London is one of the strongest cities in the world outside China for Chinese food, not just in terms of quantity but real regional depth. You can move from old-school Cantonese roast meat shops in Chinatown and Queensway, to high-end dim sum banquet restaurants, to very specific regional specialists serving Sichuan hotpot-style dishes, Xi’an hand-pulled noodles, and northern Chinese dumplings that feel completely different from Cantonese cooking. What makes London stand out is how these styles don’t just exist as “fusion” or watered-down versions—they’re often run by people from those regions, serving fairly faithful food to tight local communities as well as food obsessives. On the same day you can eat sheng jian bao in Shoreditch, roast duck in Soho, biang biang noodles in Bloomsbury, and a Hong Kong cha chaan teng meal in Soho or Bayswater. It’s this density plus genuine regional variety—from Cantonese banquet culture to street-level Xi’an noodles—that makes London feel less like a single “Chinese cuisine scene” and more like a cluster of different regional food cities layered on top of each other.
Cantonese Classics & Roast Meats
1. Wong Kei
📍Chinatown. A 1192 Time Out article said ‘we can assure the readers that the staff at Wong Kei are not prejudiced. They hate everyone equally.’ Wong Kei is a Chinatown institution famous for big portions, bargain prices and bad service. It’s common for customers to be yelled at to go upstairs or have their plates slammed down in front of them by the waiter. That said, service has definitely warmed over the years. Everybody has their go-to spots in Chinatown and this is mine. The restaurant dates back to 1972 and quickly became a cult favourite for Londoners. It has the look and feel of a classic Hong Kong eatery. They still remain cash only and if you go alone you’ll likely be asked to share a table with a stranger. My favourite dishes include the lemon chicken, wonton noodle soup, duck & roast pork on rice, aubergine stuffed with prawn in black bean sauce & salt & pepper pork chop. Watch reel here.
2. Gold Mine
📍Queensway & Chinatown. One of London’s great Cantonese roast meat specialists. Particularly known for roast duck, crispy pork belly and BBQ pork. Often cited alongside Four Seasons as the benchmark for Hong Kong-style roast meats in London.
3. Four Seasons
📍Queensway & Chinatown. Perhaps London’s most famous roast duck restaurant. The glossy roast duck, char siu and roast pork are the main attraction, and many Londoners consider it a Chinatown essential.
4. Mandarin Kitchen
📍Bayswater. A Bayswater favourite specialising in Cantonese seafood and lobster dishes. More polished and seafood-focused than Gold Mine or Four Seasons, making it a popular family celebration spot. The must-get dish is the lobster noodles with the spring onion sauce.
5. Imperial Treasure
📍 St James’s. Imperial Treasure is an upscale Chinese restaurant in St James’s, known for refined Cantonese cuisine, elegant surroundings, and attentive service. Located on Waterloo Place in a former Grade II-listed bank, it offers popular dishes including Peking duck, dim sum, roasted meats, seafood and premium seasonal ingredients. The restaurant is part of the Singapore-based Imperial Treasure group and is particularly suited to special occasions, business meals and sophisticated dining experiences. Watch reel here.
6. Reindeer Cafe
📍Brent Cross. A casual Cantonese café located inside Wing Yip Chinese supermarket. The roast meats are a favourite here. It’s very popular so expect to queue for your table.
7. Three Uncles
📍Multiple Locations. A modern interpretation of the Hong Kong roast-meat shop. Excellent roast duck, char siu and soy chicken in a cleaner, more contemporary setting. One of London’s most successful newer Cantonese openings.
8. Chop Chop
📍Leicester Square. Located inside the Hippodrome Casino. Famous for roast duck from the Four Seasons group and serving Chinese food into the early hours. A favourite after theatre, gambling or nights out in Soho. Watch reel here.
9. New Fortune Cookie
📍Bayswater. A long-standing Queensway Cantonese restaurant known for late-night dining, seafood tanks and classic Cantonese banquet dishes. Popular with the local Hong Kong community.
10. Dim Sum Duck
📍Kings Cross. A cult favourite near King’s Cross. Now with two locations both near each other. Famous for combining excellent roast duck with very good dim sum. Many London food lovers consider it one of the best-value Chinese restaurants in the city. I haven’t been to the new restaurant but the original can be quite cramped plus there are often queues.
11. Maxim
📍Northfields. A long-running Chinese favourite in Ealing serving Cantonese standards alongside northern Chinese dishes. More of a neighbourhood restaurant than a destination spot, but highly regarded by locals.
