Pearl Liang in City of London, Westminster

First time here, over the weekend. Before we even got to sit down, the lady taking us to the table proceeded to tell me “It’s busy, so we need the table back in 1 hour and a half” Which would have been fine, had this been mentioned at time of booking- but it wasn’t. Already felt rushed, before we had even started. The place was busy & tbh seemed slightly chaotic at points. The food was average dim sum. Nothing different to other places I’ve been. Ordered a lemonade which I had to chase 20 mins later. Also ordered a won ton soup, which never arrived. Ordered crispy seafood noodles, which were very oily and the seafood wasn’t great. Every dish was very gloopy and not a massive amount of flavour. The waitress who served our table was efficient and nice though. Would I recommend.. probably not. Would I return.. No is the answer.

Really good experience here. It got quite busy so I am glad I booked it in advance. I tend to love Royal China for the dumplings and was impressed by the quality of the food of this place. Plus the service is much nicer than Royal China. I ordered the pork cooked on Soya and Wine (delicious), the noodles Beef Ho Fun (beef was so tender!) and few dumplings. The dessert of the Sesame Rice Balls was super tasty too! I would come back again for sure!

The price is reasonable and not expensive. The side dishes and snacks are very delicious. The atmosphere is great, but the lighting leaves something to be desired 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 !

I found the food extremely disappointing. The dim sum was tasteless, I didn't enjoy a single thing I ordered. The pork puffs were strange, overly sweet - both the pastry and filling - but not in a pleasant way. The ribs were tasteless, chewy and dry, and the rice was totally bland. Extremely disappointing meal, I won't be returning.

The lobster noodle with ginger and spring onions is the king here.

Great food, service, and atmosphere. 10/10 would recommend.

Food was amazing but it is cash only the government should ban cash only places as we know they don't pay their taxes

Really tasty Chinese cuisine with good quick service. We tried jade set and were happy with the quality and variety. Excellent desserts. Nice ambiance. Recommended.

Pleasant place with good service. Great addition to the neighborhood!

I visited this renowned restaurant in Paddington, London, while savouring the meal , I also had this personal quest to indulge in their roasted suckling piglet and roasted duck , pair these roasts with some fried bee hoon and boiled broccoli and explore how their flavours differ from the ones I’m familiar with in Malaysia. I was eager to discern the subtleties and differences that regional influences might bring to these roasts. The roasted piglet skin was glossy, non-cracking skin. The piglets are typically older, more than 3 months and bigger, which results in a richer layer of fat beneath the skin. This fat renders beautifully during roasting, giving a crackling first bite and as you continue, the texture shifts, becoming chewy and failing to deliver the finishing crisp. It was a clean finish. In contrast, the piglets used in Malaysia, often sourced from Vietnam, are younger, 3 months or less, with a different fat distribution. The appearance of the roasted skin from London has a stunning, glossy finish and a deep amber colour. The smooth, shiny surface, free from burns or charring, reminds me of the Thai-style suckling pigs, also known for their similar glossy skin. In Malaysia, the suckling pig’s skin surface is characterised by a more even, finely textured skin with a deep golden-orange hue. The roasted crackling skin has a slight, consistent granularity that enhances its visual appeal. You get a satisfying crackling first bite and finish off like biting a piece of prawn crackers, crackling all the way. Next, I turned my attention to the roasted duck. Ducks commonly served in London eateries come from Europe and thrive in moderate weather conditions. They're visibly plumper, which shines through in their succulent meat and crispy skin when cooked up just right. some restaurants even go for the well-regarded Irish ducks for that extra touch of quality contrasted against the leaner tropical ducks found in Malaysia that bring a different texture and flavour profile due to their lower fat levels while still retaining their deliciousness. The increased fat content found in ducks leads to a crunchier skin when roasted properly because the fat melts away and creates a natural basting effect that contributes to achieving the ideal crispiness of the skin during cooking. Furthermore, the fat left enhances the tenderness of the meat, which makes the meal more enjoyable overall. Complementing these roasted meats with stir-fried bee hoon and broccoli added a sense of comfort and familiarity to the dish, highlighting the subtle flavours of the roast piglet and duck This experience was interesting as it showed how the different climates in regions can influence the variety of food, in different countries.

