There are lots of Italian places in Shanghai, but many tend to be expensive, slow, and not all that good. For affordable Italian with excellent service, my new “go to” choice is Pasta Mania. Last night I took a group to Pasta Mania on the 6th floor of the Raffles Mall next to People’s Square (take Exit 15 at the subway station for People’s Square and you’ll be on the ground floor of the Raffles Mall). For 38 RMB, my Arrabiata Penne was really tasty. The 68 RMB meat lover’s pizza was good, though I’m not a meat lover. The Al Funghi pasta my wife had was rich and creamy. The calamari was tender and delicious. I also enjoyed the beverages, especially the passion fruit tea and the rose and strawberry tea. Even tried a lychee smoothie that was quite good. We had a lot of food and a lot of fun for an average of 110 RMB per person. We could have spent a lot less by skipping drinks, dessert (half off on cheesecake!), and appetizers. Not bad!

Our waiter spoke good English and his service was outstanding. He came over and checked on us several times–a rarity in China. Friendly, clean, efficient place. We’ll be back!

There are several other Pasta Mania sites in Shanghai. Super Brands Mall has one also.