DAGU Road is continually developing into a substantial lifestyle avenue and budding restaurant street, with a string of venues off its pleasant sidewalks on either side. It's the home of Haya's Mediterranean Cuisine, Masala Art, Nova French bar and restaurant, Kitchen 88 and Papa Mario Pizza. And the restaurants just keep on coming.

Some people frequent this road for its famous DVD shops and many massage parlors. After trying any new eatery, we suggest you take a little pampering at one of the street's massage outlets with a variety of services -- either Taipan Spa or Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat. And then take home a new movie for a warming, cozy Sunday night.

Dog or cat owners are recommended to take their pets into the "I Love Pets" venue for its Japanese-style salon treatment or to purchase a selection from the range of imported products, from dog food to tooth paste, from trendy clothes to a cozy doghouse, as well as many interesting and safe toys and treats.


Just Grapes offers dazzling wines and delivery

Common interests and love of wine brought together the owners of this wine and lounge shop, three Chinese Americans and one Chinese Singaporean who all have important jobs in big companies. With a fresh new concept of delivering wines, Just Grapes offers a simple but excellent drinking experience. The 70-square-meter first floor area displays over 700 kinds of wines including red, white, bubblies and Champagne which have been arranged according to style. According to the on-site wine adviser, this arrangement can help customers easily find the best wine to suit their own taste preferences, despite confusing regions and brands. The shop is also keen at discovering new wineries and new products, especially in some "unpopular" wine regions such as Greece, Romania and Georgia. It also provides a 24-hour wine order service through a Website as well as many wine tasting activities and wine lectures. The second floor creates a very cozy environment for you to while away a Sunday afternoon and offers a great selection of appetizers, pastas, pizzas and sandwiches. If you are a newbie, the wine adviser in the bar will help you choose a fantastic wine to pair with your meal.

Opening hours: 10am-midnight (weekdays); 10am-1am (weekends)

Address: 462 Dagu Rd

Tel: 3311-3205


Palar Carpet for authentic imported rugs

This carpet shop is not really an obvious standout when you first visit the street as your attention may be focused on the various massage shops and DVD stores. But if you take time for a stroll, it is worth a visit. A Chinese Indonesian cousin and an old family friend established the shop as early as 1998 and moved to Dagu Road a year ago. It mainly provides handmade, high-quality carpets in many materials such as wool and silk from the Middle East, including Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Prices range from 3,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan and differ according to materials and sizes. The shop is now expanding its selection of handmade crafts with dozens of decoration pieces (100-3,000 yuan) on display. These traditional Indonesian crafts include wooden-frame mirrors and carvings handpicked by the owner in places like Jakarta and Bali. If you continue browsing, you can also sample a free cup of authentic Indonesian coffee.

Opening hours: 10am-8pm

Tel: 3311-5002

Address: 499 Dagu Rd


Nova French bar and restaurant

With a pleasant indoor and outdoor seating set-up, this two-floor French bistro is considered a highlight amongst the restaurants and bars along the road. A new menu was introduced on Thursday but it still includes the popular classic dishes as well as new food items. Manager Arnaud Daviet highly recommended the classic beef tenderloin with goose liver, black truffle sauce and potato in layers, beef tartar with fresh herbs and garlic, the newly added creamy chopped mushroom soup with croutons, pan-fried goose liver foie gras and, of course, famous French desserts such as warm dark chocolate and hazelnut and caramelized apple crumble. If you visit for lunch (Monday to Friday), the set meals are good choices at only 88 yuan for starter and main or main and dessert. For 108 yuan, you can get a starter, main course and dessert. And they've just expanded the lunch menu to offer more selections.

Opening hours: 12am-12pm (Sunday to Monday); 12am-1am (Friday and Saturday)

Address: 418 Dagu Rd

Tel: 6340-1889


Shanghai Taipan Spa

A visit to the Shanghai Taipan Spa is an unusual experience. With the Thai-style decor, the spa offers services ranging from 68 yuan to 388 yuan. These include treatments such as ear candling, Chinese-style pedicures, foot reflexology, full body massage, Thai oil massage and hard rock massage. Most customers seek the spa's signature foot reflexology and full-body massage package priced at 188 yuan/120 min. The rooms for foot massage and full-body massage are equipped with a flat screen TV with DVD player attached. It's a major hit amongst business folk in the city -- watching your favorite movie while having free food, drink and dessert. One of the specialties of Taipan is the food and beverage menu from which you can order fresh juices, Chinese tea, desserts, Macao-style noodles, sandwiches and pork filet bun -- all included in the treatment service. The spa business is extremely busy after 4pm everyday, so make a reservation for your pampering.

Opening hours: 12am-12pm

Address: 370 Dagu Rd

Tel: 6340-0366


Haya's Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean cuisine remains one of the most popular, fresh and colorful varieties in world food choices. Haya's Mediterranean Cuisine offers Shanghai customers a glimpse of tastes from this expansive region, dabbling in Israeli flavors enhanced by other Mediterranean and European styles. The menu has been updated recently, taking advantage of the expertise of a new chef from Israel. New items include cauliflower in tahini (28 yuan), meat tajine (96 yuan), lamb chops (90 yuan), samak kebabs (68 yuan), Moroccan fish (86 yuan), oven-baked chicken thigh (72 yuan), and slow-cooked stuffed vegetables (65 yuan). The classic highlights are still the hummus, falafel and shawarma that so many regulars travel across town to sample for their authenticity. A small section of the eatery offers a great selection of Mediterranean pita breads, bagels and a variety of other baked items. Grab a menu when you dine here and take advantage of free delivery for orders over 100 yuan.

Opening hours: 9am-11pm (bakery); 11am-10pm (restaurant)

Address: 415 Dagu Rd

Tel: 6295-9511


Masala Art for northern Indian

After a recent renovation, this modern Indian eatery is decked out in earth tones with an array of Indian artifacts elegantly displayed. The menu boasts classic Indian fare from the northern region, where the locals prefer breads instead of rice. The recommended dishes are broccoli besani (48 yuan), tandoori chicken (68 yuan), saag panner (48 yuan), and 11 choices of curries of chicken, fish, lamb and prawns. Dinner costs vary around 100 yuan per person. Most customers are attracted by the options of a combination of set meals priced at 48 yuan, 68 yuan and 88 yuan, each set including a drink. The restaurant is keen on providing authentic northern Indian cuisine to local people and 90 percent of the staff comes from India. Service is attentive and unobtrusive, providing diners with helpful guidance should it be required. A new outlet will be opened in March or April at the Expo site.

Opening hours: 11am-2pm, 5:30pm-11pm

Address: 397 Dagu Road

Tel: 6327-3571


I Love Pets treatment salon

If you are a pet lover and like to dress your animal in Japanese style, "I Love Pets" can be a good choice. On entering this sophisticated pet world filled with hundreds of cute products, you will be warmly welcomed by a lively poodle named Snoopy. Opened four years ago, the pet salon provides authentic Japanese imported products such as kennels, napkins, bags and clothes and many varieties of shampoo, tooth paste and towels with really attractive packaging. You can also choose from trendy accessories like a "bling bling" necklace and a colorful wig which will make your favorite pet stand out on the street. Pay up to 700 yuan (US$102.50) according to the size of your dog or cat, to pamper the animal in the on-site salon located on the second floor. The price of all the products, however, is a little bit expensive. A dog leash generally ranges from 230 yuan to 650 yuan, shampoo around 480 yuan and for a large pet cart, you could pay more than 1,000 yuan.

Opening hours: 10am-8pm; closed every third Wednesday of the month

Address: 468 Dagu Rd

Tel: 6340-1299