818 Shanghai — Restaurant in Boca Raton

12 Customers Who Will Never Return

This is a review of our dining experience at Shanghai 818 on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024. This restaurant had recently changed owners and was formerly known as Shanghai City (7860 Glades Rd., Boca Raton), which in my opinion was barely passable. Our group had just come from watching a good movie, and although I was very hungry, I was in a good mood. We arrived on time and were told that our reserved table for twelve was not available and that we’d have to wait. No big deal to me, especially on Christmas Day because Chinese restaurants are generally the only restaurants open on Christmas Day. Eventually we were seated and were somewhat shocked by the prices on a very limited “holiday edition” menu. Most entrees were $25 and not no soup, egg/spring roll, or dessert were included with any meal. Plus there was a $10 split dish fee, so it didn’t make sense for my wife and I to pay $10 for nothing versus $25 for something. Nevertheless, I remained positive because holiday dining experiences often have some unpleasant surprises due to special menus and large crowds. My wife ordered hot and sour soup, and I ordered an egg roll. My wife and I ordered the General Tso’s chicken and Beef with Broccoli. This is the point at which our dining experience took a turn for the worse because when some of us asked for crispy noodles with their soup, we were told that the restaurant has the noodles, but they are not serving them on Christmas Day. A few in our group were quite irate and vocal to the waitress about their dissatisfaction. Service was slow and dishes were arriving in batches so some of us were still waiting for our food while others began eating. My wife and I finally received the egg roll and hot and sour soup. I’m not going to be too critical about the egg roll because I haven’t had a classic Chinese egg roll in about 30 years. It appears that most Chinese restaurants purchase premade egg rolls. My complaint is that the egg roll was barely warm. My wife and the group did not like any of the soups. Before my entrees arrived, those that had been served complained that their food was not hot and sent it back only to have it replaced by another tepid dish. Only the lo mein noodle dish ordered by my friend was served hot, presumably because it was freshly stir-fried. My experience was unpleasant. My wife and I sent both dishes back twice only to be served tepid food again. After the second return of the General Tso’s chicken, we never received a replacement dish. To add insult to injury, my wife and I never received the rice that was included with each entree. Finally, to appease the group, the waitress served us two prepackaged bags of crispy noodles long after the soup was consumed. That was way too little too late. I finally had enough and told the waitress that I’m not paying for the entrees. I was expecting to pay for the egg roll and soup, but the waitress said that I wasn’t going to be charged for anything as a gesture of good will. I’d like to point out that our waitress and the staff were always courteous, which is a lot to say for holiday service. I told the waitress that the main problem appeared to be caused by serving warm food on cold plates. My guess is that most of the entrees were precooked and kept warm. When you serve barely warm food on a cold plate, you have the recipe for a high school cafeteria dining experience. My final observation is that of the few tepid bites we ate, the sauces tasted canned like they came from a food service vendor, which is probably on par for most Chinese restaurants these days. At about $75 per couple, this was a dining experience our group...

Awful and humiliating experience! You must read before walking in the door.

I wanted to take my step mom to dinner and she lives nearby. She really wanted to go here for dinner, and said the food was great. (She told me after the horrible dinner we had that my dad hated it)

We came in at 5:30, and we're seated in a basically empty restaurant. The waitress, in broken English that one menus was the sunset menu (early bird pricing), and the other was the main menu. She stressed that the early bird was all inclusive.

I wasn't impressed with this menu. The dishes all seemed overly sweet, and not a chow Mein, Lo Mein, Kung pao chicken to be found. All meals were priced with soup, a tiny egg roll and a mushy scoop of ice cream, and entrees ranged $19 and up. No significant bargains here.

The only thing on the menu I could see myself ordering was pad Thai- but NEVER order Thai food in a Chinese restaurant. Never.

Dinner was gross and I was not happy, but I was there for her, and not the fine dining. The waitress brought the check and I put down my Amex card and that's when trouble began.

The waitress tells us dinner is CASH ONLY! I replied, how can it be cash only? No signs on the windows, and you seated me and never told me cash only.

She said it was on the menu and that she told us it was the sunset menu, but never once did she specifically clear that it was cash only.

I had no cash on me and there was no cash machine. I began to really push back and other customers heard and they also acknowledged while they were eating that they also were not told.

At this point, my stepmom was mortified but I wasn't backing down. At this moment, they should have simply said "well let it go this time but please remember for next time", although there was never going to be a next time.

I explained I was there from out of town to take her to dinner. They didn't care. The 3% fee was a worthy argument to lose a customer over and while I usually give the benefit of the doubt, I sure did not this time.

So my mother had to pay the bill with the only cash in her wallet, and many customers were angry they had not been clearly told. So, consider yourself warned.

Oh... the pad Thai was absolutely disgusting. I will never step foot in this...

Formerly known as Shanghai City, this restaurant has been a staple in the plaza since the late 1980s. While the name has changed, the interior remains almost identical, and unfortunately, it’s showing its age. The space could use a renovation and deep cleaning—there are noticeable stains on the walls, sticky tiles, and the menus are still the original Shanghai City ones, complete with worn-out, decades-old holders. First impressions aren’t great.

The “new” aspect of 818 Shanghai seems to be the addition of a dim sum menu and some new Cantonese dishes. However, the main menu remains unchanged and still features American Chinese classics under the old Shanghai City branding. The staff is new, but the transition feels incomplete.

We ordered exclusively from the dim sum menu, which is currently being reprinted, but take note: the English translations don’t always match the Chinese descriptions, so double-check your order.

The others in my party—Ming, James, and Rachel—enjoyed the food more than I did. While I didn’t dine here under the previous ownership for comparison, I found the dishes underseasoned and lacking flavor. It felt like the kitchen is holding back on seasoning, possibly omitting MSG to cater to local preferences. This blandness mirrored my experience at 818 Asian Fusion (another spot under the same ownership), leaving me underwhelmed overall.

Our group avoided most seafood dishes since James doesn’t eat shrimp, so I can’t comment on their seafood mains. We did try the beef chow fun, which came recommended by Ming’s Chinese friend. While the ingredients were fresh—the bean sprouts crisp and the beef perfectly tenderized—it lacked the depth of flavor I expect from this dish. The pork fried rice was similarly well-executed in texture and preparation but equally bland.

I might return in a few months to sample the seafood mains and see if the kitchen has found its stride, but for now, I’m hoping they address the cleanliness and overall presentation. The restaurant needs a serious refresh to shake off the lingering reputation of “Shanghai Sh*y” from its...