London’s best East Asian restaurants
One of the things I love the most about London is the diversity of cultures and cuisines you’ll find in the city; whenever I’m craving an Asian food fix, I’m spoilt for choice, and most places are pretty affordable too. Scroll down for a selection of my favourite east Asian restaurants in London, ranging from Japanese noodles to Taiwanese bao and Vietnamese rice bowls…
Koya, multiple locations (Soho, St. Paul’s) - Japanese
This tiny eatery tucked away on Frith Street in Soho features a long sharing bar, where you can grab a stool and slurp up the best udon noodles you’ll find in the city. The noodles here are cooked with just the right amount of chew, and served in either cold or hot broth; you can customise your order to feature whichever toppings you’d like: chicken, pork, beef, veg etc. The staff are all Japanese (a good sign!), and it’s the perfect place to grab noodles alone if you’re into solo dining. Koya also have a second branch in the city near St Paul’s, and is a great lunchtime option for city slickers looking for a hearty, quick pickmeup.
Bao, multiple locations (Soho, Fitzrovia, London Bridge) - Taiwanese
The original pioneers of the ‘bao’ bun which has since been bastardised by a multitude of pan-Asian restaurants in London over recent years, Bao serves up the delicious Taiwanese street food with flair, originality and flavour in slick, design-led spaces. From the classic pork bun (served with peanut crumble in a fluffy white bun) to their spicy fried chicken bao and melt-in-the-mouth black cod option, you’ll find yourself wanting to sample every bao creation on the cute little menus here. Small and big Taiwanese-inspired dishes are also available (don’t miss the chicken chop!), and save room for the Horlicks fried bao for dessert.
Smoking Goat, Shoreditch - Thai
Bringing the food halls of Bangkok into an industrial brick-lined space in Shoreditch, Smoking Goat perfectly encapsulates the flavours of the Thai capital through its tasty sharing dishes. Chow down on grilled meats, curries, and veggies with jasmine rice, washed down with their delicious iced coffee. This is a great place to come in a large group (the restaurant has lots of space), or their window seats are perfect for solo diners.
A.Wong, Pimlico - Cantonese
Head to A Wong for the best dim sum on offer in London; as someone whose family is from Hong Kong (the birthplace of dim sum), and who visits every year, I have yet to find somewhere in London on par with the dim sum eateries in the far east…that is until I tried A. Wong. Expect contemporary dim sum inventions which are incomparable to the traditional: you’ll find Michelin-star dishes that perfectly blend Cantonese flavours with creative flair.
Pleasant Lady Trading, multiple locations (Soho and Spitalfields) - Chinese
One of my favourite Chinese street foods, jian bing is a savoury crepe, often stuffed with a meat, egg, and veggies, and best eaten on the go with lots of napkins on hand! The tastiest place to find jian bing in London is Pleasant Lady Trading, which runs two ‘hatches’ in London: Soho and Old Spitalfields Market.
Dumpling Shack, Spitalfields - Chinese
You know when it’s cold outside, and all you’re craving are warm, homemade Chinese dumplings? Surely I’m not the only one? If you share the same sentiment, then Dumpling Shack are your guys. Serving up classic pork and leek soup dumplings, and a variety of other tasty offerings (they have amazing vegan dumplings too!), you’ll be guaranteed your comfort fix here.
Nanban, multiple locations (Brixton and Covent Garden) - Japanese
My favourite ramen spot in London and a recent discovery of mine that is seriously giving Bone Daddies and Tonkotsu a run for their money: Nanban is a Brixton-based restaurant, which serves up hot Japanese ramen by the bowlful. Expect soft noodles, flavourful soup and melt-in-the-mouth meat toppings (the chicken ramen is my favourite). They also have a more central location in Seven Dials Market.
