Melange Oasis, an Organic Community Café in Shanghai

Lovely open organic café in the Jiashan Market community.

Jiashan Market, Shaanxi Nan Road, Lane 550, No. 37 – Building D | 嘉善市场,陕西南路550弄 37号 D栋

Practically speaking - Jiashan Market is a small community tucked down a lane between Shaanxi Nan Road and Jiashan Road. You can find the alley by first finding lane 550 on Shaanxi Nan Road's west side between Shaoxing Road and Jian Guo Xi Road. You'll see signs for "Jiashan Market" so just entry the alley (pedestrian only) and walk back until you find an area of new looking buildings on the south side of the alley. Enter here and walk back, you'll pass a few restaurants and Melange Oasis is in the back facing the courtyard.

Shanghai's former French Concession

Daily 9am-10pm.

Melange Oasis has been a family favorite for a while. The café sits next to a courtyard and on nice days, they open all the doors and windows out to the courtyard. They have quite a few tables outside and kids can wander freely around the courtyard and in and out of the restaurant. The restaurant itself is very kid-friendly with bean bags on the floor, a few toys, high-chairs and a kid-friendly menu.

The café bills itself as an organic, community café. This translates into their using many sustainable materials in the building itself (bamboo flooring, recycled paper in the washrooms, eco-friendly soaps, etc.) and as many organic ingredients as they can in their cooking. It's a community café in that the owners are always around, they host various events and you'll find many people who live in the neighborhood in the café itself. It has a very nice, relaxed atmosphere.

And the coffees and food are great. The menu is simple - with daily specials, pastas and sandwiches. The coffees are excellent and there is always an array of fresh cakes and pastries available.