Cabbie Pit Stop at 春和面馆

Approaching the entrance of the large kitchen + seating area = restaurant, a Shanghai cabbie loudly clears his throat and spits on the already filthy stairs stairs. Another is washing his face at the outdoor sink. By the entrance, another taxi driver fills his thermos with hot water for his tea. The place is crammed with middle-aged men in dark pants, belt, and button-up short-sleeved shirts smoking and inhaling large bowls of soup, noodles, or rice maybe with a few early bottles of Suntory or waiting for a table to do so. Chun He Mian Guan is a taxi driver lunch haven.


Meeting a few friends for lunch, the ladies taking orders at the counter as well as other drivers whisper, "Laowai! Laowai!" to one another pointing out those who are dining. I order the hong shou rou mian at 11RMB, which is a large bowl of soup with noodles and pork steeped in a soy sauce-based sauce. After ordering, you bring the ticket to the hot kitchen where one woman ladels the soup and noodles in a bowl, the other tops it off with greens and meat, and another shoves it in front of you. The method is quite efficient, but only if you manage to force your way to the front and push your order in the server's hands. No real queues to wait in here.


The bowl is large and heavy with noodles cooked to perfection and a generous amount of thickly cut tender and flavorful meat. The broth emits a strong cumin flavor intermixed with coriander leaf. The broth is spicy and flavorful, though slightly sweet, a signature feature of the Shanghainese palate. The broth and taste of the niu rou mian (beef noodle soup) is light in comparison to this one. Already big, the meal is heavy on the stomach. Seeing as each bowl of the hong shou rou mian is 11RMB, the taxi drivers know where good value and tasty meals are at.


Apparently, Chun He Mian Guan is open 24-hours a day so the drivers can get properly fed according to their shifts. Dining is not fancy, but to the point. You are fed well and well-fed. This calls for finding more taxi driver dives in Shanghai.

Chun He Mian Guan (春和面馆). 1081 Changde Lu, near Anyuan Lu 常德路1081号, 近安远路, no phone number, open 24-hours