Other
Yao Lu
Bartender / bar director
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
For cocktail work, transmission matters: habits of reading a room, building a round cleanly, and keeping service generous under pressure are learned in use. In Yao Lu’s case, that formation runs through Houston, where work as a bartender at Anvil Bar & Refuge put him in proximity to Bobby Heugel’s operating standard, and later through Shanghai, where Union Trading Company became the house he built around those lessons. Hospitality travels poorly when treated as a fixed style. It travels better as method: adapt to the room, keep the exchange clear, and let the guest’s reason for being there change shape over the course of the drink. From Houston to Shanghai, Lu’s bar work is framed by that practical exchange between technique, place, and welcome.
Coming Up
Bar training at Anvil Bar & Refuge gave Yao Lu a working education in service cadence: balance, timing, temperature, texture, and the small decisions that separate an assembled cocktail from a composed one. The room mattered as much as the build. A bartender had to read quickly, move cleanly, and make warmth feel unforced. Hospitality, in that setting, was active rather than decorative. Lu’s later work carried forward the same hand-to-hand discipline: listen before showing technique, keep confidence matched with ease, and let the bar’s motion serve the guest rather than the bartender. Co-ownership of Union Trading Co. Marks the continuation of that training in Shanghai. The move is from absorbing the grammar of the bar to using it in a house with its own standard.
Where They Are Now
Shanghai provides the operating context for Union Trading Company, founded by Yao Lu, and Union Trading Co, where he is co-owner. The bar’s identity is expressed through service and through named drinks that have become associated with it, with play and structure held in the same frame. Shanghai Breakfast is described as a signature cocktail there, made with champagne, huangjiu, black sesame, honey, and banana. The build places sparkling wine beside Chinese yellow wine, with sesame, fruit, sweetness, and texture doing the work of locating the drink in the city without over-explaining it. The underlying craft position is simple: a bar is not only a display case for technique. In Lu’s words, it is a place for temporary release, where a guest should leave in a better state than they arrived. “People want escapism, and they want to leave slightly happier than when they came in, regardless of the reason why they came in.”
Signature
Yao's signature dishes include Shanghai Breakfast, Sawayaka, StaroftheShow, and BLOSSOM. As a set, the names indicate different modes of bar authorship: local reference, brightness, stagecraft, and floral register. In trade terms, a signature is more than a formula; it is a repeatable guest impression built through aroma, pacing, texture, and recall.
In Their Words “I’m originally from Houston, Texas, and I used to work with Bobby Heugel at Anvil Bar Refuge in Houston. I’m currently based in Shanghai, and I own a bar called Union Trading Company.” “Whenever we think of a concept we want to do, the first question is: how do we make it fun? How do we make it stupid?”
Honors
Yao Lu has received Asia’s 50 Best Bars honoree for Union Trading Company.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Yao
What is Yao Lu's current role?
As of 2026, Yao Lu is founder of Union Trading Company.
Where did Yao Lu work before?
Yao Lu's earlier career included Anvil Bar & Refuge.
