This place is a fantastic dim sum style Chinese restaurant and tea-room. It is pretty funky and trendy in here which means it is on the more expensive side but the food is certainly worth it. I have visited a couple of times now for special occasions, and the place is perfect for cosy dates! I would request to be seated downstairs in the main room if you are looking for a bit of atmosphere as they have a beautiful sky effect with gorgeous lighting. There is also a fabulous range of oriental inspired cocktails but they tend not to taste very alcoholic (even though they most certainly are!) so it is worth keeping an eye on how many you order! Upstairs there is also a patisserie which is lovely to visit for tea. I would definitely recommend booking in advance as the place can get very busy. read more

Michelin rated, so you must have high expectations. I'm not saying that they weren't met, but they weren't met with the friendliest staff. For a party of four, we ordered: (with prices in pounds) 1. Char siu bun - 4.80 2. Steamed vegetable dumpling - 4.20 3. Lobster dumpling X 2 - 9.80 4. Spinach dumpling with prawns and cuttlefish - 5.20 5. Wild mushroom dumpling - 5.60 6. Venison puff - 5.20 7. Aromatic duck (half) - 29.90 8. Stir fry rib eye beef in black bean - 19.90 9. Baby bok choi - 9.80 10. Hand pulled noodles with mushroom Desserts 1. Exotic pandan - passion fruit, mango, coconut and pandan - 8.90 2. Chocolate lux gateaux - milk chocolate, golden raisins, liquorice All in all, it was a good dining experience that was close to the office. The total bill came out to be $375 USD. Not my cup of tea for basic dim sum. I'd much rather shell out 1/4 of that price at a hole in a wall. read more

I don't get it at all. This is not how I like my dim sum: unauthentic and overpriced dim sum served in a dark basement (we were downstairs) by unhappy waitstaff that know little or nothing about the food. The chicken feet were way too sweet and the pork ribs sour ($@%!), both of these staples of any dim sum meal. The jook (porridge) was okay, but nothing to write home about, as were the rest of the dishes, including the French macarons, which is supposedly one of the features that sets this place apart. In sum: food bad, service bad, atmosphere not great. The only nice part of the night was the fish tank. It was pretty. The Michelin folks need to be a lot more choosy in disbursing those stars. read more

This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat when I'm in London... It's walking distance from the Soho Hotel which is a plus for me as well. The dim sum here is very good but my favorite dish here has to be the duck egg rolls. It is not traditional Dim Sum, which is one of the reasons I think I find myself craving it when I'm back home. This is a must eat before I leave restaurant for me every time. read more

Being from San Francisco, where I can get good, high quality dim sum anytime, anywhere, I would say that Yauatcha is up there. Stopped by here on my family's last day in London. Since we were in the chinatown/soho area, we figured we can try Lond's version of dim sum. After some yelping, I came across Yauatcha. Hearing that they have a Michelin star, I had high expectations when I visited. The restaurant was huge, having two floors and also a sweets/dessert station. My family and I sat downstairs. The restaurant was beautifully decorated that was modern with an asian twist. After looking over the menu, we ordered some cocktails and a few dishes. The dishes are small for a dim sum place but it was expected since this was more of a fancier take on dim sum. Everything that we ordered was delicious! Also the drinks were great. I the only thing was the price. I figured that the price reflected not the food but the owner and status of the restaurant. Overall, I would definitely recommend to anyone who is not from San Francisco. read more

I've been here twice, once for a nice lunch - and last week for dinner. The latter definitely suited the place, which is dark, seductive and framed by blue neon lights. Yautcha does tea well (on street level), complete with great cakes, but this place comes alive at night. Each time I've been there, I've sat downstairs, where the tables are packed in, but it still doesn't seem crowded or uncomfortable. The best food on the menu is the dim sum (the steamed mushroom dumplings are to die for, and I love the venison puffs), though there are larger Asian dishes and curries if you fancy something more hearty. Make sure you have a dessert as well. I had a ginger and white chocolate cheesecake that knocked me for six for a while as I floated away in a pudding-induced daydream. The waiters do a fantastic job of recommending dishes if you're unsure (the first lunch I had here, one of the guys just brought us a selection of their best dishes and man, it was good). Not exactly cheap (I could probably get just-as-good dim sum at Ping Pong - which I prefer as a destination), you're paying again for the place itself. The swanky designer decor, the attentive service and the oh-so-hip atmosphere. That said, I think it's worth it as the food is yummy and it's the sort of place you feel happy having a long conversation-fuelled dinner in and not being rushed. I'll definitely be going back, if anything just to try the cocktails (the list looked intriguing, but my dinner guests weren't drinking). Next time gadget. read more

