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Recommended Reviews - Dumplings' Legend
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I was in the mood for some soup dumpling and wonton soup cause I was a little under the weather. We got seated very fast. Service was quick. They got our order and food came out quickly. We got regular soup dumpling, spicy dumpling and shrimp/pork wonton soup. The spicy wontons didn't have the classic chili oil, so I requested for that. The filling inside had a tiny hint of spice. Soup dumplings were good but not great. The wonton soup was the worst I may have had. It had zero flavor. The wontons had no flavors and the broth was just plain. Looking at it looked great, until you tasted it. The bill was quite high for okay food.
Located in Chinatown in London, Dumplings' Legend is popular Chinese Restaurant with a lot of tourists, even on a Monday mid-afternoon. After checking into our hotel in Leicester Square, we wanted something to eat in the nearby Chinatown, and this place popped in a blog about good places to get cheap(er) food in the area. We love XiaoLongBao, and can get really get versions of it where we live. Came around 4, and it were seated right away and given both a large laminated menu, and a sheet for different dim sum that you can order. It is very nice inside, modern. The dumpling making team was on display behind a glass shield, making various things. We ordered 4 things, all from the dim sum menu. Seafood Congee (£9.30) - really good, chicken broth congee with small chopped pieces of shrimp. Can be split between two as an app. Pork XLB (£11) - 8 pieces of really small dumplings, well-steamed to melt the gelatin to make the soup, but the tops had not been closed completely. Expensive. Cantonese Shrimp dumplings (£4.90) - basically three pieces of har gow. Really good, and should have gotten more of these. Crispy noodles with seafood (£14.90) - a lighter sauce, with big pieces of seafood on top of some crispy noodles. Tasty, but it didn't really go a long way. We also got some hot tea (£1.50 a person). It was fine. You can pay by card, and is done at the table. They add a 12.5% service charge, which I think is reasonable and eliminates the need to debate if a tip should be given for great service. (The service was OK...efficient). In summary, the food was tasty, but the portions were small (we were able to easily finish the 4 dishes between the two of us) and wasn't inexpensive. We saw a ton of different Asian restaurants as we were walking here, and we'll a lot of them in the next couple of days.
We came after the theater nearly 11pm, and it was a rockin'! Our large party was seated in a big round table with a lazy Susan. Everything was delicious but the standouts were the Pork Belly, String Beans and every dumpling! Very friendly staff, very few complaints but didn't have spicy Chinese mustard for our dumplings?!
Was in London for a little over a week and went to Chinatown a few times. This was one of the less enjoyable places. We went about 2pm on a Tuesday and they seated us at a very small table for two. I asked to sit at a table for 3 knowing we were going to be ordering multiple dim sum dishes and the woman was VERY RUDE and said no. The table I asked for remained empty our full meal and our table was jam packed the entire meal which made it uncomfortable to eat at. As for the food. It was standard dim sum. The shumai was my least favorite of the dishes and my least favorite in Chinatown that week. The soup dumplings were good. Some of the reviews compare them to din tai fung... I would say they are comparable. The pork was crispy but the white rice under it was dry and not very good. For me the pork ribs with black bean sauce were the star of the meal but definitely not a choice for everyone as they have bones you need to spit out. The service was not great UNTIL the waitress changed to a waiter. The gentleman that took care of us 1/2 way through was great, quick and helpful. Also very nice. But the three woman that we interacted with were just rude. Pricing this place is not a cheap eat for dim sum. I wouldn't recommend and I would go somewhere else. I would not go back.
My fiancee loves this place and raves about it. He's been telling me about this spot since we started dating so it was cool to come here with him while joining him on a business trip to London a few weeks ago. We were easily sat inside, in the back room, at a very small table for two where our waitress quickly took our order and our roast duck was out within minutes to be carved table-side for us to watch. First, they cut the crispy skin off, then they carve the fat off the meat, then they put the skin on top of the meat and serve it to you to be enjoyed with the other items you chose. After you are done - they take the remainder of the duck and make a rice/meat mix and bring it out to you with lettuce to eat lettuce wraps - this was beyond delicious and I enjoyed it more than the first part which you ate with a dough wrap. We also got broccolini, soup dumplings, and rice. Service was very friendly and it's located in the extremely busy and popular China town of London which was cool to see anyway. The duck was by far the best I've ever eaten and the soup dumplings were excellent, prob my favorite part.
