When it comes to tracking down the best Chinese restaurants in London, you’re spoilt for choice. The capital is heaving with great spots, whether you’re looking for glamorous fine dining options, decadent Michelin-starred gems or first-class dim sum. The flavours on offer come from every corner of China and beyond, but with so many options it can be tricky to choose. Read on for our selection of the very best Chinese restaurants in London for 2024.
The Best Chinese restaurants in London
Canton Blue
Few new openings in the capital have garnered as much buzz as the Peninsula hotel, and within that Canton Blue has already been hailed as one of the finest Chinese restaurants in London. Bringing together Asian and British cultures, the restaurant serves up innovative Cantonese dishes in opulent surroundings.
Helmed by head chef Dicky To, highlights from the à la carte menu include blue lobster sautéed with ginger and spring onion, stir-fried British wagyu tenderloin and wok-fried Herdwick lamb chops with Eight Treasure sauce. Meanwhile, for lunch, you can’t go wrong with the dim sum set menu, where you can feast on baskets of har gow, seafood spring rolls and steamed crab and cuttlefish dumplings.
The Peninsula London, 1 Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, London SW1X 7HJ
peninsula.com
Mei Ume at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square
There are few dining rooms in London more impressive than the one at Mei Ume, with its lofty double-height ceilings and hand-painted panels inlaid with silk embroidery. Tucked away within the Four Seasons Hotel London on Trinity Square in Tower Hill, it’s a peaceful spot to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
On the menu you’ll find a range of classic Chinese and Japanese dishes, all presented with signature flair. From the Japanese side you’ll find a long list of first-class sushi, sashimi and tempura dishes, while standout Chinese options include the Hunan seabass with lotus roots and black fungus and the slow braised Dong Po pork belly with Chinese herbs. Whatever you order, you’re in exceedingly safe hands here.
Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, Tower Hill, London EC3N 4AJ
meiume.com
Tattu
When Tattu London first opened in 2022, it launched to much fanfare and quickly cemented itself as one of the capital’s most inventive Chinese fusion restaurants. Known for their beautiful interiors, which include a stunning cherry blossom tree installation that stretches across the restaurant’s ceiling, it’s one of the most glamorous spots in London for a date night.
Must-try dishes on the menu include glazed beef bao buns with pickled cucumber and crispy shallots, miso glazed chicken and Shanghai black cod. Don’t miss their Imperial Sunday Roast on the weekend, where you can order aromatic roast duck with a range of fusion trimmings, including salt and pepper roast potatoes and pak choi.
The Now Building Rooftop, Outernet, Denmark Street, Soho, London WC2H 0LA
tattu.co.uk
Ivy Asia
With restaurants in Chelsea, Mayfair and St Paul’s, the Ivy Asia is best known for its gloriously over-the-top aesthetics – think green glass floors, candy-floss pink blossom trees and intricately painted ceilings. In other words, interiors that were made for celebrating. So, it’s little wonder this is one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in London for marking special occasions.
The pan-Asian menu includes all the old favourites. Start off with a platter of sushi and sashimi before sampling char siu pork belly and spicy Szechuan and black pepper glazed chicken from the robata grill. Wash it all down with one of their carefully crafted cocktails, such as the Eastern Iced Tea, made with Beefeater, peach and an Ivy Asia tea blend of sencha green, Earl Grey and jasmine silver needle tea.
Sites in Chelsea, Mayfair and St Paul’s
theivyasia.com
Min Jiang
Located at the top of the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, with spectacular views over neighbouring Hyde Park, Min Jiang is famous for serving up some of the finest Peking duck in London. Order one to watch the chef carve the duck’s crispy skin by your table, before pairing it with pancakes and an unusual array of condiments, including radishes, pickled vegetables and raw garlic paste.
Other signature dishes on the menu here include Min Jiang Sichuan hot and sour soup, traditional roasted chicken with satay peanut sauce and sautéed king prawn in salted egg yolk. Little wonder this remains such a perennially popular spot with Chinese expats in the capital.
Royal Garden Hotel, 2 – 4 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London W8 4PT
minjiang.co.uk
MiMi Mei Fair
Spanning three floors of a Georgian townhouse in W1, MiMi Mei Fair is the third outpost from leading restaurateur Samyukta Nair (the woman behind Jamavar and Bombay Bustle) and remains her most fabulously flamboyant to date. The richly-detailed decor was fashioned around 1920s Shanghai and the imaginary private residence of Empress MiMi, with a jaw-droppingly beautiful coral and Wedgwood-blue parlour and a yellow drawing room where art lines the walls.
The food at MiMi Mei Fair is no less spectacular, with renowned Chinese-Singaporean chef Peter Ho serving up an authentic and innovative menu. Order the xiao long bao, which come in all the colours of the rainbow, before moving on to whole langoustine wrapped in crispy noodles and anointed with a dab of Périgord truffle. The star of the show, however, is the roasted Peking duck, expertly carved at the table and served with sugar for the skin and homemade chilli and garlic sauces for the meat.
55 Curzon Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8PG
mimimeifair.com
China Tang at The Dorchester
China Tang, the subterranean Chinese restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel founded by the late Sir David Tang, is the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion or an anniversary meal – especially considering the hotel recently underwent a multi-million-pound revamp.
Book for their perennially popular dim sum offering, where you can order plate after plate of Dover sole crab rolls with caviar, shrimp fried dumplings and Wagyu taro puffs, or come for dinner and settle down to a plate of their signature whole lobster noodles and golden king prawns with salted egg yolk.
