Old Town 97 in City of London, Westminster

Very delicious food absolutely immediately cured my homesickness. Everyone was so helpful and warm-hearted

🎉 DAY SIXTEEN of Martin’s Countdown to 40 🎉 🥢Old Town 97🇭🇰 - PR invite Today’s stop took us to the heart of Chinatown, London, Old Town 97 A cosy café-style spot serving up comforting Cantonese classics with a touch of Southeast Asian flair. We kicked things off with a flavour-packed selection of starters: Prawn Toast Prawn Dumplings Chinese-Style Broccoli Salt & Pepper Squid For our mains, we went for the Three Roast Meats combo, juicy roast duck, tender roast chicken, and perfectly seasoned roast pork, all served with a side of boiled rice. Every dish was cooked to perfection, beautifully presented, and bursting with flavour. You could really taste the care and tradition behind every bite. Bonus? They’re open until 3:30, perfect if you’re after a late-night feast in the city. #CountdownTo40 #MartinTurns40 #OldTown97 #ChinatownLondon #ChineseFoodLovers #FamilyFoodieAdventures #LondonEats #LateNightBites #ThreeRoastMeats #PrawnDumplings #BirthdayFoodTour

We really liked the food, the menu is great, there's something for everyone. Large portions, everything seasoned to perfection. Nice and smiling staff. We especially recommend bubble tea and nudle ☺️☺️

Title: Disappointing Experience I had a very disappointing experience at [Old Town 97]. The food had an unpleasant taste that was far from enjoyable. To make matters worse, the staff displayed poor manners and a lack of respect for customers. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Felt like they served expired food — smelled bad, tasted worse. Staff couldn’t care less about the disaster they were handing out. Huge waste of money, I wouldn’t come back even if it was free.

Total waste of money — the food was terrible and overpriced. Staff were rude and acted like they were doing us a favor by even showing up. I regret every dollar and every minute spent here.

Old Town 97 was a complete disaster — the staff was rude and looked like they hated being there.The food tasted like it had been sitting out since 1997. ★ If you value your taste buds and sanity, stay far away.

If you're ever around Chinatown and you see this excuse of a"restaurant", proceed with caution. The tattered menus should already serve as a red flag. The food served on site is unhygienic and unhealthy, but that doesn't come as a surprise considering how unkempt the premises are, and how unprofessional the staff are. Let's start with waiters attempting to defraud diners by shortchanging them, and the bouncer soliciting gratification of £20 to £50 during peak times to skip the line. You'd be lucky not to get food poisoning. At times, the odor emanating from the basement lavatory spreads to other corners of the restaurant, which is understandable considering how small it is. This is probably the case as the flush is perpetually faulty. Furthermore, it is a hotbed of uncouth and highly inappropriate conduct where misbehaviour among the waiters is rampant. The place is a cesspool of everything wrong with society today. If you fancy Chinese cuisine, there are plenty of fine dining options in London. This "eatery" does not represent the best of Chinese cuisine.

Everything dish came quickly. A bit salty and oily

I took my parents to Chinatown today. Turning the corner, Dad's eyes suddenly lit up - a red lacquer archway suddenly appeared in the gray building complex, and the four golden characters "China Taiping" were dazzling in the cloudy sky. Dad proudly took many photos. Under the archway, the Old Town 97 glass cabinet hangs oily roast duck, the chopping board is piled with braised beef tendon, and the scent of sesame oil mixed with anise goes straight into people's noses. Dad's Adam's apple moved and he couldn't hold it back. The glass door was covered with condensation. When I opened the door, the warmth mixed with the aroma of soy sauce came to my face. Regarding the Cantonese people's obsession with green vegetables, my mother couldn't wait to order a plate of kale - "I want kale, with thick stems and fried with minced garlic." Added Hainanese chicken rice and spiced beef offal. The food is here. Use the tips of chopsticks to peel off the skin of the white-cut chicken. The golden chicken fat seeps into the rice, and all the minced ginger and green onion are mixed in. "This is called rice..." The best thing is the dish of cabbage, which is fat and green, and the minced garlic on the bottom of the plate is all cleaned up. The naughty mother said for the first time: "Everything is delicious." She drank the last sip of the grass jelly soy milk and was satisfied.

