The best, most authentic, and a very local-serving soup dumpling house. No frills here, just the best xiao lo bao you'll find in Shanghai. Thin dough that holds together perfectly, savory and juicy fillings. Very hot when they come out! You're in luck if you're there during hairy crab season. (Might be a wait out the door...but it's worth it! -and very possible to show up with no wait at all).

Easy to find on Huánghé Road, the exterior is simply a plain white facade with large red Chinese characters over the door (no English... but they're distinctive for their simplicity, and also across the street from Yang's Dumpling's hot pink awning, which is signed in both Mandarin and English, and another great spot).

Place your order up front at the oh-so-tiny counter/register, grab your receipt (be sure to keep it visible on the table), and share a table with whomever has room -- or drag some extra stools over and make a four person table an eight+, as frequently happens.

At the time of writing 70 RBM ($10.50 US) gets two steamers full up with 12 xiao lo bao each... so 24 of the best soup dumplings you'll have for about $0.40 per.

(Go ahead and "waste" your money at Din Tai Fung... they're $10.50 US for just 10 dumplings... don't get me wrong, they're delicious, but Jia Jia Tang Bao is better, and less than half the price).

*A number of photos shared here aren't actually this restaurant, including he first few. Jia Jia Tang Bao is just a plain white interior, simple wood tables (no lazy Susan's), and a small white counter to order at (more like what westerners might expect to be a hostess stand...but it's not). There are no fancy food displays where you order, just a white board with red tags hanging (written in Mandarin) displaying what is available that day. There's a cramped little prep kitchen where you can pier inside and watch the staff roll and fill dumplings. The steamers are behind a wall behind the order counter, which steams up a window to the left of the door when looking from outside.