Shanghai 1814 Restaurant & Bar in Southampton

Very disappointing. The restaurant was beautiful and the waiter was very attentive, however the food itself was terrible, so much so we left most of it. The chicken was very processed and the sauces we lacking flavour. Also extremely expensive. Wouldn't eat here again ☹

amazing food, great staff. all around wonderful experience- was pleasantly surprised on the price. 10/10 will return

First time visit. Incredible place. Very impressive.

Great place to eat and drink with family and friends. Great menu Great produce Great surroundings.

Great place for food and socializing with friends and family.

Great ambience, great service and the food was absolutely fantastic

Service was excellent Food was fabulous

Exceptionally expensive it’s got to be said unfortunately. You’ll read people’s reviews that say you’ll get cheaper and better high quality Chinese places in London. I’m Not surprised. Venue is lovely and you’re paying for that. Drinks £££££ more than the food It’s great for an experience and I’d recommend you try it once.

The food is very good but portions are way too small for the price. The waiters speak Chinese which is great

Absolutely love this place. Has never disappointed.

Just celebrated my daughters GCSE results by coming here for fantastic meal with grandparents (her Candidate number was 1814 !).The Scallops were to die for, Mongolian beef dish absolutely delicious, crispy shredded beef and all the other dishes were just prefect. To top it off we had some truly spectacular desserts complete with dry ice ! Service was exceptional. Staff all incredibly good natured and efficient and personable. Took photos, offered doggy bags, explained dishes. Really couldn't have made a better choice of restaurant. Thank you wonderful staff for making it such a nice special occasion x

Brilliant place to eat even if it is expensive. The scenery inside, presentation and taste of food are all outstanding and the service is quick and caring

We had our registry office wedding lunch here for 9 of us. We had the 2 course lunch menu, and added on desserts afterwards. Lovely service and gorgeous food.

Beautiful decor, excellent service and food was beyond delicious, so fresh and perfectly cooked. Such quality and attention to detail. Executed perfectly. Can’t wait to return.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated, the food is varied and delicious, catering to many different tastes and the staff ask about allergies before you order and bring corresponding menus. Tap water was offered regularly. We went on a Sunday night in August, the place was humming and obviously popular. The atmosphere was fine apart from the thump, thump, thump of their chosen brand of music. We were placed by a speaker, 3 out of 4 of our group had hearing aids and the noise level made conversation nigh on impossible. We were offered a another table and it was marginally better. This music did NOTHING to add to the atmosphere. We were going to add our usual 10% service charge but 12.5% is automatically added but is a discretionary charge - there is no obligation to pay it. The food prices are high but the food is good. We had three drinks, two starters to share, 3 mains and two rice dishes between 4 of us. It was filling, we had a small amount to take away, which the restaurant are happy to do and the total cost was £105.

The background music for a restaurant was a bit loud, the atmosphere was more like going into a bar. The lighting was too dark, we had to walk very carefully not to trip over. We had a large party so they have arranged a separate room, so that was good privacy. The food was okay, but for the price I was paying, I was expecting something better than that. However, the presentation was wonderful. I ordered a sweet & sour pork, the meat so really dry and tough. The braised beef dish was quite a disappointment, the meat was not tender like how it should and the turnip was obviously not fresh and old ( felt like it’s been stored in the bridge for a long time). The hot & sour soup only tasted vinegar, the chicken was off. The salt& pepper soft shell crab was fabulous. I was expecting more sophisticated service from this nice restaurant, however one of the waitresses really surprised me with her rushy attitude. The speed for our order was incredibly fast, we ordered quite a few dishes but did not expect them to be served all at the same time. Literally there was not space she could put the dishes on the table. So I had to hold the plates while she tried to jiggle around the ones already on the table. Then she hassled us to all take a piece of soft shell crab from the plate so she could clear that plate! The quality and service did not worth £250 last night.

Lovely place, we love coming here as a treat with the kids. They love the soft crab starter! Desserts were great with the dry ice affect. It's not cheap, but well worth it.

Fantastic food and service. Only possible critisism would be music was quite loud.

The special soup with porc intestine and chicken was great, I loved the Spanish pepper fresh chillies and the black beans porc Berkshire porc belly and the lovely service of Li. This made loose many memories of the Noble China restaurant in Lilongwe Malawi.