Best roast duck pancakes I've ever had. Egg fried rice full of scrambled egg chunks and is hot and fresh. Crispy beef that's genuinely crispy not overcooked. The restaurant doesn't look much compared to some of its pricier neighbours but it's genuinely good food and service. I'd even recommend the set menu if you're being g indecisive over the great range on offer.

The food was beautiful. After being in Haidilao the night before the comparison was major with the quality of food and choice. Atmosphere isn't great as its a small area and crowded.

I really don’t know why the review is so low; I really enjoyed the food; plus the customer service was excellent. I would recommend to eat the Duck; so juicy and delicious. I tried the Boiled Beef in chilis oil; that’s very spicy exactly the way I love it; so if you into spicy food please go for it. The egg fried rice is really good as well. But keep it mind this is an expensive place according to me.

Behaviour is too bad always misbehaving to customers weareas bad behaviour to driver as well

The best food, service, quick and exceptional! The LSE fried rice is 1000/10

Elite late night eat. Go for the duck and mongolian beef!

Worst customer service and poor attitude towards driver.

Low quality customer services and misbehavior with driver.

Unfortunately got some DUCK in my skin and bone order. Chicken fried rice and spring rolls were good.

My favorite Chinese restaurant in London! Food is fantastic

Busy, fast and surprisingly good quality for the city centre. Student discount makes the pricing very decent, and I’d come back again even though some of the staff can be a bit tough on you.

Super delicious Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown! Right at the front door! The roast duck is a must-have! My friends were full of praise after eating it!

It’s the best option for a late night in Soho. The food is good, fair price and fast. They always find a way to accommodate the customers.

A truly hidden gem. I had gone in 2023 and again now and still top notch. Super authentic and home made food, must not miss! The wontons in chili oil, wonton soup and Cantonese duck are the best!

The dining experience is particularly good, the waiters are super nice! The food is delicious and not expensive

We went there for the crispy pork and we weren’t disappointed. See the picture. The staff was friendly, the food was served pretty fast and the place is nice. The crispy pork is delicious. I’ll be back.

There’s no denying it—Old Town 97 is simply exceptional! (After all, it’s been around for nearly 30 years.) On Thursdays, after school, I always head straight to Chinatown with my good friends. We start by ordering the signature BBQ duo: roast duck and char siu. The crispy skin and tender meat are absolutely perfect, and the dish arrives steaming hot. This is because they use authentic Cantonese air-drying and high-temperature roasting techniques. The fat is rendered during the roasting process, while the meat remains juicy and tender. It’s a must-order every time! We also tried the stir-fried beef ho fun, which was cooked with incredible wok hei (charred aroma). The rice noodles were wonderfully chewy, almost as if you could see the chef tossing the ingredients in the wok! In addition, we got to try the new rotating egg-wrapped fried rice. It comes in three flavors—tomato sauce, curry, and black pepper—with various meat options. I opted for the tomato sauce and beef, and the portion was generous, definitely enough to fill you up. (The egg-wrapped fried rice is available from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., so make sure to get there within the time window!)

Quick no fuss easy to order and good taste. What you see is what you get, doesnt need to be fancy, just hitting the asian food crave.

The food here is so delicious and appetising!!! Absolutely amazing❤️Highly recommended

There new dishes are great and nice.

Uno de los mejores alimentos chinos. Buenos precios también. Los chicos estaban atentos a mi lenguaje corporal. Respondieron a mi curiosidad. Muy bien.

I don’t know why the rating is only 3.7. I think the service is pretty good, the LSE fried rice is also delicious, and the hot lemon honey is indeed a bit perfunctory.

it was an amazing experience! The atmosphere was cozy and lively, just like an authentic tea restaurant in Hong Kong. The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered (mention a few dishes you had, e.g., BBQ pork rice, pineapple bun with butter, Hong Kong-style milk tea), and each dish was spot on! The flavors were rich, and everything was freshly made. The milk tea was especially impressive—smooth, fragrant, and perfectly balanced. The service was also great. The staff was friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed. Prices were reasonable, and the portion sizes were generous. If you're looking for an authentic cha chaan teng experience, I highly recommend this place! I’ll definitely be coming back for more.