We came here after completing a 5K at Hyde Park, and ordered more than our stomachs could handle. No regrets though. All the items were delicious. Solid 4 stars here in terms of food taste, quality, and service. The number one stand out item was the chicken and corn dumplings, which isn't a common dim sum item. This dumpling was fantastic, and is on my must order list from here. We also ordered bbq buns, lotus leaf rice, two rice rolls (one fried donut and one prawn), shu mai, pork and crab XLB, and roast pork rice.
Writing this post as a tourist coming to London on vacation. Since Chinatown was so busy on the weekends, every shop had long wait lines. My friends and I decided to go to Dumplings' Legend and it was good for a quick bite. The dimsum dishes were average, nothing too special. If anything, try their congee! The environment inside and the server themselves were a good experience. Overall, I would try it and come back for a small bite, but not for a full meal.
***3.5 stars We were craving some Asian food after several days in London so we decided to try this restaurant. After walking around Chinatown, we chose Dumplings Legend since there was a long line. We waited about 15 minutes before being seated. They have a security guard out front to direct foot traffic and to greet customers. The interior is spacious as they have two levels for dining as well as a bar area. We arrived around 8:30pm so it was peak dinner time. The food is not the same standards as in the states but it's passable when you're traveling. We chose several items to share family style. The portion sizes are much smaller which was ok for our party of four. For our dishes we had: :: Pork XLB (soup dumplings) not that good. Dry with no juicy filling. ::Stir fry eggplant in garlic sauce - flavorful. ::Salt and pepper bean curd - tasty but loads of addictives. ::Braised pork belly - not tender, undercooked. Strange sweet after taste. I wouldn't say this place was on the authentic side but it was satisfying when you don't have options.
I've got to be honest, for me, the Chinese food in London is a tad disappointing. I know there's a fairly large community but for me, it just misses the mark. We came here to grab some dim sum and see how London does it. We got the usual suspects - buns, rice rolls, dumplings and overall it was uneven. Rice rolls were excellent especially the shrimp and fried dough ones. The pork ribs were good as were the beef balls. Buns though were below average and tasted like supermarket buns. Their soup dumplings were just odd (maybe its a British thing). The regular pork was just so-so but here they also had versions that included the mala spice which just didn't do it for me. If I want Sichuan fare, I'll get it rather than settle for some weird concoction. The mango pudding and coconut pudding were also pretty bad since they were grainy. The worst thing was the shrimp dumplings which maybe are a different version of har gow - they used dumpling skins instead of the usual thin clear ones and it wasn't good. Service here is really friendly and good however. The staff here is really friendly and helpful and that's a plus. Restaurant was clean which is tough for a high traffic eatery. Food was just meh but the people here are great.
Would Not really call it authentic Asian food. It was okay. Not bad not good. But for my Asian ethnicity background tongue it was not up my expectations. Soup dumplings (we had pork and crab meat) are not bad. The beef noodle soup was okay. A lot of Beef but was not tender so I guess they didn't cook it together with the broth. The broth lacked a bit of beefy flavor. The pork pot stick rice was mediocre. Not worth ordering. The peking duck pancakes were crispy and had a nice salty flavor. But felt like they could have been more generous with the meat portion.
We were walking around London's Chinatown around 11PM and most stores are already closed, but we found out that this restaurant closes at around 3AM. It was convenient for me since I was jet lagged and have been eating "dinner" at around midnight. We sat down right away and I ordered the Pork Xiao Long Bao, Spicy Sichuan Wontons, and Chinese Broccoli. My boyfriend got the Chicken Fried Noodles. It was really good as I expected it to taste like any other Chinese places I've been to. It was kind of interesting to me that in the spicy Sichuan wontons dish, there were tapioca balls (boba) in it... I mean, I tried it and it was good, but I was just confused as I've never seen it like that before. I really enjoyed the food and the service was decent up until it took us about 10 minutes to get someone's attention to ask for the bill. Everyone there has tunnel vision or something!! We just wanted to pay and go home and wasn't sure if we should just stand up and go to the front to pay. Overall, the food was great and pricing was decent. I will come back if I'm ever craving some Xiao long bao!