About a year ago I was at Yauatcha with some friends, and someone got to wondering whether Yauatcha had ever had a Michelin star. There was some disagreement (some thought it still had a star), so we eventually asked a waiter who, after leaving to consult colleagues, eventually returned with the news that at that moment, Yauatcha was still the holder of one star, but that it was uncertain whether this situation would continue for much longer! Evidently the fate of the restaurant did not rest with that curiously pessimistic member of staff, for the 2010 list is now out, and Yauatcha still has its star. I revisited a few days ago, and whilst Yauatcha is perhaps not the restaurant is once was, it's still got some pretty good moves. The dim sum is some of the best in London, and whilst not cheap, it can be surprisingly good value: it's very much possible to drink tea and eat well for £25, which is perhaps £10 more than an acceptable dim sum you might get somewhere else. (I've only ever eaten dim sum at Yauatcha; other dishes will be more expensive.) The food is recognisably traditional, though with a few twists--venison might replace beef, for example. The presentation is pretty good, even for menu items that sound uninspiring. Dim sum is not for the truly timid, but although chicken feet are on the menu, there's plenty of safe dumplings and ribs and buns, etc. to be had. The mushroom cheung fun (mushroom wrapped in a loose noodle sheath) is close to twice the price of the meat and seafood variations, but well worth it. The deep fried squid was also excellent. The decor is nice and staff are pleasant. Neither is intimidating. It can be noisy, and isn't suited for long, lingering meals. As other reviews have mentioned, the dramatic cake display upstairs has disappeared--a loss. Four stars--I'm a fan, and I'll be back. read more

Michelin star yes, but amazing food? Not necessarily. Perhaps my palate isn't refined enough, but I'd prefer to pay for Ping Pong's all you can eat on Sundays and save some cash at the same time. Don't be mistaken, the food is good, just not good enough to justify the price or the hype. Two definite must trys, however, are the duck and any of the chocolate desserts! read more

Awful from head to toe. How are you even related to Hakkasan? More importantly, how do people rate you so highly? The short version: chaotic mess of a service, blaring music, Wagamama-level food. The longer version: We arrived a couple minutes early for 8pm reservations for my birthday. There was already a queue--of people who had reservations. We waited 40min to be seated, and meanwhile there was no place to sit, no bar, no apology, just a harried-looking man at the front desk looking panicked. The waitress who took us down plowed ahead at speed, clearly feeling rushed; forget the fact that heels + slippery stone stairs down into the basement =/= me sprinting after you, lady. She essentially abandoned us at our table, leaving us to find the coat check ourselves. While the upstairs is fairly quiet and chill, the basement is like a bad nightclub. The music was so loud and so repetitive in its beat (imagine the stereotypical nightclub scene from the last show you watched: it was like that) that we couldn't hear our waiter. The seats are super low; neither of us is particularly tall, but we felt like we had our knees up to our chests and were sitting in kiddy seats. When our waiter finally found us, it was to plunk down the chintzy-looking vinyl-bound menus and run off to see to another table. The menu had plenty of overlap with Hakkasan, so we were fairly hopeful that the quality would be similar, especially since (if I'm not mistaken) it's Yauatcha which has the Michelin star. The waiter kept cutting me off, and so my partner ended up ordering everything. Forget asking questions; he either didn't know the answer or couldn't be bothered to find out. The first cocktail tasted like turpentine, and the waiter apparently had a hard time understanding why it was a problem. It wasn't a matter of a cocktail that wasn't to someone's taste; it tasted like pure (and cheap) vodka rather than something that cost as much as a main. Once that was (begrudgingly) replaced, the appetisers started to show up. Everything was decidedly lacklustre, and we kept comparing the dishes to their parallels at Hakkasan--an easy thing to do considering that many of the dishes literally just had ingredients swapped out (ie, duck 'pumpkins' vs lamb 'pears'). Our food arrived fairly fast, but was shoved onto the tiny table in a haphazard fashion, and someone placed the hot teapot right within easy burning distance (and knocking-over distance) of my elbow, meaning I had to kept avoiding it. Forget getting our waiter's attention for anything: he was too busy juggling six other tables, carving duck tableside, etc. By the time we managed to catch his eye, we were informed that half of the desserts were gone as options and we were pretty much over the ridiculous noise of the place: screaming at each other to be heard is really not how I anticipated spending my birthday evening. I really, really wish that the Michelin rating of this place was revisited, because not a single part of our experience warranted a two-star rating on Yelp, much less a Michelin star. And the price they charge for this sub-par /everything/ is down-right embarrassing. If you want faux Chinese food, noise, and dismissive service, go to Wagamama and save yourself a hundred quid. Oh, and as a bonus, we got to watch a fish dying slowly on its side at the top of the bar-side tank. PETA would have had a ball. read more

