Joy King Lau

My friends and I decided to go get some Dim Sum while walking through Chinatown. This place was surprisingly very good! The service was great, and the prices were reasonable. I highly recommend this place to anyone in the area!

I’ve lived in London for 3.5 years now and have never eaten in Chinatown. Unilocal suggested this restaurant and I made a booking. My friend and I, nevertheless, were impressed. We weren’t really hungry and therefore shared a quarter crispy duck from the appetizers with plum sauce and pancakes with a side of bean sprout noodles and it was the perfect amount of food. The duck was delectable and the noodles were perfect — it had just enough grease without feeling too heavy. The final price was alarmingly cheap. Even though we didn’t order much, it did fill us and we didn’t even finish all of the duck. The service was good, although we had a bit of a wait for the table, even though we had a booking. By the way, this place gets jam-​packed, so I do recommend reserving a table, particularly before 8 PM because the queue was out the door when we left. I would definitely come back!

I had to dim-​sum when I was visiting London, since there are a lot of them at china town I had a hard time picking one. But fortunately I picked the right one!
They have everything you want when it comes to dim-​sum. The menu is both in Chinese and English, the staff also spoke those languages (Cantonese). The food was delicious and nothing really to complain about.
The restaurant might seem small but there is a second floor, so don’t be intimidated if it looks full. The interior is generic Chinese restaurant, a little bit dirty and rusty. The only bad thing really is that the restaurant is very tight, you don’t have any privacy and people will bump your shoulders many time if you don’t face your back against a wall.
If you are in London and looking for dim-​sum then this is the place!

Okay, the congee was so amazing after our long flight and a two hours walk in cold and damp New Year’s Day, but everything else is pretty average. Sorry I’m comparing the food to NYC Chinatown! The place gets busy very quickly, so order all your things or the later additions won’t make it to your table until late. The waitress who force you to sit in a small table if you are dinning in pair, just ignore if there are open tables (especially if you know you are going to need the big table for all your dishes!)

I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t quite the authentic Hong Kong dim sum experience, with gruff service staff threatening to run you over with their trolleys. This was rather more civilized. Food was fine. Steamed stuff — har kau, siu mai, cheong fun et al — were decent enough. Not a fan of the fried stuff but that’s just me.

I ate here because the view from my hotel room was this place. I didn’t know what exactly they had, but after seeing a picture list of dim sum from a distance I said why not.
They didn’t have the carts rolling around, but they had an extensive dim sum menu. I walked in about 5 minutes before they were going to stop serving dim sum and I was able to get a few items. I tried the shu mai, bbq pork bun, beef meatballs, and black bean pork ribs.
This was some of the best dim sum I’ve ever had, and for about 15 pounds. Everything seemed like they made it fresh in house, and the portions were slightly larger than what i’m used to.

This place is hidden in the side street of London’s Chinatown. The restaurant occupies the whole townhouse. We went there with a group of friends.
As we entered we were directed to the (2^nd!) floor. Yes as you go up you feel you are walking in the hallway of some traditional English townhouse. And yes, that means it’s fairly packed there. While we were waiting for our table on the 2^nd floor landing (yes it looked like a landing :) I had to let people in and out of nearby toilet.
The venue itself looks elegant but it’s not a kind of in-​your-​face décor. We had a great Dim Sum there, particularly I remember trying a fermented egg for the first time and it was a delight! The service was very professional and quick. Overall, it’s a very decent place and the food is worth its monetary value.

As many of the China town restaurants, Joy King Lau doesn’t look particularly tempting but this one in particular was recommended to me. The comforting traditional Chine food makes up for the unimposing interior. The Sweetcorn and Tofu Soup was all right but the Aubergine with Garlic and Chilli was irresistably yummy.
The restaurant is visited by lots of big groups of Chinese who sit around round tables full of sharing platters. So the atmosphere is quite agitated and casual.

It was late and we were on the hunt for congee and noodles and decided to try this place. It is a decent restaurant, unlike noisy Hung’s (opened all night).
We ordered the beef congee and beef brisket noodles. Food arrived promptly and piping hot. The beef was well cooked and still tender, a sign of good quality cooking as it is very easy to overcook beef in congee and noodles.
Service was pleasant and friendly and although we were the only customers and it was closing time, we didn’t feel rushed.
I’ve docked one star on account of the MSG in the food, the effects of which were felt later. But then all Chinese food served in restaurants have some MSG.

