Jean-Georges Vongerichten arrived in Shanghai in 2004 to open his only signature restaurant outside New York at Three on the Bund. He's now taking another bite by utilizing the entire sixth floor of this grand neoclassical building for Mercato. Devoted to rustic Italian food, Mercato is more relaxed and wallet-friendly than the Jean-Georges restaurant downstairs. The pared-back industrial space with concrete pillars and reclaimed wood is packed with Shanghai's glitterati ordering dishes such as suckling pig confit and house-made ricotta with strawberry and olive oil on grilled bread. The food might be Italian and the styling modern New York, but the skyline through Mercato's arched windows is quintessentially Shanghai.