12. Cafe TPT
📍Chinatown. Cafe TPT is primarily a Chinese/Hong Kong-style restaurant. Its menu focuses on Cantonese dishes, but it also has a significant Malaysian section too, including dishes such as laksa and bak kut teh.
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Dim Sum Specialists
1. Dumplings’ Legend
📍Chinatown. One of Chinatown’s busiest and most reliable dim sum spots. Famous for xiao long bao (soup dumplings), Shanghainese snacks and large-group dining.
2. Royal China
📍Marylebone. Part of London’s most respected Cantonese restaurant group. Known for high-quality handmade dim sum and more refined Cantonese cooking than most Chinatown competitors.
3. Gold Mine
📍Queensway & Chinatown. One of London’s great Cantonese roast meat specialists. Particularly known for roast duck, crispy pork belly and BBQ pork but they are also known for serving some exceptional dim sum during the day. It can get pretty hectic on weekends.
4. Dim Sum Duck
📍Kings Cross. A cult favourite near King’s Cross. Now with two locations both near each other. Famous for combining excellent roast duck with very good dim sum. Many London food lovers consider it one of the best-value Chinese restaurants in the city. I haven’t been to the new restaurant but the original can be quite cramped plus there are often queues.
5. Dumpling
📍Shepherd’s Bush. A Chinese restaurant on Goldhawk Road in Shepherd’s Bush, known for its handmade dumplings, buns and noodles. The dumplings are prepared fresh, with popular choices including pork, prawn and chive, as well as crispy potstickers. The restaurant also serves dishes such as beef noodle soup and fried rice. It has become a popular local spot for affordable, freshly made Chinese food.
6. Yi-Ban
📍Royal Dock. One of London’s largest and most established Cantonese restaurants, located on the Royal Docks waterfront. Known for dim sum, seafood, banquet dining and special occasions. It feels like a Hong Kong-style banquet hall and is especially popular for big family gatherings and celebrations.
6. Plum Valley
📍Chinatown. A more stylish and comfortable Chinatown option. Cantonese menu, strong dim sum selection and a slightly more polished atmosphere than many neighbouring restaurants.
8. Xi Home Dumplings Bay
📍Covent Garden & Shoreditch. Xi Home Dumplings Bay specialises in authentic Northeastern Chinese cuisine, with a particular focus on handmade dumplings inspired by the coastal city of Dalian. Known for its freshly prepared dumplings, steamed buns, noodles, and regional comfort dishes, the restaurant has built a strong reputation for delivering traditional flavours in a casual and welcoming setting.
9. East Restaurant
📍Alperton. A longstanding East Asian restaurant above Loon Fung Chinese supermarket in Alperton. Known for its extensive dim sum menu and broad Cantonese offering. Popular with local Chinese families and large groups.
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Hong Kong Cafés & Bakeries
1. HOKO Hong Kong Cafe
📍Brick Lane. One of London’s best examples of a Hong Kong cha chaan teng. Expect milk tea, baked pork chop rice, macaroni soup and nostalgic Hong Kong comfort food.
2. HOKO Wonton Noodles
📍Seven Dials. Located inside Seven Dials Market. A sister restaurant to HOKO Hong Kong Cafe focused on proper Hong Kong wonton noodles. Go for springy noodles, delicate shrimp wontons and rich broth rather than a huge menu. Watch reel here.
3. Bun House
📍Chinatown & Brick Lane. A modern Hong Kong-inspired bakery specialising in fluffy steamed buns filled with BBQ pork, custard and other Cantonese classics. Great for a snack rather than a full meal.
4. Bun House Disco
📍Brick Lane. Bun House Disco is a lively Cantonese restaurant and bar on the corner of Brick Lane, inspired by the colourful nightlife and street culture of 1980s Hong Kong. It serves fluffy steamed bao, wontons, small plates and creative Cantonese dishes alongside inventive cocktails, Chinese teas and beer, with a retro disco atmosphere featuring Canto synthpop and neon-inspired décor. The venue transitions into a late-night social space, combining Cantonese street food with music and a distinctly playful Shoreditch vibe.
5. Wings Chinese Café
📍Poplar. Wings Chinese Café is a casual, affordable Chinese café located in Chrisp Street Market, Poplar, offering straightforward Chinese comfort food in a relaxed market setting. The menu includes dishes such as chicken and roast-pork fried rice, chow mein, chop suey, curries, sweet-and-sour dishes, roast duck and other rice and noodle dishes, alongside takeaway options. It is particularly suited to a quick, inexpensive lunch or takeaway rather than a formal dining experience, with a reputation for friendly service and good value. Watch reel here.
