Independent editorial guide
Best Chinese Restaurants in the UK (2026)
Which Chinese restaurants should you start with?
Start with A. Wong for a two-MICHELIN-star tasting occasion, Kai Mayfair for recognised Nanyang cooking, or MiMi Mei Fair for Peking duck in a Mayfair townhouse. For Sichuan spice choose Barshu; for Cantonese formats compare Hakkasan Mayfair or Chung Ying in Birmingham. Poon’s suits a shorter lunch or pre-theatre plan. Outside London, compare Tattu Manchester for setting and cocktails, or Lychee Oriental in Glasgow for Chinese and Oriental dishes or a banquet. These are editorial fits backed by the attributed evidence below; closed Yauatcha Soho is separate.
How to use this shortlist
This selective UK dine-in guide compares nine active restaurants: six in London, one in Manchester, one in Glasgow and one in Birmingham. Best means editorial fit supported by stated independent recognition, cuisine and practical conditions. Sources use different rating methods, so list position is not a measured quality score or a claim to cover every UK region. Tattu and Lychee have broader Asian influences. Yauatcha Soho is status-only during refurbishment.
Compare cuisine, setting and recognition
| Restaurant | Location | Cuisine and meal fit | Independent evidence | Material condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Wong | Pimlico, London | Lunch dim sum; regional tasting dinner | Two MICHELIN stars, 2026; Harden’s 29 | Dinner about three hours; allergy restriction |
| Kai Mayfair | Mayfair, London | Nanyang lunch, dinner and afternoon tea | MICHELIN selected; Harden’s 81 | Tea Wednesday–Sunday, 15:00–16:30 |
| MiMi Mei Fair | Mayfair, London | Chinese regional influences and Peking duck | MICHELIN selected | London child ages and 48-hour cancellation |
| Hakkasan Mayfair | Mayfair, London | Cantonese à la carte, sets and brunch | MICHELIN selected; Harden’s 97 | Offers have days, times and advance-booking conditions |
| Barshu | Soho, London | Sichuan cooking and a shared table | MICHELIN selected | Ask about dish-specific heat and ingredients |
| Poon's at Somerset House | Somerset House, London | Wontons, claypot rice; timed lunch formats | MICHELIN selected | Current pre-theatre menu £32; homepage £29 conflict |
| Tattu Manchester | Spinningfields, Manchester | Modern Asian food, cocktails and group occasions | Harden’s 2025: ambience stronger than food | Cuisine broader than Chinese; separate meal formats |
| Lychee Oriental | Mitchell Street, Glasgow | Chinese and Oriental à la carte or banquet | Tripadvisor retrieved snapshot 4.4/5, 1,368 reviews | Sample menus; lunch/set dinner exclude December |
| Chung Ying Cantonese | Chinatown, Birmingham | Cantonese dishes, dim sum and dietary menus | Festival profile records dated regional recognition | Last food orders precede closing |
For a recognised London dining occasion
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A. Wong
An unhurried, independently recognised Chinese tasting dinner
A. Wong is the strongest expert-recognition starting point in this shortlist: two MICHELIN stars in 2026, plus number 29 in Harden’s overall UK Top 100. Lunch lets you order individual dim-sum pieces; dinner is the extended Collections of China experience.
Choose dinner as the evening’s main event. The restaurant advises against fitting the roughly three-hour meal around theatre and says it cannot cater for food allergies because of dried and fermented ingredients.
Sources: A. Wong: lunch and Collections of China menus, A. Wong: meal duration, dietary limits and reservations, MICHELIN: London’s 2026 star selection, MICHELIN Guide: A. Wong, Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll
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Kai Mayfair
Nanyang cooking or a distinct Chinese afternoon tea in Mayfair
Kai Mayfair gives the shortlist a Nanyang focus, drawing on Chinese culinary traditions connected with the southern seas and an openly contemporary approach. Choose it for that style rather than treating it as another Cantonese dim-sum room.
Its current MICHELIN listing and number 81 in Harden’s 2026 overall UK list add independent context. Chinese Whispers Afternoon Tea is a separate Wednesday–Sunday service, not an all-day substitute for lunch or dinner.
Sources: Kai Mayfair: services and contact, Kai Mayfair: Liberated Nanyang Cooking, MICHELIN Guide: Kai, Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll
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MiMi Mei Fair
Peking duck, sharing dishes and a Mayfair townhouse occasion
MiMi Mei Fair combines a Curzon Street townhouse with Chinese regional dishes, Hong Kong and Singapore influences, and signature Peking duck. MICHELIN’s current London profile independently identifies its setting and duck-led menu.
