Shanghai Cottage — Restaurant in Fairhope

The Good: Intimate atmosphere, and a friendly staff make for a good dining experience. Wide selection of liquor and beer as well.

The Bad: Slightly overpriced for what the food actually is. Seems like what you're paying for is the intimate atmosphere and the "privilege" of eating in Fairhope.

The bottom line: There's no reinvention of the wheel here. We ordered the General Tzos chicken, and Mongolian beef entrees, and while both were good, the weren't phenomenal. Perhaps I set the bar too high because of the atmosphere and location of the place. Shanghai Cottage wants you to believe that you're going to be getting some new spin or different take on traditional Chinese fair, but ultimately it's the same old Chinese food that you can get from any other buffet, free standing, or strip mall Chinese restaurant in Baldwin county. The only real difference is that you'll wind up paying about 3 to 4 dollars more for the entrée. Unfortunately Shanghai Cottage suffers from what most other Fairhope restaurants suffer from in the end: it's dripping with pretentiousness. Intentionally AND unintentionally. While I understand it's catering to a certain demographic, it's that demographic that gives this place the unintentional part of its heir of pretentiousness. While waiting for my food I overhead a man at the bar tell the woman taking his order that he wanted to buy as much Yum Yum sauce as he could and that "Money is no object." And while the food is decent, ultimately it boils down to the fact that it's not good enough to be asked to listen to that type of idiocy, and pay 4 dollars more for the...

As someone who actually witnessed this entire exchange from the bar while peacefully trying to enjoy my sushi, I feel compelled to set the record straight after reading the nonsense posted by @AnnaRiley Stimpson and @G O.

The server you're targeting is one of the most competent, patient, and respected people on staff at Shanghai Cottage. I’ve been coming here for years and have never once seen him act unprofessional, let alone “scream” at a table.

What I did witness was a couple of entitled guests asking wildly unnecessary questions (like requesting a blanket???) and pestering him about the duck, which is clearly labeled as “half” or “full” on the menu. Google exists. You even had a laptop out. So what exactly were you struggling with? And if you’re going to show up in camo like you're headed on a duck hunt, maybe have the sense to know that “half a duck” doesn’t mean a whole flock.

This man didn’t “take his stress out” on you. YOU WERE THE STRESS! You created the chaos and then tried to twist the story on Google reviews. The only thing “unhinged” in that room was your behavior. He handled it better than most would have and honestly showed a level of restraint you didn’t earn. Just because someone won’t coddle your nonsense doesn’t...

Do not eat here if you are concerned about food allergies. I called to ask if they had tree nuts present in the restaurant, as I always do to protect myself from eating where I could be exposed to a deadly allergen of mine. They told me no, only peanuts were present. I asked if they were absolutely sure there were no tree nuts. I hear the man on the phone consult another employee in the background who then confirmed that there were no tree nuts present. I say thank you and proceed to look at the menu online before calling back to place an order. To my surprise, I notice shrimp with honey glazed walnuts on the menu. Hoping it was just an old menu, I call back to see if they still had that entree to be sure. A lady confirmed that they DO have walnuts present. How can I trust a restaurant with the safety of my food and my allergy when multiple employees of yours cannot correctly verify that my allergen is present? How do your employees not know the menu? Allergens should be taken seriously, as you could have someone’s life in your hands. I will not be eating here, nor recommending this restaurant to others...