Harden's survey result
Summary
“No frills, no smiles but always fast and reliable” – this “Chinatown standby” has fed generations of West End revellers and theatre-goers with “great cheap Cantonese food”, serving up to 500 people at a time over several floors. “Service is not what it was – the staff are no longer rude!” – but “the speed with which scoff arrives at the table remains utterly predictable”. Top Menu Tip – “still love their Singapore noodles”.
Summary
“Tasty mountains of food” served with “no frills” make this Cantonese landmark one of London’s most enduring low-budget eats. “Yes, it’s basic” and the “super-quick” service “no longer has the ‘rudeness’ of the 1990s” that had its own masochistic entertainment value. But many reporters note that “they are still visiting after decades, so something works”: “it’s great cheap food”. “The ambience is tired with token Chinese decoration … wouldn’t have it any other way!”
Summary
“Service is as efficient and as unfriendly as ever, and the interior has looked the same for over 20 years now” (i.e. with precious little in terms of atmosphere) at this notorious Chinatown veteran – “certainly not a place for romance”. The legendary brusque service is “an acquired taste” and all part of the fun (“was staff rudeness toned down in the past year? Not something I’m happy with!”), but what keeps this place going are the “plates heaped with tasty food for a very good price”.
Summary
“Go through the doors and instantly get barked at – how many? Then, an instruction is growled: ‘Upstairs!’” The ritual of a meal at this famous Chinatown veteran, has elements of self-conscious parody (you can actually buy a T-shirt saying ‘upstairs’), but remains relatively ‘real’: a loose pact between its infamously “rude” and dismissive staff and students, theatre-goers and hungry workers in search of cheap, Chinese chow. “You are unlikely to get any smiles as you find yourself at a shared table, in a crammed-in dining area with plates piled high with deliciously smelly food being slammed onto various tables – they want you to be decisive, eat, and get out as soon as possible” – but it’s “a fantastic filler”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Wong Kei?
41-43 Wardour St, London, W1D 6PY
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £9.50 | £14.50 |  |
|
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £5.70 | £9.00 | £4.00 | £3.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £18.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £2.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
41-43 Wardour St, London, W1D 6PY
Opening hours
| Monday | 11:30 am‑11:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 11:30 am‑11:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 11:30 am‑11:30 pm |
| Thursday | 11:30 am‑11:30 pm |
| Friday | 11:30 am‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | 11:30 am‑11:30 pm |
| Sunday | 11:30 am‑10:30 pm |
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