Recommend me a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown

[Alex]

Taking the family to the theatre this evening and we fancy going to Chinatown beforehand for dinner. Any recommendations?

[WCZ]

you do know there is a 'chinatown' in several cities in england?

[feef]

and, imho, the best chinese in London (assuming that's where you mean) isn't in Chinatown but Middlesex St out Spitalfields way, called My Old Place

[Europa1]

feef said:

and, imho, the best chinese in London (assuming that's where you mean) isn't in Chinatown but Middlesex St out Spitalfields way, called My Old Place

Not tried that one, but Chilli Cool on Leigh Street in Bloomsbury is very good.

[anonymous-user]

Is there a budget and what sort of meal are you looking for?
Loads of choice from generic can-get-anywhere chinese to some decent stuff.

[Alex]

Yes, London! Taking the kids, so nothing too fancy.

[tomsugden]

It's got to be 'Wonkeys', if only for the experience:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Kei

[Alex]

tomsugden said:

It's got to be 'Wonkeys', if only for the experience:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Kei

A friend recommend Wonkeys too. Sounds fun!

[gavsdavs]

(More) Authentic Chinese - Joy King Lau, Leicester Street (just off Leicester Square)
More recognisable dishes - Golden Dragon, Gerrard Street
Utter madness - Wong Kei, Wardour street facing Gerrard Street

[Jakdaw]

gavsdavs said:

(More) Authentic Chinese - Joy King Lau, Leicester Street (just off Leicester Square)

Was recommended to me by Chinese friends - espeically for the Dim Sum.

But as others have said - if you've not experienced Wong Kei....

(That said - Wong Kei seems to have softened rather a lot, since, well the 90s).

[anonymous-user]

Alex said:

A friend recommend Wonkeys too. Sounds fun!

Wong Kei used to be great - it's still good but not the same level as before. The waiters are just too polite now.

Can't go wrong if you stick to the basics there - be prepared to share a table though.

There is a nice basic one at the end of gerrard street, nr Macclesfield street - cant remember the name but it has green signage. Nothing flash or complicated.

[Murph7355]

desolate said:

Wong Kei used to be great - it's still good but not the same level as before. The waiters are just too polite now.
...

Never, ever really saw the "fun" of Wong Kei's. Nor was I ever impressed with the food.

I used to use New World more often than not - nothing out of this world but decent food in traditional surroundings and dead easy to find.

Not eaten in Chinatown for a long time though.

[CAPP0]

Always used to be the case that the Chinatown restaurants had a very high level of hygiene-related incidents & closures in central London. Don't know whether that's still the case - and probably too late for the OP now anyway!

[anonymous-user]

Murph7355 said:

Never, ever really saw the "fun" of Wong Kei's. Nor was I ever impressed with the food.

I used to use New World more often than not - nothing out of this world but decent food in traditional surroundings and dead easy to find.

Not eaten in Chinatown for a long time though.

I lived in london alone in the early to mid 90s - it was a cheap and quick way of eating something ok.

Won Ton noodle soup, crispy pork duck rice. can of coke.

full as anything for little money and at the time they used to make their own won ton and they were lovely,as was the bbq meat.

and you didnt have to speak to them or give them a tip.you could get in and out in 20 mins and say about 20 words in total.

[dapprman]

feef said:

and, imho, the best chinese in London (assuming that's where you mean) isn't in Chinatown but Middlesex St out Spitalfields way, called My Old Place

+1 for My Old Place - I used to work near by and still go back there.

tomsugden said:

It's got to be 'Wonkeys', if only for the experience:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Kei

For a good couple of decades it's lived on it's former hype. Ok food, but nothing special.

gavsdavs said:

(More) Authentic Chinese - Joy King Lau, Leicester Street (just off Leicester Square)

Can also back this one - been going here for years - most people eating there are Chinese - in fact I found out after several years that the BBC group (British Born Chinese) used it as their regualr meat restaurant.