I have been to Yauatcha many times in the last few years and it seems that the experience keeps deteriorating each time. I used to like the place because of its hip ambience and the OK food (but nothing compares to Hakkasan or Royal China Club in its comparable price range). These days the service is dead poor, the food nothing to shout about and not to mention the horrendously overpriced tea (£8 for a pot of Oolong!). Lately I also find that the quality of food is getting from bad to worse. You don't have to go far from seeing how bad the dim sum has become by just ordering one of the steamed dumplings. The last few times I've been there they have committed the biggest crime of steamed dumpling: the dumpling pastry falls apart when you try to lift it off the basket. I'm not sure who is working behind the kitchen these days but any great dim sum chef would have mastered the art of making a good dumpling pastry and they won't disintegrate after cooking!! It's pure madness that the place retain its Michelin star. The only redeeming item on the menu is its congee. Still very tasty and it's a shame that Hakkasan doesn't offer congee on its menu. I really don't have any desire to return to Yauatcha and will just stick with Hakkasan. read more

Great food, great service! amazing dim sum. I myself had not tried dim sum prior to yauatcha. but ive tried quite a bit after that and this place sits right on the top. the vegetable and chicken dim sum is to die for! apart from that, they've got the most amazing vegetable fried rice and desserts too! should definitely try this place out! read more

I've only had dim sum a few times before, but I don't think I'm going to find dim sum as good this again soon. We didn't really know what to order so we asked the waiter to put together a menu for us. Everything tasted great! Although you usually get 3 pieces when you order, we were 4 and got one piece each which made it easy to share. The service was great. My only criticism is you didn't have that much room for your legs under the table - if you're more than about 5'8" :) read more

Great spot for an occasion or a pre-going out dinner. Fusion food, loungy music. Kinda people watching spot where everyone is proper and well dressed. Make sure to reserve well in advance as it gets very crowded. Choose to sit downstairs to enjoy the blue aquarium and cool lighting. Easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices of dim sum. Best to choose a selection of three/four (3 pieces each) so 9/12 total and you are all set. Around £25/person with tea. Fair price. Have had more expensive meals in Chinatown in a less pleasant atmosphere. It was my birthday and they brought a complimentary plate of macarons and a candle. Nice touch One star off for the service, I had booked at 830pm and we had to wait in the entrance for 30min so our table would be ready. Crowd accumulates in the entrance area so not super cool to wait there. However, you can check out the offer of macarons and pretty cakes overlooking the street... And not too much leg room under the table. In a nutshell: original, tasty dim sum in a chic atmosphere read more

Excelente experiência overall! The outstandings were the vegetable options which are usually harder to find in such abundance and with great quality. The cocktail list was also great and matched very well with some of the spicier dishes(equally recommended)! Worth the trip! read more

Amazing dim sum - really enjoyed Yauatcha's. All we ate was the Dim Sum, we tried many different types. The Scallops ones were our favourite. Would definetely go again read more

The good things first... The food, as always delicious, flavoursome. Each dish was unique in taste and cooked well. My favourites the venison puff and the Shezuan lobster. Now for the bad... 1. They lost our reservation, even though we booked well in advance and called to confirm. 2. The service was slow and poor. Our waiter kept disappearing. Our jasmine tea never arrived and we had to ask twice for our crab dimsum. Also, even though we specifically asked for the duck to come before the main course, everything came together and we ended up with a rammed table and cold duck. 3. We asked 3 different people for the bill and each one said they weren't in charge of it but would tell whoever is. Whoever was in charge of the bill took forever to bring it. 4. Finally when we asked for the huge amount of left over lobster to be packed to go - a server just curtly replied "we don't do that". When I asked why, he had no reply. When asked what they do with it he said they throw it away. Absolutely horrific! So overall great food, the rest is just so-so. read more

Kind of hard to find or see, don't be deceived by the look of this place from the outside! It's a real gem on the inside, and one of London's top restaurants. Although a little pricey (hence the four stars) and food portions a little small, it's still a great experience even if you go just once. The downstairs restaurant has this amazing long fish tank IN the bar so you can gaze at the beautiful sea life while you eat. The food is what you would expect Asian fusion to be, but not filling enough if you are a burger or pizza kind of person, so be expecting to spend more money than usual here. The cocktails are delicious, and the puddings are renowned on their own even! People have come from outside just to get the takeaway desserts. read more

