The Best Chinese Restaurants In London
Updated May 2026
Discover the best Chinese restaurants in London, with everything from Michelin-starred dim sum to authentic regional cooking available across the city. Naturally Chinatown, which borders Soho and the West End, should be your first port of call if you’re after Chinese food and there are plenty of spots in the neighbourhood that are worth a visit.
We’ve never gone wrong at Beijing Dumpling on Lisle Street. You know it’s going to be good when you spot the chefs in the window, mostly hidden by huge bamboo baskets and bellowing steam, and it doesn’t disappoint. The dumplings are fresh, the service is brisk, and it won’t cost the earth – just how Chinatown should be. If you like your chillies, you can’t miss Sichuan spot Barhsu or Sichuan Folk over in East London.
When it comes to the finest dim sum in town, Yauatcha is pretty hard to beat in our book. It now has two locations, the original in Soho and the newer one in Broadgate Circle, and we never tire of going in for some prawn and bean curd cheung fun, xiao long bao, or char sui buns. Dim Sum & Duck in King’s Cross is also a great shout for all-day dim sum but be prepared to queue.
If you’ve got a special occasion to celebrate, or have got a big wad of cash burning a whole in your pocket, there are several high-end Chinese restaurants where you can spend it. A.Wong has built a stellar reputation (and been given the nod by Michelin) and with good reason – chef Andrew Wong is doing a creative and detailed interpretation of Chinese cuisine like nowhere else in the city. Mimi Mei Fair is another stunner, in terms of both interiors and food – it’s opulent and lavish inside (as you’d expect from Mayfair) and the Peking duck is exceptional.
Sister to Yauatcha, Hakkasan also knocks out some beautifully refined Chinese food at its Mayfair location. It loses minor points for the permanent nightclub soundtrack but the cooking more than makes up for it. A meal at Hakkasan doesn’t come cheap but there are a range of set menus on offer so you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to eat here. But if you’re going all out, don’t miss the venison puff, crispy duck salad, the roasted silver cod or the truffle roasted duck.
When it comes to the finest dim sum in town, Yauatcha is pretty hard to beat in our book. It now has two locations, the original in Soho and the newer one in Broadgate Circle, and we never tire of going in for some prawn and bean curd cheung fun, xiao long bao, or char sui buns. Admittedly it’s not the cheapest but you can have the Taste of Yauatcha menu, surely one of the most insanely good value eating experiences you can have in London. Aside from dim sum, Yauatcha makes some pretty mean cakes and macaroons too.
Like Yauatcha and Hakkasan, Park Chinois was originally set up by Alan Yau before he moved on to other things (as he always does). Park Chinois might just be his magnum opus, a ridiculously lavish palace that sticks two fingers up to austerity Britain – well it is in Mayfair after all. Dining here, with its chandeliers, red velvet drapes and gold taps shaped like flying ducks, feels like stepping back to another era and we completely adore it. There’s incredible dim sum, whole roast Peking duck, lobster, crab, and even some modern creations such as the Park Carbonara made with sea urchin. This place, more than the others even, could break the bank but check out the Prix Fie lunch menu if you want to keep it tidy. Or just forget it and go all out.
Beloved of foodies everywhere for years, A Wong finally won a Michelin star in 2017 and in 2021 it earned a second, making it the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to hold two stars. This is not a place to indulge in the classics as Andrew Wong cooks up a creative storm of modern twists of dim sum – think rabbit and carrot puffs shaped like little carrots or wagyu tart with truffle. It’s fun, it’s delicious and even though it’s in Victoria you should still go there.
FACING HEAVEN
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Wednesday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Thursday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Friday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
Vegan Chinese spot Mao Chow has upped sticks and moved just around the corner – and become Facing Heaven in the process. And yes it’s still tiny, although at 28 covers, it’s double the size of the original spot. Despite the small size, it’s a fun vibe in there with brightly coloured yellow tables, black and white chequered floors, neon lights and a great soundtrack. Everything at Facing Heaven is still 100% vegan but founder Julian Denis has developed the menu to fuse Chinese dishes with his multicultural upbringing in LA, with Puerto-Rican, American and Portuguese twists shining through. Don’t miss the smacked cucumber, seaweed toast, dumplings in chilli oil made with ‘omnipork’,Chongqing cauliflower and the dan dan noods, and be sure to order a couple of MSG Margs to wash it all down with.
