London , Chinese Restaurant Guide

“Consistently excellent dim sum” served in a vibey setting that “even after so many years is still a fun, cool place to be” ensures continuing plaudits for these sleek venues (founded by Alan Yau in 2004 and nowadays an international brand owned by Tao Group Hospitality with three siblings in India and one in Saudi Arabia). Food aside, its two London branches are very different – the original, intimate ground floor and basement in Soho contrasting with the more “spectacular”, large, “light-filled” modern unit in the City’s Broadgate development. Both scored highly this year – “service appears to have become a bit less standoffish”; and “the only drawback is eating too much!”. Top Menu Tips – “Cheung fun, Venison Puff, Sichuan pork wonton and Wagyu beef puff are some of the tastiest things you can eat”.

For a Chinese meal in the City, a number of reporters recommend this venue at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Blackfriars (fka the Crowne Plaza, reopened post-refurb in summer 2023). The unusual name marks the debut of the Chinese national cricket team in 2009, the year the restaurant opened. Classic dishes range from dim sum and Peking duck to xiao long bao.

“A takeaway hole in the wall with some seating” characterises the branches of Pui Sing, Cheong Yew & Mo Kwok’s HK-inspired group, which specialises in Siu Mei (“authentic roasted Chinese meats”) served in “generous portions” plus noodles – “top Hong Kong food, affordable and better than at ‘normal’ sit-down restaurants”. Towards the end of 2024, they will open their largest site to-date: a 50-cover restaurant in Ealing’s Filmworks development.

“Well-executed Chinese and Japanese fare (if at strictly expense account-only prices)” from Singapore-born chef Peter Ho, wins consistent praise this year at this plush dining room. Part of the Four Seasons hotel in the extremely imposing former headquarters of the Port of London Authority (built in 1922), near Tower Hill, this august chamber “very much feels like the high-end hotel restaurant that it is”.

“Brilliant, lip-numbing” northern Chinese cooking has put this Soho fixture from Wei Shao firmly on the map, and it serves a flexible menu of skewers, noodles and rice, wok dishes and other dim sum options. Some feel its Borough Market offshoot is “weak” by comparison (“it’s as if the Soho one benefits from the proximity of Chinatown but they don’t expect anyone with any discernment in SE1!”).

“The views are fantastic, especially if you get a window seat” at this 35th-floor venue at the top of the Shard. It’s open from breakfast (Asian or Western) onwards, via lunch and afternoon tea to dinner, when there’s an Asian-inflected menu where items like Glazed Cauliflower “Steak” with Couscous, Coconut & Lime Foam rub shoulders with more wholeheartedly Oriental dishes such as Bo Xao Luc Lac Five Spices Beef. Especially by the standards of the venues in the Shard, moans about prices are most notable by their absence.

“Being situated so high up in the Shard”, this glossy Asian venue (part of the HK-based Aqua group) on the 33rd floor of the UK’s highest building has “one of, if not THE best outlook in London”, making it “perfect for any celebration, with atmospheric lighting to boot in the evening”. The stratospheric expense of a meal here, though, dampens its ratings. Fans say, “yes, you pay a premium, but the food is amazing” and “beautifully presented”. But even such supporters can still leave “feeling totally fleeced”, or that it’s “insanely reliant on the outlook” given a bill that “arrives like a dragon’s fire in the face”. This is particularly keenly felt by those who encountered incidents of “haphazard” service.

“Great hand-pulled noodles” – “and the best cold starters” – are the highlights of a meal at this Spitalfields canteen featuring “spicy pot-stickers” from Shaanxi province in northwest China. (‘Biang’ is apparently an onomatopoeia, said to resemble the sound of noodle dough hitting a work surface).

“Gloriously textured noodles and flavoursome sauces” draw a wide-ranging crowd (including plenty of Chinese students studying nearby) to Wei Guirong’s “friendly” Shaanxi canteen near Russell Square. It’s a sibling to Xi’an Impression near the Emirates Stadium and the new Dream Xi’an at Tower Bridge. Top Menu Tip – “for the price you pay, the cold chicken in sesame sauce and the biang biang noodles are amazing”.

“Huge emporium by the Elephant & Castle” that’s “firing on all cylinders again” for “solidly decent dim sum at fair prices” and with “more regional dishes added to the menu” of late. “Big round tables with lazy susans make it ideal for big parties”, although “service can be a bit chaotic”.

“Sublime” and “well-executed Sichuan dishes in all their spiciness” (“crazy Chinese cooking like I’ve never experienced anywhere else!”) make this “a sensational go-to” foodie destination for its many long-term fans (who reckon it’s “back to late-noughties form”). The decor is relatively “soothing” by the standards of the area, with no agreement over whether sitting upstairs or downstairs is best.

“Huge Cantonese restaurant” over two floors on Chinatown’s main drag, praised for its “sensibly priced and fine-quality dim sum”, along with “good crispy duck with pancakes”. “Service is brisk but friendly”, and its capacity makes it “good for walk-ins”.

“The best roast duck in the world? I have no idea, but it’s certainly superb” at these Cantonese canteens… and “you definitely don’t go for the ambience. No, You go for the duck… if you’re really smart, the roast pork… or even better, the pork and the duck!”. “But the service is comically, disastrously rude – and your arteries will probably thank you if you don’t go too often”. Launched 35 years ago in Queensway, the group now has outlets in Chinatown, Soho, the Hippodrome (Chop Chop), Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental food hall and Oxford.

“The best roast duck in the world? I have no idea, but it’s certainly superb” at these Cantonese canteens… and “you definitely don’t go for the ambience. No, You go for the duck… if you’re really smart, the roast pork… or even better, the pork and the duck!”. “But the service is comically, disastrously rude – and your arteries will probably thank you if you don’t go too often”. Launched 35 years ago in Queensway, the group now has outlets in Chinatown, Soho, the Hippodrome (Chop Chop), Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental food hall and Oxford.

“Fantastic dim sum with good-quality ingredients” make this family-run Cantonese “a good Gerrard Street standby”. Now entering its fifth decade, the decor is “slightly cooler than in your average Chinatown restaurant”.

“The best roast duck in the world? I have no idea, but it’s certainly superb” at these Cantonese canteens… and “you definitely don’t go for the ambience. No, You go for the duck… if you’re really smart, the roast pork… or even better, the pork and the duck!”. “But the service is comically, disastrously rude – and your arteries will probably thank you if you don’t go too often”. Launched 35 years ago in Queensway, the group now has outlets in Chinatown, Soho, the Hippodrome (Chop Chop), Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental food hall and Oxford.

“Great dim sum” backed up by more substantial Cantonese and Sichuan dishes have established this unshowy venue as one of the area‘s best bets. It’s easy to find: it’s right by the archway at the entrance to Chinatown!

Many long-in-the-tooth Londoners regard this “no-nonsense”, multi-floor Chinatown veteran as their “go-to Chinese restaurant in the West End”. “The legend of Wong Kei was the sheer rudeness of the staff. Nowadays they are just casually brusque but still provide a wide range of well-priced Chinese dishes” – “where else to have a complete meal in the West End under a tenner? Wonton Soup with noodles is ordered even before the menu gets slapped on the table”. Top Tip – “all dishes come with free green tea”.