Time Out charts the top places to go for the best Chinese cuisine in the capital
The new wave of Chinese food in London
London's best dim sum
Pearl Liang
Stylish restaurant with courgette prawn dumplings and duck slices chiu chow-style among the treats.
Pearl Liang, 8 Sheldon Square, W2 6EZ (020 7289 7000) Paddington tube/rail.
Royal China Club
Some of the most interesting dim sum in London – lobster dumplings in yellow wine sauce and dover sole cheung fun, to name but two.
Royal China Club, 40 Baker St, W1U 7AJ (020 7486 3898) Baker St tube.
Yauatcha
Here dim sum can be enjoyed late into the evening. The ma la phoenix claws (chicken feet) are divine.
Yauatcha, 15 Broadwick St, W1F 0DL (020 7494 8888) Oxford Circus tube.
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Best regional cooking
Bar Shu
Dishes like ‘numbing and hot dried beef’ live up to the name and then some. MSG-free.
Bar Shu, 28 Frith St, W1D 5LF (020 7287 6688) Leicester Square tube.
Snazz Sichuan
Delicious, no-nonsense Sichuanese food. Sadly, the hotpot menu is not available in English. MSG-free.
Snazz Sichuan, 37 Chalton St, NW1 1JD (020 7388 0808) King’s Cross or Euston tube/rail.
Shangri-La Hunan Cuisine
Earthy, hearty Hunan-style cooking at its best. Get there while you still can, as Oriental City’s impending closure is looming. MSG-free.
Shangri-La Hunan Cuisine, Oriental City, 399 Edgware Rd, NW9 0JJ (020 8200 9838) Colindale tube.
Chinatown on a budget
Café de HK
Quintessential Hong Kong café fare, from soothing noodle soups and crisp chow mein to spag bol and condensed milk on toast.
Café de HK, 47-49 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0AN (020 7534 9898) Leicester Square tube.
Café TPT
Bustling modern Hong Kong-style restaurant that’s a great pitstop for noodles, rice and roasted meats.
Café TPT, 21 Wardour St, W1D 6PN (020 7734 7980) Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus tube.
Jen Café
Big flavours for minuscule prices. The pork-and-chive dumplings are a must.
Jen Café, 4-8 Newport Place, WC2H 7JP (020 7287 9708) Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus tube.
Fine dining Chinese style
China Tang
Go for seductive 1930s Shanghai opulence and dishes comprising old homestyle favourites and decadent banquet fare. MSG-free.
China Tang, The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, W1K 1QA (020 7629 9988) Hyde Park Corner tube.
Hakkasan
The epitome of ‘creative Chinese’ cuisine served in lavish surrounds. The chic-est night out in the capital.
Hakkasan, 8 Hanway Place, W1T 1HD (020 7907 1888) Tottenham Court Rd tube.
Kai Mayfair
Extravagantly named dishes, from ‘parcels of prosperity’ to ‘union of land and sea’, with extravagant prices to match.
Kai Mayfair, 65 South Audley St, W1K 2QU (020 7493 8988) Bond Street or Marble Arch tube.
For more on London's top Chinese restaurants check out our all new Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide. It includes over 1,500 reviews of the capital's best places to eat and drink, suitable for all budgets. Buy it now and save £3.50.
The new wave of Chinese food in London
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2 comments
One of the best chinese place I have been to is Noodle Noodle in Buckingham Palace road. I go there with work mates all the time and the quality of food is very good. The only thing that lets the place down in its lack of space...
Chinese restaurants in London continue to show a near total disregard for their Western customers.Dirty carpets;dirtier toilets;waitstaff who cannot describe the dishes;a final bill with Chinese symbols and a total to pay;very poor English language skills and so on.This may be different at the 2 or 3 Yau restaurants,which are too expensive for me.But just about every other Chinese restaurant is as described.Why doesn't Timeout give their "best" category only to those Chinese restaurants that raise their standards?