This is hands down the best (and consistently good) dim sum in London - I cannot rave enough about it. A friend of mine introduced Yauatcha to me a few months back. Now, having tried Hakkasan I didn't really have high hopes, but it rocked my taste buds to the core. We usually go for dim sum (lunch) and have on occasion been for dinner. Between three of us we order about 10 dishes and drinks which only comes out to about £25 each. Some may think that is extortionate for dim sum, but how many places my friend, can you get perfect venison -melt-in-you-mouth pastry puffs? None. I've seen that Royal China have tried to add them to their menu - but they just cannot compete. Other dishes we order frequently are the pork and chive dumplings, shanghai soup dumplings and all other regulars, think pork buns, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf etc. I have to admit I come here about once or twice a month, that is how much I love it. Service used to be a lot worse but I've seen some improvement in their waiting staff. The hostesses on the other hand could be a little friendlier. I also like, that unlike Royal China, you can make a booking and not have to show up at 11am on a Saturday morning just to get a table. As I've said before, hands down, best dim sum in London - and coming from someone who lived in Hong Kong for 18 yrs of my life, I am serious about my dim sum. read more

I am very tempted to round this down to 3 stars from 3 1/2 because our waitress was so not graceful! I mean the way she clatters the plates cups and everything about makes me look like freaking Darcy Bussell and I have lost a f@#!ing shoe walking up the stairs at work, though thankfully I didn't kick it into a punter. But that would just be plain mean, so we will do the usual rounding up. Some food here is SPECTACULAR where as others are well either pretentiously served or just ok. I would HIGHLY recommend the tea infused ribs and the softshell crab and salt egg croquettes. The har gau, siu mai, char sui bau were good but weren't that creative and basically what I expect from a good chinese restaurant. The Fried beef ho fan was just blah. Greasy, not savory, beef not particularly succulent... Blah. And the prawns with jasmin tea whatever was overcooked. Also liked the tea list. I think they need a tea sommelier though with their overwhelming list of team. Unfortunately I was unimpressed with the desserts. Yes they were really yummy BUT it is a CHINESE RESTAURANT! WHERE THE HELL ARE THE CHINESE DESSERTS? By all means, update them, fusion them, deconstruct them. I DON'T CARE what you do but totally westernized dessert is completely unacceptable. I want desserts where you can describe it normally in chinese, since you decided to do it with the rest of your freaking menu. Here are just a few ideas: 1) Mango served on a coconut zabione with black rice ice cream 2) Giant Ball of Ton Yuin- but still make it taste delicious- that is very challenging. OR deep fried peanut ton yuin served with chocolate dressing kinda like chinese profiterols 3) Melon and Coconut Tapioca Pudding El Bulli Style 4) A Kinda Banofee pie with aduki bean instead of banana? The world's your oyster dude. Stop being cautious and boring! If you are going to take your famous cake counter away; you might as well go all the way and be chinese about it and serve asian desserts. I am actually pissed enough to consider putting back down to 3 stars but I guess at least the desserts were really yummy. PS Why were some of the chinese characters in traditional and some in simplified? Have you not heard of proof readers? read more