The food was disgusting the almost tried to kill me the food was horrible this was the biggest traumatic experience of my life. I tried to share my tea I bought and they wanted to charge me x2 of the tea for another small cup to share my tea.

Was authentic, delicious and generous helpings

This is my now go-to Chinese restaurant and I always bring guests here to try the food. The food tastes amazing, isn't greasy at all and decent portions. The pricing is decent for central London as well. It is quite small inside so they serve you really fast and clean up really fast, which does feel a little rushed but it's totally worth it and makes sense with the size of the place. This will continue to be my go to place to take visiting friends and family for the foreseeable I'm sure.

Not a great experience more like fed by Catapult is probably the closest! Certainly not the most hospitable of places and very rude. From the moment we sat down we were rushed almost like a Mc Donald’s on steroids. The food arrived instantly and was ok nothing to write home about at all. The service was that rushed it was really rude bearing in mind for 3 of us we had barely been in the restaurant more than 15mins top and they were already clearing round us before we had finished our meals. My colleague had ordered a pot of tea to go with his meal and his cup was continuously filled literally every second until the tea pot was empty (but the cup was full) then instantly the bill and card machine arrived without a second warning. It really was poor from start to finish. 1/10

food was good but owner was not friendly - refused to give me student discount because my partner was paying.

Very good quality food , the people treat you well , the relationship between quality and price is very nice. The food is worth every penny.

Great food at a reasonable price.

Definitely a classic when it comes to university students because of how late it opens until. The portion is definitely big, and the meat dishes and fried rice certainly stand out. Really friendly staff as well, a lot of them speaks cantonese which is nice as a Hong Konger

I had Hot and Sour Soup and Prawn Toast. The soup was a bit spicy but refreshing, and it warmed me up. The prawn toast was my first time trying it, and it was crispy with a nice sesame flavor, really tasty!

Really generous portion and authentic Hong Kong style. Fast and efficient service

Very busy restaurant with good portions. Most people eat quickly and leave. LSE fried rice is our favorite thing to get as students

The taste and the portion of the food are amazingly good and spectacular, not to mention their price is very friendly!We’ve been craving for a decent Chinese meal for a while and old town 97 definitely makes us feel good! Recommend to all who are craving for authentic Chinese food!

The portion is really enough A satisfying meal

The ultimate cure for a night out before you head home is LSE. I've been coming here for almost 2 years now and it never disappoints. Open until about 3-4am 97 is where you want to end up after a night of drinking. Service is really great make sure you get a lemon ice tea too!

Gran comida y llegó a tiempo. El personal era muy agradable y sugirió muy buena comida. también fácil de encontrar usando uber y era un buen ambiente amable

I didn't like the curt, sharp attitude of the old lady who tried to rush us into ordering before we were ready, or the guy who quickly tries to get every customer out of their seat asap, often while they're still eating "you finish, you finish?". I would understand if there was a line up of people waiting to get inside, but late at night during the week, with nobody waiting outside, it seems unnecessary to rush people out the door. Food was ok, but I wouldn't return for it, there are better food options in Chinatown than this. The Wonton Soup broth was good but the wontons were disappointing - more pork than prawn & it's noticeable. The Wasabi Prawns I was expecting to be either dumplings style or fried in Wasabi sauce, but it was served as individual battered & deep fried long thin prawns with a squirt of Wasabi sauce the batter - they were ok, but not very Chinese. Mains were Deep Fried Beef in Peking Sauce which we liked & good portion size, while the Seafood Noodles were utter crap with no flavour whatsoever. The seafood content was good, noodles were Singapore style thin ones but just fried in minimal barely there soya sauce & lots of oil, which you could really taste. Quality just isn't here.

Estaba esperando a mi compañero, así que pedí una mesa para 2 y me preguntaron dónde estaba mi compañero, así que dije que estaría aquí en 5 minutos. El portero me dijo que esperara afuera en el frío helado y se negó a servirme. ¡Qué idiota! ¡No vayas aquí!

Super relanzamiento de este restaurante. Increíble curry malasio de ternera. Super servicio y una sensación de diversión relajada. Muy recomendable

Absolutamente increíble arroz frito con huevo y pollo portugués precioso. Estoy obsesionado con este restaurante y como aquí siempre que estoy en Londres. El propietario ha hecho algo v v especial aquí. ¡La comida es tan sabrosa!

