Esher, Chinese Restaurant Guide

Reliably “fabulous” classic Chinese dining makes this offshoot of a London-based group (founded in Chelsea in 1979 and now with eight branches) a long-time “favourite for a special occasion” in the Surrey ’burbs – even if its appeal is “a little dated” for followers of fashion. Top Tip – “there’s a very good-value set lunch”.

“Great dim sum” and “fast and efficient service” ensure this Oriental spot is “always packed” – “I’m of Chinese descent and this is the best and most authentic Cantonese restaurant in SW London. My family love their crispy noodles and won’t eat anywhere else” (although a more jaded view puts its popularity down to “a lack of local competition”).

For more than 35 years, this “reliable” family-run outfit on the Kew side of Richmond has offered “familiar British-Chinese food, very well executed and with great service”. One recent innovation is a dim sum menu. Top Tip – the set midweek lunch is a snip, starting at under £10 for two courses.

This well-known Cantonese group retains a large fan-base praising “still among the best dim sum in London”, presented in “comfortable surroundings” by “amiable (if overselling) service” (although feedback on the evening offering suggests it’s a matter of “fine dining prices for indifferent food”). As damaging, though, are the company’s multiplying legal problems, with diners complaining of “no alcohol licence!” at the Baker Street branch, which was stripped of it in 2024 and fined £360,000 for employing illegal immigrants, and in March 2025 its Royal Gourmet division, which produces wontons, steamed buns and roasted duck at a facility in Park Royal, was fined a total of £113,000 by Uxbridge magistrates after pleading guilty to 11 serious failures in food and hygiene safety – including rodent droppings. Royal Gourmet also paid £332,000 in fines for breaches of the Water Industry Act back in 2019. As one reporter comments: “Oh dear, what went wrong over the last decade! A bit shambolic… , and the quality of food has definitely worsened” in recent times.

“Reliable, high-quality Chinese fare” is the hallmark of this family-run operation now in its fifth decade, with five outlets in well-heeled parts of the capital. “Not all the food is authentic Chinese cuisine, but it is all immaculately prepared and as fresh as you like”, and comes with a “polite welcome and attentive service”. “A cut above – prices are to match”. Holland Kwok opened the original on Chelsea’s King’s Road in 1979, closely followed by branches in Esher, Mill Hill and Knightsbridge, then Wandsworth Common in 2011. He now runs the company with his son Andrew. Top Tip – “weekday lunch is exceptionally good value”.

Celebrating their half century this year, three generations of the Lou family have been an “always reliable” source of “consistently tasty and well prepared Chinese food” for local Actonians since the 1970s. Lawrence, who runs it these days, pretty well grew up in the restaurant and makes sure that “service is always friendly”.

2023 Review: “Top-class Chinese food, served in canteen-style surroundings” has arrived in Balham with the pandemic-delayed opening of this first solo project from Chi San, former right-hand man to Alan Yau of Yauatcha and Hakkasan fame. The relatively short menu is filled with standard dishes from the Cantonese culinary canon, modernised through the use of high-quality produce, and there’s an interesting selection of beers, wines and teas.

Fans “absolutely love the food” (dim sum in particular) at this well-reputed, modern Chinese restaurant in a Hong Kong-owned hotel overlooking trafficky Shepherd’s Bush Green. “Service is much improved but still hit-and-miss” (on occasion, it can be “very slow”). The venue takes its name from the western-influenced ‘shikumen’ architecture of pre-revolutionary Shanghai.

Just off the King’s Road, this Chelsea Malaysian endures on a site that’s prominent if you are local, and out-of-the-way if you are not. It owes its longevity to a menu of “really good Malay/Chinese combinations”.

“The other customers are as fun as the food is delicious” at this good-value Cantonese on Kensington High Street – a no-frills fixture since 1971, where “local croupiers and chauffeurs mix with regulars like Tom Parker Bowles”.