This place has a Michelin star? Ha thats freakin funny. I wonder if people really understand Chinese food. I've had a lot of Chinese food in some of the most heavily populated immigrant communities and across several continents. This is not even the best Chinese food I've had in UK. The food isn't bad but worthy of Michelin star. Pretty funny is you ask me. This place is gorgeous and the layout is absolutely gorgeous as far as restaurants go, especially for Chinese. The macaroon display at the front is beautiful but I didn't especially like them, a bit too sweet for my liking. The other reaon why I think I didn't enjoy the meal as much was the price tag for dim sum. It was on the corporate card so I shouldn't care but it's the principle damnit. Food was good with a bunch of hit and misses among the bunch. The har gow was nice, well made, good texture to the wrapper. Har gow was ok. Some of the other shrimp dumplings we had were also very nice. I also enjoyed the duck rolls. There were definitely some low points with the noodle and meat dishes. Did any of the people who reviewed the restaurant actually review based on food or the fact that this place is Michelin rated or that the space is stunning? Come on people let's do better. This is not a 5 star restaurant, maybe 4 if you order smartly and get their good dishes. read more

I still can't believe that I have never sampled the wares at Yauatcha. I've often wandered past the minimalist windows and admired their intricate and delectable delights, but until this week I had never set food inside this temple of simple but divine Dim Sum. Despite the decor making the place feel slightly like a hotel lobby bar, the food was sublime. We were being treated by a regular who steered us towards some of his Dim Sum favourites and we were rewarded with classics like a moist and savoury Char Sui Bao, the most perfect jasmine smoked ribs and some surprising but delicious 'venison balls'. Less awe-inspiring ,but all the while excellently executed, were the prawn and mango crispy parcels, the singapore and mushroom dumplings, but the pumpkin dumplings and superlative soft shell crab (you simply must order it) made up for it. The proof being in the pudding, the dessert here was always going to be outstanding. I'm glad to say we were not disappointed when we tucked in to our choices. Sometimes pretty asian versions of French pastries can be a delight to behold but a little disappointing on the tongue, not so at Yauatcha - everything we tasted was exquisite, as well as photogenic. So much so that we bought more to take away for 'tomorrow'...or maybe just a midnight snack! Oh you should also seek out the mandarine and spicy chili fruit juice in the drinks menu - lip-smackingly good! read more

Having been here a few times, I thought Yauatcha finally deserved a review. Yep, you guessed it, It's a positive one! I thoroughly enjoyed each visit to this restaurant for a number of reasons. The service has always been impeccable; especially on my last visit where glasses of water would appear on our table as if by magic. Our waitress (each time) was only too happy to explain some of the dishes to us as they were vaguely described on the menu. Our food always arrived promptly and of course tasted delicious! The decor is beautiful inside leaving your jaw ajar for the first 10 minutes as you take in the surroundings. Plus, the dessert display upstairs makes it incredibly difficult to resist! After tasting a variety of dishes on the menu with each one as mouthwatering as the next, I know I will be paying yet another visit for my dim sum fix as the menu is quite large I (and you) want to try everything. read more

Second time there. Venison Puffs & Taro Corquettes are my staples and they do them the best. It wasn't the ninja style waiting service like the first time (seriously, never saw the waiter take our empty dishes or change napkins). They gave us the Steamed Char Sui buns by mistake, but mistakes are all good when they are FREE ^___^ read more

Make reservations and try this place at least once if you like Dim Sum. A good friend of mine recommended this place and we tried it at the beginning of the New Year. I didn't think to make reservations but luckily my wife and I was seated strait away. Get ready it is expensive here but the service is wonderful and the food is brilliant (it was 50pounds for the 2 of us). This is quite possibly the best Dim Sum in all of London. My favorite is the very popular pumpkin puff, venison puff, and the jasmine ribs. The environment has a modern design but comes with classy service. The reason I only gave 4 stars instead of 5 is I didn't have a chance to try dessert. And this would be a splendid restaurant to bring a date but it is in Soho. read more

It is not what is is built out to be. The restaurant I found was expensive vis a vis the quality of the food. I found the service rushed, a bit comercial, and the food We ordered was rather oily. We stuck to the dishes that were recommended in the menu, the Michelin star comes from the Venison puff pastry, really very, very tasty, but alas that is there claim to fame. There is not much else that stands out. Do yourself a favor, there are better either less expensive or same to more expensive restaurants that are Chinese in London. Don't waste your time on this overpriced and hyped up. It's not bad, but it's definitely over hyped and over priced. We were there on 23 of January, 2019. Would not go again given all the great restaurants in London. Definitely over hyped. read more