6. Chinatown Bakery
📍Chinatown. The classic Chinese bakery experience: pineapple buns, egg tarts, Swiss rolls and savoury pastries. Perfect for takeaway snacks and desserts
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Noodles & Regional Chinese Specialists
1. Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar
📍Leicester Square. Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar is a casual Chinese noodle restaurant near Leicester Square specialising in Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles (lamian) and knife-cut noodles. The noodles are made fresh to order and served in soups, dry or fried, with popular combinations including beef, braised beef brisket, chicken, lamb and vegetables. The restaurant has a simple, lively atmosphere with communal seating and is particularly known for its generous portions, quick service and late-night opening, making it a popular spot for an inexpensive meal in central London.
2. Seng Cafe at Hoo Hing
📍Park Royal. Hoo Hing is one of London’s most well-known Chinese supermarkets and food suppliers. On the top floor you’ll find a Malaysian-Chinese restaurant called Seng Cafe. The menu is mix of Cantonese and Chinese-Malaysian dishes. My favourite dish so far has been the sambal fried pork chops with rice.
3. Dong Yuan
📍Park Royal. Known for authentic northern Chinese cooking and hand-made dumplings. Less famous than Master Wei but valued by diners seeking regional Chinese food beyond Cantonese standards. Watch reel here.
4. Noodle Inn
📍Soho & Liverpool Street. A Chinatown workhorse serving Cantonese noodles, congee, seafood and wok-fried dishes. Less trendy than newer arrivals but dependable and extensive.
5. Kung Fu Noodle
📍Chinatown. Focused on hand-pulled northern Chinese noodles. Expect Lanzhou-style soups, chewy noodles and hearty bowls rather than Cantonese cuisine.
6. Dumpling Shack
📍Old Spitalfields Market. A cult dumpling spot that started as a market stall and became one of London’s most loved casual Chinese eateries. Famous for Shanghai-style sheng jian bao (pan-fried soup dumplings with crispy bottoms), along with wontons and noodles. Small, simple, and highly focused on quality over variety.
7. The Jackalope
📍Marylebone. Not really a traditional Chinese restaurant; better known as a pub with a strong food offering and occasional Asian influences. Usually visited more for drinks than for a Chinese-food pilgrimage.
8. Master Wei Xi’An
📍Holborn & Hammersmith. One of London’s best Xi’an restaurants. Famous for biang biang noodles, roujiamo (Chinese burgers) and spicy north-western Chinese flavours. Frequently recommended by serious Chinese-food enthusiasts.
9. Silk Road
📍Camberwell. Silk Road is a well-known Chinese restaurant in Camberwell specialising in Xinjiang cuisine from north-western China, with strong Central Asian influences. The menu is known for bold, spicy flavours and dishes such as hand-pulled noodles, hearty big-plate chicken, lamb and cumin skewers, dumplings and spicy stews. Rather than typical Cantonese-style Chinese food, Silk Road focuses on the distinctive wheat- and lamb-based cooking of Xinjiang, making it particularly known for its noodles, grilled skewers and aromatic use of cumin and chilli.
10. Barshu
📍Soho. A London Sichuan legend. Expect mouth-numbing peppers, dry-fried dishes, boiled fish in chilli oil and uncompromising Sichuan flavours. Not for those who avoid spice.
11. Etles Uyghur
📍Walthamstow. Etles Uyghur Restaurant is a family-run restaurant in Walthamstow specialising in authentic Uyghur cuisine from Xinjiang, north-west China. The food combines Chinese and Central Asian influences, with signature dishes including hand-pulled leghmen noodles, big-plate chicken, lamb kebabs, dumplings and Uyghur-style pilaf. Known for its warm, homely atmosphere and generous portions, Etles offers a distinctive introduction to Uyghur cooking, with many dishes built around lamb, noodles, cumin, chilli and aromatic spices.
12. Kung Fu Burger
📍Shaftesbury Avenue. Kung Fu Burger is a compact Chinese street-food takeaway in London’s Chinatown, specialising in Chinese-style burgers (rou jia mo) served in distinctive flaky, sourdough-style buns. The menu centres on fillings such as braised or shredded pork belly, shredded duck with hoisin, chicken and vegetables, alongside cold sesame noodles. Inspired by East and Southeast Asian street food, it offers a quick, inexpensive grab-and-go experience rather than traditional sit-down Chinese dining.
13. Murger Han
📍Multiple locations. One of the pioneers of Xi’an cuisine in London and largely responsible for popularising “murger” (Chinese meat-filled flatbread sandwiches). Known for hand-pulled noodles, liangpi cold noodles, cumin-spiced lamb and bold north-western Chinese flavours. Rustic, hearty and highly authentic.