After starting out as a pop-up concept, Ellen Parr and Pete Kelly took Lucky & Joy permanent with a place in Clapton. There’s a retro, kitsch aesthetic, with check box menus, bright neon chopsticks and colourful artworks on the walls so it’s a fun place to be. On the menu, you can expect similar Chinese-inspired dishes to those served up at the pop-ups, with all ordering done via a paper checkbox system. We’d definitely recommend the cold sesame noodles, the cumin-drenched mushroom skewers, the roasted aubergine, and the amazing fried brussel sprouts chopped with plenty of chilli and coriander. We also love the fresh spicy salads such as the Yunan smacked cucumber and the tiger salad (tip: keep both the bowls with all the extra dressing and pour it over your rice at the end).
Murger Han is a X’ian Chinese restaurant with branches in Euston, Mayfair and the City that seriously delivers the goods, and is super cheap too. The speciality here is Biang Biang noodles. They are made fresh in house every day and hand pulled by the chef into one giant 12 foot sheet and then cut into wide, thick strands before cooking. The noodles are spot on and come with some epic sauces – we particularly love the braised pork, tomato, egg, and chilli sauce. Sides such as gyoza are excellent too, as well as the murgers themselves – a flat bread stuffed with stewed beef or pork.
It’s easy to go wrong in Chinatown but we’ve never gone wrong at Beijing Dumpling on Lisle Street. You know it’s going to be good when you spot the chefs in the window, mostly hidden by huge bamboo baskets and bellowing steam, and it doesn’t disappoint. The dumplings are fresh, the service is brisk, and it won’t cost the earth – just how Chinatown should be.
In case you’re not already familiar with Din Tai Fung, it’s a multinational chain originally founded in Taiwan that specialises in dim sum, particularly Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings). For its first ever European outpost, DTF has landed in Covent Garden. With close to 250 covers you (hopefully) shouldn’t have to queue too long and there is the first ever Din Tai Fung cocktail bar inside, serving Taiwanese-inspired cocktails and Chinese tea while you wait. The Xiao Long Bao here are indeed incredible; the skins just the right thickness, the soup full of flavour and the filling fresh as you like. Probably our favourite dumplings are the prawn and pork shao mai, made with a fresh prawn topping off the dumpling and with soup inside too, and we also love the pork and veg wontons in black vinegar and chilli oil, and the crispy golden prawn pancake. For dessert it’s worth trying the red bean and chocolate xiao long bao too.
Looking to try the food from the Xi’an region of China? This is the spot. It’s cheap and cheerful and you can’t go wrong with the pork and veg dumplings, the hand pulled noodles with chunky beef and chilli sauce, and the Xi’an pork ‘burger’. Highly recommended if you’re in the area.
Located on Camberwell Church Street (now just one door down from its original location) Silk Road is one of the most popular spots in the area. And for good reason as it’s got to be one of the cheapest yet most delicious Chinese restaurants in London. You can spend ages in there with a big group, ordering all the food and drinking all the beers, and it’s somehow impossible to ever spend more than £15 a head. It specialises in food from the Xinjiang region and if you don’t order the smacked cucumber salad, the lamb fat skewers, the big plate chicken and the pork dumplings then you’re doing it all wrong.
Located on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel, overlooking Kensington Gardens, Min Jiang wins big points for setting. It also wins big points for its wood-fired Beijing duck, which is surely the best you can find in London. First they bring you a plate of duck meat and pancakes (you know what to do) and also slices of thin crispy duck skin which you dip into sugar, which is so good you’ll dream of it for months to come. You have an option of how the second serving of duck comes but we recommend getting it with the fried rice or noodles. Out of this world.
If you like dim sum and duck, you’re gonna love Dim Sum & Duck. Located in King’s Cross, the simple, small Chinese restaurant serves some of the best dumplings in London. There are now two locations so that should mean you get inside quicker. Once seated you can take your pick of fresh translucent dumplings, including the Shanghai pork soup dumplings, which just might be our favourite xiaolongbao in London; the crispy sesame prawn roll, a spin on sesame prawn toast; prawn & chive dumplings; fried duck bao; char siu honey roast pork; and the BBQ roast duck. Then there’s the char siu bao steamed pork bun, custard bun, crunchy tofu skin roll, cheung fun…we could go on and on and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the other Cantonese noodles, soups and rice dishes. Service is fast and, like the queuing process, it’s also a little manic at times with orders and wrong dishes flying out, but it’s all part of the charm. Absolute gem this one.
Chinese restaurant Mimi Mei Fair is absolutely beautiful. Set in an old Georgian Townhouse on Curzon Street, it has several different dining areas in various nooks and crannies, all decked out super luxe with colourful patterns, vases and Chinese artworks. The kitchen is headed up by chef Peter Ho, who was also in charge of one of London’s greatest and much missed restaurants, HKK. And that’s before you even consider that the brains behind the whole operation is Samyukta Nair of Bombay Bustle and Javamar. Peter’s signatures at HKK was the roast Peking duck, and it’s a signature here too. Other must orders include the ‘Hokkien’ seafood noodles with scallop, prawn & samba paste, the clay pot lamb and if you’re looking for something more meaty, you’ll definitely want to to try the caramelised crispy Mandarin beef.
