Lin's Restaurant & Bar in Southwark

Fantastic Chinese in Southwark. Yummy beef noodles, crispy pork and spicy cauliflower. Szechuan style cuisine - highly recommend

Fabulous little family restaurant serving unusual but terrific Szechuan dishes, as spicy as you order, very informal but the food is off the charts good and very reasonably prices. Southbankers, pay attention!

The restaurant is fairly basic but that's not what you're here for - we had a veg dish to share, two mains (beef noodle soup and pork rib noodle soup) and tea, which is roughly £45 and I thought it was very good value for money as you can often pay the same amount or more to eat bland food in a slightly nicer environment. The menu is fairly small but everything they offer is homestyle Sichuan/Hunan food and delicious. My friend recommended the mapo tofu and dan dan noodles, which she had on a previous occasion. Make sure you ask about spice levels and don't be a hero if the staff say a dish is very spicy. Also, don't wear a light coloured top to eat here as there will be plenty of noodle slurping! I'm a little puzzled at some of the negative reviews. I can understand why staff would be unhappy about someone trying to pop in for a takeaway menu with a dog in tow, as the entryway is quite narrow and the tables and bar are close to the entrance. I love dogs and grew up with them but don't particularly want them in my space when I'm eating. Leave your dog tied up outside or just don't go in at all. Also, if you're expecting standard British Chinese takeaway fare, look somewhere else. As mentioned above, Lin's does homestyle cooking and that should be obvious from the menu, and the cuisine may not be to everyone's taste.

Best noodles I have had in a long time! definitely recommend the Dan Dan noodles, exactly what I needed after a rainy day - very fresh and healthy.

STAY AWAY...Tried to get takeaway and just because i was with my dog trying to get a menu to look at i got greeting with agressive head shakes and disgusting attitude... no wonder they were empty at 8pm on a saturday night and by looking at the rest if the reviews they did me a favour by the disgusting looking foo and review on terrible service

Went in here tonight with my husband. Staff unfriendly, service bad and food appalling. I ordered chicken with spring onion and ginger. The dish came and basically it was a plate of onions with a few spring onions added and a few pieces of chicken which was tasteless. The only ginger in it was a slice they put on the side. I am sure it wasn’t cooked with the chicken as there was no taste to the meal whatsoever. My husbands dinner of beef chilli wasn’t any better. We can both say that it was the worst meal we have ever had. If I could give no rating I would. I am actually annoyed that I paid the bill for such terrible food. Don’t go you won’t regret it.

We had a lovely meal here. Staff where very helpful and friendly. Food was great and good value for money. Would recommend.

Before I say anything else, I realise the hospitality trade has had a very difficult time over the last 18months+, I realise that they need to recover lost revenue and I have a huge amount of sympathy for the situation they have ended up in. But..... I popped in here for a quick dinner whilst staying in London overnight. Was greated at the door perfectly professionally and shown to a table. I had.... Tiger beer, 300ml bottle served in an IKEA glass (I have the same ones at home) £3.50 fine. Starter - Satay Chicken Skewers - 4 good sized skewers of chicken, a lump of cucumber? with satay sauce tipped over the top on a small plate. £5.80. hmm. However it was ok. Main - Stir fry beef with Chillies. - 9 (yep, I counted them) small pieces of beef, with a LOT of Onion and Chillies ( it was almost painfully hot, but your milage may vary). Half filling a small bowl, that came complete with 3 chips and 2 cracks £10.50 - nothing like good enough. Rice - Egg fried rice. Over cooked, soggy rice with a tiny amount of egg and 4 tiny pieces of spring onion. Served in an even smaller plastic bowl, think children's pudding bowl. No chips or cracks though! Given the main was £10.50, I assumed rice would come with it. Nope £4.50 To add further insult, there was then a mandatory 10% service charge, so total cost for a starter and main + a beer, £27.10 Overall pretty terrible. The heat on the main I can forgive, that is just personal preference. The soggy rice, damaged, and thus unhygienic tableware, poor presentation and the cost I can not, so sorry. 2 stars it is.