The place was quite fancy inside all the waitresses/hostesses were in red so easily seen. I sat and ate at the bar. The dim sum was really good. Cocktails were good to and had lovely detail. Highly recommended but recommend booking. read more

The food here is incredible. It is an up-styled modern take on Chinese cooking. A huge variety of dumplings, and again, all with a modern feel. You could certainly eat just dumplings alone and feel very satisfied. As a vegetarian, great to see (and eat) the mushroom cheong fun on the menu. Do leave room for dessert, as they are all an amazing piece of art to look at, and just as tasty to eat. For food alone I would have given Yauatcha 5 stars. However, we were made to wait 45 minutes for our booking (granted, placed in a seated area at the bar) and when sitting in the downstairs area for our meal, the general noise (caused by low ceilings) made it very difficult to talk or to be heard. If you can get an upstairs table, that would be the way to go. My favourite dumpling place in London for sure :) read more

Perhaps this restaurant is only cater to customers who live in London that are not Chinese. Thus my review will be bias. But, at this price tag, i expect something better. Something better than the cheap DimSum shops that sells SiuMai @ 3 for $1.50 (USD). Bellow is a list of what we ordered. Tea Smoked Ribs - It was tasty and falls right off the bone. However, it has no tea flavor, false advertisement. it is not different than those BBQ Ribs you find at your local Chinese BBQ shop for a fraction of the price. Pork SiuMai - It tasted and looked exactly like those you can find at your local dimsum shop for a fraction of the price. Beef Rice Roll - I actually loved this dish. They used Sukiyaki grade beef instead of the traditional minced beef. the only dish I enjoyed. Chicken Feet - what can i say, it was chopped in half, not an whole feet. too many small broken bones that irritated the sh*** out of me. XLB - I prefer this dish at either DTF or any other XLB shop. The atmosphere was a miss in my opinion. The waiter sat us at the street level where a low table paired with small/low chairs, very similar to those you see in child care places. read more

! A Londoner suggested we give this place a try. What a great experience! Awesome dim sum & service. The sticky rice was yummy. My husband liked the mushroom spring roll. We plan on going for dinner before leaving London. We recommend this place!!! read more

When you go there you have to try "barbecue spare ribs" Little bit over the budget but you'll try one of the best restaurants in Central London. Definitely worthy to visit. read more

Obviously this place is Amazon and it's Michelin star is well deserved. I think the only thing I would call out is that next time, I may just come back for the dim sum. It was probably the best I have ever had and the black pepper rib eye was only very good. The same dish is probably topped by the Chinese restaurant at the Royal Harden Hotel, which is amazing. read more

The food here is incredible, and worth every penny! Stunning selection of drinks as well, and the whole ambience of the place is great. Our waiter was so lovely and helpful, and gave us fantastic recommendations for vegetarians as well. All in all we had a fantastic night as a group of four and will hurry back. read more

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Overall a nice experience, but nothing to write home about. Our table wasn't ready when we arrived so we were led to the bar. It took about 10 minutes to get the attention of a bar man to get a drink which was a bit disappointing. The food was delicious but the menu quite overwhelming. It would have been nice to get a bit of help/suggestions with it. The staff made a mistake with my friend's drink giving her a gin and tonic when she had asked for a gin and soda. They then insisted it was a gin and soda, however it unfortunately clearly wasn't and took quite a bit of insisting back that the drink was incorrect. The staff also take away plates before you've finished. Be prepared to grab them quick or unfinished plates will be swept away! Overall nice ambience and decor. Lots of choice of food. A nice experience but not amazing. read more