Was truly surprised by how crispy the peckin duck was and the LSE fried rice is something you have to try, all the portions are so big and good for sharing. We are big eaters so we ordered abit too much :p

really nice restaurant, prices are adequate to quality and food is delicious!

The amazing attention to my allergies and the patience the staff had is amazing For a gluten-free like me, it was the best experience from long time

Great Chinese food. Don't expect good service. You're pretty much expected to get your food and are rushed to leave haha. Solid place for cheap eats nevertheless

La comida era cara y típica de muchos restaurantes chinos para llevar. Tristemente el ambiente y la decoración es bastante básico, ya que los anteriores propietarios de accesorios y accesorios han sido totalmente reemplazados. Solía ser un precio fijo todo lo que se puede comer por £ 18 con una parrilla de chef por las noches, pero ahora no tendría mucho cambio de £ 90 por 2 con bebidas.

Ratings are in the 3-4 star range, which is exactly what you want to see for a Chinese restaurant. Food is pretty good, with dishes catered to both the western palate and a more traditional palate. LSE special is always a favorite - how could you go wrong with fried rice, honey pepper pork, and egg drop soup?

Feels just like home in Asia. Can order anything from the menu and it will all taste authentically Asian. The service is really fast too. Come here if you’re Asian and miss Asian comfort food. PS to westerners, if you want to eat here just order anything and don’t think too much LSE fried rice is the best thing ever😂

Beef chowmein was actually very decent. Chicken balls were below par, sweaty with no seasoning. Special fried rice was meh at best. For £37. I’d go elsewhere. Sorry!

the BEST chinese food you will ever eat, hole in the wall- get the salt & pepper fish. Go drunk

Excellent chinese food. Except us, every other guest was asian. We were properly profiled (everyone got chopsticks, we cutlery) and loved it.

One of our favourite restaurant in Chinatown. Love their Fried Ho Fun Malaysian style, Laksa, Fujian Fried Rice and ❤️❤️Chicken Wing with Salted Egg Yolk. Good portion size. Open until 3am everyday. Open on Christmas Day. Very friendly staffs (downstairs) and helpful. Parking - not available Nearest tube station- Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

We got a table after midnight since they close at 3 am, cozy atmosphere and very friendly service. The roast duck was spectacular and the mini spring rolls were delicious. We also ordered beef brisket soup with noodles, noodles with vegetables, chicken with soy and rice and gyozas. We would be delighted to return.

Wonderful restaurant! We’ve been a loyal customer for years and they always make the best food every single time. Service was very good, the staff are friendly, the food comes very quickly as well. Would very strongly recommend!

Was a lovely experience. Would definitely recommend! Staff are so friendly helping the customers, when necessary. Food has always been 10/10!!

Not that great of Chinese food. Hotpot was bland and inedible. Service was good and attentive. Very expensive, including a 9 pound charge for rice (for two).

Absolutely amazing food, quick service, best Chinese in London

We ate an incredibly delicious duck, it was fried on the outside, juicy on the inside, and cooked to perfection. I highly recommend it.

Great crispy pork and roasted duck. I liked the hk style milk tea too. Very friendly service. Neat and clean.

We always hang out and had dinner date here all the time, this restaurant was one of our favourite spot to eat in. But today, the service was terrible. We went into the shop and only my boyfriend wants to have meal as I already got mine at other Chinese shop so that I was just following my partner, for him to eat. Without even looked at the menu, my boyfriend immediately order the meal - the three meat with rice dish. But the sever, the waiter told us, it needs to be ordered two meals as we sit for two people, but it was only a couple table. Me, myself was very full to eat so that we said politely that we are having only that dish but he denied and made us to leave the restaurant. I was surprised that this is how they treat the royal customers? and is it really necessary to have 2 portion to order even though somebody can't eat anymore? This kind of service is disgustingly terrible and we are not visiting this pity service restaurant again. Not recommended ❌❌❌❌❌❌

Cucumber is not fresh as you see the mouldy, roasta duck only 4 pieces?😂 Oh well

the Sichuan beef brisket was a solid £13 eat LSE fried rice (black pepper porkchop and a fried egg) was also good

pretty good food. The staff work really efficiently (in a good and bad way). You don't wait long to be seated and get your food, but you feel like you have to eat quick (the staff are looking over you constantly, waiting for you to finish with a bowl/plate/cup so it can be washed)

Wonderful pizza, excellent service.