It was our first night in London and we were staying in hotel across and so thought we would give it a try as we had noticed a few people going in and also getting take aways. We decided to go for a set meal for both of us. The inside didnt look great and fairly basic shall we say but the food was very nice and not pricey.

Ordered from here while staying at a hotel via Deliveroo. I ordered diced chicken in hoisin sauce. The dish was disgusting and ended up in bin. Chicken had large bits of bone in it. Thankfully Deliveroo refunded me By far the worst Chinese

Ordered through deliveroo to hotel as staying in London for weekend during Covid restrictions (10pm curfew). The food was some of the best chinese food I have had. Ordered Mapo Tofu, boiled chicken in szechuan sauce, breaded prawns stir fried in veg, egg fried rice and chicken and sweetcorn soup. Food was fresh, tasty and the chilli was just right. Gave a little heat but not so much that it took over (especially appreciated in the mapo tofu which is my favourite). Highly reccommend!

Came to London last December and stayed near this place, I found it by chance walking around the streets near the hotel on my first night and had dinner there almost every night. I had to try replicate the green bean noodles with beef when I came back home, it's a simple dish and more than enough for me!

After a museum visit and while waiting for my wife to join me to go to the theatre and popped in for supper at this Chinese restaurant . It is really very special and beats many places in Soho . They have a wonderful hot dish which combines tripe, pork intestines , hearts and other offal - as well as Chinese ham ( Swan brand pork luncheon meat ). All these tasty ingredients are mixed in a bowl of broth of meat and blood gravy which is rendered very spicy with lots of red chillies . It is one of the tastiest dishes I know and wonderfully warming on a cold winter's day. Along with a pork fried rice and two bottles of Tsing Tao beer this provided a great post Christmas supper . This restaurant is always well patronised by Chinese guests and I highly recommend it .

Average food and far to overpriced And very small portions with the noodles for how much charged....

Visited here early evening as we were staying at the Holiday Inn Express. Small restaurant and quite basic but the food was lovely. Good choice, good sized portions and really enjoyable food. Not a place to sit and spend all evening but can not fault the food that was served. Would not hesitate to return if in the area again

Enjoyed dinner here and will return ! The food was freshly made hot and tasty with good portion sizes. This is a no frills restaurant and lets the food and service do the talking. We had two starter and mains two bottles of beer for...

Once that we understood the waiter or I should say the waiter understood us we ordered. The food excellent, fresh and real Chinese at decent prices - for London Recommendable!

We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express across the road so went here early evening. It’s very small and tables are close together but the food was great with friendly and efficient service. Definitely one to remember for future visits to London

The prices are London prices so expect them to be higher than normal. Having said that, the spicy food is quite good and we actually went there twice in 6 days! The noodles are ok and the veggie dishes are good. Not the best in...

Really nice to come to a Chinese with an authentic menu utilising underused ingredients like tripe and intestine.. food was hot and very prompt no problems.. however the crab dish was quite confusing! It had been cracked a little bit and we were given one...

We were staying at a nearby hotel and fancied something different to eat.After reading reviews decided to give this place a shot.Pleasantly surprised by large selection on menu and chose a couple of our favourite Chinese dishes to see how it compared with our favourite...

Really good chinese right next to Tate Modern. Interesting menu with plenty of chilli ! Been multiple times and consistently excellent. Service somewhat brusque so just be prepared for that !

A quick dinner nothing fancy. Arrived later than hoped for to our hotel and fancied a quick bit of chinese food. Just round the corner and served quickly and efficiently. It’s not a candle light dinner for two destination, it’s Chinese food when you need...

This is a Chinese restaurant in Central London. It is serving some very authentic Chinese dishes that you will not see on an "English" Chinese restaurant menu. The prices are reasonable given it's Central london location, hence it is not tripping with dancing dragon decor....

Stayed opposite this Chinese restaurant so thought we would give it a try looked a bit basic smallish but looked clean staff were friendly the menu is not what I expected not a lot of the usual food but OMG the food was fantastic the...

Really reasonably priced. Traditional food as well as ‘westernised’ cuisine. Fresh ingredients and excellent service.

