A far east feast under one roof at Bang Bang

Head to Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall in Colindale when you want a big, satisfying Asian feast without committing to one cuisine, one menu, or one opinion. Expect crowds, pagers, generous portions, and a mix-and-match meal that makes sense when it all lands on the table.

We come as a family, which means we’re ordering with two sets of priorities at once. I’m chasing proper noodles and dumpling comfort, while my three year old is here for one thing only – salmon maki.

So we do what Bang Bang does best. We order widely, family-style, from a handful of stalls, then build our own little banquet out of trays and paper bags.

It’s a little chaotic, with the ordering at kiosks and waiting for pagers to buzz, but it’s also lots of fun.

Without further ado, here are the best things to eat at Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall. And the things you can skip without regret.

Quick info on Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall

• Foodhall name: Bang Bang
• Location: Colindale
• Best for: building a shareable Asian feast
• Family friendly: yes, and plenty of solo diners too
• Tip: Gets busy after 5:30pm, come earlier for less chaos
• Best things we ate: strawberry bingsu, cheung fun, char kway teow, honey lime chicken

Read on to find out more about the best things to eat at Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall.

Coconut Tree Malaysian Cuisine

For halal char kway teow that tastes like Kuala Lumpur

Head to the Coconut Tree counter for delicious halal Malaysian food. My favourite order here is the Char Kway Teow. Think squidgy rice noodles slicked in savoury sauce, prawns tucked throughout, fish cake adding that bouncy bite, and the whole thing tasting exactly like the versions I remember eating in KL.

The char kway teow is a massive portion, which makes it perfect for Bang Bang’s natural family style format.

This is the dish I would order again in a heartbeat and it’s gotta be one of the best things to eat at Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall in Colindale.

Coconut Tree is also a fully halal counter and there’s no pork served here, which makes it even easier to order without overthinking.

If you’re building your Bang Bang meal, this is an anchor dish. It’s big, comforting, and properly satisfying.

Yaki Ya

For honey lime chicken that crackles in the best way

Head to Yaki Ya and order the honey lime chicken if you’re in the mood for some delicious fried chicken.

The crust is thick and crunchy, the kind that crackles loudly when you bite in. The chicken stays juicy underneath, and then the sauce hits. Sweet first, then citrusy brightness, then that little tang that keeps you reaching back in for one more piece.

It’s zingy and dangerously moreish.

The edamame, however, is skippable. It doesn’t taste fresh out of a steamer, and it needs seasoning. Even a heavy pinch of salt would have saved it. It’s the kind of plate that reminds you you’re in a food hall, not a restaurant.

Order the chicken. Skip the beans.

Royal China

For moreish prawn cheung fun

If you’ve been craving cheung fun, the Royal China counter at Bang Bang is where you want to be.

Royal China’s prawn cheung fun arrives as silky rice noodle tubes, glossy and soft, each one hiding three plump prawns inside. You dip them into soy sauce, lift them carefully, and then… ecstasy.

The contrast is perfect. Slippery rice noodle that covers a sweet prawn bite, dipped in salty soy. It hits that comfort button hard.

This is one of the best things we eat at Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall, and I’d happily return for it alone.

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Little Thai Silk

For scrumptious Pad Thai

Depending on how big your group is, you’ll probably want to order a second noodle dish. Do me a favour and try the Pad Thai at the Little Thai Silk counter.

Silky strands of noodle come glossy and warm, with peanut shards scattered around the plate and a juicy lime wedge waiting for you to squeeze it over the top and mix everything together. Once you do, the whole plate lifts with brightness, sweetness, savoury depth, and enough chicken to make it feel like a good deal.

This is the kind of dish that makes Bang Bang feel worth the trek to Colindale. It’s comforting, familiar, and well executed.

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Yo Tokyo

Salmon maki for the small people

Now I wouldn’t usually advocate ordering something as simple as salmon maki when you have the whole far eastern smorgasbord of food to choose from.

But this one is for our three year old, whose food hierarchy is basically chicken nuggets, then salmon maki, then everything else.

Yo Tokyo’s salmon maki is done nicely. Lush salmon, well cooked rice, nori wrapped tightly and tasting fresh. Twelve pieces disappear quickly, and everyone stays happy.

It’s not a must-order, but a useful one if you’re dining with a child or you need something simple alongside heavier plates.

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Cafe La Viet

Summer rolls that are fine but forgettable

I love a Vietnamese summer roll, so I want this to hit harder than it does.

We order the prawn ones from the Cafe La Viet counter at Bang Bang. They’re nice enough – pleasant, even. But they don’t add much to the overall meal, and next time I’d happily skip them and spend the money elsewhere.

In a food hall like Bang Bang, you need your dishes to justify their place on the table. These don’t quite do that.

Noodles Lab

Short rib noodle soup that doesn’t sing

The signature baby short ribs noodle soup from the Noodles Lab counter at Bang Bang looks like it should be the comforting hero dish.

It’s got wide noodles and sliced short ribs all in a broth flecked with chilli oil. It should be fragrant, deep, and slightly addictive.

Instead, it’s decent but not exciting. The broth lacks that aroma that makes you lean in and want to slurp immediately. It feels a bit flat, especially compared to the stronger flavours elsewhere in Bang Bang.

If you’re choosing between noodle dishes, I’d steer you towards the char kway teow or the pad Thai instead.

Harune

For a refreshing dessert of strawberry bingsu

Now I love a good noodle dish, but the best thing to order at Bang Bang isn’t a savoury dish. It’s the strawberry bingsu at the Harune counter.

And it’s a winner for both the adults and the kids.

The strawberry bingsu arrives like a snowy pink dream. There’s shaved ice piled high, sliced strawberries that stud the dome, and shaved white chocolate scattered on top. A jug of condensed cream comes on the side, and our three year old delights in pouring it over the top for the final glossy flourish.

It’s refreshing, sweet, and light in a way that feels perfect after noodles and fried chicken. The whole family loves it, including our three year old, who basically treats it like the best possible form of snow.

If you get one dessert at Bang Bang, make it this.

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Overall thoughts on the best food to eat at Bang Bang

Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall is one of the best food halls in London because it does something simple very well. It gives you a wide range of Far Eastern food under one roof, so you can build a meal that feels cohesive.

It works brilliantly for family style dinners, especially because many portions are generous. Noodles and rice dishes, in particular, are made for sharing. That said, there are plenty of solo diners too, ordering one favourite dish and enjoying a quick, satisfying meal.

The main practical tip is timing. Bang Bang gets busy from around 5:30pm onwards, so if you want the place more to yourself, come earlier.

And if you want to order well, copy this approach:

• One big noodle dish.
• One fried chicken dish.
• One comforting Thai plate.
• One perfect cheung fun, or other kind of dim sum.
• Then finish with bingsu.

Now that’s a meal.

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Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall review
Address – 399 Edgware Rd, London NW9 0FH
Nearest Tube – Colindale