Chinatown Dim Sum: Best Places and What to Order in London

When you think of Chinatown dim sum, a lively, communal meal of small steamed, fried, and baked dishes served in bamboo baskets. Also known as Cantonese yum cha, it’s not just food—it’s a ritual that starts early, ends late, and always leaves you full. In London, this tradition isn’t a tourist show. It’s lived in by families, students, and office workers who skip lunch to sit elbow-to-elbow at round tables, shouting for more tea and dumplings.

Dim sum isn’t one dish. It’s a whole category: har gow, delicate shrimp dumplings with translucent wrappers, char siu bao, fluffy buns stuffed with sweet BBQ pork, and cheung fun, rice noodle rolls rolled with beef or shrimp and drizzled in soy. You’ll find them all in Chinatown, but not every place does them right. The best spots steam the dumplings fresh, not reheated. The wrappers should be thin enough to see the filling, not chewy like rubber. The sauce? Not sweetened with sugar—just a touch of soy, maybe a splash of vinegar, and a hint of chili oil if you ask.

What makes London’s Chinatown dim sum special isn’t just the food—it’s the energy. You’ll hear Mandarin, Cantonese, and English all mixing in the air. Tables turn fast, but the staff never rush you. They’ll bring you tea without asking, refill your cup before it’s empty, and point to the cart when the shrimp dumplings roll by. It’s the kind of place where you order ten things and still leave hungry. And that’s the point.

You don’t need to know the names. Just point. Watch what the locals grab. If the cart is crowded, it’s good. If it’s quiet, walk past. The most popular spots stay busy because they don’t change. They don’t need to. The same kitchen has been making the same pork buns since the 1980s. The same tea master pours the same oolong every morning. You’re not just eating—you’re tasting decades of tradition, wrapped in paper and bamboo.

There’s no fancy decor here. No white tablecloths. No menus with pictures. Just carts, steam, and the sound of clinking teacups. That’s why it’s real. That’s why people come back. And that’s why, in a city full of food trends, Chinatown dim sum still feels like home.