Yauatcha is quite lovely. They have a beautiful array of desserts. I took two cakes, some macaron, and chocolates to go. Not too expensive and quite good. The chocolate dessert and paris brest were quite good. read more

5 stars for the food, -3 for the poor service. I had extremely high hopes for BOTH the food and service, but I was sadly very disappointed. My friend and I had a reservation for 5 pm and were immediately seated upon arriving. Good. Then, we sat there for a good 5 minutes without a menu - heck, we weren't even acknowledged. We had to ASK for the menu. I mean, really? Is it not logical to bring the menu when you seat someone? Anyway, we went for the "Taste of Yauatcha" since it included a nice selection of the dim sum options for a great price (28.88 for 2 people). For drinks we just asked for tap water...which arrived 10 minutes later, after having to ask twice. The first six dishes arrived fairly quickly, which was nice. The spring roll, baked venison puff, har gau, prawn shui mai, and siew long bao were all incredibly tasty - definitely the best dim sum I've ever had. After that though, our experience went very downhill. We waited 20 minutes before our next dish arrived, which might have been understandable except for the fact that the table next to us - who ordered around 10 minutes after we did - got their next dishes (they ordered the tasting menu too) before us. They weren't even done with the first six, which we had finished long before their first six even arrived. What made me even more upset was that I could literally SEE the dishes sitting on a nearby cart as the waiters stood by nonchalantly minding their own business, chatting amongst themselves. After a while we also decided to ask for a tea refill, but were told that a refill would incur an extra charge because they don't reuse the leaves. Ummmm ok, whatever. Our last 2 dishes came about 1.5 hours after we first ordered. The cheung fun and stick rice in lotus leaf were both absolutely amazing. Again, they were the best I've ever tried. After finishing, we considered getting dessert but the service was so annoyingly inattentive we figured it would be more efficient to go to order directly from the patisserie bar. So we paid and did just that. Overall, all I can think about is how utterly appalling and slow/inconsistent the service was. The waiters were not at all attentive - not once did they check in on us - and they also treated us very coolly. Whenever we asked for something, they would just briskly set the thing on the table and leave without glancing once at us. Same thing when we asked for the check - they literally dropped the bill onto the table and left. No "thank you" or "hope you enjoyed your dinner." Just "here's the bill ok bye." Even when we were paying, the waiter didn't even have the courtesy to ask us the amount we wanted to pay - she just punched her own number in and stuck her hand out for our credit cards. Sorry lady, not that easy. It actually mattered this time because the amount we wanted to pay was different from the receipt because the service was SO bad we didn't want to pay the service charge - which we've NEVER done before. Honestly though, they didn't deserve it AT ALL. Yauatcha - sure, your food is good. But your service is also terrible. So no, I will not be back, and I would not recommend anyone to visit either unless they're ok with sloppy, disrespectful, and terribly disappointing service. read more

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Yauatcha is like its desserts - pretty on the outside, above average on the inside. Ambiance is great - it's trendy and modern with blue aquariums enclosing the restaurant. The food is pretty good but is pricey for what you get. I ordered about 8 dishes total for 4 people and we were good in terms of quantity. The meats we ordered were on the sweeter side. Shu mai comes in 3s which is a problem for groups not in multiples of 3s. Yummy to my tummy: Prawn & Bean Curd Cheung Fun (Excellent contrast of soft and crunchy) Spicy Softshell Crab with Almond (I could eat the entire bed of spicy almond) Jasmine Tea Smoked Ribs (Meat falls off the bone! Sweet ribs but not so messy) venison puff (good pastry but sweet meat) King Crab Siew Long Bao (one of my favorites - soup dumpling! The brothi inside is tasty) Meh - wouldn't get these again: Pork and Prawn Shu mai (meat could've been anything - this came with 4 pieces) Chive and prawns (bitter, wasn't a hit with my group) Crystal Dumpling Wrap with Pumpkin (fried spring roll) Desserts were aiiiite. Raspberry Delice - chocolate raspberry cake. Prettier than it tastes Lychee rose - a lot of things going on, Coffee Mascarpone - my favorite of a creamy dessert with hint of coffee Gianduja Lemon - not a fan of chocolate and lemon read more