The best dim sum I’ve had in London by far. Particularly recommend the turnip paste, which I honestly thought was fish, and any of the many custard based items but everything I had was very good and the service attentive. I guess a menu with pictures would have helped but I really have no criticism.

Great dimsum at decent price. Efficient service. It gets quite busy for sure… Will definitely go back next time I get a craving for dim sum.

Excellent location near soho and Chinatown combined with reasonable prices and friendly service make this one of my favorites.
The dim sum is outstanding. We got the usual har low and shiu Mai along with curry welks. All were freshly made to order and came out piping hot. The aromatic crispy duck was great and retained its crispy skin. The only thing we didn’t enjoy was the wonton noodle soup which was a little bland. Overall this place is great and highly recommended.

Best dimsum I have ever had so far (Compared to all the dimsum places I’ve tried in Boston and NYC). The two staples of dimsum, har gao and shu mai, are amazing and made with the freshest ingredients. The har gao had «real shrimp» taste, not like the frozen shrimp used in the states. The shu mai was completely different (a much better different) than anything I’ve ever had. I’m not sure if it was made with pork but it was perfectly flavored and had great elasticity (many people don’t get what I mean by that). But the most breathtaking item on the menu had to be the DEEP FRIED CUSTARD BUNS. These custard buns went from 0 – 100 real quick in the fryer. The outside layer was a beautiful golden brown and it was the perfect toasted crunchiness achievable on a bun.
Definitely making the trip back here when I visit London again!

If you’re looking for the best (!) and freshest (!) Dim Sum in Soho — look no further! Joy King Lau on Leicester Street (adjacent to Lisle Street) offers a fairly large menu of steamed & fried dim sum, including some more exotic varieties — and a selection of cheung fun, of course.
Just returned from London, where I always have dim sum several times during my stays. So far, I mostly frequented the Wan Chai Corner (on Gerrard Street) for its broad selection and solid quality, or Beijing Dumpling (on Lisle Street) for its absolutely freshly made dumplings. The two I will still recommend strongly — but Joy King Lau is different. All the dim sum are made freshly and have a better (firmer, more al dente usually) bite to them than those of the competition. Also, they’re about 15% cheaper in comparison to the other Soho establishments, which also makes this restaurant great value! The regular dim sum are just UKP 2.80 per dish.
Three times I had lunch at Joy King Lau in early to mid-​August of 2015 — three times I chose 5 or 6 different dim sum each. This might seem too much for the average single traveler, but I wanted to sample as many different dim sum from this place as possible, having read some rave reviews on the Internet (the reviews here are mixed, which I don’t quite understand). Expect 3 or 4 dim sum per person for a tummy-​filling meal. They made only 1 mistake, as they served me the regular salty fried squid instead of the squid cakes I had ordered.
The atmosphere is quite typical for a Soho Chinese. It’s always rush-​rush-​rush — this is no place to linger with friends for a party, or with a large family on a get-​together. OTOH, for a quick lunch or early dinner with a friend or wife, it’s great. You can always hang out for chit chat at one of the many pubs in the neighborhood (there’s a good Fuller’s pub a stone’s throw away on the same street). Having said that, the waiters *never* forced the bill on me after I’d finished my meals — I had to ask for it!
The fact that Joy King Lau is also a small (!) restaurant tends to add to the atmosphere of slight chaos and rush.
What’s less typical is that the service is very attentive — they’re always around to fill up your cup of Chinese tea (which you’ll get automatically once you’ve been seated — so pay attention if you don’t want tea!). Sometimes too attentive — there are so many waiters and waitresses around it can happen that one hands you the menu, then turns away, then another one steps up to ask for your order — 30 seconds after you’ve been seated! It may sound like pushiness — but it is not. The waiters just don’t pay attention to what the others are doing.
If a little chaos does not deter you, the traveler looking for first class dim sum, then you shouldn’t hesitate and include Joy King Lau in your Soho roster of Chinese joints. See the photos for the variety of steamed and fried dim sum I had (not a fan of cheung fun, so I can’t comment on those). Particularly recommendable are: the pork & prawn dumplings with Chinese mushroom, the fried skin of chicken filled with four delicacies (just called «Chicken with Four Kinds» on the menu!), the beef with spring onion and ginger, the spicy beef tripe (not quite so spicy, actually — it’s made with ginger), the siu mai (a standard dim sum, but of higher quality here than elsewhere!) and the chicken with Chinese dumpling (Warning: the chicken here is on the bones!). But ALL of the 17 ones I had were of superior to excellent quality.
The bill includes a «mandatory» 10% service charge. With 6 dim sum + chinese tea + service I ended up with a UKP 20 – 21 bill. Very reasonable considering the quality.
Dim sum can be ordered up until 5 p.m. (17.00), which is customary in Soho.
Almost all of the other guests during my three visits to Joy King Lau were Asian — I always consider that a good sign. Make sure that when you want to have lunch there with 3 or even 2 people that you show up at 12 noon when they open on weekdays, because the small restaurant will fill up quickly.
Please have a look at my photos, which also includes snapshots of the menus.

