LUNCH is the reward for getting through a morning of work. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, complicated meal. Rather, it should replenish energy for tackling afternoon work. Some people pack their own lunch boxes and eat in a park on a nice day. Most people prefer to eat out, grabbing a sandwich, a salad or a bowl of noodles at eateries near the office.

But if you want to lift the midday break a notch, we can recommend some interesting places to try for lunch.

Takumi Robatayaki and Sake Bar

Robatayaki features the traditional Japanese cooking style from Sendai. This upscale Japanese restaurant usually costs about 400 yuan (US$64.44) per person for dinner. If your pocketbook doesn’t stretch that far, set lunch prices at between 68 yuan and 148 yuan will give you the opportunity to get the taste of the place.

The set includes a main course with salad, chawan-mushi, pickle and coffee. Choices for the mains include kimchi pork with cheese bibimbap bowl, salt-grilled mackerel, ox tongue and tomato with miso sauce and fried udon.

The lunch menu is updated seasonally.

Address: L4-22 ifc mall, 8 Century Ave

Tel: 5011-1677

Address: N3-14 Jing’an Kerry Center, 1515 Nanjing Rd W.

Tel: 6259-5177

Pho Real

This Vietnamese chain restaurant in Shanghai has four branches offering set lunches that include an appetizer, two spring rolls with pho salad, a main course and a choice of soft drinks or special tea.

The sandwich set lunch is 70 yuan, while a small bowl of noodles will cost you 60 yuan.

The signature beef noodle dish features a slowly simmered broth topped with thinly sliced beef.

Address: L2-06, The Place, 100 Zunyi Rd

Tel: 5291-0907

Address: B1-12, Jing’an Kerry Center, 1515 Nanjing Rd W.

Tel: 6299-1827

Address: 166 Fumin Rd

Tel: 5403-8110

Address: 1465 Fuxing Rd M.

Tel: 6437-2222

Petit Jardin

This new restaurant brand is a younger version of the famous Jardin de Jade. Unlike the parent brand that serves authentic Shanghai and Zhejiang-style cuisines, Petit Jardin is more creative, offering Cantonese siu mei and dim sums. It’s also more budget friendly.

The atmosphere of Petit Jardin is casual and the service is attentive. The portions are not overly large and some of the dishes will surprise you, like the so-called 68 truffle, which features a meatball wrapped in you mian jin, a fried gluten puff.

The set lunch at 78 yuan includes a chicken salad with ginger and honey dressing, siu mei in curry or barbeque sauce, with bowl of rice, a choice of creamy mushroom soup or borscht served in a mug, and ice cream for dessert. A glass of ice tea will cost you an additional 8 yuan.

The restaurant is currently offering a 20 percent price reduction on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Address: L6-06&07, Crystal Galleria, 68 Yuyuan Rd

Tel: 6215-6038

Address: L4-12&13, The Place, 100 Zunyi Rd

Tel: 6215-6185

Shinmachi

Be prepared to wait in line for lunch at this cozy Japanese restaurant. It offers a set lunch menu that features diverse choices including sushi, sashimi, grills and hotpots.

The set lunch, ranging in price from about 80 yuan to 100 yuan per person, is much cheaper than the ala carte menu. Service is fast. The set menu includes side dishes of chawan-mushi, or steamed egg custard, salad and miso soup.

Unadon, which is a large bowl of steamed white rice topped with kabayaki grilled freshwater eel, and the salmon sashimi are popular choices.

Address: 159 Madang Rd

Tel: 3366-1281

T Modern Chinese Tea Cuisine

Opened at the end of 2014, T Modern Chinese Tea Cuisine offers what it describes as a unique dining experience. Not only are dishes made from tea-related ingredients, but the interior décor itself is bathed in minimalistic neutral wood tones that suggest the tranquility of a tea plantation.