I love their food and environment

We were celebrating our anniversary with my boyfriend there. First of all our table was a made-up side table on the second floor near the entrance right opposite two individual groups of people celebrating a birthday event...the atmosphere was very bad overcrowded, busy and noisy. Personally I don't enjoy when I can't have a conversation with my partner because we can't hear each other or trying to enjoy my food while people standing and walking back and forth next to my plate. Picked very tasty cocktails and beers. The food was okay overall but definitely not mind-blowing for me. We had the 1814 signature duck dish- was absolutely delightful- we also tried a beef dish, stir-fry vegetables, and the black truffle roasted duck- was dissaponting, way too fatty and greasy to worth pay £38 for it. Our waiter was kind and professional the service was surprisingly quick on a busy saturday evening however I felt like there's a fine line between being kind and pushy and for this time it was pushy. I was feeling like he really just tried to grab our plates and just get over with it. Spent approx. 1.5 hours there to have a dinner. Overall I don't say it wasn't worth it but I would not go back for a second time,sorry it wasn't worth the hype.

I came here for the 1st time today for lunch with a friend, the food and everything is mind blowing 1st class. WOW . I WILL DEFINITELY BE COMING BACK

We always love the food and especially the seabas fish

Brilliant restaurant and top notch food in a luxury surrounding. First class meal we had.

Stunning setting for a restaurant, unbelievably fresh and tasty food, the servers are brilliant and attentive especially Anastasia, she was brilliant in serving us

Came here for my sister’s graduation and I was very pleased with the service and food. Anastasiia was extremely attentive, making sure that the 7 of us were always catered to. She tended to multiple groups simultaneously and it still felt like she gave us 100%. The food was great, service was speedy, and the vibe/atmosphere was unmatched. 10/10 would recommend.

Amazing food, service and ambience. Highly recommend

The food was excellent, the restaurant beautifully decorated, and the staff exceptionally friendly and welcoming.

Beautiful restaurant. Getting your own room was worth it, completely private from everything. The staff are very attentive and the food was out of this world!

Honestly, we were trying to find one fault with this place and we couldn't, absolutely perfect, best Chinese we've ever been to. Also, FANTASTIC vegetarian and vegan options, an absolute treat.

It’s not easy😆, finally I can eat delicious Chinese food in the UK! Recommend 👍

Absolutely amazing all around, was served by Anastasia she was incredibly attentive and lovely, we can in to celebrate our anniversary and she brought us a free dessert which was a complete suprise and just showed how outstanding her service was. and the food did not disappoint great portions and super tasty. Thank you

Enjoyed our small meal Great atmosphere and service.

We popped in for a small meal about 7pm great welcome food was delicious atmosphere was fabulous and an excellent all round experience.

What to say about shanghai 1814. From the moment you walk into this elegant restaurant, the staff treat you like royalty. The food choice is varied and well priced. We ordered the sanpei claypot chicken and sweet and sour chicken with egg fried rice, and every mouthful was a taste sensation. we ordered, and within 5 minutes, we were eating. The service was very attentive with being overbearing. Highly recommend this restaurant and just have to say they have the best takeaway bags I have ever seen.

Not cheap but excellent food, service and venue. Would definitely go again.

I recommend! Interesting interior, everything very tasty 😋

Personally, I feel that the food is average, the environment is okay, and the price/performance ratio is not high!

Very disappointed with our visit to 1814 from the moment of walking through the doors with our two children the manager had an attitude with us, put us in a private room and shut the doors on us, even tho my children are well behaved and quiet. We ordered lots of food and 2 dishes wasn’t very good at all, the salt pepper squid was very chewy, we ask to send it back and the manager told me everyone else liked it? Why not you? It’s good. Even though we genuinely didn’t like it and it wasn’t good. We ordered 5 starters and complained about one, she wasn’t happy, we then had 2 main dishes and rice and the crispy shredded beef was not good at all it was empty batter, there was a tiny amount of very dry beef smothered in very thick batter and it was like eating batter on its own. The chicken in black bean was beautiful and we complimented the dish, but said about the crispy beef being empty and terrible and the manager was not happy with my complaint, explaining how they’ve changed the recipe multiple times to get it just right for certain customers and it is now perfect and I said honestly it’s not good it’s dry and empty very disappointing, the manager wasn’t having it,, then offered another dish I asked for it to be taken off the bill as I didn’t want anything else. And she stormed off as if I’d insulted her. They took the beef off the bill, but not the squid even tho we never eat it bar two pieces. In the end, our whole experience felt uncomfortable and like they couldn’t wait to get us out, if they don’t like kids , they shouldn’t accept them into the restaurant. The manager needs to learn manners and customer service , and listen to customers feed back without denying the problem.

