Gong Delin is a time-honored vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai, and it can also be regarded as the originator of domestic vegetarian restaurants. The restaurant was founded in 1922 by Zhao Yunshao, a disciple of Master Wei Jun of Chang Lin Temple in Hangzhou Chenghuang Mountain. Since its establishment nearly 100 years ago, Gongdelin has received countless historical celebrities and dignitaries from various countries, and the store address has also been relocated from the original Xiangkangli on Nanjing East Road to Huanghe Road and Nanjing West Road.

Over the years, Gongdelin has been recognized by national official institutions, and has been awarded the title of "China Time-honored Brand" by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, and has also won the honors of "National Green Catering Enterprise", "Chinese Famous Restaurant" and "Chinese Famous Snack" issued by the China Cuisine Association, and its vegetarian production skills have been rated as "National Intangible Cultural Heritage". In the Michelin Shanghai restaurant selection, Gongdelin also performed well, and has been listed on the "Bib Gourmand Food Recommendation List" for several consecutive years, which shows its status in the industry.

The current head chef, Zhang Hongshan, has worked in Gongdelin for nearly 40 years and won the gold medal at the 6th World Culinary Competition for his signature dish crab roe. Although it is a long-established vegetarian restaurant, several representative dishes of Gongdelin are imitation meat dishes, such as stir-fried crab roe, pine nut rich fish, squirrel mandarin fish, merit sliced duck, dry roasted large yellow croaker, sweet and sour eight-treasure fish, which have been passed down for decades. Due to the production needs of imitation meat dishes, compared with the previous vegetarian restaurants, Gongdelin's dishes are more greasy, and there is rarely a refreshing feeling when eating.

The restaurant's ability to maintain a stable production over the years is closely related to the careful selection of ingredients and strict production. Taking crab roe as an example, Zhang Hongshan once mentioned that when making crab roe, potatoes are generally selected from dry areas, which are heavier in flour; The carrots should be selected from the clove carrots produced in Guangdong, which have less sugar and will not be too sweet; Shiitake mushrooms are made of linden mushrooms that grow on wood, the meat is firm and delicious, and the chef must follow strict standards and processes when making them, and no arbitrary modifications are allowed.

Nanjing West Road store is antique, the black background gold signboard is quite conspicuous, and the central area of the entrance is placed with a fish release pond and copper tripod, and the Zen flavor is obvious. The restaurant has three floors, and on the right side of the first floor is the light dining area, which mainly serves a variety of somen noodles, such as gluten, double mushrooms, and assorted toppings, and the order rate is very high. On the left and second floors of the first floor are the ordering areas, where dozens of vegetarian dishes are available, and there is an endless stream of diners every day. There are 6 private rooms on the third floor, which are elegant and chic, and are generally used for receiving medium and high-end vegetarian banquets. Compared with the unbounded vegetables of the restaurant recommended by Bib Gourmand on the food list, the price of Gongdelin is more affordable, and you can enjoy a wealth of dishes in the ordering area for about 100 yuan per person. However, the restaurant is popular all year round, the atmosphere is a little noisy, and the ordering area generally cannot be reserved in advance, and can only queue up to call the number; Private rooms can be reserved, but the minimum consumption starts from 1,000 yuan. The restaurant service staff has a general attitude, treats customers more casually, and occasionally becomes impatient. The restaurant can provide parking lots, and you can get free parking fees for 2 hours if you spend more than 100 yuan.