Hi! We’ll be in Shanghai Nov 4–10, staying at the Mandarin Oriental Pudong for a trade fair.
We have Nov 5 free to explore, and only evenings the rest of the week.

Looking for suggestions on what to see in one full day and great local restaurants (good food, local flavor, safe, but not fancy).

Thanks for any tips!

I look for great food when I travel, so not necessarily restaurants or dining.

I have no recent experience. But I am pretty sure the following are still solid from the reports of others:

Jia Jia Tang Bao: getting a steamer basket (or two) of pork and crab xiao long bao is more a snack than dining, but these are delicate and correct.

Yang's Fry Dumplings: Shengjianbao. At least a couple of locations. So well executed. I can find these in the US, but they always fall well short.

Two places in the French Concession:

Jesse (at 41 Tianping Lu), also called Jishi. Shanghainese food. Eating Shanghainese food in Shanghai is a must. Sounds obvious, but I'm pretty sure most visitors don't realize. Some dishes may be seasonal, but the wild herbs wrapped in bean curd skin, the stir fried river shrimp, and the red braised pork (maybe listed as pork in chili sauce) are awesome. The dates stuffed with glutinous rice are more a dessert, even if not listed as such.

Hengshan Cafe (上海衡山小馆衡山店) , 308 Hengshan Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China, 200031, is the rare Cantonese restaurant in Shanghai. The best I've been to. Go for the sauteed morning glory, fish with fresh chilies, and the roast goose.

I loved standing onthe Bund on the other side atsunset and watching the lighted towers of Pudong.