Everything from start to finish was lovely! The food was great, the restaurant is very nicely decorated and the staff was very friendly and welcoming. I was there for a family celebration and the man who was serving us brought us a free piece of cake because of this. We appreciated the gesture. I’ll definitely visit again!

Cocktails were really tasty, food were amazing, but the service was not good enough for this price. Light was a bit too dark as I had to turn my flashlight on when I dropped something off the table, overall I will rate it as 3.5/5, worth trying for the food and drinks, but won’t revisit shortly

Spectacular! 100% will return soon! The staff was extremely attentive and friendly. Our waiter Will in particular left us with a very positive impression, with his recommendations on the menu. The restaurant still takes covid precautions, which we really appreciated. Masks, temperature check, and sanitizer all were in hand. The ambience is just incredible, extreme attention to detail. It was a very relaxing atmosphere and immersive experience. Last but not least, the food was divine: we had the pork dumplings, the vegetarian spring rolls, the kung-po chicken and sizzling beef, with jasmine rice and egg fried rice. Cannot fault any of the above, but the mains in particular were extraordinary. Edit: visited again for our anniversary and it was still splendid. Had a wonderful night and immaculate service as well as excellent food. We tried the beef noodles, salt and pepper chicken, homemade chicken curry and the sizzling beef. It was all perfect. The staff takes allergies very seriously as well, which I really appreciate.

Nice food but way overpriced, not worth the money TBH. The old waiter is the rudest person I have ever come across, it's a shame and made the whole experience zero pleasure. Be warned, he will be standing and starring at you while you eat and not really doing any work.

Food was nice but way too overpriced for what it was. I got the set courses for £50 and got barely any food. The food was nice but not actually that great. The staff were slightly rude and quite unhelpful. Either way, I wouldn’t go back.

When checking out, the waiter was very rude and grabbed my card to swipe it without showing me how much money he entered into the post machine. The overall service experience is very poor 👎

Overpriced, mediocre food served in pretentious surroundings.

It can only be said again as per other reviews - Service, food and atmosphere is incredible !!! Can’t wait to come back ….. Salt and pepper aubergine is divine, as was the incredible, chocolate, coffee and ice cream dessert …… out of this world axxxx

Great looking place with incredible service, the food is the best version of Chinese food you can find, definitely worth it

This Chinese restaurant has a carefully curated menu with vegetarian and meat options. The standout part to this is the service. They pay special attention to your needs, are ‘seen not heard’ and polite. Your water will be topped up, your napkin will be placed for you on your lap. The wine list is complete with a nice selection by the glass but mostly by the bottle. The attention to detail on presentation, flavours and colour is impeccable. The atmosphere is relaxing, with a relaxing scent of incense and glowy lighting to add a pleasant atmosphere and exclusive feel. The prices are more expensive and the taste is definitely there. I was surprised but the spice level and we were also given cutlery although we were able to use chopsticks - one pointer could be to ask about the spice level and I definitely could handle more. Will be back for more memorable evenings.

host is nice but the waiter ( old guy) is impolite and rude!...Fried rice tasted soggy, other disks tasted average but are not worth for the money!

Flavour are a little bland for Asian palates. Manager very confrontational about removing discretionary service charge.

Such an amazing, beautiful restaurant. The staff go above and beyond, the food is incredible every time and the cocktails are insane! A little bit on the pricey side but you defiantly pay for the quality and the experience.

Delicious food, service excellent,

Wonderful food, with impeccable service. The decor and atmosphere are amazing. Cannot recommend highly enough.

