HK Diner, Soho, London

It can be hard to find good, authentic Chinese cuisine in London Chinatown believe it or not (!!!) but HK Diner is good, decent and prompt.

HK diner is one of the best Chinese restaurants in London. I've eaten at a lot and we always come back here.

They are brisk, the service is efficient but the food is what you go for and it is brilliant! Ignore other reviews, these guys are good!

I was passing by and went in on a whim, actually I went in on foot but that is neither here no there, well it was there because if it wasn't there it was somewhere else. But I digress, When I went in I was attended to staright away and shown to a table, my order was taken quickly. It wasn't a big order just chicken in black bean sauce with rice. It didn't take long before my food arrived and it was looked very good. It was very tasty. It has been a long time since I had used chop sticks, but it was nice to find I still had the knack. I enjoyed my visit.

i had a more-than-terrible experience at HK diner last night and I have to tell everyone the experience and I will forever boycott this restaurant because of the owner's mean and rude attitude and service; this restaurant doesn't deserve any star or doesn't even deserve to stay in business. I am looking for an official government office where I can file an official complaint against this restaurant.
I am from the United States and am visiting here. I always explore chinatown in every country and city. I am originally from Hong Kong and have been living in the States for more than 25 years. i have never encountered such rude services and unreasonable manner.
Anyway, my two friends and I walked into HK Diner trying to get the authentic hk drinks and snacks; one of my friends lives here in london; she thought we might seat more comfortably at hk diner so we chose this restaurant; after we entered, a waiter guy wanted to sit us at a round table but we spotted a round booth so we asked for it; then this man who looked like the owner (we later found out he was the owner; they own the space so do not have to pay rent) came and was unwilling to sit us there but told us that we needed to order food in order to sit there; we asked for details about ordering food then he said it's 6 pounds per person; so it's $18 for the table as a min charge; we ok'ed it; sat there; but for 10 mins nobody came to us to take order; then the owner came back and rudely questioned us about what food we wanted to order; i said we were gonna order drinks first then we'd look at the menu; he immediately walked away; nobody took our order; then shortly after that, a waiter guy came to tell us to move to another booth; it was a very small booth for 2 ppl; it was 3 of us; we had to squeeze in; we did anyway; at that point i suggested we leave but one of my friends didn't know where else to take us so we stayed; then the mean owner came to take our order; we said the same thing and my friend said we might order takeouts later; he lost his patience and said loudly and rudely in cantonese "you guys wanna sit at MY table, you have to order food first; i will have to charge £18 for this table whether you order food or not and takeouts don't count;" wow, at that point, i lost my patience too; i said loudly but calmly to him, "we are leaving; we have money to pay and that's not the way to run a business; you are not the only restaurant in chinatown here" the whole restaurant heard it; i heard him saying behind us with a quieter tone "well, it's up to you then" i bet he didn't expect us to talk back and walk out on him; apparently he always got his way and nobody ever said anything back to him; well, i'm not gonna let this go easily; i have to tell the whole world about his terrible attitude..
first, he just assumed that we wouldn't order food as soon as we walked in; that's not right!
second, he told us we needed to order food and there's a minimum per person; that's not right! there's no printed policy anywhere in the restaurant; he just applied that towards us!
it's a restaurant, as long as the doors are open, customers have all the right to sit in and order whatever they want; plus we had been super friendly since we walked in and we had been very patient with his improper manner and unreasonable treatment..
he got us very mad for just £18; now he's going to lose a lot more money than this..

We found HK Diner to be extremely efficient, clean, busy but not hectic, and most importantly exquisite cuisine on our visit there last night.

The initial service was not friendly, but business like (some people might say it's surly, but I'm used to the efficient nature of Chinatown restaurants, so no problem there. Our waiter was actually very helpful - I asked about her recommendation for a pork dish - they have 3 house favourites - Crispy Pork, Honey Barbecue Pork and one other. She provided a very good description of each and I ended up ordering the Honey Barbecue pork. This arrived as a large serving of sliced, perfectly barbecued, lean pork in a honey basting. This was one of the best Asian pork dishes I can remember! Delicious.

Other members of the party ordered, Chicken and cashew nut in a sweet sauce - delicious, without having any of the cliched Chinese takeout attributes, like gelitinous gravy, etc.

Plain fried noodles with been sprouts was smokey and flavoursome, while not being oily.

We also ordered 1/4 aromatic duck as a started, with pancakes - excellent also.

The final dish was another house special - chinese brocolli with ginger. This one, by the time I got to it, was luke warm, so not perfect, but a flavoursome and unusual dish it was (we were sitting under an aircon outlet, which I suspect was part of the problem).

We ended off with a bubble tea, which, if you haven't had one, is an experience.

Note that there are 2 menus at this restaurant for food - the more Cantonese menu which is handed out, and a 1 page Chinese menu, which is on the table. This Chinese menu contains the clay pot dishes and other more Chinese specialities, according to the waitress.