14. North China
📍Acton. A cult favourite among London’s Chinese community, specialising in northern Chinese home cooking. Best known for handmade dumplings, pancakes, braised dishes and hearty wheat-based staples. The atmosphere is simple and functional, but the food has a reputation for being exceptionally authentic.
15. Xi’an Impression
📍Holloway. Xi’an Impression is a celebrated neighbourhood restaurant near Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, renowned for bringing the bold, authentic flavours of China’s Shaanxi province to London. Specialising in hand-pulled biang biang noodles, Xi’an-style burgers (rou jia mo), and other traditional street-food dishes, it has earned a loyal following for its uncompromising regional cooking, generous portions, and excellent value. The simple, no-frills setting keeps the focus firmly on the food, making it a favourite among both London food enthusiasts and members of the local Chinese community seeking a genuine taste of Xi’an.
16. Noodle & Beer
📍Chinatown & Liverpool Street. One of London’s hottest Sichuan restaurants, originally from Chengdu. Famous for chewy hand-pulled noodles, fiery chilli oils, Sichuan peppercorn heat and a youthful, energetic atmosphere. Expect bold flavours, queues and dishes designed for spice lovers.
17. Xi’an BiangBiang Noodles
📍Multiple locations. A specialist in Shaanxi-style belt noodles, named after the famous extra-wide biang biang noodles of Xi’an. The focus is on hand-pulled noodles topped with chilli oil, garlic, vinegar, braised meats and vegetables. Simple, affordable and deeply satisfying.
18. YEYE’S Noodle & Dumpling
📍Multiple locations. A small, family-run spot specialising in handmade dumplings and northern Chinese noodle dishes. Less polished than central London restaurants but appreciated for fresh dumplings, comforting flavours and strong value. A good choice for those seeking everyday Chinese cooking rather than banquet dishes.
19. The Sichuan Restaurant
📍Moorgate. The Sichuan Restaurant in Moorgate is a Chinese restaurant specialising in bold and aromatic Sichuan cuisine, known for its spicy dishes, rich flavours, and traditional cooking techniques. The menu features favourites such as mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, dan dan noodles, and Sichuan-style beef, offering diners an authentic taste of southwestern China in the heart of London.
20. My Old Place
📍Liverpool Street. My Old Place near Liverpool Street is a casual Chinese restaurant specialising in Sichuan and northern Chinese cuisine, known for bold, spicy flavours and generous portions. Its menu goes beyond typical British-Chinese dishes, featuring favourites such as lamb skewers, dumplings, sweet-and-sour pork, spicy pork ears, duck tongue and other more adventurous dishes. Located on Middlesex Street, just a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, it has a lively, informal atmosphere and is particularly suited to sharing dishes with friends.
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Chinese Chippies & Greasy Spoons (that also do Chinese food)
1. New Kwun Wah
📍Isle of Dogs. A long-running Isle of Dogs neighbourhood Chinese takeaway serving classic Cantonese comfort food alongside roast meats and British chip-shop staples. Unpretentious, very local, and valued for generous portions and consistency rather than destination dining.
2. Cuisine King
📍Hendon. Cuisine King fish chips and Chinese food in Hendon is a casual Chinese takeaway and eat-in restaurant offering a broad selection of Chinese dishes alongside traditional British fish and chips. Its menu includes dim sum such as prawn dumplings and siu mai, roast duck, noodles, fried rice, stir-fries, Szechuan dishes and various seafood options, as well as fish, chips, pies and burgers.
3. The Highway Cafe
📍New Malden. A Malaysian-Chinese run greasy spoon cafe in New Malden. As well as serving a semi-decent English breakfast they also have a pretty big Chinese menu and the food is good.
4. Spicy Noodle Cafe London
📍Balham. Spicy Noodle Cafe is a casual Asian restaurant in Balham specialising in spicy noodle dishes and comforting, flavourful bowls inspired by Chinese and wider East Asian cuisine. Its menu focuses on hearty noodles, savoury broths, aromatic sauces and dishes with varying levels of heat, offering an informal option for a quick lunch, relaxed dinner or takeaway.
5. Pang’s
📍Kentish Town. Pang’s is a Chinese takeaway and chippy in Kentish Town. It is known for dishes that combine familiar Chinese flavours with a selection of regional specialities, making it a convenient choice for casual dining or takeaway in the area. Whilst the Chinese food is good, the fish and chips is probably the worst you’ll find in London.
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