I admit to being a mature lady so the music was slightly loud for me but that's just me. Otherwise a wonderful experience.

Will NEVER be returning again, they knew it was my birthday, and they couldn't have made my experience more uncomfortable, firstly the racist treatment my partner received from the staff member 'Joey' just because he is from northern China and not Hong kong, he was laughed at for his lack of English skills at the time, as he asked for the Chinese menu, Joey literally proceeded to laugh at him, disgusting, that you bring your political issues into your restaurant, this isn't the first time my partner has experienced racial hate in your so called establishment, except the first time it was by the owner- Oh we know so much about you. When I came in the past with just my Caucasian friends, the service was wonderful, basically if you're Caucasian or western in general and not from Northern China you will be treated with respect DISTGUSTING. Then whilst we were eating our food, 4 staff members including Joey, stood beside our table in the corner all looking at us, laughing and talking, worse than my experience in school, and that is saying something. The treatment I receive when I visit South and North China is impeccable, I am shocked at how rude the staff were the night of my birthday, NEVER coming back.

A regular visit for us, lovely atmosphere and always great service. Waiters happy to make recommendations, food is always good. The duck salad is a favourite, a great Chinese on the pricier side but worth the money. We booked for our anniversary, completely forgot about this but the waiter had run out after us as we left the restaurant confirming we are missing a cheesecake and had given this to us as a take away. Great touch as often would be ignored elsewhere. We valued the service, thank you ! Ps. Oriental Pearl cocktail is fab.

It was a last minute decision but we booked for 10 people and they were able to fit us in. We were limited to pick one of the set menus but the amount of food and quality was still good. One person had allergies and was able to pick from the standard menu. The vibe I would describe as being synth-wave, cyber-punk and/or DesuEx. Lots of mood lighting and interesting interior with an electronic, easy going, dance music in the background. Would like to come back again but with a smaller group to try the rest of the menu.

Incredible food and atmosphere, best chinese I've ever eaten. Seriously great place.

I took my husband to Shanghai 1814 for a special birthday lunch and they did not disappoint! The food was very good and they lunch menu was reasonable. They also surprised us with a delicious cheesecake for my husband with a birthday candle – thank you Shanghai 1814!

Food was very mid for valentine's day, not worth £60 a head, more what you'd expect from a takeaway. We left a lot of it. The waiting staff were lovely, but the manager basically said you didn't send it back so I don't care. It was great last time so really disappointed about today, especially the attitude.

I used to like this place when they served dim sum but now unfortunately it’s turned into a VASTLY overpriced restaurant with normal Chinese takeaway dishes you pay a premium for the, albeit lovely decor. Multiple servers doing the job of one - possibly where the extra money is going. I think you pay for the surroundings, fancy decor and table settings, as opposed to the actual quality of the food. You take all of the before-mentioned away and really, the dishes aren’t much better than its rival takeaways who charge literally half the price. Portion sizes are small, also. I will never come back again.

Food is on the more expensive end but well worth it. Staff are kind and attentive, I've never had better Chinese/Shanghainese.

Food was lovely but was not matched by the service. A large group were incredibly rowdy which meant we couldn’t hear each other and this was not dealt with by the staff. When asking to remove the service charge due to a disappointing atmosphere and service, the manageress was incredibly rude and made us feel like we were being completely unreasonable.

Excellent Cantonese style duck!! It is only on the non English menu. Ask for the Chinese menu instead of the English menu. HUGE difference!!

Best in Southampton .bit pricey but worth it

Beautiful place as we all know. However to me what is more important is the quality of the food and again this was 5 out of 5. Lovely evening with 15 of my family. Fantastic service by our front of house man Nathan. Many thanks

Absolutely stunning décor, great service and food 👌

Food was poor quality for the price, any other choice would be better

Excellent service Delicious menu Beautiful decor. Loud choice of music spoiled the experience some what.

