The ‘Lotus’ is as other people have said here a static floating boat in one of the docks near Canary Wharf. It is easy to reach via DLR or a short walk from Canary Wharf Jubilee line and there is also some parking around the boat which is pretty cheap, (If you can’t park nearby there is an ASDA carpark 4mins walk away where if you spend on your weekly shopping you can park here).

On first impression the restaurant is quite imposing with two floors for dining and good views (from one side of the boat) over the dock. It’s usually pretty busy but as previous reviewers have said there isn’t usually a wait and thus pre-booking is not essential.

Lotus serves as expected both Dim-Sum and also evening meals. I have been there for both and will comment on both.

Dim sum: The Dim Sum menu is a reasonable length with the standard dishes on it. On this front the dishes are reasonable, quite tasty and usually quick to arrive. There is also a special menu which is in Chinese only (at least it is when they give it to me!). From the special menu there are lots of goodies such as Chive ‘cakes’.

Service tends to be quite fast, although for some reason they often ‘lose’ a dish somewhere along the line meaning you either get one after you’ve finished everything else, or cancel it.

The Dim Sum gets 4/5 stars, it’s not as good as Peninsula which is nearby, (see other review). I’ve been to both many times an enjoy both.

Evening food: The evening menu is large and I like the food from it. It’s a bit greasy however and some dishes are over-priced. However they do great Tofu, (beancurd) dishes including some really spicy numbers that rival Bar Shu. Portion sizes are pretty large for some dishes so you won’t feel hungry at the end.

Also, and this makes it heaven for some of my Chinese friends… Free rice refills and free Red Bean dessert at the end of the meal :) 3.5/4 stars due to comparisons with other Chinese restaurants around.

Overall then, it’s a good place. Not totally authentic but decent.

We have tried our fair share of Chinese food in all parts of London. Lotus is like our family restaurant that we love to go every time we want some good flavor of the east.
Generally, we loved the service there as we have been there often and know few familiar faces even though some new recruits can looked a bit stone faced at times.
The atmosphere is probably best for someone who wants to have quiet discussion and enjoy their food. The selection and the taste of dinner food is okay but I love their Dim Sum better than most of the Chinese restaurants that cut costs by using loads of fat stuffings to make it tender but unhealthy or reduce the size the dumpling dramatically….

This restaurant is located in a floating boat-like ‘pavilion’ on the waters of the Docklands, in close proximity of Crossharbour DLR station. It is quite an extraordinary feature for a Chinese restaurant.
This place serves great value and delicious dim sum. The price is about 15% cheaper than most Chinese restaurant. I am a keen supporter of this restaurant and I usually have dim sum here on Saturday afternoon. There are 2 storeys of huge dining spaces; hence getting a table is not a problem. Booking in advance is not necessary. My favourite dim sum here is the black sesame dumplings and the Char Siu pastry, they are the best that I have tried in London.
Dinner in this restaurant is not as good as the dim sum. So my recommendation for first timer is to try the dim sum.