Westminster, Chinese, Dim Sum Restaurant Guide

An international Taiwanese-based chain with a trio of UK outlets in Covent Garden, Selfridges and most recently Centre Point (“with a great view”). To well-travelled connoisseurs of the original, they are “more upmarket here and more expensive too” (“I lived in Asia for several years and ate at a DTF at least weekly, but here they’ve jacked the prices up to a level that is taking the p***”). But to the uninitiated, they can seem like “the best ever dumplings”, and – Top Menu Tip – even their sternest critics say “don’t ignore the Xian Long Bao” (soup dumplings).

2021 Review: “In a crowded Chinatown field”, this three-story Cantonese institution just off Leicester Square “is a dependable crowd-pleaser” with a “good price-to-quality ratio”: “the queues outside speak for its popularity”. Highlights from the “reliable menu” include “fab dim sum every time”, “yummy char sui” and “legendary soft shell crab”, all delivered by staff who “although rushed off their feet are generally smiley and friendly”. Top Tip – “the ground floor is a better experience than the higher floors”.

“Fresh and very tasty dim sum” ensures that this 30-year-old Cantonese over three storeys on the edge of Chinatown “soon fills up with regulars”. “It may be a blessing that the ambience is not exactly chic – it keeps the tourists away”.

2023 Review: “Top egg yolk buns” are a big draw at China-born architect Z He and chef Alex Peffly’s well-known Chinatown pit stop, which provides an “excellent bustling ambience and wonderful heart-filling food”.

This “very busy” Cantonese stalwart is “a cut above its rivals” on the Chinatown main drag. There’s “nothing special about the environment, but it serves some of the best and best-value dim sum available in London”.

“It’s all about the dumplings” at this “efficient” and “good-value” Chinatown dim sum specialist – “and luckily they’re worth it”. “The best time to go is a Sunday just before the lunch rush”.

2023 Review: This modern pan-Asian in Covent Garden – an import from NYC – offers “playful dim sum”, alongside other “cut-above” dishes. There are “relaxed long tables for groups or cosy red-checked spots for two diners”, and the atmosphere is set by the “fun 90s playlist and friendly team”.

Northern Chinese fare including “authentic and tasty dumplings and noodles” make either of Wei Shao’s duo (Borough Market and Soho) “a great standby for a quick and fun meal”. “A Chinese that’s worth a visit for an evening bite and not just for dim sum – and which doesn’t break the bank – is a rare find in London.”

Thin feedback this year on this glossy Eurotrash playground in Mayfair – London outpost of Arkady Novikov’s large restaurant empire (fun fact – according to Forbes in Nov 2022, this includes what used to be the Krispy Kreme Russian franchise, rebranded post-sanctions as ‘Krunchy Dream’). Its sushi, seared seafood and other luxe Pan-Asian bites remain well-rated, if at prices designed for oligarchs. (There’s also an imposing, ambitious dining room with an Italian menu to the rear that no-one mentions much).

An “extravagant setting” is central to the approach of this showy Chinese venue in Mayfair, whose website promises ‘the ultimate Asian restaurant’ and a ‘world of hedonism’ including ‘devilishly curious entertainment’ (such as burlesque). Its “excruciating prices” have always been an issue, but the view that the food (from a very wide-ranging menu, including dim sum, caviar, steak, noodles…) is “nothing special” gained ground this year, as did the concern that “I just didn’t enjoy the experience” – “the shows are at least a distraction from what is a pretty lacklustre meal...”

“Cheung fun… just wow” – a highlight of the “brilliant” dim sum at this cool modern take on Cantonese cuisine, created by Alan Yau, the restaurant whizz behind Hakkasan and Wagamama. Now in its 20th anniversary year, there are two sites in the capital – a Soho basement (with ground-floor tea room) and a very much bigger and glossier venue in the City’s Broadgate development (plus satellites in the Middle East and India). But even fans of the “delicious food” sometimes say, “I like it here, but the bill always surprises me… not in a good way!”

“Best Asian restaurant I’ve eaten in!” – these “beautiful” nightclubby haunts (“quite why they keep them so dark is beyond me”) have maintained an impressive standard for over 20 years, and the Tottenham Court original has since been replicated not just in Mayfair but in numerous cities around the globe. Their ratings have fluctuated over many years, always around the same concerns – “success has got the better of them…”; “chaotic” and/or “attitude-y” service; punishing prices. The believers still carry the day, though, saying they are “always a special experience” with a “delectable” mix of dim sum, Peking duck (with or without caviar) and other classic Chinese dishes – “definitely take a big wallet, but I love it!”

An international Taiwanese-based chain with a trio of UK outlets in Covent Garden, Selfridges and most recently Centre Point (“with a great view”). To well-travelled connoisseurs of the original, they are “more upmarket here and more expensive too” (“I lived in Asia for several years and ate at a DTF at least weekly, but here they’ve jacked the prices up to a level that is taking the p***”). But to the uninitiated, they can seem like “the best ever dumplings”, and – Top Menu Tip – even their sternest critics say “don’t ignore the Xian Long Bao” (soup dumplings).

“Best Asian restaurant I’ve eaten in!” – these “beautiful” nightclubby haunts (“quite why they keep them so dark is beyond me”) have maintained an impressive standard for over 20 years, and the Tottenham Court original has since been replicated not just in Mayfair but in numerous cities around the globe. Their ratings have fluctuated over many years, always around the same concerns – “success has got the better of them…”; “chaotic” and/or “attitude-y” service; punishing prices. The believers still carry the day, though, saying they are “always a special experience” with a “delectable” mix of dim sum, Peking duck (with or without caviar) and other classic Chinese dishes – “definitely take a big wallet, but I love it!”

“You could be in Hong Kong” at this “barn-like” Chinese venue near Elephant & Castle, where you’ll find “truly authentic”, “super-fresh dim sum, alongside old-school Cantonese favourites”. “So pleased it has found its mojo again” after a long post-pandemic closure.

2021 Review: Between Selfridges and St Christopher’s Place – a “busy and quite noisy” haunt, where some reporters are very impressed by its Pan-Asian small plates (including sushi and dim sum dishes), but others feel that they’re “not exciting, but OK”.

“Best dim sum I’ve had in a long time – everything was best-in-class”: reporters are unanimous in their praise for the “always great” Cantonese cooking at the Marylebone flagship of the Royal China group. But there’s some pushback against the prices: “eye-wateringly expensive, compared to the standard competition, if comparable to their Hakkasan/Yauatcha-peers”.

“Sunday dim sum lunch is always full of happy families” at this popular Cantonese group with 1980s-nightclub decor – an occasion for which they “cannot be beaten” for many diners: so “arrive around 10:45 to join queue for 11am opening”. With the closure of its Bayswater branch a few years ago, Baker Street and Canary Wharf are its preeminent spots (and SW6 can be “disappointing” by comparison). All feedback is about the lunchtime service – “the evening offering is a bit ordinary”.

A “big Chinese restaurant” – the London outpost of a Shanghai group – which serves Cantonese fare that’s “really good and not too pricey”. It occupies part of an office block near Portman Square in Marylebone – a setting that “can seem a bit sterile”.