Traveling from America and hearing that this place is a Michelin star restaurant meant I had to try it! We have one of their locations opening in Houston so had to taste their prime restaurant first. Reservations were made through OpenTable so it was fairly easy when I tried. We were greeted by the hostesses and brought down to their lower level dining area. Nice atmosphere. Looking at their menu, it had so much a variety and different twists on traditional dim sum. My bf and I were so stoked. We ordered the Scallop Shu Mai, Lobster dumpling w/ tobiko, king crab dumpling, traditional shu mai (pork & shrimp), prawn cheung fun (shrimp roll wrapped in a clear rice layer), and curry taro cake. The presentation for each dish was beautiful, they all looked so tasty. However, actually eating it... very mediocre. Maybe my taste palette is different from the dim sum I'm accustomed to, but the price and the hype didn't really justify what I tasted. Everything tasted exactly what it is. The lobster dumpling just tasted like pieces of lobster, the kind crab tasted like bits of king crab. The curry taro puffs were more overwhelming with curry than taro. The shrimp roll was ok... Very plain and bland. Scallop shu mai tasted like scallop. Even the traditional shu mai was ok... All of them tasted like what it is, but nothing more. All of the ingredients did taste quite fresh, but it lacked so much in the flavor department. Quite disappointing. Did not get a chance to try any of their desserts. Service was good. read more

Michelin star? No. Service is average so don't expect a Michelin star restaurant. That said, the food is excellent, the menu is really for any taste and the desserts are just delicious. read more

This food is wonderful. We love dim sum and have eaten many places in the world, would highly recommend!! Unfortunately our server was so unfriendly!! Mandatory service fee left us thanking someone who couldn't be bothered with our presence. Otherwise would have been 5 stars. read more

Really don't understand the people who compare this to some San Francisco dim sum. This is a completely different league of its own and yes I have tried sf dim sum, Sydney/ LA/nyc /Hong Kong/ Dubai /Auckland ... . This is not about size or price and Americans always make everything too big. if u want that then go to a supermarket and microwave at home. Yauatcha is simply some of the best dumplings I ever ate plus fantastic combinations like the soft shell crab with curry almonds or fried squid with oat. I never tried the meat here so not sure. Only seafood or veggies and it's all been excellent quality . No msg or frozen prawns reheated and soaking in cheap oil like most restaurants in most china towns... This is simply high end fantastic quality. As for the friendliness of staff , that's perhaps the only issue... But hey I'm here for the food... U don't get Michelin stars for bad quality. And the truth is most Chinese restaurants serve cheap fast turnaround food. Not here read more

Yauatcha - Dim Sum Near Me - London, XGL

3.5 stars. The food wasn't bad, but I expected more. Not sure if it deserves a Michelin star. Trendy and modern, but there was a sorta strange smell, not sure if it's from the kitchen. read more

I was in Soho with a friend planning to eat at Koya but we saw the queue and decided to eat elsewhere. Time Out had raved about Yauatcha, so we decided to check it out (yes shame on me, i should stay true to Yelp for recommendations). We stepped into a gorgeous restaurant surrounded with decadent deserts and modern chinese decor. We were promptly seated downstairs (next to the bar which also acts as a fish tank, amazing). Not sure what to order, we shared steamed chicken dumplings, grilled vegetable dumplings and beef ho fun noodles. The food was served quickly and was simply the best i've eaten in a while. I also had a lime and passion fruit ice tea which washed it all down nicely. All together the meal was £15 each including drinks which i think is a reasonable amount for a lunch date. It is on the more pricey side but it's really not surprising considering Yauatcha has a Michelin star, well deserved too. Highly recommended. I'm saving my pennies for my next round of dim sum. read more

Yauatcha, part of Alan Yau's growing restaurant empire, is an ultra hip tea house and dim sum eatery. It is my favorite place for dim sum and drinks. The stunning interior reminds me of something out of Tokyo. Upstairs contains a cozy, relaxed environment to enjoy with friends and a pastry counter which has some of the best sweets ever as well as teas, candles, and other treats. Downstairs is dimly lit with the kitchen overlooking the crowded space, best for an intimate dinner. I dream about Yauatcha's dumplings, pork buns, and desserts. You will to after trying this Soho hot spot. read more

I am comparing this against probably the best dim sum joint in London. Honestly, I have to say there is only Hakkasan Hanway Place which does the best in London. This is the sister company. It doesn't have that cool, dark, chic vibe like Hakkasan but the food is comparable. If I have to say which is better, then of course, Hakkasan is a tad better. The service here is really good and staff as attentive. They have no attitude issues like some Chinese restaurant and are really professional. Try to book in advance but if you come here on a Sunday afternoon dim sum time, then be prepared to wait. That's when the Chinese family have their big outing and eating dim sum. We had an issue with our last order and it came really late. We decided to cancel and the manager was quick to come and apologise. They even gave us free dessert each so we were happy for this. This is what you call professional. If you go to some other restaurants, they apologise and bring the food out late right when you are cancelling it and you are forced to eat them or take them home. However, the one star is omitted due to Hakkasan performing slightly better. That said, it is still probably one of the best dim sum in London so I would not miss giving this place a try at all. Must go in London. read more

