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Top 8
Restaurant
You Shouldn't Miss
in London Chinatown
London's Chinatown is right next to Trafalgar Square, just a 10-minute walk away from Piccadilly Circus. Why not detour to Chinatown after musicals or movies? Most importantly, how can it be so fun to explore?
It's a delightful place to enjoy some Chinese dim sum and cuisine, or to see what a foreign Chinatown looks like, besides Chinese customers, Westerners make up about half of the visitors! In front of bubble tea shops, Chinese bakeries, and dim sum restaurants, there are always long queues with real foodies.
You can even find a wide variety of Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Cantonese, Japanese, and Taiwanese cuisines. Popular bubble tea shops like Xian Yu Xian, Yi Fang, and Coco are also in town, along with my favourite Taiwanese-style fried chicken shop – Monga Fried Chicken. Surprisingly, taste and quality remain authentic, with a 99% match!
Right before you move on to our most loved top 8 restaurants in Chinatown, I would like to tell you we've covered an ARTICLE that teaches you everything you need to know when ordering Chinese food, from asking for a menu all the way to paying the bill.
Wish you all the best on the Chinese food hunt :)
8. 品屋包子鋪 Bun House - Cantonese Restaurant
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Bao bun enthusiasts? or are you a fan of salted egg yolk? If so, you absolutely cannot miss this salted egg custard bun at Bun House in Chinatown! It's truly the best bao you can ever have in London! When you take a bite, the filling oozes out, and the salted egg custard is perfectly smooth with a satisfying sweetness.
Besides the signature buns, they also offer other Hong Kong-style small plates like mike ribs and fish balls that are playful and delicious. We highly recommend getting some more buns to take home for breakfast the next day – it's pure happiness! They cost £3.8 each, but you can get a trio of any flavours for £11.
7. 錦里Jinli -Chinese Restaurant (Sichuan)
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Jinli is a popular Sichuan restaurant located in London's Chinatown. For those who enjoy spicy and bold flavours, Jinli is one of the best places in London where you can savour authentic and fiery Sichuan cuisine.
Must-try dishes include Dry-Fried String Beans, Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, Spicy Hot Pot, Fish-Fragrant Eggplant, and a lot more. The moment you find yourself eating two bowls of white rice, that certainly tells how appetizing and scrumptious those dishes are.
6. 文兴酒家Four Seasons -Chinese Restaurant
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Four Seasons is a venerable restaurant with deep roots in London's Chinatown with a total of three locations within the area, their signs popping up at every corner! This sophisticated restaurant is renowned for its Peking Duck, a dish that the UK's Financial Times once declared as the world's best Chinese cuisine. Well... that's just the beginning. To discover the treasure trove on their menu. You can savour dishes like BBQ pork platter, peppered pig stomach, beef brisket hot pot, and dry-fried beef ho fun.
So, whether you're a dedicated foodie or just looking to tantalize your taste buds with some of the best Chinese cuisine in London, Four Season is a must-visit spot.
5. 鼎泰豐Din Tai Fung- Taiwanese Restaurant
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Din Tai Fung, also known as 鼎泰丰 in Chinese, is a globally renowned chain of Taiwanese dumpling restaurants. This isn't your typical breakfast dumpling shop; it's a heavyweight player in the world of dumplings and has continuously held a Michelin one-star rating for five years! When it first opened in Covent Garden, customers often waited up to four hours seeking this legendary Eastern delicacy- Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).
At 18-fold, the Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are served with a 1:3 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar, and a sprinkle of ginger threads. The pinnacle of Din Tai Fung's signature dish still leaves one's mouth-watering. Besides dumplings, their pork cutlet egg fried rice is also a must-have, its texture and aroma are just as rich as what you'll find in Asia. So, there's definitely no need to nitpick.
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Every time I pass by Chinese Bakery, I can't resist getting a big box of pastries: char Siu Buns, moon cakes, lemon Cream tarts and melt-in-your-mouth sponge cake... Honestly, I never get disappointed! The Chinese Bakery is an incredibly popular spot in Chinatown, this place is always bustling with customers.
My best recommendation is that you better move fast when the pastries are fresh out of the oven. All the sweet and savoury drinks/ snacks have a list of their ingredients, so you have a better idea of what you're getting. Don't hesitate to explore this amazing bakery in Chinatown.
3. 金满楼Lotus Garden - Chinese restaurant(Cantonese/ Bejin)
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Lotus Garden is undeniably one of the most authentically Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. The emerald green roof, the bright red façade, and the two imposing stone lions at the entrance never fail to capture the attention of passersby.
Lotus Garden has earned a reputation as a specialist in roast meats. However, beyond the roast meats, dim sums are also loved by Chinese foodies. If there's more space in your stomach, you shouldn't miss their traditional Sichuan dishes, Mapo tofu, and stir-fried beef ho fun. They strike a balance with their moderate spiciness and tender texture, almost perfect for people who can handle more than just " London Spiceness"
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In the world of fried chicken, there's always room for innovation, and we're talking about the pure Taiwanese taste- Monga Fried Chicken.
Monga Fried Chicken stands out with its thick-cut technique, creating chicken cutlets that are about two centimetres thick while retaining the chicken's moisture. " Absolutely satisfying " is the only idea in mind when I bite into this crispy yet tender little bustard.
Walking done the street in Chinatown with Taiwanese brown sugar bubble tea and "Tian Wang" king-sized chicken cutlets actually feels like you're truly on the streets of Taiwan.
1. 幸福堂Xing Fu Tang- Taiwanese Bubble Tea Shop
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Xing Fu Tang is the world's first to use traditional methods to caramelize black sugar for their bubble tea. The whole process of producing black sugar pearls can be seen right on the spot known as Chao Tang/ 炒糖. This traditional cooking process involves melting black sugar in a huge pan until it becomes sticky and amber to coat the pearls (bubbles). It can be tricky to master as it would lead to burnt sugar if not controlled perfectly.
The signature item - is Black Sugar Pearl Fresh Milk. It's made with freshly caramelized black sugar, cooked pearls, ice cubes, fresh milk, and finally sprinkled with a bit of roasted black sugar. Before drinking, I was told to stir it 18 times, known as the "Happiness 18 Times." similar to "decanting". You'll get a richer milky taste combined with the hearty black sugar – it's pure happiness!
Now you have a list of the Top 8 most recommended restaurants in Chinatown, get ready with your food hunt.
Luckily, we now offer group and private courses for all levels. You can take these courses either online or in person at our London offices where you will meet lots of like-minded Chinese-food fans.