Chinatown London has changed. The days of identical Cantonese restaurants with laminated menus are fading. In their place, a new wave of regional Chinese specialists is bringing the kind of food you'd find on the streets of Xi'an, Chengdu, and Taipei.
Here's what you need to know about eating in Chinatown in 2026.
The new Chinatown
Five years ago, almost every restaurant in Chinatown served broadly similar Cantonese food. Today, the district is diversifying fast:
- Northern Chinese - Hand-pulled noodles, rou jia mo, cumin lamb. Xi'an and Lanzhou-style food that's completely different from Cantonese cuisine.
- Sichuan - Fiery, numbing, bold. Mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, hotpot.
- Taiwanese - Bubble tea shops, popcorn chicken, beef noodle soup.
- Malaysian/Singaporean - Laksa, char kway teow, nasi lemak.
This diversity is what makes Chinatown exciting again. You can eat something different every day for a month and never repeat yourself. If you arrive via the tube, our pick of the best restaurants near Leicester Square is a useful companion guide.
Hidden gems worth finding
The best restaurants in Chinatown aren't the ones with queues outside. They're the ones on the quieter streets - Little Newport Street, Lisle Street, the upper stretch of Wardour Street.
Look for: - Small dining rooms with high turnover - that means the food is fresh - Specials boards in Chinese - a sign that the kitchen is cooking for a Chinese audience, not tourists - Regional specificity - a restaurant that says "Xi'an noodles" or "Sichuan hotpot" rather than "Chinese food" usually does one thing very well
The halal question
For Muslim diners, Chinatown has historically been almost impossible to navigate. Pork is everywhere. Alcohol is used in cooking. Cross-contamination is a real concern.
The Greedy Sheep changed that. Located at 8 Little Newport Street, it's Chinatown's only 100% halal Chinese restaurant. The entire kitchen is halal. The entire menu is halal. No exceptions, no compromises. And the food - Northern Chinese street food from the Xi'an tradition - is genuinely excellent. Eating with a crowd? Read our notes on group dining in Chinatown, or pair the meal with our list of things to do in Chinatown beyond the food.
Our top 5 dishes for first-timers
1. Lamb Noodle Soup - the house signature 2. Rou Jia Mo - the Chinese burger that predates the hamburger by 2,000 years 3. Mapo Tofu - fiery, numbing Sichuan classic 4. Chilli Oil Wontons - silky dumplings in fiery oil 5. Jasmine Tea - served in a traditional blue-and-white pot
Open 12pm-10pm daily. No booking required.
