St James's, Chinese Restaurant Guide

The aim is to evoke 1920s Shanghai decadence at this opulent Mayfair Chinese, founded by Alan Yau in 2015 and now in the hands of a family of Turkish restaurant owners. Limited feedback this year, but we’ve maintained its rather middling ratings on the basis of repeat feedback that a meal here can seem “ridiculously overpriced”.

This “ultra-high-end Chinese” two-year-old – set in an “extremely hushed” former banking hall off Pall Mall “with sumptuous interiors by Christian Liaigre” – is the first London branch of a Singapore-based group with offshoots across mainland China. Its menu is led by a signature Peking duck that must be ordered in advance and is “delicious – if outrageously priced” at £100 a pop. Other choices get much the same verdict: “the quality of the dishes is exceptional”, but “most are very pricey for what they are”.

“Still making an impact” – this blingy brand broke the mould when the “dark” and nightclubby Hanway Place branch debuted in 2001, and, for its army of fans, it “still sets the standard for modern Chinese cuisine”, enhanced by the “extremely lively” atmosphere, which is buoyed along by “ordering one of their many delicious cocktails that leave you in a blissful haze”. Nowadays the cornerstone of an international group with 18 branches across the globe, it’s evidently no longer as cutting-edge as once it was, and ratings slipped a little further this year on gripes that it can seem “so overpriced”. All things considered, though, it retains an impressive level of support.

“Cheap ’n’ cheerful roast duck and other Cantonese roast meats” have won a big following for this Chinese quartet, with the “mothership” in Bayswater hailed as “still the best roast duck in the country”. But the “excellent food is let down by indifferent service” – a steady theme over the years; likewise, the interiors are unlikely to grace the pages of a design magazine any time soon.

“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”.

“Delicious dim-sum” is the menu highlight at this favourite, family-run Cantonese stalwart on Gerrard Street. “Their terrace was a real find during the pandemic” – one reason why it generated more reports than some in Chinatown this year.

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”.

“A Taiwanese take on the fried chicken phenomenon, which comes with a punchy Sichuan kick” at Samuel Haim’s heart-of-Soho haunt. After years in Camden selling street food, this bricks -and-mortar branch opened in late 2019, and has morphed into a more full-service offering (with a little help from the team behind cult favourite Ta Ta Eatery). The menu centres around the chicken, alongside a fun selection of trendy Asian snacks and small eats: chicken gizzards with cream cheese and Doritos anyone? It worked for Jay Rayner anyway: “reasonably priced and well-executed”. Reporters similarly feel it’s “fun”, with “so many things to choose” and delivering “excellent” results.

This modern mashup of a gastropub with Chinese cuisine in Berwick Street, Soho, earns solid ratings for its “very good food in the bar and also in the more formal restaurant”. But, by comparison to the standards of creator Alan Yau’s previous mega-hits, including Wagamama and Hakkasan, some can find it “a bit disappointing overall”.

“The venison puffs are the best things ever”, the “prawn cheung fun with tofu is inspired” and desserts are “dainty and exciting looking” at these stylish and very successful spin-offs from the Hakkasan chain, whose formula is well summarised as “lovely dim sum in a buzzy location”. The two sites are quite different in character: the smaller, two-floor Soho original incorporates a ground-floor tea rooms and moody basement – the Broadgate branch boasts an outside cocktail terrace, but is much glossier, bigger and altogether more “corporate”. “There’s surprising attention to detail in each item of the menu” but the feeling that prices are “good but high for the portions” limits its food score; and “every now and again the service seems a tad chaotic”. Despite these quibbles, though, serious criticism was entirely absent this year.

“Cheap ’n’ cheerful roast duck and other Cantonese roast meats” have won a big following for this Chinese quartet, with the “mothership” in Bayswater hailed as “still the best roast duck in the country”. But the “excellent food is let down by indifferent service” – a steady theme over the years; likewise, the interiors are unlikely to grace the pages of a design magazine any time soon.

2019 Review: If you crave authenticity and offal in equal portions, this new 2018 opening on Chinatown’s main drag (sibling to an existing operation in Holborn) looks like it may be the place for you. A traditional Sichuan hot-pot specialist, choose from over 80 ingredients – from assorted types of tripe, aorta and brain to wagyu beef and seafood.

“Cheap ’n’ cheerful roast duck and other Cantonese roast meats” have won a big following for this Chinese quartet, with the “mothership” in Bayswater hailed as “still the best roast duck in the country”. But the “excellent food is let down by indifferent service” – a steady theme over the years; likewise, the interiors are unlikely to grace the pages of a design magazine any time soon.

“Still my favourite” – this “cavernous” Gerrard Street stalwart scores for its “excellent dim sum at a reasonable price”, including “some of the best char siu in Chinatown”.

2021 Review: “Recently moved from Soho to Chinatown into a new, bigger and better space” – Z He and Alex Peffly’s venture is a “#1 spot for a quick, cheap meal”: “buns are filled with authentic Chinese flavours and the dough is so soft it feels like you’re eating clouds!”. Meanwhile, back at the original Greek Street site, this husband-and-wife team have transformed their old premises into Wun’s, which opened in July 2019: see also.

Chinese-Indian Hakka cuisine incorporating some interesting ingredients (crab, rabbit, venison) help inspire enthusiastic (if limited) feedback for this Soho two-year-old. In late 2021, a sibling will open on a former Polpo site in Covent Garden featuring a new cocktail offering and unusual wines from organic producers across the globe.

2021 Review: “Spice heaven!” – this “old favourite” is “worth a detour north of Shaftesbury Avenue” to “experience genuinely interesting and mouth-popping Sichuan specials” – so “be brave when you order”. The food-writer, China expert and consultant “Fuchsia Dunlop’s touch makes it a regional Chinese diamond in the Chinatown rough”.

An “excellent” Chinese menu wins a small but dedicated fan club for Wei Shao’s slightly disparate group of eateries. Most prominent nowadays is its three-storey, 120-cover flagship near Borough Market. There’s also the Chinatown original (no reservations), whose main options include baozi, dumplings, wonton and noodles, and a Soho site serving northern Chinese street food, plus all-day dim sum. (There’s also a stall at Market Halls Victoria).

From Jamavar and Bombay Bustle creator Samyukta Nair (who studied in China), this September 2021 replacement to Matsya (RIP) is inspired by 1920s Shanghai and the three-floor restaurant is, apparently, inspired by a reimagination of the building as the secret London residence of Empress Mimi, which means ‘secret’ in Mandarin. Former Hakkasan chef Peter Ho oversees a high-end, modern Chinese menu, including wood-roasted Peking duck. For cocktails, head to The Moon Bar.