London is home to some of the most amazing Asian restaurants in the world, serving a whole gamut of different cultural cuisines. Some of these restaurants have been here for decades, sharing their rich culinary heritage with Londoners, and several new restaurants have launched in the city combing authentic Asian family recipes with an infusion of modern-day cooking styles. Here’s our roundup of ten of the best Asian restaurants in London:
1. Buy & Bite
One of the best Asian-fusion restaurants in London, Buy & Bite is the UK’s first omurice restaurant – a traditional Japanese dish consisting of an omelette made with fried rice, thin, fried scrambled eggs and ketchup. The restaurant aims to offer carefully curated, well-balanced dishes to eat in your fast-paced, busy lives, and you’ll get to tuck into a whole array of classic dishes blended with contemporary spices and fresh ingredients.
All the ingredients are sourced and picked meticulously to support environmental sustainability, and there are a whole host of vegan and vegetarian options here too. Add in a variety of snacks inspired by Asian street food and a mighty selection of drinks and you’ve got yourself one hell of a slap-up meal here.
📍You’ll find Buy & Bite at 5A Cowcross Street, Farringdon, London, EC1M 6DW and 3 Charcot Road, Colindale, London, NW9 5HG.
🚇 Nearest stations are Farringdon and Colindale.
2. Bali Bali
A family-run restaurant, Bali Bali rustles up authentic Indonesian cuisine right in the heart of London’s West End. The ethos behind the restaurant is to reintroduce the classic authentic dishes that the owners enjoyed back home in – yep, you guessed it, Bali – and share their love of food with Londoners.
The restaurant also has a special lunch-time menu and pre-theatre menus to enjoy and sample delectable dishes. It’s a great spot for small parties or if you’re looking to go on a date – they also offer plenty of veggie options and specialities such as Ikan Seabream Bumbu Kecap – mouthwatering sea bream topped with the chef’s own special sauce. Sign us up.
📍You’ll find Bali Bali at 150 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8HL.
🚇 Nearest station is Covent Garden.
3. Juma Kitchen
Established back in 2012, Juma Kitchen was launched by the founder and head chef, Philip Juma, as a way to serve authentic Iraqi cuisine in the capital. The menu is inspired by both Middle-Eastern and modern European cuisine, as Juma himself is an English-Irish-Iraqi. The upbringing and experience he has had over the years exploring a diverse range of ingredients are reflected in his style of cooking.
Being a self-taught chef, he has gracefully blended London’s contemporary style of cooking and his personal experiences over the years to offer a beautiful traditional Iraqi cuisine made with modern-day cooking techniques and Michelin-star style flair.
Based in Borough Market, it’s a great little spot that serves up a whole array of tasty dishes – including ‘kubba hanuth’ – handmade lamb dumplings with Iraqi spices in a tomato broth with turnips, onions and garlic – and lamb bourek with falafel and spiced baba ganoush. Maybe one for the meat-eaters then…
📍You’ll find Juma Kitchen at Borough Market Kitchen, Jubilee, Winchester Walk, London, SE1 9AG.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
4. Inihaw
Situated in Charlton – close to both Greenwich and Woolwich – Inihaw is an authentic Filipino takeaway restaurant. They serve delicious Filipino BBQ, lechon kawali, sisig, chicken inasal, adobo, and many other Filipino comfort foods.
The founder of Inihaw, Alfred, comes from one of the biggest Filipino dynasties in the United Kingdom, the Punzalan family. Starting cooking at the mere age of 16, he left his homeland in the Philippines around 1987 with a mission to introduce Filipino cuisine all over the United Kingdom.
If you want to enjoy the best Asian restaurants in London whipping up some scrumptious Filipino food, then this is the spot to come – trust us.
📍You’ll find Inihaw at 3 The Village, SE7 8UG.
🚇 Nearest station is Charlton.
5. Happy Lamb Hot Pot
Happy Lamb Hot Pot is one of the best Asian restaurants in London serving mouthwatering Mongolian-style hot pot. The restaurant uses only fresh ingredients to enhance the flavour of its deliciously flavourful broth – the perfect base for the quite frankly outstanding hot pot.
The meat used for the hot pot is also of the best quality, and is one of the most popular dishes on the menu. Top picks here would be the ‘snowflake beef sirloin’ and the namesake ‘happy spring lamb’.
📍You’ll find Happy Lamb Hot Pot at 2 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1AD and at 82-84 Bishop’s Bridge Road, London, W2 6BB.