53 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, W1K 1QA
chinatanglondon.co.uk
A. Wong
Often hailed as the best modern Chinese food in London, chef Andrew Wong’s eponymous restaurant pays homage to China’s 2,000 years of culinary history, offering up delightful plates of dim sum as well as dishes like sea bass with fermented tofu sauce, wok-seared wagyu beef and crab claw with cured scallop.
Located on bustling Wilton Road in Pimlico, the intimate restaurant was first opened as Kym’s in 1985 by Wong’s parents, before being relaunched with a new name in 2012 by Wong and his wife. Since then, it’s gone from strength to strength, being awarded a second Michelin star in 2021, making it the first Chinese restaurant in the UK to hold such a title. Their innovative food is a treat for all the senses, whether you’re sampling their daytime dim sum menu or their evening ‘Taste of China’ selection.
70 Wilton Road, Pimlico, London SW1V 1DE
awong.co.uk
Hakkasan Mayfair
Any visit to Hakkasan is always an occasion, thanks to the restaurant’s sultry subterranean flair, atmospheric lighting and sophisticated modern Cantonese menu. The dishes here are made for sharing, with stand-out options including Peking duck with caviar, roasted silver cod with champagne and honey and Wagyu beef sirloin.
The restaurant is almost as well known for its potent cocktails are for its excellent food. Start your night off with one or two tipples from the drinks menu, which is split into four distinct sections: Passion, Captivation, Romance and Trust. Try the Sea of Clouds, made with Ciroc vodka, passion fruit, popcorn, miso and Moët & Chandon Imperial NV reduction. Alongside their original outpost in Hanway Place they also have a Mayfair restaurant on Bruton Place, both of which remain two of London’s hottest tables in town.
8 Hanway Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HD
17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 6QB
hakkasan.com
Hutong
High above the capital’s skyline, on level 33 of The Shard, sits Hutong, the London offshoot of the glamorous Hong Kong favourite. This is a spot to come and be merry, where you can clink glasses of fizz over high-end Chinese cuisine with a side order of some of the finest views in London.
The menu – which bills itself as “occasionally fiery Northern Chinese cuisine” – is extensive, featuring all the finest dim sum, seafood, fish and meat dishes you can think of, as well as a few more unusual offerings like Rosé Champagne shrimp dumplings, crispy de-boned lamb ribs and pickled vegetable fried rice. Rest safe in the knowledge that whatever you order, it will be delicious.
33 St Thomas Street, London Bridge, London SE1 9RY
hutong.co.uk
Hunan
This unassuming spot on Pimlico Road may not look like one of the best Chinese restaurants in London, but that’s exactly what it is. First opened in 1982, Hunan specialises in small plates and has been dubbed ‘the Chinese restaurant without a menu’, thanks to the fact that if you come for a meal here, there’s no ordering to be done. Instead, you’ll be asked what you don’t eat, before being presented with a series of dishes based on what’s in season at that time.
There are a few old favourites to look out for, though, like the French chips – not fries but in fact French beans with garlic and chilli – and their signature dish, a hearty broth of minced pork, Chinese mushroom and ginger. The wine list is just as well thought out, packed full of fruity Reislings and velvety Pinot Noirs to complement each dish.
51 Pimlico Road, Pimlico, London SW1W 8NE
hunanlondon.com
Imperial Treasure
With sites in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore holding either one or two Michelin stars apiece, Imperial Treasure’s London outpost is a stalwart of refined Asian dining. The lofty marbled space just off of London’s Pall Mall is a sight to behold, with its triple height ceilings and grand arched windows.
On the menu you’ll find an exquisite array of delicate dim sum dishes, crafted by their team of Hong Kong chefs, as well as signature seafood dishes and their Beijing-style roasted duck, which needs to be ordered in advance. Fans rave about how traditional the Cantonese flavours are here and love its authentic Singaporean heritage.
9-10 Waterloo Place, St James’s, London SW1Y 4BE
imperialtreasure.com
Park Chinois
It’s hard to ignore the opulent 1930s art-deco spirit of luxe-Shanghai at Park Chinois, with its gold pillars, ruby red velvet banquettes and sultry lighting. The Mayfair restaurant is also at the forefront of London’s cabaret scene – but while they may be dab hands at putting on a performance, it’s their showstopping menu that attracts loyal crowds year after year.
The mahogany-glazed Duck de Chine is a customer favourite and it’s not hard to see why. Chef Lee Che Liang and his 65-strong kitchen crew make it one of the most sumptuous iterations of the bird in the capital, which is roasted to order. Japanese wagyu beef (which features in no fewer than six dishes on the menu) is served tender with seasonal vegetables and the potted rice with summer black truffle is a must-try.
17 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8EA
parkchinois.com
Kai Mayfair
Both the owner and head chef of Kai Mayfair are Malaysian – but their imaginative Chinese-cuisine restaurant has maintained its one Michelin star since 2009. Head chef Alex Chow’s forward-thinking dishes teamed with the restaurant’s plush interiors and exuberant furnishings push the boundaries of what we expect from a Chinese restaurant in the UK.
Yee-Sang (or yusheng) salad, the traditional Lunar New Year dish that literally translates as ‘raw fish’, inspires their fresh list of starters, which include the Heritage Yee-Sang with salmon carpaccio and sea bass with sweet plum and ginger. Other highlights include lip tingling sea bass in warming hot pots and 18-hour slow cooked pork belly.
65 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2QU
kaimayfair.co.uk
