purely on its savory flavor! Would have preferred them to not have dried onto to each other for some pieces but that's just me being picky and giving advice! So excited to return! Enjoyed my meal thoroughly! read more

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An incredible spot to get your dumpling fix. I'm visiting from out of town and really wanted high quality soup dumplings (something I find hard to get near me) and my brother highly recommended this place. We came here for lunch on a weekday and it was surprisingly pretty full and we were lucky to get seated immediately with no wait. We ordered the spicy wontons, garlic cucumber, two orders of soup dumplings, and the pan fried Shanghai noodles. Everything came made fresh to order from scratch and was absolutely INCREDIBLE. Surprisingly, the spicy wontons were my favorite - perfect level of heat, good flavor to the meat, and insanely perfect mouthfeel for the fresh-made wonton wrappers. The cucumbers were served cold and were PERFECTLY seasoned with garlic and salt. So simple, but stunning. The Shanghai noodle dish was hot, the baby bok choy was cooked perfectly (still green with a level of crunch) and the noodles had an incredible chewy texture. The soup dumplings ended up being still good but were my least favorite of all the items we ordered - good but nothing over-the-top about them like our other dishes. I think this is an absolute must-visit when in Cleveland and I appreciate that staff is taking cleanliness & Covid seriously (all staff wear masks, tables have lots of space between them, bathrooms are really clean.) Absolutely want to come here again next time I'm in town! read more

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It has been difficult to find good asian food in Cleveland, so I was happy to have found LJ Shanghai. We got the Pan-fried flat noodles, Shanghai meat ball, and soup dumplings. The noodles were perfectly cooked, and the meatball sauce was also spot on. As for the soup dumplings, although they were good, I'd argue that certain packaged soup dumplings had more flavorful soup in them. As for the service, the staff were friendly, but i found it odd that on Sundays, they don't split checks and add on an automatic 18% gratuity to make things easier on the staff. Not a huge deal, but still a bit of a mood kill. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind coming back again to try some of their other dishes! read more

LJ Shanghai - Shanghai Meatball - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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The food was INCREDIBLE and so affordable!! The staff is so friendly! Can't wait to go back.

The food is ahhhhhhmazing!!!!! I have it 4 stars rather than 5 due to them bringing my brothers food out before mine and I sat and watched him eat for about 35 minutes.... They also no longer accept credit cards and are cash only..... It was a shock especially since they don't have an ATM onsite.... Kinda inconvenient but the food does SLAP!!! read more

our usual spot next door was closed... this was a GREAT find the spicy noodle soup and plain noodle were both 10/10! great owners also! will be back :) read more

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My husband and I had an incredible experience at LJ Shanghai! We ordered the garlic cucumbers, seaweed salad, soup dumplings, chaushou, spicy beef noodle soup and curry soup because I wanted to try as much as possible. It was all EXCELLENT, so flavorful, so fresh and just downright delicious. The owner, LJ, was so warm, funny and helpful. We will absolutely be back soon and will be sure to try their special. read more

Have been coming here for a while, it has always been consistently great. Food is delicious, service is wonderful. One of my fave restaurants in town, will definitely keep coming back, highly recommend. Spicy Chaosiu is great, even better than Din Tai Fung. read more

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Food is amazing! Staff is very friendly and accommodating! It is clean, cozy and overall amazing! This place has become one of my favorite spots! read more

Service a bit rushed. Home style food good for this area but better in other areas. Some shortcuts. Check them out in my pictures. read more

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Super delocious! Soup dumplings, spicy chongshi, crispy pork chop, garluc cucumbers all excellent!

The food was very good! The service? Well I thought the one waitress was rather rude to me. Idk if it's because I am a white woman and not Asian? She was sweet as can be to the people that spoke her language but barely took a look at me. There was an older Asian lady that appeared to do all the work! I asked for ice water with lemon or lime and she told me they do not have lemon or lime. That surprised me. But the wonton soup was very good and the seaweed salad was a bit soggy. I also got the scallion noodles. Excellent! read more

LJ Shanghai - Pork wonton soup seaweed salad - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Our "go to" whenever we were in Cleveland. It was the one dinner that we most looked forward to among many. Everything we ate was incredible from the soup dumplings, to the spicy Char Shao(sp?) to the panko crusted pork. Every dish flavorful, sizable portions. We always had take away, so ambience and service were not something we could review. You can't go wrong choosing LJ for dinner! read more

Really, Eileen? Ratings are about the food. It's fine to complain about service, but you downgraded everything. SAD..... I had another great dinner brought to our table along with great service. If I were a spoiled brat I wouldn't vent on one issue. SO SORRY FOR YOUR MISERY...NOT! read more