🚇 Nearest stations are Tottenham Court Road and Royal Oak.
6. Naroon
Naroon is one of the most recommended Asian restaurants in London, serving up some absolutely delicious Persian food. The name ‘Naroon’ is actually named after and inspired by a beautiful suburb in northern Tehran, and all the dishes served here are inspired by the neighbourhood too.
The food is prepared using diverse spices and highly rich nutritional vegetables, pulses, nuts, fruits, and herbs – standout dishes include ‘Naroon Koofteh’ – slow-cooked meatballs drizzled in an aromatic herb sauce and served with lentil rice – and ‘Gheyme Bademjoon’ – an aubergine and tomato stew with split yellow peas.
📍You’ll find Naroon at 60 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7QF.
🚇 Nearest stations are Oxford Circus and Goodge Street.
7. Lahpet
As one of London’s only restaurants to specialise in cuisine hailing from Myanmar, Lahpet Shoreditch was started with the aim of shedding light on one of the most understated cuisines.
The menu is created to suit the appetite of every customer walking in through the door by presenting them with genuine Burmese delicacies infused with British produce and prepared with contemporary flair. Receiving prominent recognition at their Hackney warehouse site back in 2017, Dan, the founder of Lahpet Shoreditch and the head chef, Zaw, have successfully made this one of the go-to spots in town.
The interiors are casual and warm, which will make you feel right at home. With a contemporary setting and live hanging plants, the interior looks pretty and spacious — the ideal backdrop for a pretty darn perfect dining experience. Standout dishes include ‘lentil chow chow’, ‘pork belly and sour bamboo curry’ and ‘shan rice with sea bream’.
📍You’ll find Lahpet Shoreditch at 58 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6JW and 21 Slingsby Place, London, WC2E 9AB.
🚇 Nearest stations are Shoreditch High Street and Covent Garden.
8. Kiln
Not just your regular Thai restaurant, but Thai barbecue, seafood and claypots! The cooking style in Kiln has travelled from the very edges of Thailand, where the country borders with Burma, Laos and Yunnan. Their approach, however, is guided by their sourcing of completely British produce.
Tamworth pigs are bred for the restaurant in Somerset, with the daily changes of cuts confirming the freshness of their produce. While this restaurant isn’t exactly great for all you veggies and vegans out there, pescatarians can still enjoy a lot of what is offered on the menu, with dayboat seafood delivered every morning! Expect some very exciting other dishes, from dry jungle curry of wood pigeon to a scrumptious wild ginger and beef neck curry from Myanmar.
📍You’ll find Kiln Soho at 58 Brewer Street, W1F 9TL.
🚇 Nearest station is Piccadilly Circus.
9. Hunan
Hunan in Pimlico is a London dining experience pretty much unlike any other. Upon arrival diners are asked just two questions – 1. Do you have any special dietary requirements? 2. How spicy do you like your food? – and with that, the meal begins, cloaked in a shroud of mystery. Expect a chef’s tasting menu with an added element of surprise, with endless, excellent, tapas-sized portions of food that are perfect for sharing – or for fighting over (you choose).
The result is truly unforgettable. Sample dishes include wild mussels with Thai basil and Chinese rice wine or monkfish in yellow miso soup – but to say any more would be too much of a spoiler. Best check it out yourself then!
📍You’ll find Hunan at 51 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8NE.
🚇 Nearest station is Sloane Square.
10. Dammika’s
Don’t be deceived by the small setup; Dammikas’ food will blow your mind (and tastebuds) away. This diner-like restaurant – whose speciality is seasonal British ingredients with Sri Lankan seasoning – won an award at the London Curry Awards in 2019, and people absolutely love their home-style cooking. They’re also just a hop, skip and jump from Buckingham Palace – oh darling – and are well deserving of their spot on this roundup of the best Asian restaurants in London.
The lamprais they serve are real crowd-pullers, especially with chicken, and the hoppers are cooked just right and make for a great starter. Their cuttlefish fry, fit cutlets and chicken rolls are nothing short of extraordinary, and if you want to go down the spice route, order the ‘Sri Lankan prawn devil’ or the chicken curry.
📍You’ll find Dammika’s at 3 Lower Grosvenor Place, London, SW1W 0EJ.
🚇 Nearest station is Victoria.
So there you have it – a roundup of ten of the best Asian restaurants in London. Sufficiently salivating yet?! We know we are…