Located in Vanke Plaza in Xuhui District, Vesta Deli & Squash is a squash player’s dream come true - and possibly the world’s very first squash-themed restaurant.
Launched in 2024 by Karen Chen, a Taiwanese food and beverage specialist who relocated to Shanghai 20 years ago, in just two years Vesta has exploded to become one of Shanghai’s must visit squash locations - for both the on-court action and the off-court offerings - and a regular post-match haunt for players across the city.
The club itself was born out of a blend of necessity and vision. Chen had only stumbled across the game three years previously, noticing a squash court on her way to a swimming class. But from the moment she stepped on court she was hooked - but struggled to get a regular court booking to pursue her new obsession. When an opportunity came up to open a new restaurant facility - Chen runs five other venues across Shanghai - she seized the moment and turned dreams into reality, installing two glass-courts to ensure she would have a place to play every day inside her new venture.
“I fell in love with squash a few years ago and I like to play for a couple of hours every day,” said Chen.
“When I started, it was hard to get a regular court. So what better than to have my own courts and build a cafe around them!
“We’re a really unique venue, combing a proper restaurant and a squash club together. In just one year we’ve become the top rated squash venue in Shanghai and we’re a regular destination for things like corporate team building days and other things like that.
“We have over 20,000 people subscribed with us on an app and a large portion of our players are female - I would say around 70%. Our courts are bright, they’re pretty and we get a lot of women coming here to play squash, have brunch or food, and get their fitness and their social in together.”
To cater for demand, Karen runs group classes - for 4-6 adults at a time - at varying points during the day. Early morning group members get an hour on court and a free coffee, come later in the day and you get discount off food - play enough times and you rack up enough points to redeem against the latest club clothing range or mascot.
When we spoke, her classes were fully subscribed for the next 8 days. When you add on top a themed restaurants that serves delicious food and provides props to encourage sharing of social media selfies, you arrive at a destination far removed from a traditional squash club.
Step inside and you'll find tables decorated with squash racket shapes on one side, with convenient foam-roller backed chairs for a post game muscle ease complimenting the 24/7 showing of SquashTV on the big screen, while the opposite side of the venue houses two bright, all-glass squash courts with benches and steps serving as a rest area for those waiting or parents accompanying their children to practice.
The restaurant specialises in low-fat, high-protein energy bowls - with nods to the squash theme throughout the menu, from the champion fires to the squash ball shaped desserts.
Vesta employs two full-time coaches, who are on-hand to run a packed programme of sessions throughout the week. From dedicated early-morning programmes - allowing working professionals to enjoy a morning workout complete with a complimentary breakfast or coffee - to beginner sessions and one-on-one bookings, the clubs courts are fully books weeks in advance.
And for anyone booking a court slot, the appeal of the complimentary self-serve ice-cream machine serves as a highly enjoyable post-match treat.
With plans in place to add two outdoor courts to the cub in 2026, Vesta looks set to become even bigger and better.