It suits a sharing date or celebration when the London booking rules fit: children must be at least five at lunch and nine at dinner, and the FAQ lists a 48-hour cancellation deadline with £80 per-person late-cancellation/no-show charges.
Sources: MiMi Mei Fair: London restaurant and formats, MiMi Mei Fair: London booking and family conditions, MICHELIN Guide: MiMi Mei Fair London
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Hakkasan Mayfair
Modern Cantonese dining with set menus, brunch and a bar
Hakkasan Mayfair gives you more meal-format flexibility than a tasting-only dinner: Cantonese à la carte, dim sum, sets and brunch, alongside a bar. MICHELIN currently selects the Bruton Street branch, and Harden’s puts it at number 97 in its 2026 overall UK list.
Compare the actual service: the advertised £29 weekday lunch and £35/£45 evening set offers are conditional. A price shown for a restricted set is not the cost of every dinner.
Sources: Hakkasan Mayfair: menus, offers, hours and dress policy, MICHELIN Guide: Hakkasan Mayfair, Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll
For Sichuan cooking or a shorter Chinese meal in London
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Barshu
Sichuan chilli and pepper dishes for sharing in Soho
Barshu is the Sichuan specialist in this shortlist, with chilli and Sichuan-pepper preparations rather than the same style as a Cantonese dim-sum meal. Its current MICHELIN selection provides independent guide context.
The operator highlights fish, chilli chicken and mapo tofu among its regional dishes. Ask for a selection that fits the group’s appetite and heat tolerance; a named style does not mean every dish has the same ingredients or spice level.
Sources: Barshu: Sichuan cooking and Soho contact, MICHELIN Guide: Barshu
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Poon's at Somerset House
Chinese home cooking, a shorter lunch or a pre-theatre meal
Poon’s in Somerset House’s New Wing centres a shared meal on wontons, steamed dishes, roast meats and claypot rice. MICHELIN currently selects it and highlights the pre-theatre and after-21:00 Siu Yeh formats.
Tuesday–Friday express lunch is designed to fit within an hour. The current pre-theatre menu says £32 per person with soup, three dishes and rice until 18:30, while the homepage still advertises £29; confirm the price and optional 13.5% service charge.
Sources: Poon’s at Somerset House: formats and restaurant contact, Poon’s: current main, express and pre-theatre menus, MICHELIN Guide: Poon’s at Somerset House
For a meal in Manchester, Glasgow or Birmingham
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Tattu Manchester
A Manchester celebration centred on setting, cocktails and modern Asian food
Tattu Manchester is the setting-led regional choice: cherry-blossom and body-art-inspired design, cocktails, private dining and a modern Asian menu. Choose it for that combination rather than as a traditional Cantonese or Sichuan specialist.
Harden’s visible 2025 survey gives ambience 4/Very Good, service 3/Good and food 2/Average, with limited feedback. That mixed evidence supports an occasion-and-setting fit, not a claim that it has the UK’s highest-rated Chinese food.
Sources: Tattu Manchester: venue, experiences and contact, Tattu Manchester: separate current menu formats, Harden’s: Tattu Manchester survey review
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Lychee Oriental
Chinese favourites or a structured banquet in central Glasgow
Lychee Oriental’s Mitchell Street restaurant combines Chinese favourites with a broader Oriental menu, including wontons, duck, claypots and steamed fish. A published five-course banquet is a structured alternative to choosing à la carte.
The retrieved Tripadvisor page shows 4.4/5 from 1,368 reviews and 2026 Travellers’ Choice, a dated customer-review snapshot rather than a national rank. Menus are labelled illustrative, and lunch/set dinner menus exclude December.
Sources: Lychee Oriental: Glasgow restaurant identity, Lychee Oriental: sample dine-in, banquet and dietary menus, Tripadvisor: Lychee Oriental Glasgow review snapshot
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Chung Ying Cantonese
Cantonese food and a broad dim-sum choice in Birmingham Chinatown
Chung Ying Cantonese provides the Birmingham choice for Cantonese dishes and dim sum, with separate vegan and gluten-free menus. Its Wrottesley Street identity and regional history are supported by the local restaurant festival profile as well as operator sources.
The festival records 2023 Birmingham Mail reader recognition and other past awards; these are dated context, not a new national 2026 rating. Published last food orders are earlier than closing, particularly on Sunday.