4 years ago
8 years ago
It was getting late in Chinatown and we were craving dumplings. We saw that this place was full of people so we decided to give it a try. Food: We ordered the Spicy Pork Siu Loung Bao, steamed prawn dumplings and Shanghai-Style Fried Noodles. The spicy pork Siu Loung Bao was nothing more than chili sauce and it was way too watery. The steamed prawn was the best of the three but the skin was thicker than I would have liked. The shanghai-style fried noodles was over sauced. Service: Outside the door said "10% off the bill of you pay with cash Monday-Thursday." We asked the waitress about it and got an eye roll. We paid for meal in cash and got multiple one pound change. We then went to get dessert at a near by place and tried to use to the change we received. We found out that the change was older currency and they would not accept it. So, we did get the 10% only to be SCAMMED a few pounds. Terrible service is one thing, but you can tell they aren't very trustworthy people by the way they acted. Price: Overpriced subpar chinese food that you pay for sitting in a nicer restaurant. This place didn't impress us and we don't appreciate them giving us old currency. I don't recommend this place at all. Don't be fooled that this place always looks full. There are plenty of other food options nearby. read more
Gave this place a go after reading numerous articles about how Dumplings Legend's dumplings are some of the best in town. We came on Tuesday afternoon and were seated immediately. We ordered xiao long bao, prawn dumplings and half an aromatic duck. The xiao long bao was mildly disappointing. The soup was thick and slightly bland. The pork was as expected. One order came with 8 dumplings for £8. The prawn dumplings were mediocre, nothing exceptional yet still very satisfying. One order also came with 8 dumplings for £8. Surprisingly, the duck was the best part of the meal. It was crunchy and extremely flavorful. I'd compare it to carnitas in texture. Accompanied with thin pancakes, cucumbers, green onions and brown sauce, it was just an amazing amalgamation of flavors. The service was great, very quick and friendly. Price point was also great, I can't complain about 8 dumplings for £8. But considering we went here to try some of the best dumplings in London, I can't say my expectations were met. For better and cheaper dumplings, I'd recommend going to one of the smaller dim sum shops right down the street. read more
4 years ago
Dumplings were very good. The spicy beef noodle soup was very tasty and spicy. The fried rice was so bland, we had to asked for soy sauce. I felt it was missing a taste , like garlic salt. Besides that, all the dishes were very good. I would have preferred if the cut the Chinese broccoli thinner so it could be easier to eat as there was no knife that can cut it to chew! Definitely recommend to try for the dumplings and beef soup! read more
9 years ago
How can people hate on this place? All the dumplings you want and more at super reasonable prices. Always busy but never more than a 10 min wait on the weekends. Go for lunch as this is when they s the most of their dumplings on the special menu that you tick things off. Besides dumplings, their veg is always good but will considerably bring up your bill. Very efficient staff! read more
8 years ago
Despite the mediocre reviews, this place was packed for a Wednesday night. Probably helps being in the center of London's Chinatown. We ordered several dishes- XLB's, peking duck w/ pancake and bbq pork over rice. They were all fantastic, wish I could say the same about the bill but 40% of the cost is for picking a place in the center of London lol. (This is a late review from November 2017 btw) read more
13 years ago
Thye main tourist drag of Gerrard Street is never going to prove the most likely place to find a star restaurant. When you have a steady stream of willing tourist victims, oops I mean customers, the urgency for top class cuisine and value for money isn't the highest To be fair, they do live up to their restaurant name. Perhaps to call their dumplings legendary is stretching it a bit but they were definitely the best part of our meal. The xiao loong bao had thin skin encasing the soup, which was flavoursome Sadly, this was the highlight of our meal. The Peking duck promised much as it was carved tableside in the traditional way. The skin was served with pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce. The meat was fried up but there was only a tiny amount to share between us The main dishes were forgettable but the real kick came when the bill arrived. £45 for Peking duck and the extortionate amount we were charged for rice means this tourist trap only scores 2 stars read more