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this place will blow your mind in two ways. 1.) it's hands down the most amazing dim sum i've ever had in my 29 years anywhere - asia, the americas, europe... this is the best. 2.) the prices are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. does #1 outweigh #2? yes. absolutely. you have to go here at least once. i don't know how they make the food so good- superior ingredients is my guess, because if you're talking components it tastes exactly the same as other dim sum places but if you're talking quality there is no comparison - everything from the beef to the sesame oil has its own distinctive freshness and jumps out at you. i have never had an experience where so many ingredients tasted so distinctively delicious at various times within the same bite (no i wasn't exceptionally hungry, drunk, high, or otherwise unduly influenced). but to temper your enthusiasm here are the prices for several of the items we ordered (keep in mind this is dim sum and thus the sizes are accordingly tiny): *USD / GBP was about $1.62/GBP 1 :: 4 jasmine tea smoked ribs - GBP 10.80, $17.53 :: rocket (arugula) spring salad - GBP 18, $29.16 :: 3 xiao long bao - GBP 3.50, $5.67 :: 3 pork dumplings with chives and tiny dried shrimp - GBP 5.50, $8.91 :: peking duck (not the standard peking duck - it was deep fried dark meat only and it came shredded) - GBP 28, $45.36 :: beef flat noodle - GBP 11.50, $18.63 this is a must-go if you can afford it. read more

My first visit to Yauatcha was more than 7 years ago when Londoners were yet to get their fair share of upscale Chinese food. Dim sum lunch was usually taken hastily in one of the tacky eateries in China Town and there was almost no place offering authentic Chinese cuisines and western standard service and decor. Against that backdrop, Yauatcha was an easy standout. I was particularly impressed with the quality of the dim sum. Coming from Hong Kong, where one can get quality dim sum aplenty, I was always skeptical of these new age chinese restaurants but Yauatcha was the rare few that delivered quality with just the right amount of innovation that justified the steeper prices it fetched. Times have changed though but my recent visits to Yauatcha have been disappointing. First off, food was still of consistent quality. My favorites include the venison puff (venison in a slightly sweet puff pastry case where in the usual case it would have been bbq pork), the three style mushroom cheung fun (a steamed rice roll stuffed with mushroom) and the jasmine tea smoked rib. There is also a good selection of tea and desserts. However, there are multiple things that were problematic. First and foremost, service was slow and inattentive, and frequently I seem to get the "dont-seem-to-care-less" attitude from everyone working there. Friends have received the same treatment. Just not the kind of service you would expect at this price point. The interiors also look a bit worn and old now, maybe time for some touchups? If you want quality dimsum at reasonable prices, you are better off going to one of the Royal China's around town. And if fusion is what you like, there are plenty of choices around. One good thing though is that you can always get a table at Yauatcha, if you have the cash and time to spare. read more

The reputation of the place precedes it, which often means that there is tendency for high expectations and middling reality...but Yauatcha (with endless vowels in its name) delivered. It proved to be an excellent brunch spot (my favourite meal, obviously) - delicate teas, freshly prepared dim sums and other hot foods with excellent ingredients, a very stylish clientele and responsive but unobtrusive service. I heartily encourage everyone to save some appetite for the excellent range of desserts on offer too. read more

Not as good as the last time. Food is lovely but this just isn't running like a smoothly oiled machine like you would expect at a Michelin starred restaurant. I would come back but it just isn't doing as well as it did six months ago. read more

My favourite Asian restaurant in London for years. Even though I miss the yam roll on the menu now. The lychee martini is an all time favourite. Every dim sum on the menu is exceptional. Every time I visit London, I must atleast eat three meals there! read more

Cool spot. Great service and experience. Dumplings are delicious and the atmosphere is fun and causal. If you're looking for a comfortable setting for some nice Asian food; I'd definitely recommend! read more

Nay... the ambivalence is quite nice but theres only a limited selection of dim sums. I hope they can make the dim sums more authentic with more choices... read more

Overpriced but delicious 'modern' dim sum - there are plenty of great dim sum places in london so i would suggest giving this place a miss.

