Morton's The Steakhouse Happy Hour

Morton's The Steakhouse is synonymous with American fine dining and prime beef. As a somewhat recent import to Shanghai, it still causes a stir with its quality steaks and high prices, deterring budget-minded diners. However, Morton's has a great happy hour which is not well-advertised on the lifestyle websites in Shanghai (so far). Arriving to the restaurant bar is painless as it is not packed, even during the second half of the happy hour. On the fourth floor of the IFC Mall, patrons are immediately greeted by hospitable staff and a sectioned bar area awaits. The happy hour "mortini" night runs from 17:00-19:00 Mondays to Fridays and includes complimentary filet mignon sandwiches with mustard mayonnaise. There are five martinis to choose from: gin mortini, cosmopolitan, vodka mortini, appletini, and chocolate mortini for just 38RMB each. For the classic martinis, there is a choice to have olives with or without blue cheese. The pours are not skimpy and the martinis are well-mixed.

Morton's claims the prime beef served is never frozen, always served fresh after being aged in a cyro-vacuumed bag. The idea of the care put into their beef will make any carnivore's tongue tingle. After the drink orders were placed, plates of mini filet mignon sandwiches arrive. The bar menu indicates that the filet mignon sandwiches are 120RMB per order should you desire to order it outside of happy hour. The complimentary filet mignon sandwiches make this happy hour an excellent deal because it is like eating a plate of money made with filet mignon. There are four mini sandwiches on a plate with a thin slice of filet mignon between a buttery, toasted, warm bun. The mustard mayonnaise is thinly spread in order to present the filet mignon as the star of this sandwich. The filet mignon is served rare, as a fine cut of beef should be. It was so rare that it even bled onto the bread (pictured). However, the filet mignon was inconsistent as some slices were less cooked than others so your jaw was locked around a chewy piece of raw beef while other slices melted in your mouth against the bun.

Happy hour at Morton's The Steakhouse has to be one of the better happy hour deals in Shanghai. Not only do you get a martini at a great price, but also complimentary filet mignon sandwiches to keep you from drinking on an empty stomach. Fans of the Morton's happy hour only have so long to wait until the rest of Shanghai finds out about their precious happy hour gem.


Morton's The Steakhouse. Shop 15-16, 4/F, Shanghai IFC Mall, 8 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200120, People's Republic of China. Tel: +86 21 6075 8888. www.mortons.com