Great dim sum place in the heart of chinatown. Definitely try the various steam dumplings, the spicy duck was my favourite---not too spicy, but super delicious. The grilled pork dumpling was also great, although I'd have to admit it was more pan fried than grilled. Stick to the dim sum and you'll be happy. My chinese dish of chicken stir-fry with chili and lemongrass was just ok. Price are reasonable most dumplings (they seem to come 3 to a plate) cost between 2 and 3 pounds, and mains are between 7 and 10 pounds. Not bad for lunch! Service is friendly but a bit slow, however, the overall place was spotless---very clean and bright. A great break from the chinatown crowds. Ask to be seated upstairs if you want a quieter dining experience! read more
Definitely pretty tasty dumplings!!! Must get obviously. Fried pork chop fried rice - pork chop is def not what you expect. More like a katsu. Fried rice - yum!!! Shrimp shu Mai - yum! Nice and big too. Comes with 3. Fried salted dumplings - too small and where's the meat in it?! :( Won ton with noodle soup - not too shabby but nothing that wows you. Overall, I would come back as it was good service, spacious and clean for a Chinese joint! read more
8 years ago
3 years ago
This is by far my favourite place in Chinatown, because this is where you can get the freshest hand-made dumplings ever. It is quite a large restaurant and it is probably always busy so you might have to wait a bit. While waiting you can already check out the small dumpling-kitchen where thousands of dumplings must be made daily. The menu is a bit confusing and not completely consistent with the DIY order list but if you don't know what or how to order just ask the staff. If you want something special and you know the name but you cannot find it on the menu just ask and probable they will just bring it. It would actually help if you know a bit what you want or otherwise just try to be seated next to some (Chinese) locals and copy ;-) I was graving for dumplings so only had a nice variety of the fresh dumplings but I will definitely come back soon to try the dumpling soups and the steamed filled buns which looked amazing at our neighbours tables. read more
6 years ago
Don't be impatient and look elsewhere because of the line. Line moves fast and the staff have the routine perfected. Dumplings were yummy and if I hadn't be solo would have ordered more than just dim sum to enjoy the full menu. Highly recommend if you want a good meal and atmosphere in Chinatown London read more
My favourite restaurant in Chinatown! Be sure to get the pork xio long bao- they are made fresh with a juicy and flavourful filling. On my recent visit we got an order of the Taiwanese three cup chicken which was also quite tasty. Have previously ordered the quarter crispy duck which was quite dry. I recommend sticking to the dumplings! They are open super late on Fridays and Saturdays (until 3am!) I'm looking forward to returning to try the dimsum menu, served until 5pm daily. read more
12 years ago
We came here for dinner and were seated promptly. We ended up ordering 4 dishes. Xiao long bao (steamed dumplings with soup and meat inside), assorted meat with vegetables, spicy salted prawns, and beef with rice noodles with sauce. Dumpling Legend had an advertisement where if you ordered more than 25£, you can select a small dish for an additional few pounds. Our selected dish was the spicy salted prawns. The XLB is no where near what you can get at Joe's Shanghai in New York, but we were not expecting that. They were about average. Not the best nor the worst. The assorted meat and vegetables had a good variety of chicken, prawns, and scallops. The beef and rice noodles were comparable to the US and the table next to us ordered the same dish based on staring at ours! The spicy salted prawns wee nicely salted and a great deal(about 8-10 prawns) for only 2£ more! The price here was a bit high at 35£, but after being exhausted from a long day of sightseeing, it was ok. read more
9 years ago