Awesome place for food and party

The setting is very lovely and impressive. The lady showing us to our seat was very fast and hard to keep up with but that was fine. The menu has good options but at extremely high prices for the portions you get. The food came out quickly, which was nice as we were hungry, but not all of it seemed fresh and some dishes were a little cold. The food itself was nicely flavoured eg kung po chicken. However, the vegetable noodles and rice bowls were nothing special and you could get the exact same at a normal takeaway. The service was nice, but the main waitress seemed to hover a bit too much and made us feel rushed even though it was not very busy. The bill came out very fast without us asking for it. We asked for a takeaway box for leftovers, and I believe they only gave us half of our remaining food that we asked to take home, which was disappointing. The overall price was horrendous for what we got, and when the portions weren’t very big in the first place. 2 appetizers, one main, two rice bowls and one noodle bowl with 2 drinks for £84!!!!!!!!!!!😳😳😳😳😳 I will definitely be trying other Chinese restaurants in Southampton next time.

Went here for a special occasion. The service was brilliant- all staff were really friendly, food was so tasty and flavourful. Portions were big and worth the money. Really recommend for anyone for special occasions!

A great venue with a premium decor gives a great first impression. This is the 2nd time we've been, both times in a party of 6, both times in a booth. Sadly, the waitor has been the same both times as well! He lacks any customer service whatsoever and should be kept to non customer facing roles. He is disinterested and rude. He also told us, at 955pm, that "the manager wants us to finish early as it's Christmas, so there's no more drinks orders after 10pm". It was a Friday night, 29th Dec....10pm finish for a booking that seated at 815pm? Great venue, good food, terrible attitude to customer service. Sorry to say but there's too much competition locally, so we're unlikely to return.

Bel locale ma troppo costoso e prezzi poco chiari

The service was excellent and it was our superb experience with Shanghai 1814. A well deserved five stars restaurant without any doubt and hesitation. Really awesome

Great place! Incredible view! Lovely service! And very tasty and surprising food. My wife and I shared the tasting menu for 2. Plenty enough food. I would definitely recommend Shanghai 1814

Whilst the food is high quality for what you are paying there’s not a lot of quantity. Also beware that they add a 12.5% service charge which they say is discretionary but is already added to the bill. Don’t think I’ll be visiting again as very overpriced

This place is ok. We had the lunch menu which is £21 plus 12.5% service charge which will be added to your bill. The service is pretty standard Chinese - not great. The restaurant is aiming to look like a darkened bar or something. It's pleasant enough. For the lunch menu you get starter + main + noodle/rice. Chinese tea is about £3.50 or more for fancier teas. This is quite expensive. I wanted to order a pint of beer (£5), but they said the taps were being cleaned. IDK how long this takes but they never repaired them. Instead I was offered a small bottle of Tsing Tao for £5.50. No thanks. The starter options were only very boring takeaway-type options namely sweetcorn or sour soup, prawn toast, veg spring rolls, or ribs with either BBQ or sweet sour sauce. We had one of the BBQ and one sweet sour sauce. The BBQ sauce is the Chinese-style BBQ not American (thankfully!), the sweet sour was very sweet, not to my taste. The ribs themselves didn't really taste of anything, like they were not exactly dry but not moist and sort of grilled. Not unpleasant in any way, but nothing yummy. The main course they had a few more options such as stir fried morning glory (really a side dish), kung pao prawns/chicken or cumin beef. We had the kung pao prawns and the cumin beef. The kung pao prawns were unfortunately again a quite Americanised version - sweet sour breaded prawns with some chilis. They were not bad if you like sweet sour but I dislike it. The side dish of egg fried rice and noodles were both quite good in fact, the noodles had some reasonable wok hei and the egg fried rice was tasty. The beef was quite tasty. Overall I would not go back to this restaurant because there is nothing that blew me away and there is nothing really interesting on the lunch menu and the a la carte is more expensive than the best Chinese restaurants in London, which cannot be justified by the cooking. There are lots of great Chinese restaurants around Southampton where you can get delicious food for under £10. I have lived in Asia for a number of years and I would judge the food here is bowdlerised. If you are looking for an inoffensive restaurant with a sort of darkened cocktail bar-type environment and don't mind paying over the top, it might meet your needs, but it doesn't meet mine.

