The Best Food in Chinatown London According to TikTok
The Best Food in Chinatown London According to TikTok
We tried all the best food in Chinatown London that’s going viral on TikTok, and here’s what we think
I’m a millennial so you can take it as read that I’m not active on TikTok. But I’ve still done my fair share of drooling over the restaurants that have gone viral on the app. So, I made a list and set out to try the best food in Chinatown London, according to TikTok.
Map of the best food in Chinatown London according to TikTok
Down to business then. Here are is the best food in Chinatown London according to TikTok:
- Bunsik
- Bun House
- Xing Fu Tang
- Real Beijing
- Golden Gate Bakery
- BigC100
- Beijing Dumpling
- Skewer and Beer
- Monga
- Good Friend (Ji’s)
- Five Friends Dessert
1. Bunsik
For Korean corn dogs
I give Bunsik lots of points for originality. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a corn dog in the city. So to eat a Korean corn dog in the middle of Chinatown London is something pretty cool. I also like that, although half of their menu is pork-based, they also mark out the dishes that are halal. Hello beef hotdogs, covered in batter and deep fried.
Rating – 4/5
Address – Bunsik, 62 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0BU
2. Bun House
For custard buns
I totally get why the custard buns at Bun House are popular on TikTok. They’re the most delicious squidgy bao buns filled with custard. And if you try to pry the bun open with your fingers, to get a cool custard drip shot, that stuff’ll go everywhere. Worth it.
Rating – 5/5
Address – Bun House, 26-27 Lisle St, London WC2H 7BA
3. Xing Fu Tang
For brown sugar boba milk
I’ve had bad experiences with brown sugar bubble teas in the past, so I approached Xing Fu Tang hesitantly. But the worry was for nothing – the brown sugar boba milk is outstanding. And amazingly it’s also not too sweet. It’s got this beautiful malty flavour, mixed with caramel and toffee, and the full fat milk cushions and rounds off the whole thing.
Best of all, you get to see how the boba balls are made. First they’re shaped, then they cook a little in hot brown sugar. This is probably the best bubble tea I’ve ever had, and viral food that the peeps on TikTok got right.
Rating – 5/5
Address – Xing Fu Tang, 29 Frith St, London W1D 5LG
4. Real Beijing
For beef hot chilli oil noodles
I loved the beef hot chilli noodles at Real Beijing in Chinatown. And the first few bites were stunning – the beef cooked beautifully, the noodles thick and glossy with oil and chilli.
But then all that chilli started to catch up with me, and I had to chew on the leftover ice from my bubble tea, ha. Next time, when they ask if you want to reduce the chilli levels, say yes!
I rated them one lower than full marks because a few of our noodles had clumped and stuck together. Apart from that, I can see how these noodles have gone viral on TikTok. They’re some of the best in Chinatown London.
Rating – 4/5
Address – Real Beijing, 46 Gerrard St, London W1D 5QH
5. Golden Gate Bakery
For triangle cake
The triangle cakes at Golden Gate Bakery are brilliant. They’re as big as your face, and are as light and fluffy as they are huge. They’re also under £2, so a very affordable snack. In my book, these are one of the best foods to eat in Chinatown London.
Rating – 5/5
Address – Golden Gate Cake Shop, 13 Macclesfield St, London W1D 5BR
6. BigC100
For octopus balls
I love that you can see the octopus balls being made right in front of you. They’re fresh and hot off the moulds, then topped with Katsuobushi and Okonomiyaki sauce. But to be honest, I don’t see why they’re as popular as they seem on TikTok. They’re ok, but are they best thing to eat in Chinatown London? Not sure.
Rating – 3/5
Address – BigC100, 35 Newport Ct, London WC2H 7PQ
7. Beijing dumpling
For dumplings filled with soup (Xiaolongbao)
The thing I like best about the Xiaolongbao at Beijing Dumpling is that they make chicken ones as well as pork ones, Which means I can eat them! They’re delicious to eat and have a very generous and moreish chicken filling. But I do think there could have been more soup inside them. Still, it’s a great restaurant to try in Chinatown London.
Rating – 4/5
Address – Beijing Dumpling, 23 Lisle St, London WC2H 7BA
8. Skewer and Beer
For all the skewers
How have I not heard of Skewer and Beer before? It’s a brilliant, casual, chilled out restaurant. There’s a menu of all kinds of things you can skewer, from chicken heart to beef aorta, prawns to fish balls. And the skewering and cooking of them happens on your table. Thank you TikTok viral food videos for introducing me to this food spot in Chinatown.
Rating – 5/5
Address – Skewer and Beer, 11 Rupert St, London W1D 7PR
9. Monga
For fried chicken breast
Monga is a restaurant in Chinatown known for its Taiwanese fried chicken breast. And although Monga are popular on TikTok, now I’ve tried them I don’t what the fuss is all about. The chicken breast is huge – probably flattened, then battered, fried and covered in seasoning. It’s just a lot of the same thing. The first few bites are nice enough, then it just gets boring to eat.
Rating – 2.5/5
Address – Monga, 12 Macclesfield St, London W1D 5BP
10. Good Friend (Ji’s fried chicken)
For popcorn fried chicken
Head to Good Friend, otherwise known as Ji’s fried chicken, for popcorn chicken. According to TikTok, the popcorn chicken at Ji’s is another top food to eat in Chinatown. Although I like the chicken here more than at Monga, again it’s not something I’d naturally reach for as a snack. There are more interesting things to eat.
Rating – 3/5
Address – Good Friend Chicken, 14 Little Newport St, London WC2H 7JJ
11. Five Friends Dessert
For jiggly coconut milk pig puddings
The sight of these jiggly coconut milk pig desserts on TikTok had me salivating. So I visited Five Friends in Chinatown and ordered two of the piggies to take away. They had the loveliest wobble, with a texture like panna cotta. But while I love the feel of them, they could use a lot more flavour. A condensed milk custard or a brown sugar syrup would be amazing with them.
Rating – 3/5
Address – Five Friends Dessert, 12 Little Newport St, London WC2H 7JJ
Overall thoughts on the best food in Chinatown London, according to TikTok
It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed trying out all the best food in Chinatown London – according to TikTok anyway. Some of the places to eat were better than others, but overall there was nothing too bad – and lots of really good things to eat. Yum
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