Let me preface this review by saying that Xiao Long Bao is my LIFE so I have extremely high standards for it. I'm not entirely sure about the standards of XLB in London so I'm definitely surprised to hear that Dumplings' Legend offers some of the best in London after my meal. I haven't tried other XLB to compare but I'm sure this city must have more amazing XLB to show! Overall - 4 stars because the XLB were great, don't get me wrong, but they weren't out of this world and this city definitely deserves better! ~ Atmosphere: Incredibly hectic. The place was packed FULL, overall not too pleasant of an atmosphere to eat in. ~ Customer Service: I've had a different experience to other reviewers - the customer service here is great. Very attentive and quick with their service. The food came out at the speed of light. ~ Food: We ordered both pork and pork and crab XLB - both of them were really great and juicy, but the broth inside was just OK. I much preferred the pork and crab to the pork-only because the crab added an extra dimension of flavour that took their XLB to the next level. Overall, I liked their Xiao Long Bao but if you're a self-proclaimed XLB connoisseur like me you should keep searching. Downsides: Ordered their custard buns, it wasn't custard but salted duck yolk (which I like, but definitely not custard so I don't know why they advertised it as such). Also, they don't offer Chinese hot oil at all unfortunately, only soy sauce and vinegar. Not too great if you're into hot oil like I am. --- I like Dumplings Legend. I would say that they're more of a 3.5 stars, but I'm happy to bump it up to a 4 because I don't think it's quite there to justify a 3. The food was great and I'd definitely come back here again, but the search for the best XLB in London continues on. read more
In pretty touristy Gerrard street it's hard to find a place that offers good Chinese food. This is one of them. This restaurant specialises in dim sum and other types of dumplings (I love the cheung fun type) but also offers some decent mains. The place is popular with Londoners and tourists alike, and there's loads of Chinese people eating there, which must be a good sign. The only downside of Dumplings' Legend is the chaotic service. Be prepared to get your order mixed up, reorder, ask where your food is several times. We got the bill before getting what we had ordered: they thought we'd already finished, they thanked us for our visit and asked if we wanted to pay cash or credit card. I said: I want my dim sums first! LOL read more
My co-worker mentioned this place and I was craving for some good northern dumplings at the moment, so I made a trip down there almost immediately. However this is not a place for northern dumplings (jiao zi), but a little heaven for soup dumplings (xiao long bao). Their xlb is consistently good. Went there alone once, took a friend who's very picky about xlb there twice, and everyone was happy with it. They have many options for xlb, including a very special one -- spicy xiao long bao. This is the first time I tried something like this and I am a fan! The stuffing is soupy and flavorful, I could eat 2 orders (16 xlbs that is) all by myself. 5 mins walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station, and not too far away from Covent Garden. They also open till late almost everyday, great for late night cravings after musical/opera/shopping. As for other dishes, I didn't even bother to try. I know they have a big menu, but when a place is named "Dumplings' Legend" and has a window that shows live dumpling making, you simply stick with the dumplings. read more
3 years ago
11 years ago
This restaurant does not necessarily scream Chinese with its decor like a lot of other ones in the area do, but fans of dim sum and dumplings will have a decent variety of fillings to choose from. We tried several of them (too hungry to take photos at that point) and they were all quite good. I particularly liked the prawn dumplings. If you, like myself, like to eat a lot, I would suggest getting a couple of the mains to share with your group as well. The only drawbacks were that they did forget to bring one of the dishes and we eventually canceled it and also that the music was on repeat (there's only so many times I can listen to Let it Go in one sitting). I do not think it is a place I will choose to go again myself but if friends want to go I am not going to mind terribly. read more
7 years ago
Not sure why this place has a low rating but I absolutely loved the spicy pork dumplings and the roast Peking duck with rice. The service was prompt and the food was delicious. You can see the dumpling making process live (Din Tai Fung esque) just to add to the charm. There are so many restaurants in the China town area, I just went with a recommendation from a London blogger. She was spot on with her review. read more
