There’s this Chinatown restaurant you shouldn’t miss when visiting Central London and Chinatown; Chinese Tapas House, which offers some of the best bao buns in London. There are lots of delicious Chinatown London shops, that’s true, and to be honest, I’ve never been to one that I did not like.
I already told you where to get some of the cheapest and best cakes in London; at Chinatown Bakery, and hopefully, you have a chance to visit soon. But if you’re looking for delicious bao buns in Chinatown London, I can only recommend the freshest bao buns at Chinese Tapas House, on Little Newport Street.
I’ve written quite a bit about delicious Chinese food in London here, and I love my Asian food like no other. Vietnamese pho, Korean barbecue, Thai noodles – I’ve written a lot of guides about these here and there on The Working Line. I love food so much, and I’ve got lots of reviews to write for you guys, to help you find the best places to eat while you’re visiting London in search of non touristy things to do.
But there’s something I love, probably at the same level, I love pho: fresh bao buns. And at Chinese Tapas House, you’ll see; they’re really affordable (talk about cheap!), with fresh Chinese street food that will make you come back again and again. At least, they’ve made me come back again and again, and I salivate at the thought of biting into their soft, huge bao buns.
Before we get started, I’d like to emphasize that this is really one of the cheapest restaurants in London, and the best bao buns in London as well. I love splurging from thime to time, but there’s something about street food that says everything about a city, in my opinion. And Chinese Tapas House says a lot about the value of Chinatown in a city like London. Lively, colorful, fast-paced, and simply delicious.
By the way, if you’re down to discover more amazing food in London, there are some guides you shouldn’t miss on The Working Line:
- the best noodles in London at Oodles Chinese Holborn
- delicious Turkish food in London at romantic restaurants
- and the best Moroccan restaurants in London for tagine and couscous
Chinatown London Shops: Fresh Bao Buns in London at Chinese Tapas House
Chinese Tapas House in London has a very small shop and no seating space. Located on Little Newport Street, it stands proudly, yet almost timidly at the beginning of Chinatown. If you continue a bit further into Chinatown and take the first left, you’ll arrive at Newport Place, where you’ll find another one of my favorite Chinatown London shops; Chinatown Bakery, and its huge cake slices that retail for less than £2 and £3.
With its little purple window shop, Chinese Tapas House attracts the eye – probably a bit less than Good Friend Chicken, a halal fried chicken place that attracts dozens (hundreds!) of people every single day for their huge cheesy, gooey, and crunchy fried chicken.
When you first arrive in front of the Chinatown restaurant, you’ll immediately spot the fresh bao buns in the window shop. They’re so big that you might wonder if you can afford them; but at £3 a pop, you’ll most probably get two or three. I can assure you, though, that two is more than enough, and you’ll probably feel nicely satiated after just two of these soft, filled bao buns.
When you get inside the Chinatown restaurant, you’ll see it’s probably one of the smallest Chinatown London shops. There’s barely space to move; maybe a little bit to go and pay, but that’s about it. Yet, that’s something I absolutely love.
I love finding tiny restaurants, as they’re usually family-run, like the Chinatown Bakery, and offer much tastier food than you’d find in big chains. At Chinese Tapas House, they also offer much more than just bao buns, and I’ll tell you about some of the items you should definitely try when you pay a visit to this Chinatown restaurant.
The Chinese Tapas House menu is written on large screens as well as on the wall, and it’s written both in Chinese and English. Even if you’re not accustomed to the menu, you’re going to understand pretty easily every item. I would definitely recommend trying some new things; isn’t that why you’d visit a Chinatown restaurant, after all?
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Chinatown Chinese Tapas House London Menu
Chinese Tapas House London focuses on lots of typical Chinese street food bites. In addition to serving some of the best bao buns in London, you’ll find on the menu the following items:
- Hong Kong Egg Puffs
- Chinese crepes
- Flaky pancakes
- Bubble Milk Tea
There’s much more on the Chinese Tapas House menu, but so far, I have stuck to relishing their amazing bao buns. That’s definitely one of the items that the Chinatown restaurant pushes forward, as they’re better known to the Western population and easy to eat on the go.
