Shanghai Bistro — Restaurant in Eau Claire

I have worked at shanghai bistro for roughly 2 1/2 years. I would like to comment on some of the negative reviews that we have gotten. First of all I urge everyone to remember that every establishment may have good days or bad. Some days the establishment could be short staffed (not because they aren’t knowledgeable of the staff needed, but because problems can arise or staff may be sick). Please remember that we are all human...nobody is perfect and mistakes can happen. The biggest thing that I always stress with reviews is that you cannot judge a place by one experience! Maybe it was an off day, maybe we were short staffed because someone called in sick, maybe the food wasn’t up to expectations because we had to order from a different vendor when we were unable to get it from the typical one we go through. There are so many reasons why a situation can be the way it was...but that doesn’t mean it will be the same the next time. I apologize if you had a negative experience but please don’t write us off without giving us at least one more chance. Please also remember that not all Asian food places are the same...if an item isn’t like what you’ve gotten elsewhere, that doesn’t mean we made it poorly...we just do it different. You are entitled to your own opinion but should we be reviewed negatively just because you don’t like how we do it? And please also remember that take out will never be as good as dine in. We strive to keep it as fresh as possible but take out/delivery is never going to be 100% fresh or hot. This is the case with any restaurant!

Something else that was mentioned was the sauces with the sushi. We have more than one sushi chef. Depending on the chef, the sauce may be on the side or it may be directly on the roll. If you have a preference please just let us know. We are happy to fulfill your request!

Last thing I want to comment on is the complaint about the dining room temp. We strive to make it comfortable but we live in the Midwest and with our constantly changing weather it can be hard to find the best setting. If you are too cold or too hot please just let us know. We will try to adjust to make our customers comfortable.

Most of all I want everyone to be aware that we cannot fix a situation if we aren’t aware of a problem. Please express your opinions directly to us and we will gladly try to make your experience as enjoyable as possible! We appreciate our customers and we want to see you have a good experience and return to...

Dining Review - Friday October 22nd, 2021

I had always had pleasant experiences at Shanghai in the past, however on the date mentioned the provided service/experience was bad enough to warrant not returning.

The dining room was not heated (~50 degrees outside temp), many guests were asking about this as well. No reason was given, just generic excuses. I had a heavier jacket on so I was OK warmth wise, but it's not comfortable to eat in your outdoor gear.

Service was running slow as the number of guests arriving was increasing rapidly, this is understandable given staffing issues and not part of the rating.

I ordered the sweet & sour chicken, as it was a rare occasion of not wanting sushi and I received a bowl of fired chicken bits with a dish containing sweet and sour sauce used for their egg rolls.

As I was eating with guests I figured I would just throw the fact that this was not the actual dish listed in the menu under the rug and eat...after all chicken in sauce without anything else is not bad...just not what was ordered.

After a couple of bites it was pretty apparent that someone just took a chicken breast, cut it up into random sized slices, breaded & fried the thing. Absolutely no moisture was left in the meat and even dunked into sauce was not edible.

Sending the plate back was definitely an option but given how slow service was, it would have been easily another 30-60 minutes to rectify the situation and my guests would have to sit around awkwardly. So I just decided to scrap the cost of the meal and get out as quickly as possible.

The server upon handing over the bill, after going over the same information with the table over, decides to go into detail about how much WI minimum server wage is and what he makes down to the cent while just standing around as I was tallying the correct sum of money for the bill.

I have never had such a miserable experience dining out before and hope to never encounter this level of disappointment. As a result I cannot in good faith present business to Shanghai...

Update: This place just lost 2 stars from my last review. To begin with, I ordered thru the app the usual and a few more items yesterday. Had it delivered and found no dipping sauce for the sushi I ordered. Usually, and I mean USUALLY, they deliver the sauce for maui rolls in small containers. Only this time, they poured the sauce in the same tray and I had no idea the rolls were soaked already. I had no idea how much (or little) sauce was in there! I called and asked if I can stop by to pick up sauce for the negi hama and maui rolls and was told YES.

At the restaurant (my first - since all my transactions were delivered before - and the last time I'll ever set foot here), a guy greeted me upfront. When I told him I was there for the sauces, he showed me the menu does not say the negi hama rolls come with any dipping sauce. Okay. Well, the very informative menu didn't exactly say the crab rangoon comes in 4, 6, or maybe a hundred either, did it? Nor did it mentioned the crab rangoon comes with dipping sauce, right? Then, their staff Michael told me they put the coconut aili sauce on the side ONLY if it was requested when ordering the maui rolls. Not true, Michael, and please remember that before you try to make up excuses again. OR was I suppose to get the crab rangoons glazed in sauce like the maui rolls? Because last time I checked, I didn't request the sauce on the side. This same guy told me it would be a charge of $1.40 for each sauce - something that was never mentioned to me when we spoke on the phone earlier.

I never mentioned when I wrote my initial review that this place messed up my first transaction with them. Now you know.

Previous review: A bit pricey for me and their tofu items are just okay. I have never been to the restaurant but have tried several of their offerings by ordering online. The sizzling rice soup is a must try since it's consistently good! Do they offer desserts online?...