Delicious Chinese food, good service, good prices

The overall experience is excellent. Food is authentic and great value.

The food is of a high standard and tastes great! The dining environment is good! The service attitude is very good!

Great place for special occasion food. Abalone and lobster noodles are really great

I had the most authentic dumplings here. The food was amazing. All the staff were nice and welcoming. I will recommend Pearl Liang if you are craving for authentic Chinese food. A variety of seafood options and also vegetarian. The location is awesome It is Amphitheatre (Sheldon square) just 5 minutes of walk from Paddington station. Thank you for reading my review!!

Good Chinese food place in a fairly central area. Elegant environment, correct and on-time service, but without a smile. Dirty bathrooms. Good but not great food, high prices for the portions. Worth trying at least once, but I don't know if I would return, given the wide range of options in the city. However, for the food it deserves 4*.

It’s nice restaurant for meal - came here once for their Peking duck dish and I think they were fine. Dim sum dishes can be improved. Some of the dumplings skin were quite hard the cheung fun skin was hard too. The fried seafood noodles were quite salty. Overall decent restaurant just the quality may be up to individual taste.

Good ambience and good vibes. However must have all dishes present on the menu was slightly disappointed but food was really good. Defo recommend the place 🤝

Beautiful deco, delicious food and great customer service

An excellent discovery. The flavors were incredible. THANKS.

The food is of high quality, the staff's service attitude is good, and the bathroom is a little smaller.

Great dim sum, conviently located next to Heathrow Express

Great food, clean and good atmosphere. Excellent food and great service . The food came quickly, was easy to reserve a table online

I was recommended Pearl Liang in Paddington by a successful, long-time restaurateur I know, whose daughter in particular loves the food. Being a fervent foodie myself, one who dines out frequently and writes reviews, I was keen to try it for myself - on this first foray accompanied by a couple of members of my own family. The positives: In general, what we ordered was certainly very good - clear flavours and texture-focused, well-balanced, satisfying and definitely gauged to be above average for its type and price point. Particularly enjoyable were the Aromatic Duck, Crispy Sweet Chilli Beef (unusually delicate), Noodles with Prawn, Chinese Broccoli in garlic sauce, although the Char Siu was notably tough and dry, and the rice stodgy and easily remedied. The negatives: A warning note - the room becomes extremely noisy. As is so often the case nowadays in restaurants, there is nothing on the floor to soak up sound, making conversation with my niece and partner an effort, therefore pretty trying - this is a restaurant, not a canteen. The service, with the exception of one helpful and delightful young waiter, was some of the rudest and most unpleasant I have ever encountered anywhere in the world - evoking memories of London’s infamous Wong Kei in Soho, whilst still in its previous ‘insulting heyday’. The staff here ranged from chilly and unsmiling (beginning from our arrival) and continuing throughout the evening, to one particularly awful male, whose spectacularly contemptuous attitude included a flamboyantly dismissive wave of the hand when tap water was asked for (my niece and partner had ‘proper’ drinks). When I pulled him up for an explanation, he muttered “no cost”. He looked embarrassed at my questioning, but despite this there was no attempt at an apology and was clearly too uncomfortable to attend our table further, because his absence was conspicuous and he couldn’t bring himself to meet my gaze upon leaving. That kind of behaviour can efficiently break reputations, consequently affecting business severely as a result. This straightforward review is not motivated for that purpose, but instead for the owner and employees to learn from it and utilised to improve. If they have sufficient capacity for humility to do so, realising that respect for the customer is fundamental and of paramount importance, they deserve to build success. If not, they only have themselves to blame, with the inevitable downturn in bookings as a result of those whose dining experience was similar to ours. Would I recommend Pearl Liang? For the food, yes - but be forewarned that you might well have an irritating, frustrating and less than relaxing time whilst eating it!

The food is always great here, I’ve been going since it opened in 2007. A hidden gem and very reasonably priced for London.