I can't quite understand why this place isn't rated more highly - it's excellent. I can't speak for its authenticity personally, never having been to China, but my Taiwanese friend gave it the thumbs up and the spicy food, packed with Szechuan peppercorns, is a...

Really enjoyed this, food was authentic and interesting. Everything we ordered was really tasty and staff were friendly. Would be better if they accepted card payments. Would recommend.

Some really authentic and delicious Chinese food that I have been lucky to find. Prices are definitely on the higher side, but not excessive. I keep coming back as much as I can. Definitely try the Mao style roast pork, for some delicious pork belly.

I've never experienced anything quite like eating in China as Lin's. Complaints about the service miss the point- let the decor, it is quite simply Chinese, direct, functional... and superb. The food caters for the Western palette but is authentic and easily the best I've...

almost didnt go there due to the bad TripAdvisor rating but luckily did! Really good Szechuan restaurant and one of the few non chain asian restaurants in this part of London. Prices are fair. Food very good and service surprisingly good. Cash only!

This Chinese restaurant has a very good , authentic menu . Dishes like pigs intestines , pig's trotters ( boneless ) , chickens' knuckles,feet and chickens gizzards feature on this menu. They are well prepared , spicy and very tasty. Prices are low and beers...

Found Lin's quite by chance. They really made us welcome yesterday after our visit to the Picasso at The Tate Modern on my birthday, shifting and turning tables around so I could fit in snugly with my electric wheelchair. Lots of young Chinese enjoying themselves,...

We ordered a meal to be delivered and the only good things were the steamed rice and the prawns - except they had been smothered in a type of sweet and sour sauce that I thought no Chinese restaurant had used for over 30 years....

A seriously good chinese. Not sure i have had better except Yauatcha. Amazing jewel among so many dreadful eateries in the area.

We love this place, the food is very authentic and reasonably priced. It’s not the most nicest restaurant decor wise around, but if you want a no frills decent Chinese, this is your place! Tip: it’s cash only

Food is fine. I’ve had much better but it serves its purpose and I’ve certainly had much worse. Unfortunately the service at this place is so terrible, it erases any good will I have towards the place. Firstly they are quite rude and dismissive. We...

Can't believe such an out of the way and small restaurant be so good. Lots of young Chinese eating so was a good sign. The food was very good and dishes adequate in size. Can't fault it except if I was being picky they only...

Don’t come here if you want Cantonese or westernised Chinese slop you can find on any high street. And don’t bother if you have to have top service. But if you want real deal dumplings , insanely awesome szechuan Dan Dan mian or super steamed...

I went there with some friends, we ordered four dishes to share. The tofu and beef dishes were particularly amazing, the kung po prawn did numb our tongues a little due to Sichuan peppercorn but tastey nonetheless, mouthwatering chicken was very good too. Highly recommended....

It was near our hotel and we had had a full on day so went there for convenience. Menu showed pictures which were nothing like the meals that arrived. Both of us had severe diarrhoea the next day and that was the only food we...

We found this place across our hotel and wanted to try. The decorations is not so good. I asked the cashier guy with funny hair style that if they accept credit card. He told me no and it has to be cash. I have enough...

We went to Lins to enjoy a family dinner. With young daughters the choice of dinner was limited - not the fault of the restaurant as it is an authentic Chinese. The starters, spare ribs and spring rolls were lovely but overall food was lukewarm...

Turned up on spec when working in London. Had Hot & Sour Soup, Chicken with Green pepper and black bean sauce plus rice - all really tasty and well cooked - but wished I'd been more adventurous as menu looked very good. Cash only restaurant...

Was hoping for a great meal, but a bit disappointed. I note previous reviews appear to have been ignored, so the restaurant does not seem to care. Prawn toast over cooked, beef chilli dosh ok with egg fried rice. likely I will not go back,...

A friend and I went here on Friday 18th. We both worked in China in 2008 and experienced real Chinese food there across all types and Sichuan was, and is, my favourite, closely followed by Hunanese and Cantonese. Not that bothered by Lanzhou. Anyway, back...