Sources: Chung Ying Cantonese: cuisine and dietary menus, Chung Ying Cantonese: branch and last food orders, Birmingham Restaurant Festival: Chung Ying profile
Yauatcha Soho: closed for refurbishment
Yauatcha Soho is closed for major refurbishment. The operator expects reopening in late 2027 and says Deliveroo delivery continues meanwhile. It is excluded from the nine current dine-in recommendations.
An old menu, reservation button or description of private dining on the page does not override the prominent closure notice. Yauatcha City is a separate branch, and has not been substituted for the Soho record.
Choose by recognition, cuisine and the evening you want
For the strongest expert award in this shortlist, start with A. Wong’s two MICHELIN stars and allow time for its tasting dinner. Kai and MiMi offer distinct Nanyang and Peking-duck occasions, while Hakkasan has several Cantonese formats and a bar. A guide listing alone does not make every restaurant starred.
Choose Barshu for Sichuan dishes, Poon’s for home-style sharing and shorter formats, or one of the three labelled regional alternatives. The recognition table keeps mixed feedback and different evidence types visible, so a good setting or historical award does not silently become a claim about the country’s best food.
What independent recognition supports this shortlist?
Best here means an editorial selection by independently published recognition and meal fit. A. Wong, Kai and MiMi are three useful starting points for a recognised London occasion, while the wider shortlist adds cuisine and regional choices.
The table names each source’s method and date. MICHELIN stars, MICHELIN selection, Harden’s diners’ poll, customer-review snapshots and festival accounts are different evidence. They are not converted into a common score. The sources support a selective recommendation, not proof of the UK’s nine highest-rated restaurants.
| Restaurant | Recognition and date | Evidence type | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Wong | Two MICHELIN stars, 2026; Harden’s overall UK 29 | Expert award plus a separate diners’ poll | Strongest expert-award starting point here; not a universal national winner |
| Kai Mayfair | MICHELIN selected; Harden’s overall UK 81 in 2026 | Guide selection and diners’ poll | Selected is different from a current star |
| MiMi Mei Fair | Current MICHELIN selected London restaurant | Expert guide selection | Independent listing supports inclusion, not a numeric rank |
| Hakkasan Mayfair | MICHELIN selected; Harden’s overall UK 97 in 2026 | Guide selection and diners’ poll | Historical stars are not current awards |
| Barshu | Current MICHELIN selected restaurant | Expert guide selection | Cuisine-led Sichuan fit; no invented score |
| Poon’s at Somerset House | Current MICHELIN selected restaurant | Expert guide selection | Current Somerset House identity; older family stars are separate |
| Tattu Manchester | Harden’s displayed 2025: Food 2/Average, Service 3/Good, Ambience 4/Very Good | Dated category survey, limited feedback | Setting-led recommendation; mixed food evidence retained |
| Lychee Oriental | Retrieved Tripadvisor: 4.4/5, 1,368 reviews; 2026 Travellers’ Choice | Customer-review snapshot retrieved 23 October 2026 | Not real-time, not a cross-platform or national rank |
| Chung Ying Cantonese | Festival profile records 2023 Birmingham Mail reader recognition and past awards | Dated recognition described by a festival | Not a newly verified national 2026 award |
Sources: MICHELIN: London’s 2026 star selection, MICHELIN: current UK Chinese restaurant selection, Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll, Harden’s: Tattu Manchester survey review, Tripadvisor: Lychee Oriental Glasgow review snapshot, Birmingham Restaurant Festival: Chung Ying profile
Choose the meal format before comparing the price
For individual dim sum, start with the actual lunch service at A. Wong or the offered Cantonese dim-sum formats at Chung Ying, Hakkasan and MiMi. Choose A. Wong’s dinner when you want the longer tasting experience. For regional heat, compare Barshu; for Nanyang cooking or a separate tea, compare Kai.
Poon’s offers a timed express lunch and a separate pre-theatre meal; confirm its current £32 menu against the older £29 homepage headline, plus optional service. Hakkasan’s £29 lunch and £35/£45 evening sets are conditional offers. Lychee’s sample banquet is £45 per person, minimum two, and sample menus can change. These different courses, portions, drinks and time restrictions are not a matched cheapest-meal comparison.
Sources: A. Wong: lunch and Collections of China menus, A. Wong: meal duration, dietary limits and reservations, Chung Ying Cantonese: cuisine and dietary menus, Hakkasan Mayfair: menus, offers, hours and dress policy, MiMi Mei Fair: London restaurant and formats, Barshu: Sichuan cooking and Soho contact, Kai Mayfair: services and contact, Poon’s at Somerset House: formats and restaurant contact, Poon’s: current main, express and pre-theatre menus, Lychee Oriental: sample dine-in, banquet and dietary menus
Plan a UK dining trip with the actual branch and party
The nine active choices cover six London restaurants plus Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham. This does not cover every UK region and should not be mistaken for a UK-wide customer-rating census. Tattu’s modern Asian repertoire and Lychee’s broader Oriental menu are labelled so readers seeking strictly Cantonese or Sichuan cooking can choose accordingly.