Good Sichuan restaurants are few and far between in London but one that has got quite the rep when it comes to southwestern Chinese cuisine is Barshu. Opening back in 2006 on Soho’s bustling Frith Street, the Chinese restaurant is still going strong, attracting a crowd of tourists and locals daily. For those who have visited Barshu before, you will know the menu is BIG, and can be overwhelming if you don’t know your stuff. Thankfully the staff are on hand to help digest and make some recommendations, something we would suggest you do too, especially if you struggle with spice. The salt & pepper soft shell crab, smacked cucumber, golden soup with seabass & Sichuan pickles, and the signature dan dan noodles are all winners but there’s also everything from pig trotters to beef tripe on the menu too.
The Peninsula Hotel finally opened in London in 2023, and with it came a crop of great restaurants, including Claude Bosi’s Brooklands (which quickly won 2 Michelin stars) and the modern Cantonese concept, Canton Blue. It’s a beautifully designed space, peaceful and softly lit, and decorated with Chinese porcelain plates and cups; a central blue porcelain fireplace; and a backlit ceiling panel depicting a celestial navigation map. The dim sum is an absolute must here (and even better when paired with champagne) – the xiao long bao, the steamed crab and cuttlefish dumplings, the baked duck puffs, and the signature steamed lobster dumpling with caviar are all seriously good. We’d also recommend the super soft barbecued pork, glazed with sweet honey sauce; the double boiled chicken soup with cep mushrooms, which had an incredible depth of flavour; the wok fried king prawn with XO sauce; and the braised E-Fu noodles (slightly thicker egg noodles) with Alaskan king crab.
DREAM XI'AN
With Xi’an Impression in Highbury, Master Wei in Bloomsbury and Hammersmith, and now Dream Xi’an in Tower Hill to her name, Guirong Wei has been building a loyal following thanks to her excellent food but she’s hit a whole new level thanks to turn on Netflix’s Chef’s Table. A bigger restaurant means a bigger kitchen, which means Dream Xi’an is able to offer a relatively extensive menu. Hand-pulled noodles are the most famous food from this northwestern Chinese province, where there is a long tradition of producing wheat-based foods. Biangbiang noodles are Guirong’s signature dish and the thick, chewy belt noodles swimming in a chilli sauce really are standout. Forget about making a mess, just dive on in and slurp away. Breads are also common in northern China and the pulled pork ‘burger’, or rou jia mao, showcases the bread-making tradition from Shaanxi, with a dense leavened flatbread bun encasing a rich braised pork filling. The beancurd skins in a yellow bean, chilli oil, sesame oil and vinegar sauce and the smacked cucumbers should also not be missed.
London’s first Park Hyatt hotel opened up in a new luxury high-rise in Nine Elms in October 2024, together with some interesting restaurants and bars. The key one is a high-end Cantonese restaurant called Yú Gé, helmed by chef Eng Soon Yeo, who spent many years at Hakkasan and was most recently at MiMi Mei Fair. The main (but not the only) reason to come here is for the signature roast Peking duck – a glorious bronzed duck that is carved tableside. You are first given slithers of golden crisp skin to dip in a tiny bit of sugar, before being served beautiful slices of duck, together with fresh pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber and onion. It’s exceptional stuff. Then comes the traditional second serving for which you have a choice – stir-fried duck with ginger and spring onion, or stir-fry salt and pepper duck. The supreme dim sum selection, crispy citrus prawns, honey glazed sea bass and double boiled soup are also worth ordering, and there’s a selection of Chinese wines available by the glass, including a Riesling from the Kanaan Winery in Ningxia.
Songhelou was first founded in Suzhou, China more than 250 years ago, during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, and now it’s opened its first international branch in Chinatown. The Wardour Street restaurant is showcasing the food of Jiangnan, a region immediately south of the Yangtze River in the south east of China. Suzhou-style noodles are Songhelou’s most famous dish – slim, delicate noodles in a sweet spicy dark broth – served with an array of different toppings, such as sweet and sour squirrel-shaped bass, Suzhou-style braised pork, stir-fried crab meat and roe, sizzling eel slices in oil, and flavoured crayfish.