Service was Ok but the food on the whole was overcooked an unappetising and especially for the cost! We had two share platters and there is nothing on them I'd recommend. We went on to have Kung Pao chicken-tongue numbing but very little other flavour,...

Pork dumplings for started had been dried out through grilling or something - really not nice. Kung Po chicken for main was very nice - spicy and a good size portion. On the food alone I would put this between 3 and 4 stars. A...

What a find - the best Szechuan ever! Everything so full of flavour in a no fuss casual restaurant. Great for gluten intolerant as well as for example salt and pepper squid fried in potato flour. Since it has opened I've been going through the...

So, the back of the house can cook and the front of the house can deliver offhand service Hong Kong style. Prices are reasonable, portions are generous, and the clientele include enough Asians to keep the kitchen honest. Simpler dishes which require fresh ingredients are...

After a leisurely walk back from a local meeting,my stomach was already moaning with the lack of food and it was with great difficulty that I managed to walk past a local Wagamamas. Turning the corner I was then faced with a second Chinese restaurant...

As other people have mentioned before the food was pretty tasty and inexpensive but the service was pretty terrible. I had the prawns soup and my sister had fried prawn noodles. The waiter was grouchy and was put out when I asked for some cutlery...

We ate there last Friday. We were seated downstairs and maybe the seating arrangements were in need of a little TLC but the food was superb. We enjoyed hot and sour soup, beef chilli, chicken fried rice and beef in black bean sauce. The flavours...

This place is a JOKE..the service is absolutely pathetic..the guy (in glasses) was avoiding us as we waited for 15 mins just to place an order and when we asked for an extra plate instead of bowls..he looked at me as if I had asked...

Thought it was a service joke restaurant! Food excellent, staff an absolute comedy sketch , all that is wrong with the young generation and Service , PLEASE AVOID if you do not want food slapped down in front of you with a surly smirk on...

Where to start!!..read a few poor reviews but was near and wanted a Chinese meal so thought would give it a go....Food very nice BUT...service VERY BAD!!!..scowling waiters who gave dirty looks if you dared ask for a fork or soy sauce....starter came with main...

The place is very basic in term of atmosphere and decoration. Staff is nice. The food was amazing. Some of the tastiest Chinese food I ever had. The menu is full of spelling mistake and miss translations (crab ovaries!) but don't let it put you...

Visited in late February 2017 whilst staying at the Holiday Inn Express over the road. Plain and simple décor. All the customers when 2 of us entered were of Chinese ethnicity, which immediately raised expectations. The menu was full and varied with a number of...

Having been to this restaurant when it was with previous owners we were looking forward to our meal. How wrong were we, very lack luster service and poor English spoken. Even though requested starters did not arrive together. The seaweed was cold, although the the...

On a recent visit to London we tried this restaurant after asking for recommendations in a local pub. We were a mixed group of 6 adults and 4 children. The menu was in Mandarin and English with photos to assist choice. The menu contained some...

i just went for some spring rolls which were very good (and many). lots of chinese people. nice staff. food comes also really fast i noticed.

Seemed to be staffed by young people with little or no restaurant experience , and no familiarity with the menu !!!

This restaurant was immediately across the road from the Holiday Inn Southwark, where we were staying. When we entered the restaurant, everyone eating was oriental, always a good sign I feel. We ordered our normal choice of sweet and sour and spicy noodles for my...

We were enticed in as it was opposite our hotel and full of oriental people We had duck to start - cold and tired and the pancakes whist warm were in a cold container so became cold quickly Main was good. Pepper chicken and aubergine...

The Satay starters were rather bland, but the ribs were good. Mrs Mage had Roast duck which was pretty standard and the Mage had Pig intestine on a bed of dried chilli which was good. The Mage finds it a mark of authenticity if they...

This restaurant was known as Tall House in old days. I've decided to visit this place after almost 3 years and surprised to see the refurbished building under new management. I've opted for takeaway as chicken fried rice - Afternoon lunch deal for 5.50 £....

Convenient to our hotel after a day's travel we dropped in to the cosy restaurant. We noted the bi-lingual menu (Mandarin/English) and then realise we could be on to a good thing when we notice the local Chinese populace were coming in to eat in...