One of my go to places for a nice and quick Chinese fix. Portions are generous and prices are still okish. The service here is fast as they expect you to just eat and leave. In terms of taste is pretty good although I feel something has changed recently not as good as it used to be. Another plus point is they are open late way beyond midnight especially weekends.

My personal favourite Chinese restaurant in China Town! Quick service and food is always tasty.

Super fresh, quick service and delicious food. Huge menu, open til late. It’s usually quite busy but staff work efficiently so wait times are never more than a few minutes

The food portions were generous, good value and most importantly delicious. The staff are very friendly and attentive. Would highly recommend the Portuguese pork chop rice and yinyeung.

My favourite go-to late night China Town spot! The best roasted meats but most of all the Salted Egg Yolk Prawns are the best!

Very rude staff, I just wanted to drink something warm but there was a 10£ minimum spending, which was not written outside (the staff lied saying it was printed on the door). I ordered some ravioli which were terrible.

Spectacular. The best Chinese food I have ever had in my life.

Excellent ! We enjoyed ourselves. The dishes are served quickly.

Awesome food, attentive staff and full belly. x

They dont have deliveroo anymore

Old Town 97 is a fantastic spot for authentic Chinese cuisine with a modern touch. The menu is full of flavorful options—especially loved the LSE fried rice, which was packed with taste and fresh ingredients. Service was quick and friendly. Overall, a great place for a tasty and lively dining experience!

The food was delicious at a very reasonable price for central London. We had the Triple Barbecue Roast Pork Belly, worth £23. The Chicken Soy Noodle Soup was great, too. The staff were very attentive and friendly. Food came within 10/15 minutes of ordering. Would recommend! I will definitely be coming here soon if I am in the area.

I have been coming here for 12 years now since moving here from Malaysia, many of the staff are Malaysian Chinese so for me best Hainan chicken in town, laksa is also top and roast meats are great too. Super busy at late hours so be prepared to queue on weekends but super worth it especially after a night out. This place is no nonsense and they have all the chi town classics LSE fried rice / and unique to here Ming Kho chow fan (tribute to one of the long term staff "brother Ming’s fried rice") if you didnt know now you know.

One of the best places I have been to. Excellent customer service and food was also nice. 5 out of 5 I recommend it.

Who doesn’t love a late night at Old Town 97? Excellent, fast, lovely service as always. Perfect for leftovers. Not high end but definitely satisfies every craving!

Great food, fast service. Worth a visit when in China town

Super delicious food! Get the sweet and sour chicken and vegetarian spring rolls. Unreal American style Chinese food. A great place to pee, too.

Food was decent but they made us pay a minimum amount per person?? at least £10 each

One of the better asian food places in London for a good price (in London). LSE fried rice is so good omg really didn't expect it to be so good. Roasties are amazing too. Duck is soft and siu yuk is crispy and delicious. HK Milk tea is also worth trying.

Abundant and good food, not excellent but good. Very friendly but not very attentive service and it gives you the feeling of eating quickly and leaving. Fair price on the expensive side since they add 10% (without warning) on ​​top of the stated price.

It serves up Cantonese classics like great roasted meats until 3:30am Is family-style restaurant Established on 1st July, 1997 specialises in Malaysian and Hong Kong food 🤤 The chicken meat is very smooth and tender satisfying Hainanese chicken rice: juicy steamed chicken and ginger garlic rice The aromatic rice would be better if it was harder for my liking. We really enjoyed the Hong Kong style milk tea which was really authentic!

Great Chinese restaurant. The food was out of this world. Recommended

Terrible and rude service. Would never come herr again

Classic chinatown go-to restaurant haha

Still suffering diarrhoea into the third day. Suspect the beef brisket curry is the root cause, as it was served within 10 mins of ordering which for a stew pot dish was too conveniently quick. The fractured beef was probably off and from days ago. Will never visit again. The above said, the upstairs window view was decent.