Deserves its awards. One of the best Chinese restaurants in the Capital. In the cool and expensive category, at least. I went with Chinese friends from Beijing who thought that the food was very good. Believe me, they are hardly ever complimentary about Chinese food in the UK! The beefs? Well, the teas are seriously good but at £5 for a small pot they're a bit of a rip off. And the seats. Oh, the agonising kiddy height seats cunningly combined with the massive support under the table that keeps your feet folded under you. I am really short at 5'7" and I got cramp. STILL ... I would eat there every week if I could afford it. The decor is really uber chic and the take away sweties and tea counters are good.It is not that expensive to lunch off dim sum and they are seriously good. read more

I fail to understand why Yauatcha has a Michelin star. Food is good, though for the dim sum / cheong fun / shui mei, you can get equally tasty in chinatown. Service was not great: from the reception (no smiles), to the waiter (forgot to take our drinks order, interrupts table discussion to reach out for plates). Oh, and disposable wooden chopsticks? Really? Like the rating says... Meh, I've experienced better. read more

I don't like giving out bad reviews, but this place offers overpriced mediocre and very disappointing. With one michelin star and all, you would think you can get something special here. I had Har Gau, Prawn and bean curd Chaung-fen, and Spinach cuttlefish & prawn balls. It added up to 22.58 pounds (including a 13% service charge and a 1 pound donation to a certain foundation that I know nothing about.) The food was over salted in general and the skin of the Har Gau broke as soon as my chopsticks touched it. The Chaung-fen was nothing special. The most ridiculous part? I couldn't finish my Chaung-fen so I asked the waitress if she could box the left-over and she said the restaurant does not allow their diners to box the leftovers. If it's a buffet, fine. But when a client has already paid for the food, you'd rather see it go to waste than have the client take it home? That logic is completely bulls. I asked for my change and put every penny back into my wallet. Definitely won't come back again. In the future, I'd rather spend that amount of money on a decent steak at Jamie's Italian. read more

A stunning tea-house and restaurant, I've been here a number of times and have never failed to have a wonderful meal. Which is great because this is one of only a few London hotspots that is both oh-so-trendy and consistently worthy of its price tag. I love being delighted by food, and Yauatcha gives a lot: I fondly remember the venison puffs and shitake and duck rolls... and you'll write home about the ostrich dumplings. My only negatives: (1) some items, like the duck pancakes, are no better than you can find elsewhere, (2) the service - kind but they often strictly enforce the 2-hour table rule (they once slapped our receipt down before we could order dessert). read more

Yauatcha is yummy. Desserts are to die for, french patisserie with asian influences, like kiwi tiramisu. A lot of dim sum varieties for a pretty reasonable price although if you add in a few main courses it can get a bit expensive. Upstairs has a more casual feel while downstairs is dark and suitably trendy. definitely worth a visit or two read more

Loved this place. We went on a groupon deal and even that was great. Need to go back without the restrictions of the set menu from the deal so we can really let loose. Well worth the money. read more

Ate here last night with a colleague. We arrived 30 minutes late, mistakenly thinking we were on time for our reservation (honest mistake!) and they were very accommodating. We ordered five dishes: the char siu bao, lo bak go (or turnip cake), duck/pumpkin puff, crab salad, and prawn and beancurd cheung fun. The char siu bao were amazing, best I've ever had. The duck/pumpkin puff may have been the standout of the night, and those two along with the cheung fun rounded out the top three. The lo bak go was made a bit differently than I'm accustomed to - it had a layer of spring onion and I guess egg over the part you expect. Not bad, but I'll stick with what I'm used to on that one. The swimmer crab salad was nice with mushrooms but probably not worth £11. Desserts all looked great, my friend picked the chocolate pebble and I confess I was slightly underwhelmed. I chose a couple of macarons that were outstanding - esp the mango/passionfruit. Service was great, price was bearable but certainly a rare treat. read more

Good dim sum. Decadent desserts. Excellent service. Pricey.