I went to Yauatcha on Monday with a group of friends from Italy (they recommended the restaurant to ME and I've been living in London for 14 years!). I read the reviews on Yelp and I ordered the venison puff, we all enjoyed its lovely crumbliness and sweet/savoury combo. The waiter recommended the soft shell crab which was also delicious and accompanied with lots of chilly and sliced almonds. The crispy duck rolls were also exceptional. The whole dim sum experience was fantastic. Having Hayden Panettiere dining at the table next to us was also the highlight of the evening! read more

One of the better dim sum places in London, the vibe is nothing of the traditional sort. Showcases smart techniques that keeps the menu ahead of any traditional dim sum restaurant. You'll leave satisfied, now it's time for you to binge away; cause nothing you order will ever go wrong! read more

Yauatcha - Quiet parents is always a good sign that the food is awesome! - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

Duck: boo Everything else: yay We had the weekday lunch promotion (£30 for an assortment of dishes plus tea, for two) and it was amazing and so worth it! Toilets have Aesop products. Legit. read more

A nice restaurant which is decorated contemporary in style. For example, the sink in the toilet is like a garden water feature! The food though was just "OK". Nothing special to the normal dim sum you can have in any Chinatown whether its in London or elsewhere. Also, its very expensive for what it is. Luckily when I went I didnt pay and the person who paid had a voucher he got for his birthday. read more

I would give it a five, but because the dessert section disappeared, I'll only give it a 4. The desserts were just too damn good! :) I remember a passion fruit soupy/ice-creamery dessert that was heavenly yummy! Anyway - the dimsum are fantastic. Quite surprising for a posh place like this. I am used to eating dimsum in shabby, dark chinese places ;) But here you have the glitter and the taste all at once. A must-visit if you are around. If you can, choose to sit downstairs. With the aquarium bar, and the soft lights, it's really cosy. Good place for a date actually :) read more

I'm not sure how I feel about this place. I've grew up on dim sum and have had it in HK, Taiwan, China, LA, SF, NYC, etc. I went on a Sunday morning with a friend right before the afternoon rush. We got there about 12:30 and it was still pretty empty. Upon walking in, I felt disoriented. It was sleek and sexy and modern-- totally not what I expect from a yum cha place. They also have a macaroon display in the window, which I don't quite understand (since when did macaroons become asian?). Service: Pretty good, they tended to be above average for London standards. Food: It's different. It's not bad. It's actually quite good. It just doesnt really look or taste much like all the other yum cha I've ever had. Pricey though-- 5 quid (at least) for a tiny dish with three siao mai in it. (But I shouldn't complain, since I wasn't paying). I have to say though, I'm pretty impressed with the tea. I can't remember which open we got, but it was light, refreshing, hot, and well prepared. I guess it must be good since there were other Asian people there, but I still kind of like my old school yum cha/dim sum places better. The prices are really something else too. Call me a creature of habit. That said, if someone takes you here for free, it's still definitely worth it. read more

We ran the gamut here, family style... Scallop Shui Mai - 'Mai' favorite. Steamed Halibut - Spicy, juicy, tasty...triple threat, baby! Crispy Duck - All its 'quacked' up to be! Perfectly fried and rice pancakes were great. Chilli Squid - Hot tentacles coming through! Soft Shell Crab - Such a softy. Gai Lan w/ Ginger - Yum! All of it was good. I don't have anything negative to say about this place. It was buzzin' with excitement and although really busy the wait staff was always right on time. The atmosphere is relaxed and pleasing to the eye...a WIN in my humble opinion. read more

Really? this place is way over hyped! How in the world do you drop so much money on such little food. Especially when right around the block there is better dim sum and 1/3 the price! I really think its just people saying look at this posh place and watch me drop my life savings down the poop shoot. It was good but my wallet is much much thinner after the meal than before. I say go there if your money is buring holes in your pockets. read more

