Soho, Chinese Restaurant Guide

“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!”

This “pub with an Oriental twist” on Soho’s Berwick Street is a concept that “works well”, with “lovely, tasty food”; even if – eight years after its launch by ace restaurateur Alan Yau – it has never matched the success of his hit concepts Wagamama, Hakkasan or Yauatcha. Top Menu Tip – “the pork scratchings are amazing”.

“Delicious small plates that are unusual, interesting and at times rather spicy” distinguish this Soho and Covent Garden duo presenting the Indo-Chinese cuisine developed by Kolkata’s historic Hakka community.

“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”.

“The dim sum is pretty good for this price range” (“all the stalwarts are available” as well as one or two “unusual/Hakkasan-like creations”) at this Cantonese stalwart in Chinatown.

“Spicy, authentic Sichuan cuisine” makes this Chinatown destination “worth hunting out” – it’s “way above the bog-standard fare nearby”, with “amazing taste sensations including a lot more besides the fragrant heat of the eponymous Sichuan pepper”. And “friendly staff made choosing from the huge menu easier”. Top Tip – find a table downstairs if you can, to avoid the “weak ambience on the first floor”.

“It’s worth the spartan interior and mixed service to eat the roast duck and/or char siu pork” at these Cantonese canteens, where “the best roast duck in the world is the claim” – from no less an authority than The FT – “and it must be up there” with “meat and crispy skin so well done (no pun intended)”; and don’t forget “the crispy pork belly – an especial fat-lover’s treat!”. Launched in Queensway 34 years ago, the group now has three venues around Chinatown plus the new Chop Chop nearby in the Hippodrome Casino. Further afield there are outlets in Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental food hall, Oxford and Leicester.

“It’s worth the spartan interior and mixed service to eat the roast duck and/or char siu pork” at these Cantonese canteens, where “the best roast duck in the world is the claim” – from no less an authority than The FT – “and it must be up there” with “meat and crispy skin so well done (no pun intended)”; and don’t forget “the crispy pork belly – an especial fat-lover’s treat!”. Launched in Queensway 34 years ago, the group now has three venues around Chinatown plus the new Chop Chop nearby in the Hippodrome Casino. Further afield there are outlets in Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental food hall, Oxford and Leicester.

2023 Review: A “very good” modern take on classic Cantonese cuisine from Z He and Alex Peffly (of Bun House) is presented in an atmospheric “neon-lit underground parlour in Soho, with the menus on newspapers, giving a gentlemen’s club/opium den vibe”.

“It’s worth the spartan interior and mixed service to eat the roast duck and/or char siu pork” at these Cantonese canteens, where “the best roast duck in the world is the claim” – from no less an authority than The FT – “and it must be up there” with “meat and crispy skin so well done (no pun intended)”; and don’t forget “the crispy pork belly – an especial fat-lover’s treat!”. Launched in Queensway 34 years ago, the group now has three venues around Chinatown plus the new Chop Chop nearby in the Hippodrome Casino. Further afield there are outlets in Colindale’s Bang Bang Oriental food hall, Oxford and Leicester.

With its “marvellous selection of dim sum” raised to a “fantastic” level; “amicable and chatty service”; and its “well-spaced tables”, this low-key-looking venue “stands a cut above the usual Chinatown standard” in all respects.

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”.

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 top choice for a Hong-Kong-style café menu” – this “rushed” tearoom on the edge of Chinatown opened in 2022 and serves everything from light bites to full meals from its huge selection of dishes. The food is consistently well rated.