Very good and cheap Chinese restaurant!
the yum croquette are by far my favourite (and my mom’s too), the dim sum are good and the place is pretty much packed by Chinese people. This restaurants is not in the main china town street which make him less «commercial» as the other ones.

We brought my wife’s parents here for a yum char lunch on their 2^nd day in London. It is on the Leicester Square side of Chinatown, just up from M&Ms World. Looks very popular. We walked up to the 3^rd floor. Lots of Cantonese speakers around and the in-​laws felt like they were back in Hong Kong.
We had jasmine tea for the table and washed the utensils as you would do in Hong Kong. My wife ordered a good variety of dishes, both fried and steamed, for the table to share. The food came out fast and all was as expected. They did the basics well: I liked the prawn dumplings.
We were all satisfied with the lunch and I recommend it as a reliable destination if you are looking to have a meal in Chinatown.

A wonderful Dim Sum place, I have only been here daytime. I try to go every time Im in London so its been quite a few times now. The pork buns, salt & pepper squid as well as crispy duck pancakes are always on the order list. Can’t wait for the time.

Excellent service.
Food was very good, but not memorable. I had to think for a minute to remember what I ate there just a few days ago. I should mention that I was in a serious dim sum mood and it was too late for dim sum so I was a bit miffed.
*However* when I asked for the spare ribs in black bean sauce (on the dim sum menu), they were happy to make a special batch for me and it was quite good. For dinner, there isn’t much that’s 1-​person sized. Everything is large. Dining room was full of happy-​looking patrons.
Located in a small alleyway behind the W Hotel /​M&M store so it’s easy to miss but worth the visit.

I used to come to this place every Saturday lunch time to have Dim Sum, and dine here in dinner time from time to time. My visit to my old favorite spot has not disappointed me. All the staffs still remember me, that was a nice touch. Service is efficient, and there are plenty of choice of different type of dim sum. The quality was good. The Rice Lasagna stuffed with prawns, the wrapping is so much lighter than those I have had in the Chinatown in DC. The pan-​fried pork dumpling is home made, with thin wrapping also. Steamed Prawn Dumpling and Pork Dumpling was good too.
I wish I can go every Saturday…

Perfectly decent dim sum. A little pricier than my current chinatown favourite Young Cheng just around the corner. The room is a little more spacious here however and the staff extremely attentive. Ensuring items get to your table in as few visits as possible. There were only 2 main visits to our table and we had all 8 dishes we’d ordered.
Nothing was stand out delicious, and whilst the chicken’s feet were very nice and meaty, the sauce left me disappointed. And this was a case for quite a few dishes. Portion wise fantastic, but taste wise, extremely lacking. However this this instance you can normally expect the chilli oil to save the day, and save it indeed. It was excellent.
So I have no quibbles recommending this place if you’re after good value dim sum. However just don’t expect anything to surprise or tantalise your tastebuds. This place has a large number of regulars so they must be doing something right in terms of consistency, but sometimes that is at a price and for my it was the lack of that any one unique dish that you absolutely must go back for.