Restaurant Yauatcha What a treat that you can find so many great asian food places in london! In the well known busy theatre and restaurant area Soho, there is for instance Yauatcha, from the same owner as the very famous restaurant Hakkasan. If you make a reservation and that is quiet necessary, ask for a table downstairs and then preferably for table 21( for 2 persons), table 16 or 20(both for 6 to 8 persons). From these tables you have a lovely view into the kitchen. Start your evening at the bar and try out one of their delicious cocktails. We, as non alcohol drinkers, tried the lime-cucumber-yasmin ice tea. Devine drink. From the dinning menu we tried and shared the following dishes; lobster dumpling with tobiko caviar, spinach ball with prawn and cuttlefish, steamed king crab roll, fried chili squid, crispy duck roll, hot&sour soup with trumpet mushrooms and our absolute favorite of the evening ; spicy aubergine with sato beans, okra and french beans with peanut. What a treat! And last but not least, the deserts are finger licking good. You can also go there for lunch or make a reservation for their outstanding high tea. read more

Yauatcha truly lives up to its Michelin star reputation. I was skeptical about their food at first, but was genuinely impressed with the authenticity and quality of their dim sum, unlike many other 'Chinese' restaurants in London. As good as the dim sum starters were, it was no where close to the matcha dessert I tried (yes, the one everyone seems to rave about). It was amazing, and no doubt I'm going again just for this. The Lychee Charlotte looks spectacular, but doesn't quite taste really good; far too sour for my liking. All-in-all, I definitely recommend this place for anyone! Good food, great service and even a bar (with a wide range of unique cocktails) makes it a winner in my book. read more

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The food was excellent; service was a bit slow (I did go a bit late). It was a slow to get drinks or I would have given them 5 stars - everything else was very good. I really liked the "Spicy aubergine, sato bean, okra and French bean with peanut" it was excellent. I was trying to eat plant based in a place that servers Duck etc... so I doubt I ordered their specialty read more

Wow. Wow. Wow. Located in the Soho district of London you will find Yauatcha, another one of Alan Yau's masterpiece restaurants. One of my mates who resides in London was nice enough to intro me to the restaurant by meeting me there for lunch, it was no doubt THE best dim sum restaurant I have EVER been to in my life, thanks Si. The décor of this restaurant was simply stunning, so much so that I can not even do it justice explaining it here, I'll have to leave it at that, seriously. I started with a bowl of Hot & Sour soup with shredded chicken for $6.50 quid. It was truly what I expected, a smooth sweet medley of flavours with a slight hint of tartness (doubt that's a word), one of the finer soups I've tried. They also had shark fin soup which immediately put a foul taste in my mouth althought I didn't even order it, I HATE everything about shark fin soup and that is a completely different discussion. I am glad to know that Alan Yau has removed his 40 pound shark fin soup dish from his world famous restaurant Hakkesan. Next from the menu I tried the Pork & Prawn Shumai. It was delectably different from the traditional Pork Shumai that I am used to in the GTA. The texture of this particular dumpling was just perfect with the right amount of meat. It didn't blow me out of the water, but it was damn good. Next I had a dish which re-shaped my discerning palette for good. It was a baked venison puff, the best dim sum item that has ever graced my mouth. The texture of this puff was perfectly flaky, the filling was of a richer darker meat, and the sweet taste was so good I thought I was dreaming. The puffs came x 3, but I could have done x 25. Aside from Yauatcha there is also Alan Yau's Hakkesan which I briefly mentioned above. Hakkesan is considered by many to be one of the best restaurants in the world, and I am somewhat disappointed that I was not able to hit it up while I was in London. However, I really can't picture the quality of food and décor being all that much better than Yauatcha, at most I can see it being on par which says a lot! I just wanted to mention Hakkesan because if you are in London I would highly recommend both of these restaurants if you are a Dim Sum enthusiast. I will warn you the prices are very high averaging at least $6-7 quid per dish, a big change for me because the dishes here in the GTA run for $3-4 CAD, but more than worth it. Only after I came back from my visit to London did I come to learn that Yauatcha had gained 2 Michelin starts since its inception in 2004. If you don't live in the UK, book your vacation now. read more

