The best Chinese restaurants in Soho

Tattu arrived in London in 2022 after gaining fame in cities like Manchester and Edinburgh, creating a striking rooftop dining experience inspired by a traditional Chinese courtyard house. The restaurant features three distinct "residences" around an inner courtyard with cherry blossom trees, as well as an outdoor terrace and cocktail bar overlooking the city. The menu offers modern Chinese cuisine with creative presentations, where dishes are styled imaginatively to enhance the overall dining experience.

Orient London exudes classic elegance with dark wood furnishings and gold highlights, offering a sophisticated ambience in the vibrant Chinatown quarter. The extensive menu features Cantonese and Sichuan specialties, including appetisers like shredded chicken with jellyfish, soups, and a variety of seafood, meat, and vegetable mains. Renowned for its seafood and dim sum, the restaurant also provides a concise drinks menu with wine, oriental spirits, and Chinese tea.

The Chuan Royal China restaurant in Soho offers an elegant dining experience, blending Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines with a focus on dim sum and spicy dishes. The sophisticated interior features rich colours, low lighting, and luxurious private dining rooms, creating an opulent atmosphere. The menu highlights the diversity of Sichuan home cooking, with imported peppercorns and chillis, an array of dim sum, hotpots, and an eclectic selection of drinks, making it a memorable destination.

If you're looking to follow up tasty Chinese food with a proper pint, head to The Duck and Rice in Soho. This unique venue combines a traditional British pub with copper vats on the ground floor and a chic Chinese restaurant upstairs, offering a menu of elevated delicacies such as house roast duck, varied dim sum, and lobster Cantonese. The two worlds blend seamlessly with the help of beers, house cocktails, and other drinks.

Fatt Pundit's cuisine is inspired by the Chinese immigrant community in Calcutta, blending traditional Chinese cooking with Indian flavours. The menu at this Asian fusion restaurant features dishes like steamed dumplings with spicy chutney, Bombay chilli prawns, and rabbit wontons. Various dietary needs are catered to as well, with pescatarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free options, to name a few.

Londoners used to come from far and wide to The Jackalope pub in Marylebone for the noodles at the Liu Xiaomian pop-up, but things have become easier since the two women running the operation opened their first bricks-and-mortar restaurant in Soho. Hailing from Chongqing in China, they serve up steaming bowls of noodles and wonton soup in Kingly Court. Careful when choosing your spiciness level – the extra hot is not for the faint of heart.

Despite there being no shortage of eye-catching sights in Soho, Yauatcha's shopfront stands out with its array of exquisite European-style patisserie. The delicately crafted treats are inspired by Chinese heritage and ingredients, and seasonal options like the white chocolate Easter egg are an annual tradition for many. There's no need to skip straight to dessert, either – the Soho restaurant features a relaxed teahouse where you can choose from a wide variety of dim sum.

At Barshu, you can experience authentic Sichuan cuisine. The Chinese restaurant has been around since 2006, importing dried chillis and peppers to provide an authentic kick to the tastebuds. Adorned with traditional Chinese decor, Barshu offers a diverse menu, including starters like spare ribs and pickled vegetables, as well as mains such as chicken in a pile of chillis and dumplings in chilli oil. Cocktails and fine wines from around the world, including China, help put out the fire in your mouth.

Pot and Rice is a modern pan-Asian restaurant with a sleek, contemporary ambience. The restaurant's speciality is clay pot rice, a traditional Chinese street-food dish where rice is cooked with other ingredients in the same pot. The combo of soft and crunchy rice results in an array of textures that's unlike any other Chinese dish. A variety of Asian classics like noodles, cheung fun, and bao buns, is also available here, with bubble tea adding even more playful textures to the mix.

The Ping Pong dim sum and cocktail spots can be found in some of London's liveliest neighbourhoods, including Soho. They're known for their all-you-can-eat option on Sundays, where you can eat your fill until you're left with a wobbling stack of empty bamboo steamers on your table. The Soho branch stands out as one of the chain's largest, spread across two floors and offering private hire options.

If you're looking to shake up your usual dim sum order, Ugly Dumpling is the place for you. Found in Soho and elsewhere in the city, this inventive Chinese restaurant puts a twist on traditional dumpling fillings by drawing on Western culinary influences. Expect dumplings with fillings like cheeseburger, Thai green curry, or taco. Sit down on the outdoor terrace at the Carnaby branch and watch the world go by as you travel the globe with your tastebuds.

Haidilao Hot Pot is famed for its tasty Sichuan-style hot pot, which comes complete with a lively, communal dining experience. You can select from a variety of broths and fresh ingredients, including succulent meats and crisp vegetables, and then set about the business of cooking your meal tableside. Entertaining touches like noodle dancers and even manicures while you wait add to the uniqueness of the experience.