What used to be a pretty terrible burger joint in Angel has been transformed into Summer Dumpling, a cosy restaurant doing excellent hand-made dumplings and noodles. The menu includes a range of boiled and pan-fried dumplings, including prawn & chicken dumpings; beef, cheese & potato potstickers; pork & Chinese cabbage dumplings; black truffle mushroom & bamboo shoot dumplings; and corn & cheese potstickers. The restaurant also includes some quirky touches to its dishes, like adding caviar-topped crisps to its prawn & fish roe dumplings. The dumplings may be the headline event but you don’t want to miss the chilled cucumber salad, sticky rice cakes or the spicy braised beef noodles. With art by local students on the walls, a great soundtrack and a relaxed vibe, it’s one all dumpling lovers need to hit up.
Jiāonest owner and chef Hua Yang didn’t come to London to open a restaurant but after always returning to the Sichuan food of her home, that’s exactly what she’s done with this Haggerston spot. After running supper clubs, she took her concept permanent with a space on Kingsland Road, where the “two foggy cities” of Chongqing and London converge. Her menu features Chongqing dishes made with British ingredients, like duck duck rice toast, gongbao fried chicken, herbal salmon ceviche, mala short ribs and mapo tofu.
XI HOME DUMPLINGS BAY
Xi Home Dumplings Bay specialises in northern-style Chinese dumplings from Dalian, the hometown of founder Wenjun Xiang. Having started out at Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall, a Covent Garden restaurant soon followed, and now they have a brand new spot on Blossom Street in Spitalfields. Northern-style Shuijiao (boiled dumplings) are a little thicker than steamed dumplings so they are hearty and filling, rather than delicate and pretty like Cantonese dim sum. At Xi Home Dumplings Bay, they’re made fresh and you can see the chef through the glass window creating the pastry and filling the dumplings before boiling. There’s around 20 to choose from and we can very much recommend the jade lobster dumplings; the pork and pickled Chinese leaves; and the spicy lamb and cumin. You also have to get the giant soup dumpling which comes with a straw to drink the soup from before you tuck in – this is the dish that made the restaurant Insta-famous. Elsewhere, there’s an excellent smacked cucumber salad, seaweed salad, and prawn pan-fried dumplings, as well as a line-up of noodle and rice dishes.
Beginning as Hong Kong milk tea specialists popping up at various markets and festivals across London, HOKO opened a cha chaan teng on Brick Lane in 2023, serving char siu rice, pork chop buns, French toast and other HK diner dishes. The team then did a wonton pop-up at Wun’s Tea Room & Bar in Soho in 2024 and it was such a success that it’s now come back as a permanent concept. HOKO Wonton Noodles is on the basement level of Seven Dials Market, spotlighting authentic HK wonton noodles. There’s two types of hand-wrapped wontons made fresh daily – prawn & pork and tofu & king oyster mushroom – which you can get with soup, noodles and a side of broth (made with dried flounder from Macau), or with house-made chilli oil. If you don’t fancy wontons, there’s also Cantonese braised beef brisket and tendon on offer, alongside classic Hong Kong drinks like milk tea, iced lemon tea, and red bean ice.
18-seater walk-in spot Wonton Charlie’s in London Fields (run by the 6 of 1 group that also has Mr Bao, Daddy Bao, Good Measure and Master Bao) is all about Cantonese comfort food dish wonton noodle soup. Egg noodles are made fresh every day, flavourful chicken and fish broths are made in-house, and wontons are hand-wrapped using homemade skins. The wontons come in three varieties – pork-filled fish skin (a HK specialty where fish is used in the wrapper dough), prawn, and classic pork. You can have them with noodles in chicken or fish broth, or lo mein-style, with noodles tossed in a soy, ginger and garlic dressing, with fish balls available as an optional add-on. You can pair your bowls with crispy fish skins, fresh sour plum tea, free hot tea and local beers.
Opened in 2011, Tao Tao Ju has become a firm Chinatown fave, thanks to its modern approach to Cantonese food that’s inspired by traditions of home-style cooking. The restaurant has an extensive dim sum selection, which is all handmade daily by the resident dim sum experts (so nothing is frozen) and is steamed fresh to order. The pork and prawn siu mai, the xiao long bao, the prawn and bean curd skin cheung fun, the fried turnip paste with XO sauce, and the custard buns are highlights but you can’t really go wrong here.
Kirin brings Chinese dining to the City, just off Mansion House, with a menu rooted in Cantonese cooking but sharpened up with a few modern flavour combos. Seafood is a big focus, alongside hand-made dim sum and roast meats – their Peking duck is one of our favourites in London. There are also private dining rooms and karaoke suites downstairs, making it a solid shout for birthdays, work dinners and any occasion that calls for more than just dinner and drinks.