READ: The best pho in London at Pho Ta Kentish Town
When you enter the Chinatown bao bun spot, you’ll see the cooks prepping Chinese crepes straight on the stove, in front of you. I love seeing food prepared in front of me – being born and raised in France, that’s not something I’m very accustomed to. Rather, that’s something I picked up from living in London and trying some of the best Chinese and Vietnamese food spots; seeing the plate being built up right in front of my eyes.
Chinatown Chinese Tapas House London: What I Ordered
Vegetable Bao Bun
The last time I paid a visit to Chinese Tapas House in Chinatown, I ordered two things; the vegetable bao bun, and the chicken bao bun. It was my first time trying the vegetable bao bun, and boy, was it incredible!
The bun is soft, and the veggie mix inside contains carrots, black mushrooms, and cabbage. I can hear you think ‘mmmh, cabbage? Not too sure about that!’. To be fair, there’s no description of the vegetable mix for the vegetable bao bun at Chinese Tapas House. I’m not a big fan of cabbage, and had it been specified there’s cabbage in their vegetable bao buns, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it.
What a mistake it would have been. The mix is crunchy, delicious, and really, really flavorful. I found that the crunch of the vegetables contrasted perfectly with how soft and chewy the bun is. Plus, the size is incredible, and for only £3 per bao bun, it’s really one of the most affordable food spots in Chinatown.
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Chicken Bao Bun
One of the best sellers at this Chinatown restaurant is the chicken bao bun, so obviously, I had to try it. There are two other options for their amazing bao buns: pork and red bean. I don’t eat pork, and I don’t really like red bean, so the veggie and chicken bao buns were quite obviously the two options I’d go for.
While I loved the vegetable bao bun, I had an immense preference for the chicken one. The mix is very different; kind of built like a meat bun inside the bun. Chicken bits can be spotted, mixed with black mushroom, and wow – that bao bun is something of another level. I have never eaten any other bao bun in London of that quality, and the slightly savory bun blended with the chicken filling echo each other perfectly.
When I will go back to Chinese Tapas House, I’ll probably try some other items, like their Chinese crepes and Hong Kong Bubble Milk Tea. However, when it comes to their bao buns, I will definitely stick to the chicken bao buns because it’s really that flavorful.
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Chinese Tapas House London: Final Thoughts
All in all, this tiny Chinatown restaurant is definitely a place you should try when you visit London. Even if you’re living here and looking for affordable restaurants, to be honest. The Chinese Tapas House is one of the only bao bun restaurants in Chinatown offering these amazing bites at such a cheap price, and right in Central London!
So, if you’re studying abroad, or are looking for cheap eats in London near Covent Garden, Leicester Square, and lively Soho, Chinese Tapas House is the spot. There are lots of other Chinatown London shops that offer amazing dumplings, bao buns, and other noodle dishes, but Chinese Tapas House really has street food nailed down.
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Later on, I will write more reviews about some of the best Vietnamese and Chinese foods in London, as I’ve got lots of reviews pending to write for you guys. But for now, if you’re looking to eat in Chinatown on a budget, you’re going to love Chinese Tapas House. Weirdly, it’s a bit less famous than nearby Chinatown Bakery and Good Friend Chicken, which means you’ll be served that much faster! The menu is packed with delicious, authentic options that won’t break the bank, from fluffy buns to savory dumplings that are sure to hit the spot. If you’re willing to explore beyond Chinatown, though, you should definitely check out our Song Que Shoreditch review for some incredible Vietnamese cuisine that rivals even the most popular spots in London. With its vibrant flavors and affordable prices, it’s easy to see why this hidden gem is earning a loyal following among food lovers.
If you’d like to discover more amazing food places in London, here are a few guides on The Working Line you can read next:
- the best cafes in London for a halal breakfast or brunch
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Until next time!