Confirm the actual branch, menu, children’s ages, accessibility or dietary needs, booking terms, service charge and last food orders. Keep travel and theatre deadlines separate from generic closing times. Yauatcha Soho’s closure remains visible outside the active list; delivery and other branches do not restore its dining-room availability.
Sources: Tattu Manchester: venue, experiences and contact, Lychee Oriental: Glasgow restaurant identity, MiMi Mei Fair: London booking and family conditions, A. Wong: meal duration, dietary limits and reservations, Chung Ying Cantonese: branch and last food orders, Yauatcha Soho: current refurbishment closure
Questions before you choose
Is Yauatcha Soho open for dining?
No. The current operator notice says Soho is closed for major refurbishment, with reopening expected in late 2027. Delivery via Deliveroo continues separately. It is kept as a status-only record, outside the nine current dine-in recommendations; Yauatcha City is a different branch.
Which Chinese restaurants in this guide are outside London?
Tattu Manchester, Lychee Oriental in Glasgow and Chung Ying Cantonese in Birmingham. Their evidence and purposes differ: setting-led modern Asian dining, a broad Chinese/Oriental meal or banquet, and Cantonese dim sum respectively. Six active entries are in London; this is selective coverage, not an exhaustive national survey.
Can I order individual à la carte dim sum at A. Wong’s dinner?
No. Individual à la carte dim sum is the lunch format. Collections of China dinner can include dim-sum courses but is a longer tasting experience, around three hours, and the restaurant advises against using it for pre-theatre dining.
Which entries offer Cantonese, Sichuan or broader Asian cooking?
Hakkasan Mayfair and Chung Ying focus on Cantonese food; Barshu is the Sichuan specialist. A. Wong ranges across Chinese regional cooking, Kai emphasises Nanyang traditions, and MiMi draws on Chinese regions, Hong Kong and Singapore. Tattu and Lychee have broader Asian/Oriental repertoires. Check the actual menu rather than treating all entries as the same cuisine.
Can children dine at every restaurant on the same terms?
No. MiMi Mei Fair London permits children from five at lunch and nine at dinner, with no pushchairs or large bags. A. Wong has no separate children’s menu, so children must partake in the whole menu. Tattu publishes a children’s menu, but confirm the actual branch, service and party conditions.
Do dietary menus guarantee suitability for an allergy?
No. A. Wong explicitly says it cannot cater for food allergies because of some dried and fermented ingredients; its FAQ also describes gluten throughout and no vegan menu. MiMi describes advance dietary enquiries, while Chung Ying and Lychee publish dietary menus. These do not establish identical preparation or freedom from cross-contact: discuss the exact need before booking.
Are online sample menus and advertised set prices guaranteed?
No. Lychee labels menus as illustrative and its lunch/set-dinner samples exclude December. Hakkasan’s set offers have day, time, advance-booking and date conditions. Poon’s current pre-theatre menu says £32 while its homepage still says £29, with optional service additional. Confirm the reservation’s menu, price, supplements and service terms.
What should I check before a short or pre-theatre meal?
Start with the format and actual deadline. A. Wong’s roughly three-hour dinner is not recommended for pre-theatre. Poon’s Tuesday–Friday express lunch is designed for an hour, with a separate pre-theatre menu until 18:30. Chung Ying’s last food orders precede closing. Neither a published duration nor a set offer guarantees a table or exact exit time.
Do all bookings have the same cancellation policy?
No. A. Wong lists 72 hours’ notice and menu-specific charges; MiMi Mei Fair London lists 48 hours and £80 per guest for late cancellation/no-show. Read the conditions on the actual reservation. No universal cancellation policy has been inferred for the other restaurants.
Which Chinese restaurants suit a date night or celebration?
Start with A. Wong for an unhurried, two-MICHELIN-star tasting dinner; Kai for Nanyang cooking or separate tea; MiMi for Peking duck and townhouse rooms; Hakkasan for Cantonese formats and a bar. Outside London, Tattu is a setting-and-cocktail option with mixed independent food feedback. Choose by occasion and the stated evidence, not a fabricated common score.
How were these Chinese restaurants selected?