Beautiful ambiance that instantly transports you to another city. vegetarian kong pow was delicious, staff was very polite and I even got a free slice of birthday cake

What a great find in Southampton

Generally- beautifully made for your eyes and heart, guess the price you pay isn’t just for food which is fear. Under our situation 2 ppl couldn’t make it, with reasons be, try cancel the 2 ppl meals wear told no you can take the left over home. Well how about to have for the ppl who can make it- daaa. Anyway at the end we wear charger full extra 90quid for the two didn’t made - in my opinion it’s a scammer shouldn’t be like that. We had a karaoke after our meal 2of the person had paid a deposit and wasn’t able to make was refused to return deposit, even we had good number in for besides 2 ppl down. Staff spill a sauce on my dress ignored, trip a wine glass and spilled say sorry but hardly could hear it. Didn’t event wipe the spill wine. The situation you pay so much already they insist to pay for cancelation in full, it’s not that they wear inform on arrival but in advance excuse was food is preordered - what you tell me you prepped for days before ? So mix feelings really. Will I go again. Don’t think so not on those terms. This two pic meals meant to be shared between 4 not a lot for £45 pp, there was also a beef but I mean in chicken dish I found more pineapple than chicken. Judge it yourself

Impeccable service and an incredible culinary journey. The staff went above and beyond to ensure we had a memorable evening. The ambiance was perfect, and every dish we tried was a delight. This place is a gem in Shanghai!

The service was top-notch, and the food was absolutely amazing. From the moment I walked in, the staff was attentive and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a delightful dining experience in Shanghai.

The food was ok but not outstanding except for the Mongolian beef dish which was delish and unusual. The service was good but possibly a little too swift in that they were hovering over our table constantly. The atmosphere could have been better if it had been a little warmer, a tiny bit lighter (we were almost eating in the dark) and if the music had been a bit less loud and more in her with a Chinese setting rather than doof doof music. Lastly we were shocked by the size of the bill considering it was pretty ordinary.

Good food and an amazing environment for a meal. Quite expensive though so make sure you don’t go crazy with orders

Rosie and Wilde the best experience and customer service ever! Made our night magical and so lovely and kind. The best place ever please meet these two colleagues they should managers amazing!!!

It is pricey but the range and variety of dishes is excellent. Great setting as well.

It was the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. They had a great selection of food and drinks and great portion sizes. The servers were amazing. I loved every bite. It was definitely worth the price. The decor was brilliant and beautiful to see. I will be returning again for more memories and special occasions.

A delightful place to visit. Brilliant atmosphere,very well staff were excellent. service was good and good served very quick.all freshly cooked. Well done 👏

Nice place been there with family, location is town in southampton taxis always available outside the restaurant. Chinese food a little overrated. Atmosphere and staff were very nice. Theme of the restaurant was a little dark. Fish tank was beautiful loved by my children. Overall a very nice restaurant.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Great service, great food and good value.

Probably the finest Chinese restaurant in UK. It was recommended to us and such and did not disappoint. Service was elaborate and impressive. Staff were chatty. Food was superb

Incredibly good food, fantastic service.

Reservation was moved to a different date as would've been charged £10 per head to cancel due to my mother's Covid positive result. Disappointed that the restaurant is using opentable app and insists on this charge Please check the small print on your confirmation email as this applies if needing to cancel within two days of booking date

This place is absolutely incredible. The service is fantastic, the food is well priced, came out quickly and was delicious, decent portion sizes too. Will definitely be returning

Probably the best Chinese meal I've had in the UK. The decor is amazing and the staff are ultra efficient without being pushy. The food was superb. We shared out starters between the four of us and the portions are large enough to do that. I particularly enjoyed the scallops. The portion size of the mains was also substantial. I had chilli beef. The bill came in at £60 per head which included wine and apperitiffs.

I struggled to find things to critique during my experience at this restaurant. To start, the welcome from Harry made us feel comfortable and his suggestions were top notch; the food was exceptional from appetiser to dessert, and the vegetarian imitation meat of the Mongolian beef was as good as the real deal (to the point I had to check if it was vegetarian 3 times). To top it all off, the interior is gorgeous and vibey, which made for an unforgettable experience. The only things to consider are that this place is a little on the pricier side, and the second floor does get hot. But, I would highly recommend this place for any special occasions, just book in advance! :)

The service was terrible, very overpriced. We waited 30 minutes for our starters and the place was quiet

Beautiful food..amazing service.