China: Cheesecake Factory, Lego store to land at Shanghai’s Disneytown

Disneytown, the shopping and dining center that will be next to Shanghai Disneyland, will have a touch of California dining options among the Asian food restaurants when it opens next year.

The Cheesecake Factory will stake its Asian flagship restaurant at the Disney site. Popular Chinese-based Hatsune will serve up California-style sushi at an eatery that offers views of the theme park’s Enchancted Storybook Castle.

What will the Shanghai version of Downtown Disney look like?

Disneytown’s plans announced Friday says it will feature Shikumen-style buildings, which are a 19th-century type of architecture that blends Chinese and Western designs. Think multi-level town houses with stone arches over the entrances.

The center will have five districts: Lakeshore, Marketplace, Spice Alley, Broadway Boulevard and Broadway Plaza. Spice Alley, for example, will feature Southeast Asian cooking, including local cuisine at Food Republic, Thai food at Coconut Paradise and dim sum at the Dining Room.

Bakeries/coffeehouses like BreadTalk and Toast Box provide some quick-dining options too. As for shopping, so far only a Lego store and two clothing stores -- BAPE (Bathing Ape) and I.T -- have been announced.

Disneytown will be steps from the Shanghai Disneyland and Toy Story hotels. It will include the sixth Disneyland in the world and will have features like Treasure Cove and Garden of the Twelve Friends that are unique to the park.

Though it’s scheduled to open in 2016, no opening date has been set.

The $5-billion Shanghai Disney Resort is a partnership developed by Disney with Chinese partner Shanghai Shendi Group.

Info: Shanghai Disney Resort