HK Diner is a slick operation, without feeling impersonal or rushed. All the staff we dealt with were efficient, but also polite and articulate. They are open until 4am, so late night feasts are possible!

Highly recommended from someone who doesn't eat a lot of Chinese takeout on account of the high oil factor and general lack of authentic cuisine available..

I like HK diner. It's proper. It isn't a fancy restaurant but you get what you pay for and the food is always good quality. I think the standard of food in Chinatown can vary so badly, and bad Chinese food is really bad, that I always go back to this place. The service once you are seated is fast and the food is always scrummy.

It is famous for its bubble tea, but I don't like bubble tea! If you have never had it beware it is very strange if you aren't aware of the concept. I find the bubbles tasteless and their texture strange and highly dislike the sudden suprise of one arriving up the straw! The Tsingtao beer is good tho!

Another tip here is the take away, its very fast and great at 3am after coming out of one of the nearby clubs :)

A good place for roast duck and fried beef rice noodles. Skip the wontons, skip the roast pork - for me, this place is all about the simple, yet wonderful Cantonese roast duck. I prefer it with rice although I like the "loh meen" noodle version too. The dry fried flat rice noodles with beef and spring onions is always fresh and really very tasty too.

Atmosphere is notable by the absence of anything non-functional, but this spartan style is very typical of worker-style places in Hong Kong.

Service is pretty good, especially if you speak Chinese - one never needs to wait long for a table and diners are not encouraged to sit around and chit-chat after eating. The table gets cleared the minute you put down your chopsticks and then the bill arrives.

Price-wise, it is not too expensive for what you get, and what you will get is well fed.

HK Diner is partly about food. Oh yes, the chili soft shell crabs are delicious, as are most dishes I have sampled there. It can take a while to get seated and the staff are not necessarily the politest, but once you are down you will feast.

However the real highlight of HK Diner, which sets it apart from all the other Cantonese restaurants in the Chinatown area serving the same dishes, it the tapioca bubble tea! If you go there, u must order one. If you have never had one, then go once to HK Diner and try tone :-)

These are a selection of sweetened and fruit-flavored teas served cold and containing "bubbles" -- in reality tapioca balls -- that make a very nice soft aperitif or dessert drink! Ironically, considering the name of the restaurant, bubble tea is not at all from Hong Kong but from Taiwan where it was reportedly created in the 1980s. Either way I always make a point of drinking a couple every time I am at HK Diner.

My Chinatown standby (and the standard by which I judge the other restos in London). Great duck, noodles, salt & pepper squid … it’s all good … especially the BUBBLE TEA!!! Yum. Yay.

Oh wait, you’ve never had bubble tea? Think tea-based dessert drink with little tasty floating things in it (tapioca pearls, fruit pieces, adzuki beans, stuff like that).

HK Diner is perpetually packed yet they always seem to have a table available or will in less than 5 minutes. I suppose this has much to do with the surly - but incredibly efficient - service.

I wouldn’t say its the best chinese restaurant in London. But certainly one of the cheapest. Service is reasonable, but you can end up waiting for a table for sometime, service is okay when you’ve finished your meal the waiter/waitresses bring you the bill to get you to go! How’s that for service? And the head waiter rolls his eyes if you don’t make an effect to leave. Overall the food is quite good I’ll still go there. Good decor and you do get to be served quickly and definitely opened until the early hours of the morning.

If you are looking for quick, cheap and cheerful chinese “fusion” food then this is the place. When I say “fusion” I mean mostly chinese, just like cafes/diners in Hong Kong. You get your mostly chinese dishes with a western twist… then there are “western” dishes like Baked Pork Chops & Rice or the mixed grill. Recommended.

The portions were more than enough for the two of us. The roast duck gave the soup a delicious flavour. The duck was nice and meaty, with just one inedible piece that consisted of just skin and fat. The tung choi was fresh and a little spicy, with dried shrimp, and not at all stringy (which it can be sometimes).

As a vegetarian it was (surprisingly)hard to find somewhere in Chinatown with good choice, but HK Diner offers a number of dishes, perfect to share with some rice. Always really full after going to this restaurant as I can’t help but finish everything! Opening times are great (so late!) and it is always full of people (a good sign). Only problem is the drinks prices- though the tea is good as you get free refills!

A nice enough place if on a budget but far from being the best in Chinatown. Unlike other budget Chinatown restaurants they’re less likely to rush you out after finishing your meal. The menu contains all the usual array of Chinese dishes, with nothing that stands out in particular in my experience. The good thing about this place though,is they have a nice range of bubble tea and other authentic HK style drinks. (Try redbean and coconut for example) They do close late so it’s a nice to go if after clubbing your feeling a little peckish.

Is this the best Chinese restaurant in London? Possibly, but it’s certainly open the latest (11a.m. to 4AM!), is clean,comfy and has a wide selection of authentic dishes (you’ll have to ask for the Chinese menu to see those though.) We recommend the Baked Rice with Pork Chops and the Stewed Belly Pork with Preserved Cabbage.