Been hearing about this place all over Instagram! Wanted to try the dumplings, but unfortunately they had meat in them and we are vegetarian. We ordered the scallion noodles and spicy noodle soup! The spicy soup was HOT. it is definitely no joke, but very good! I added some of the soup to the scallion noodles and that was the perfect flavoring for me. It was a bummer that there weren't many vegetarian options. Would love if they had more dumpling offerings! read more

LJ Shanghai - Spicy noodle soup - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I have been going here for years and have brought so many others to enjoy this outstanding cuisine! The only warning is that if you go here be prepared to have cravings for it, if you can last longer than a month without it you are a much stronger person than I! Hot beef noodle soup is my go to but the flat noodle beef is hard to pass up also! I hate when people complain about the owner being loud, she is fun and playful and that is just her personality, never stop being you!! read more

Food is phenomenal! Cash only sucks. Busy place so you know food is fresh. Best soup dumplings around!

Simply some of the best Chinese in Cleveland - maybe the region. Soup dumplings are obvious must try but there are so many things to try here not often on other menus. Service is prompt and friendly, interior just had a recent refresh that further helps this spot shine! read more

Have seen this place all over Instagram and on food blogger sites around Cleveland. Have gone for years to the pho restaurant a few feet away and was very excited to see this open so close! Prior to going we read a couple of Yelp reviews on what to order. Definitely recommend the Pan Fried Beef Daoxiao noodle, soup dumplings, and sticky rice. Next time we will probably try another noodle dish and more soup dumplings read more

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Best Asian food in Cleveland, we have been coming here for years and the food is always amazing every time, as well as the service. Our favorites are the soup dumplings spicy chaoshou, pan fried beef noodle, cucumbers, and pan fried flat noodles- it is all incredible. The soup dumplings are one of the best foods Ive ever had in my entire life. It is also very clean inside with new seating furniture and the owner is very friendly. read more

LJ Shanghai - Soup dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Oh. My. God. So delicious!!! Now my hands down favorite restaurant in the Cleveland area. They've got amazing authentic Chinese food! The service is good enough and you can order in mandarin in you like. I came with three girlfriends and we just couldn't stop eating LOL we had to call back the waitress for more. If it's you're first time going, I highly recommend the pan fried beef daoxiao noodle and if you can tolerate spice, the spicy chaoshou. Shanghai Shrimp & Pork Wonton Soup 4.5/5 A tasty light soup with great wontons! You can really taste that they're homemade. The ingredients inside are finely diced to retain texture and have their flavors shine through. Shanghai Pan Fried Flat Noodle 4/5 More veggies came in this than we expected but we liked that! The noodles were fresh and springy while the veggies were juicy. You can definitely taste the wok hei in this! Chongqing Spicy Beef Noodle Soup 4.5/5 Such a good hot, flavorful dish! The mala soup base is aromatic, slightly mouth numbing and had a good amount of spice. The beef chunks in it were so tender you could easily split it by pushing into them with a spoon. Great on a cold day! Pan Fried Beef Daoxiao Noodle 5/5 The star of this dish was their tender, juicy beef slices, but the noodles are perfectly soft and savory as well! Their onion is a little raw for a light burn and alongside the snow peas add a nice crunch to the dish. Classic! Spicy Chaoshou 5/5 We ordered these twice and I had dreams about these after I ate them. The wrappers are so light and slippery, the filling mildly sweet and the sauce so so so flavorful. I wish I could buy the sauce to bring home!! It's perfectly garlicky, savory and spicy with some vinegar in the mix. The contrast between everything was ugh, I can't even say, please go eat this, it will increase your quality of life. Soup Dumplings 4/5 I love a juicy XLB! This could have been juicier but the fact that they make them in house so prettily with good skins and filling garners some respect. They've got nice flavor and will hit the spot if you're craving them. I should have asked for ginger with these since they don't bring it out with the dish, but these are still good with the table's sauces. read more

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LJ shanghai is always a great stop when you're hungry. The soup dumplings are well wrapped and delicious. The fried noodles are flavorful and filling and the service is always friendly and quick. read more

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We've been here several times. Authentic Chinese food is here. It's a lot of noodle soups with some veggies and meat. Has good dumplings. You can also order duck head, chicken feet and pig intestines. The portions are good size. We like this place. Reminds Hubby of living in China. Sunday at 11:30 we walked in and were seated. By noon the room was full. A party of six waited. The owners and staff are friendly. They make small talk. Next time I want to have the garlic cucumbers and edamame. This no frills restaurant has good food. Parking is on the street. read more

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