This is my favourite place to eat in China Town!! I have no idea what all these less than stellar reviews are going on about. I have been here several times and have always been super impressed with the food. The food is beyond excellent. This place is famous for their dim sum and dumplings, which are very good. I usually get the crystal prawn, and their broth infused dumplings in the spicy pork. Beware though! When eating the broth infused ones you have to gobble it down in one bite otherwise you will get it all over yourself! I also like to get the crispy duck and pancakes, and I'll admit that this dish isn't the best you'll find in Chinatown but its still lovely. The chinese broccoli is also a top dish for me, as well as the pumpkin and prawn dish which is totally different from anything you would find at other places. The venue is so clean its virtually spotless. Everything is white and clean and the glass partition where the dim sum makers work is wiped down several times a day and is always looking great. This is such a nice change from the other places in Chinatown, which seem a bit moldy with old sticky carpet floors. This place is also huge and I've never had to wait more than 2 minutes to be seated. The service could be better, but its not any worse than the other places in Chinatown which aren't exactly known for their exceptional service. You do have to hail down your waitor, and be very clear when you order otherwise you will get the wrong thing. But all in all this is totally worth it as the dim sum, dumplings, and everything else there is incredible. Tip: Order the fresh squeezed apple juice, they literally squash an entire apple into the cup and it comes out all foamy and fresh. read more
6 years ago
3 years ago
10 years ago
We were craving for some Dim Sum and decided to give this place a try. Since this restaurant have decent reviews on yelp, we were expecting some good quality food and service. However, it was a terrible experience in terms of food and service. We ordered hot and sour soup, steamed prawn dumplings, and pork and crab meat siu loung boa. 1) Hot and sour soup: It was ok. I can't say was bad. 2) Steamed Prawn Dumplings: It was really bad. It had doughy taste. I couldn't really taste any shrimps in it. 3) Crab Meat Siu Loung Boa: This was good among all the items we ordered. No negatives for this. The sauce served with dim sum was really bad. It was basically vinegar with some ginger in it. It was actually destroying the taste of Dim Sum. The restaurant should improve their sauce served with Dim Sum. Service was really bad. Servers barely talk to you. We were given a glass with lipsticks stains on it. Lastly, the prices listed on their website were lower than the actual prices in the restaurant. read more
7 years ago
Wonderful. A casual place with excellent fresh dumplings. One of the best "Peking" ducks I have ever had- properly carved table side with plenty of authentic flat pancakes and fixings (better than many of the Peking duck restaurants that I frequent in Beijing). Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, I had low expectations, I thought we had the best Chinese food outside of China- but I was wrong. This restaurant beats my favorite San Francisco places! Two minute walk from the theater district- perfect place for a dinner before a show. read more
I was a bit skeptical to try this but I'm glad I took the chance. I ordered the vegetable xiao long baos and it was so good! It's rare to find a veggie version because they are usually meat with a burst of juice - I think it's meat fat. But anyways, the order took a while so I assume that means it was fresh? Regardless, it was more than I expected. The price was reasonable for the amount. This is a great snack! I had it for a mid night snack and breakfast. Yum Yum! read more
9 years ago
4 years ago
Pretty good xiao long bao! Not as good as Din Tai Fung, but still good. I tried the pork one and the pork and crab meat. Both are equally good and recommended. For the second course, we had roast duck and pak choy vegetables with garlic. Classic Chinese dishes and they were excellent. Duck was a bit oily and vey bony. I think the duck at Four Seasons down the street is better. All up, was about £30 a person, which isn't cheap, but not bad. Meanwhile, I'll keep searching for the city's best xiao long bao. read more
7 years ago
Had the recommended spicy pork soup dumplings and vegetarian wonton soup. Soup was good. Dumplings were so-so. Kind of dry and not well wrapped. Flavor was good. First time having them in London and thought they would be better. Had better in Boston. read more
9 years ago
4 years ago
9 years ago
We came right before close and they were happy to serve us, but they were definitely rushing us. We tried to tell them we do not specifically like seafood but they still gave us shrimp dumplings. But, the pork and chicken dumplings were incredible. They served us extremely fast (probably due to the fact we came at 19:00). It's reasonably priced and in the heart of Chinatown. read more
9 years ago
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Dumplings' Legend - dimsum - Updated July 2026
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