Golden Dragon

Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown
Golden Dragon image
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5 / 10 from 7 reviews
Address
28-29 Gerrard Street
Chinatown
London
W1D 6JW
Map
Telephone
020 7734 1073
Cuisine
Chinese
Region
Chinatown
Nearest Station
Leicester Square
0.15 miles
Opening Times
Monday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Tuesday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Wednesday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Thursday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Friday Open 12:00 - Closes 00:00
Saturday Open 12:00 - Closes 00:00
Sunday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:00

Our go-to China Town dim sum place. Make sure you get the turnip cake. Yes, really.

All In London

Golden Dragon serve a variety of Chinese dishes to eat in or take away. Catering for private parties of up to 40 people is available upon request.

All In London Review

Everyone should get a recommendation before they head into Chinatown for food. Consider this yours...

Review Image
Sorting the weak from the chaff in Chinatown can be a task that leads many visitors to throw the towel in and just plump for the first restaurant that claims to offer an ‘authentic experience’. If that restaurant happened to be Golden Dragon on a Sunday, then you’d have just hit the jackpot. Sunday dim sum here is just like it should be.

With some knowledge of Hong Kong (the home of dim sum) dining up my sleeve, I can confidently say that Golden Dragon is probably the best example of what is an institution in that part of the world. Forget roasts and walks, it’s all about dumplings and the weekend papers for Hong Kong weekenders. Located on Gerrard Street, the main Chinatown drag, Golden Dragon is a regal sort of place. There is a lot of gold and no shortage of dragons dotted about the interior, a fact we appreciate given its name - a sort of interior design eponym?

We take a seat in the family oriented restaurant on the ground floor. We are shown the first floor but prefer to wait. Up there it’s slightly colder and there’s not nearly enough dragons or gold. The dim sum is typically Hong Kong. None of those delicate flavours that the likes of Yauatcha have brought into the scene. Prices are reasonable. The cheung-fun, cha siu bao and siu mai classics are excellent. We order more. We push the boat out and opt to order pak choi, despite knowing the cost of Chinese greens in Chinatown restaurants. The oyster sauce might well have been straight out of the jar, but the greens go so well with it. We stick to jasmine tea but you can order Tsing Tao beer or wine if you want to make the afternoon a little more British with some boozing. If you’re not in the mood for steamed goodness then there is a full menu dedicated to all manner of other Chinese dishes.

Everyone should get a recommendation before they head into Chinatown for food. If you’re reading this, then consider this yours. Sunday, dim sum, downstairs; we can vouch for it.

Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Oct 18, 2013


User Reviews

Astrid
from Kidderminster

Apr 14, 2018

They can improve by either removing their inviting sign to speak with the staff in case of food allergies, or that they do what the sign tells: to discuss what possibilities they can offer.

That sign was a misleading message. I thought due to this, that the restaurant was happy to offer food in case of food allergies. However, they refused to offer any options at all. They have a right to do so but the communication was very unclear. When I asked the manager about that sign combined with this refusal, he shrugged. I informed him I would write a review about this. He heard the information, and agreed by shrugging.

I checked their reviews and saw several 1 stars over years at different sites, mainly due to bad treatment of guests. It is odd, this kind of behaviour towards guests and the contrast in communication concerning food intolerancies.
It would be better if they use the reviews for improvement instead of ignoring them. I hope this review helps in this.
T.A.O

Sep 24, 2013

I can only vouch for Sundays at Golden Dragon but since that's typical dim sum day in Hong Kong I'd assume it gives a pretty good idea of the place overall.

If you stick to tea and dim sum this place is good value. the belly pork is some of the best around, cheung fun is excellent and never fail to order the sticky rice!

The greens are pricey, but then, aren't they everywhere in China Town?

I would have to say it's much more evocative of an HK restaurant on the ground floor, the top deck feels a little lonely.

Overall - big thumbs up!
Mel
from London

Mar 13, 2011

This has always been my favourite Chinese restaurant in Soho. Friendly staff and very delicious food! Prompt service even when very busy, longest wait is about 10 mins. I loom forward to eating here everytime!

Name: Mel
Location: London
Anonymous

Apr 15, 2009

We visited this restaurant on 4th April 2009, after an average meal, we were appalled by the speediness of clearing the table. Almost before the last mouthful! I complained and this lead to an absolute onslaught from what I assume to be the manageress that night. She even made personal comments because I refused to pay the service charge due to very poor service. Would never eat here agin it's like a cattle market.
Anonymous

Mar 3, 2009

I recently went to Golden Dragon for a meal with 3 other people. We had an meal that was about average. Everything tasted a bit too salty, but I could live with that. What disappointed me was when our server asked me to provide him an additional tip on top of the already added 12.5% service charge. When I asked him why he was asking me for additional money. He told me I got free fortune cookies and I should tip him again. Needless to say, I did not and I will not be going there again. Really bad way to end a meal.
Anonymous

Aug 14, 2008

Six of my family went here for part of mum's 80th birthday treat. We had a great time! It is a very busy restaurant, but we had booked a table at 6pm on Saturday 9th August 2008, and got a table immediately. We ordered a set meal for 4 plus crispy duck and Singapore noodles - absolutely delicious and large portions!

I had not told the waiters that it was mum's birthday until we got there, but they arranged a special dessert: a plate of fresh fruit on a sea of theatrical 'dry ice', which made mum's day!
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