Aster opened on Yongyuan Road, Jing'an, with a straightforward ambition: to cook freely, without apology for geography or category. Chef Joshua Paris describes the idea simply — using European technique as a foundation to honestly express ingredients from anywhere in the world.
Behind every dish is a quiet complexity: careful sourcing, deliberate technique, layers of flavour built and stripped back. What arrives at the table is clean and unfussy. "Complex Simplicity" is not a branding phrase — it describes how the kitchen actually works.
Aster is À la Carte only. No set menus. Come for one dish with a glass of wine, or settle in for the evening. The room was designed with the same intention — generous tables, good light, a space where the experience never feels managed.
Aster operates À la Carte exclusively. Rather than seasonal menu overhauls, the kitchen makes smaller, more frequent changes — so regular guests find something new and something familiar on each visit. The wine list runs broad: France, New Zealand, Australia, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, Chile. Nearly half of bottles are under ¥800. Half-bottles available — a rare option in Shanghai.
Joshua Paris grew up in the UK in a military family and left at 16 to start cooking professionally in New Zealand. Over the next eleven years he worked across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK — learning largely by doing, in working kitchens rather than culinary schools.
He moved to China at 27. His first stop was the Mandarin Oriental Shanghai, where he worked in the kitchen alongside Richard Ekkebus, at the time a consulting chef and now the chef behind three-Michelin-starred Amber in Hong Kong. He later assisted with the opening of the Park Hyatt Shenzhen.
The years that shaped him most were at Ultraviolet — Paul Pairet's three-Michelin-starred Shanghai restaurant, now closed — where he was eventually promoted to Head Chef. The experience permanently changed how he thought about cooking: the discipline, the precision, and the refusal to settle.
Aster is the first restaurant that is entirely his own.
Ace Tang leads the bar at Aster, bringing over seven years of bar management experience — most recently as Head Bartender and Bar Manager at The Bunker by Flask, Shanghai. She built and ran that programme from 2018 to 2025: menu development, team leadership, event planning, and the operational detail that keeps a bar running well night after night.
At Aster, she oversees a collaborative cocktail list developed in partnership with some of Shanghai's most respected bartenders — refreshed each season. A WSET Level 2-certified bartender and 2024 Bols Disco Cocktail Battle China Champion, she brings both technical rigour and genuine creative instinct to everything poured at the bar.
One restaurant. Multiple formats. The same atmosphere throughout.
The main room: large tables, wide aisles, high ceilings. Anchored by a large-scale sculptural installation. Unhurried by design.
Eight seats directly in front of the open kitchen. The closest view of the kitchen in motion — a different pace from the main room.
A 56 sqm room upstairs. Marble table for 8–10. A lounge area alongside. Available for private bookings, bespoke menus, and group dinners.
Counter seating directly at the bar — the best spot for the full cocktail experience. Walk-ins welcome most evenings.
High ceilings. Large windows looking onto a lawn. A sculptural installation at the centre of the room.
The feeling of tranquility and spaciousness is very Aster.
A 56 sqm private dining room sits above the main floor. A marble table seats eight to ten. There's a lounge area with sofas alongside. It's quieter up there, and the format is entirely flexible.
Guests can order from the à la carte menu as normal, or — with advance notice — work with the kitchen to design something specific. We are happy to build a menu around a particular ingredient, dietary requirement, or occasion.
Enquire About the Private RoomAn intimate preview of the new summer menu, hosted by Joshua Paris. Counter seats and the private room will be available. A single seating — arrival from 19:00.
Ticketed EventAster's third seasonal cocktail menu launches with a tasting evening. Four Shanghai bars, eight new signatures, one night. Bar seats only — walk-in from 20:00.
Bar EventA single sitting for twelve, upstairs. An autumn tasting menu built around produce from suppliers Joshua has worked with from the beginning. Natural wine pairings available.
Private EventThe kitchen closes on Sunday, but the bar does not. From 17:30 until late. The full cocktail list, wine, draught beer — and a small selection of cold snacks from the kitchen.
Weekly
Walk-ins are welcome at the bar and chef's counter most evenings. For the dining room — especially Friday and Saturday — we recommend booking ahead.
For private dining enquiries, bespoke menus, or group bookings in the upstairs room, please get in touch directly.
For private dining requests, event enquiries, press, or anything else — fill in the form and we will come back to you within one business day.
For same-day reservations, please call or WeChat us directly: +86 156 1882 8656
AddressRoom 208, No. 130 Yongyuan Road
Jing'an District, Shanghai
Phone+86 156 1882 8656