Best means an editorial shortlist by independent recognition, cuisine, location and practical meal fit. MICHELIN selection and stars are distinguished; Harden’s overall Top 100 positions are dated 2026; Tattu’s displayed survey is 2025; Lychee’s customer score is a retrieved snapshot; Chung Ying’s festival profile describes dated regional recognition. The sources are not combined into a universal numerical rating or national top-nine league.
What does Best mean when the recognition comes from different sources?
It is an editorial recommendation by use case, supported by the attributed recognition shown for each entry. An expert star, selected listing, diners’ poll, customer-review snapshot and dated regional award account measure different things; they are not added into a single score.
Is this a takeaway or delivery ranking?
The active recommendations concern dine-in meals. Delivery and collection are mentioned only as separate services where relevant. Closed Yauatcha Soho’s continued delivery does not make it an available dining room.
Where should I start for dim sum in this shortlist?
Compare A. Wong’s individual lunch dim sum with Chung Ying’s Cantonese selection or the offered MiMi and Hakkasan formats. Verify the actual service. Yauatcha Soho is closed for dining and is not an active dim-sum recommendation.
Was the order of this shortlist bought?
The shortlist is an editorial selection based on the cited evidence and meal fit. List positions are not sold as paid rankings, and no numerical quality score is manufactured.
How we selected these places
Sarah Haddad is the responsible author. We compared the existing restaurant identities using current operator menus, branch and reservation pages, plus independent MICHELIN selection and 2026 awards, Harden’s dated diners’ evidence, a retrieved Tripadvisor snapshot and the Birmingham Restaurant Festival profile. Sources were checked on 23 October 2026. Best is an editorial choice by recognition, cuisine, region and meal fit, not a common numerical league. Current stars, selected listings, old awards and review snapshots are distinguished. No TRP visit, tasting or measured consistency test is claimed. Selection is editorial; it is not sold as paid placement.
Sources and review dates
- A. Wong: meal duration, dietary limits and reservations — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN: London’s 2026 star selection — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN Guide: A. Wong — checked 2026-10-23
- Kai Mayfair: services and contact — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- Kai Mayfair: Liberated Nanyang Cooking — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN Guide: Kai — checked 2026-10-23
- Harden’s: 2026 Top 100 national diners’ poll — checked 2026-10-23. A. Wong 29, Kai Mayfair 81 and Hakkasan Mayfair 97 are positions in this publisher’s overall restaurant list, not Chinese-only ranks or TRP scores.
- MiMi Mei Fair: London restaurant and formats — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MiMi Mei Fair: London booking and family conditions — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN Guide: MiMi Mei Fair London — checked 2026-10-23
- Yauatcha Soho: current refurbishment closure — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23. Expected reopening is late 2027, not a confirmed bookable date. Delivery is separate.
- Hakkasan Mayfair: menus, offers, hours and dress policy — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN Guide: Hakkasan Mayfair — checked 2026-10-23
- Barshu: Sichuan cooking and Soho contact — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- MICHELIN Guide: Barshu — checked 2026-10-23
- Poon’s at Somerset House: formats and restaurant contact — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23. Homepage pre-theatre headline still says £29; current menu says £32. Confirm the applicable reservation price.
- MICHELIN Guide: Poon’s at Somerset House — checked 2026-10-23
- Tattu Manchester: venue, experiences and contact — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- Harden’s: Tattu Manchester survey review — checked 2026-10-23. Visible latest survey tab is 2025. Food 2/Average, Service 3/Good, Ambience 4/Very Good; feedback described as limited. These are Harden’s category labels, not TRP scores.
- Lychee Oriental: Glasgow restaurant identity — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- Tripadvisor: Lychee Oriental Glasgow review snapshot — checked 2026-10-23. Retrieved 23 October 2026: displayed 4.4/5 from 1,368 reviews and 2026 Travellers’ Choice. A retrieved page snapshot, not a real-time or cross-platform rank.
- Chung Ying Cantonese: cuisine and dietary menus — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- Chung Ying Cantonese: branch and last food orders — Operator website — checked 2026-10-23
- Birmingham Restaurant Festival: Chung Ying profile — checked 2026-10-23. Profile records past awards and 2023 Birmingham Mail reader recognition. Its August festival menu is not a current October offer.
- MICHELIN: current UK Chinese restaurant selection — checked 2026-10-23. Guide selection is distinct from a star. Current page includes the six active London restaurants in this shortlist.
Author and corrections
Sarah Haddad is responsible for this guide. It is based on the published sources cited here; no firsthand visit or independent service test is claimed.