So I went to London and was offered a free place to stay by my friends who were working there. Everything in London is expensive. They say Tokyo is worse, but definitely not when I was there. Every time I bought anything it was like I was getting hit by a football in the groin. Even McDonald's was expensive. Now the exchange rate is much better at least. Apart for the UK pricing, this was a really good restaurant. All the food we had was excellent, and they made some interesting cocktails as well. I definitely liked all the fish tanks. All the decor was well done. We had made reservations so there was no wait. There were some people waiting though who had not. After all was said and done it came out to be about $80 a person. Of course my friend I was traveling with and I paid for the two friends who we were staying with so it became a cinder block to the groin night, and not in a good way. read more

SETTING Trendy but muted restaurant in Soho. FOOD Dim sum fare, absent the trollies. Sampled baked venison puff, Jasmine tea smoked ribs, Peking duck spring rolls, crab and caviar soup, hand pulled noodle with Shimeji mushrooms. Fresh ingredients, fine craftsmanship, and delicate flavors. Dessert was spectacular. Had the "Victoria", Glazed donut with chocolate mousse and blackberry compote filling, and "Tendance Cannelle" a half dome of chocolate mousse enrobed in caramel with a cinnamon crème brulee center. Colorfully tempting selection of macaroons also available. SERVICE Gracious. Lovely waitresses in stylish, white uniforms with decorative straps (of unclear function) strung around the derrieres. WILL I BE BACK? Pricey. Dessert worth a return visit. read more

Cakes on their own are happily affordable, but price is bumped up when it's dressed up as a dessert. Impressive place to take someone for dessert. Smart without feeling overly formal. However, the tea system is strange- I've never been to a Chinese restaurant where tea is steeped first and then put in a teapot with no leaves.. read more

I've been to this place a few times for dim sum. It's not bad at all. Like lots of the places you can eat round here there is nothing especially different in terms of what is being served but I have always found it good. Some of their non-dim sum dishes are very good. I would recommend giving the place a try, if you feel like it. There's definitely nothing to fear. read more

Brother-in-law mentioned this place has a Michelin star, so why not? Decor and atmosphere was on the too painfully hip side of things, especially in the loungy downstairs room where we were seated. Low tables and low padded chairs felt a bit like sitting at the kiddy table. Otherwise, I suppose you are getting your money's worth, as the tab will reflect the quality of the surroundings ;) The large menu of overly flowery, fruity, asian-themed cocktails seemed to highlight their mixologists' importance, but didn't interest me much, especially at 9 quid a drink, but what do I know, the young gals at the other tables were having quite a few. Well, the eats - dim sum and other Chinese dishes were executed quite well, with authentic, distinct and varied flavors. A number of interesting and unique variations on dim sum were pretty good, especially fried and pastry items, like duck pumpkin puff. Haute dim sum, I suppose. Didn't have dessert, but after reading other reviews, glad I didn't, as it seemed they used to do much better sweets. On the way out spied some plated asian BBQ short ribs in the kitchen that looked tasty, we missed out perhaps? Almost 4 stars, but quite average service and the steep prices keep me from getting all the way there. Plus, I was getting such a pre-recession posh vibe from this joint, for dim sum and Chinese food, of all things, but maybe that's just me. read more

Everything we order was really good. We had to make a reservation but the place wasn't even busy. Not sure why dim sum starts so late in London. The only draw back here is the price. read more

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Call me picky but this is one of the only really acceptable Chinese places in London that serves decent cantonese dim sum, the only Xiao Long Bao that's matches with an average Hong Kong XLB. I am not going to say it's spectacular because many restaurants in Hong Kong can match up with this level. This is average when comparing to a Hong Kong restaurant but with better ambience. I consider everything else fast food (ping pong or whatever else in china town)..... but this one is the only good quality dim sum place in London. read more

Although I used to enjoy the occasional business lunch at Alan Yau's earlier Hakkasan restaurant, I never felt like lingering there, nor did I ever feel like I had gotten true value from the lunch and service. Yauatcha filled that void completely. One of my favourite Dim Sum style London Chinese of the past couple of years. Whenever I'm back in town I love to pay a visit here. Like it's many teas, the food is to be savoured and enjoyed. Recommend the Prawn Shui mai with chicken, Shanghai soup dumplings, Crispy Duck roll, Chilli Squid and Jasmine Tea Smoke Ribs. For tea I recommend the Anxi Tie Guan Yin and the Silver Needle White. Take your time and enjoy their tea selection! read more