“The only challenger to A Wong as best Chinese in London” is, say many fans, this “lovely dining room” at the top of a deluxe hotel in Kensington with “fantastic views over the capital”. A “perfect venue for a slow lunch of dim sum – service is helpful and attentive but not hurried, with all the favourite dishes. The tea pot is always topped up and the view and peacefulness make it magical”. Alongside the dim sum, the “amazing roast duck is a must” – “as in any respectable Beijing restaurant, it comes in multiple servings: the first is the pancake with duck skin. The second, either lettuce wrap, duck and tofu soup, fried rice or fried noodles”. “Good craft cocktails” and “a really great-value wine list” also hit the spot. Top Menu Tip – “turnip with XO sauce is a surprising new delight”.

“Reliable, high-quality Chinese fare” is the hallmark of this family-run operation now in its fifth decade, with five outlets in well-heeled parts of the capital. “Not all the food is authentic Chinese cuisine, but it is all immaculately prepared and as fresh as you like”, and comes with a “polite welcome and attentive service”. “A cut above – prices are to match”. Holland Kwok opened the original on Chelsea’s King’s Road in 1979, closely followed by branches in Esher, Mill Hill and Knightsbridge, then Wandsworth Common in 2011. He now runs the company with his son Andrew. Top Tip – “weekday lunch is exceptionally good value”.

2022 Review: Amidst the glossy boutiques of Beauchamp Place, this beautiful, luxuriously decorated Chinese opened at the end of 2019, and – aside from a favourable review by Fay Maschler – has never really had the chance to make waves. It specialises in hot pots, and the menu features much in the way of seafood and wagyu beef to accompany or incorporate. It’s listed (without a star) by Michelin, who typically list only extremely expensive, culinarily ‘safe’ Chinese restaurants: you can view that as either a positive or negative.

Dating from an era (1982) when Asian cuisine was seldom associated with fine dining, the Peng family’s popular Pimlico veteran – benefiting from a recent refurb – continues to plough its idiosyncratic but accomplished course as “one of London’s best Chinese restaurants”. It helps that “the need to decide is taken out of your hands” with their ‘no menu policy’ – having told the team your likes and dislikes “you get what you are given! And this means that you get to try something different that’s always totally delicious” (typically over 12-18 courses, for £119.80 per person). There’s also a “remarkable wine list at very reasonable prices”.

“Known for the most delicious lobster noodles” – a dish which has earned it widespread fame, and which “remains a must-eat” – this “old-favourite Chinese with great seafood” in Queensway “has returned to form” after “seeming to lose its way at one stage” (a revival reflected in the food ratings). It’s well worth exploring the menu further: “they also have the best roast duck”. The cavernous, ’70s-tastic interior is either an essential part of its nostalgic charm or dire, depending on your tastes.

Almost everyone has walked past this 30-year fixture next-door to Queensway tube station at some point. Those who have dropped in for a meal have found “delicious and authentic Cantonese food”, including roast duck and seafood – “but don’t expect friendly service”. Top Menu Tip – “beef with black bean sauce and crispy noodles”.

“Still a go-to if it’s roast duck you’re after” – see them hanging in the window of this 35-year-old Bayswater Cantonese and its Chinatown offshoots, which offer “consistently excellent” roast meats (pork as well as duck) in “a pretty basic environment that’s noisy and crowded”, along with “charmless service” – “bad enough to make you think twice about even going!”. A more positive way of looking at it is that “they don’t waste money on decor and service: it’s a reliable no-frills comfort-food experience”. Further outlets include Chop Chop at the Hippodrome and Colindale Bang Bang Oriental food hall (see also), plus three Little Four Seasons.

All-you-can-eat vegetarian Indian buffet with a “good selection of dishes at reasonable prices”. Based in Wembley, where it started out 40-odd years ago as a family-owned market stall, it now has spinoffs in Harrow, Kingsbury and Hatch End (the latter à la carte only). Signature dishes include bhel puri, crispy bhajia and chilli paneer, washed down by a selection of soft drinks.