The semi-buffet lunch set includes a selection of main courses from 48 yuan to 88 yuan. The buffet portion features an organic vegetable salad with three choices of dressing, staples such as tea oil rice or tea oil rice with assorted grains, tea and soft drinks.

The chef’s secret sauce alone is worth a visit. His light green dressing is similar to a sesame dressing, but with a bolder hint of fresh mint. It’s a perfect complement with asparagus lettuce and sweet corn.

The main course offerings include chicken meatballs in ketchup sauce and tea oil, at 48 yuan; tea smoked duck breast with mixed vegetables, at 48 yuan; grilled chicken with black tea and lemon sauce, at 68 yuan; and braised Australia beef rib, at 88 yuan.

Address: L4-01, North Building, Hong Kong Plaza, 282 Huaihai Rd M.

Tel: 6352-7609

Yè Shanghai

If you are in the Xintiandi area and want to have a chic lunch with friends, Yè Shanghai is the perfect choice.

Housed in a beautiful shikumen-style building, the restaurant exudes a quiet and elegant atmosphere reminiscent of the old days in Shanghai.

The average ala carte price at Yè Shanghai is around 300 yuan per person, but lunch sets are available for between 58 yuan and 88 yuan per person for a minimum two diners. The only catch is that everyone needs to order in the same category.

The 88-yuan set lunch offers six choices of main dishes. Parties of two or three people must pick two mains; four-six people, three mains; and seven-10 people, four mains.

The set includes Shanghai-style cold appetizers or a selection of dim sum as starters, soup, sautéed seasonal vegetable, fried rice with pickles and minced pork, and a dessert of fresh fruit. Chinese tea is served.

The price of the set meal includes a 10 percent service charge.

Address: 338 Huangpi Rd S.

Tel: 6311-2323

Home Thai

Located in the K11 Art Mall, Home Thai offers good value set lunches ranging from 50 yuan to 70 yuan.

The restaurant is known for its authentic Thai food. The restaurant has an energetic feel to it, and the service is fast and friendly.

The set lunch comes with a tray of different side dishes rotated frequently. They may include shrimp or fish, soups, a few cold snacks and sweets. Tea or coffee is included. Main courses include pad Thai, red curry sole fillet, grilled ox tongue and green chicken curry.

The quality of the food served here has been consistent since the restaurant opened two years ago.

Address: L4-01, K11 Art Mall, 300 Huaihai Rd M.

Tel: 6335-5995

Bon Vivant

French cuisine with an Asian flair is the masterstroke of chef Justin Quek at Bon Vivant.

A three-course set lunch at 138 yuan offers a choice of starters, including a Caesar salad, foie gras xiao long bao or soup of the day, a main course and dessert.

Address: L3-03A, Lippo Plaza, 222 Huaihai Rd M.

Tel: 3330-0717

Villandry French Restaurant

Shanghai Science Hall JE is a century-old heritage building and the largest single French-style villa in Shanghai.

It’s hard not to be awed when entering the elegantly designed interior, which blends Chinese and European styles to perfect.

The villa now hosts a French restaurant, a lounge and a Chinese restaurant.

The Villandry French Restaurant offers two set lunches priced at 138 yuan and 198 yuan per person, plus a 15 percent service charge.

The standard three course meal includes a salad or soup entrée, one main course and dessert.

Address: 47 Nanchang Rd

Tel: 3126-8801

Pintxos

This casual Spanish restaurant specializes in pinchos, or small snacks served in individual portions.

The restaurant’s set lunch menu is so popular that it is often hard to get a table. In fact, Pintxos is one of the most popular restaurants in the Jing’an Kerry Center.

The 78 yuan set lunch includes a pizza or small paella valenciana with a side salad. Soup or beverage is an additional 10 yuan.

There’s also a 128 yuan set lunch for two that includes five different pinchos, each with two servings.

Address: B1-10, South Jing’an Kerry Center, 1515 Nanjing Rd W.

Tel: 6173-7983