Best Dim Sum in London: Chinatown and Beyond
Discover the best dim sum in London, from classic spots in Chinatown to hidden gems in Peckham and Soho. Learn what makes great dim sum, what to order, and when to go for the freshest bites.
Authentic Dim Sum in London: Where to Find Real Cantonese Dumplings and Steamed Bites
When you’re looking for authentic dim sum, a traditional Cantonese meal of small steamed or fried dishes served with tea. Also known as yum cha, it’s not just food—it’s a ritual. You sit, you sip, you pick at delicate dumplings, and you leave full, not just fed. This isn’t about fancy plating or Instagrammable buns. It’s about the steam rising from bamboo baskets, the slight chew of har gow wrappers, the burst of juicy pork in siu mai. And in London, you don’t need to fly to Hong Kong to get it—you just need to know where to look.
Cantonese dumplings, the heart of dim sum, come in dozens of forms—from shrimp-filled har gow with translucent wrappers to pork-filled char siu bao with fluffy, sweet buns. These aren’t frozen imports. Real ones are made fresh daily, often by chefs who trained in Guangdong or Hong Kong. You’ll know them by the way the dough holds its shape, the filling isn’t watery, and the soy-vinegar dip isn’t an afterthought—it’s essential. Then there’s Chinese tea service, the quiet backbone of dim sum culture. It’s not just about flavor—it’s about timing. The tea resets your palate between bites, warms you up, and signals when it’s time to order more. In London, places that take tea seriously use loose-leaf oolong or pu-erh, not tea bags in little paper balls. Skip the places that serve dim sum all day long. The best spots open early, sell out by 2 p.m., and only bring out fresh baskets when the kitchen’s ready.
What you’ll find in the posts below aren’t tourist traps or fusion experiments. These are real kitchens—some tucked into basement units, others in busy Chinatown corners—where the staff knows your name if you come back. You’ll see where the crispy turnip cakes are fried just right, which spot still uses hand-pulled noodles in their cheong fun, and why one place charges £1.20 for a single shrimp dumpling and you still line up for it. No one’s hiding the secret. You just have to show up hungry.