Crowds queue outside the new Menghuajie wonton shop which reopened yesterday. Most were old patrons from when it operated in the dilapidated home of the owner (inset). — Wang Rongjiang

An eatery known as one of the best 10 wonton places in Shanghai, run by an 82-year-old, reopened yesterday in Huangpu District after it was shut in 2015 for being unlicensed and disturbing neighbors.

Menghuajie Wonton, now licensed, reopened at the intersection of Zhonghua Road and Guangqi Rd S. With 70 square meters, it seats 18. But yesterday it had a queue 100 meters long. Many of them old patrons.

“The big wontons are very tasty and I have eaten them since I was a kid,” said Zhang Yun, in his 30s.

Zhang said he ate a bowl of Menghuajie wonton almost every day for the past 20-plus years since the eatery opened.

“It is the familiar taste of Shanghainese and a reminds me of when I was a kid,” he said. The eatery reopened under the help of Huangpu District Market Supervision and Management Bureau and online catering service platform Ele.me.

The bureau helped find the new venue. Ele.me covered the cost of decoration and will cover part of the rents of the new restaurant.

Menghuajie Wonton was a 9-square-meter eatery opened by Song Genxing in 1992 on Menghua street.

The eatery was on the first floor of Song’s cramped and dilapidated two-story house in a run-down area of Huangpu with only 24 sqare meters — shared by four people.

It was the only source of income for Song and his three daughters who had been laid off.

The wonton shop became popular after a TV program on revamping old homes refurbished it. But its popularity annoyed neighbors.

“I was lost when the shop was closed and almost gave up because finding a new venue is not easy and rents are high,” 82-year-old Song said yesterday.

Its closure triggered debate on food safety law enforcement and the survival of longtang (alley) delicacies.

“Huangpu District gathers a large number of longtang delicacies that residents love and we are exploring on how to ensure food safety and maintain longtang delicacies at the same time,” said Zhang Qin, director of the District Market Supervision and Management Bureau.