Cedar Kitchen, located on Julu Road in Shanghai, is becoming an increasingly important venue for independent culture in the city. This may come as a slight surprise, as when it opened around Christmas in 2023, the business primarily functioned as a Lebanese bistro. 

With an experienced chef from Dubai, Cedar brings a fresh take on food from Lebanon and the rest of the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region to Shanghai. 

But the space is about more than just food: it shares music, art, and a community-driven ethos.

For example, this February Cedar expanded its coffee service by introducing the Neapolitan tradition of “suspended coffee” to Shanghai. The practice encourages customers to purchase an extra coffee for someone in need, reflecting a spirit of sharing.

Starting off slowly at first, the space now regularly hosts musical events. From DJs to dancers, if you head to a party at Cedar you’ll recognize familiar faces from underground clubs like ALL Club and the now-closed Elevator. For its parties, Cedar expands beyond its cramped café-kiosk into the adjoining business: a garage. The resulting atmosphere — dancing on rubber floor pads next to car parts — is unlike any other venue in Shanghai. 

Back in the café, Cedar’s street side DJ equipment is open to all during business hours, giving budding DJs a chance to practice.

New experiments are constantly happening at Cedar, in the form of workshops and performances. Want a cocktail? You might encounter it in Cedar’s XR (extended reality) world. Concerned about internet data security? Cedar provides space for people to share files via hard disks. Open jam sessions, readings, and improvised PPT-sharing nights are all regular occurrences at Cedar. The events welcome newcomers while embracing mistakes and happy accidents, the goal simply being to share experiences and resources. 

Increasingly, Cedar is looking out beyond the café and the garage next door. In early October, they organized an event at the larger-scale Shanghai club System, featuring Copenhagen-born Kurdish artist Muskila. A few days later, they presented a “city run” urban street game, encouraging participants to experience Shanghai’s urban space from a different perspective. Cedar has also hosted a two-day auction to raise money to help a young Palestinian woman and her family evacuate from Gaza. 

What makes Cedar unique is its openness and seamless fusion of global culture. Less business-driven than other Shanghai venues, the space draws people into its community by encouraging playful, conscious engagement with the world. Here’s looking forward to what emerges from Cedar next!

Banner image via WeChat.