Been here several times over the last few years and love the extensive menu with really delicious food from Chinese Dimsum to Malaysian char kway teow (kwetiau). Service can be variable (maybe a bit slow on busy nights if you have a big party) but the ambiance ranges from chilled to lively depending on when you visit (weekends are busier) and the decor is lovely.

Excellent dim sum, and the Jade menu includes a number of well selected samples of dishes including duck. Elegant and well balanced dishes. Not a soho restaurant, new and rather high class with nice staff and regular customers.

Poor food and poor customer service

We had family dinner there. The food was super!

Went for late lunch. The dim sum were amazing specially the wasabi ones. Great wine list to choose from. Service was a bit slow and the food came in episodes:-)

Very good Chinese food that I had for my lunch. The menu options are great and the food is tasty.

This is my london family’s favourite Chinese restaurant for its signature roast duck, surpassing that in any of the restaurants in Chinatown and Bayswater. That is because they do their duck to a certain crispiness of skin that surpasses any other. The 4 of us at lunch today consumed a whole duck, which we had requested to be deboned (with the bones packed for takeaway). The roast duck alone is reason enough to patronise this restaurant, but its dim sum is also commendable, including the egg tart dessert. Food is a bit on the salty side, though this can be dealt with during the ordering. The restaurant’s popularity was evidenced by its full house when we left, with tables occupied by Asians and non-Asians alike who know they are onto a good thing.

Excellent food and great service. Highly recommend!

Highly recommended. In my view, the best dim sum in London. Unpretentious, efficient and friendly service. Look forward to my next visit.

First time having dim sum there despite knowing it for some time... Royal China was my usual go to. They did not disappoint.. personally dislike to go into chinatown due to the crowd during the weekend... love it's location, food, service and spacious environment.. definitely kids and buggy friendly!

Pearl Liang is an excellent Chinese restaurant. Enlightened management, a unique master chef and very friendly and kind staff. It is always a pleasure to go. Pearl Liang is suitable both business dining or for dining with friends and family. My wife and I have been going to Pearl Liang since its inception 17 years ago and my wife, who is Chinese, is very discerning with regard to Chinese cuisine

This is excellent. It has been one of the best all over the world. The dim sum selection is 13 different kinds but all of them were excellent. Also had fried rice and a noodle beef dish was all perfect. Service is not the best but it’s worth it!

Probably one of my favourite yumcha spots with slightly different dumplings from the usual dimsum menus. A bit more fancy but worth the splurge. Really nice decor and puts a bit of a modern twist on the yumcha experience

Nice foods. Poor service. We've been ignored through out. Expression-less waiter.

Food was good but the dessert unexpectedly took more than half an hour for some reason. When it came (steamed bun) it was cold on the inside (meant to be a hot dessert) and they refused to give us a refund. Terrible service.

Definitely must visit in London, we had a great dinner on the trip back from Liverpool Lime Street at Paddington station.

My favourite Hong Kong authentic restaurant for 2024! The taste, service, the tea, atmosphere and even the service simply nails it 99.99% There is so much on the menu and you will definitely come back for the others you miss the first time. 1. Never go to China Town in central london anymore because this one of the few rare Hong Kong restaurants with non China takeover and rebranding. 2. The food oh the food. Brings me back to the 90s Hong Kong dim sum and their authentic dish. The taro ring, the salted egg prawn and then upscale with some chive prawn wrapped dimsum 3. The tea and always one grumpy waiter. You need a grumpy waiter that delivers your food faster that lightning bolt. No nonsense - brings you to table with menu ready. Raise your hand and he pops up and get your order without repeating yourself twice. If the food is late he marches in to scream at the chef. That’s a real Hong Kong restaurant we like! Don’t forget the tea which is fab even after the second hot water refill. 4. The price! I know inflation killed eating out. We managed to eat under £85 for family of 4! Rice is 3.50 per bowl which is equivalent to two bowls in Gerrard street. Even lunch for one could be around 10-15 and you will come out with a brilliant smile! I will be back for lunch again in a few weeks!

Beautiful restaurant located in the Paddington basin but the food is mediocre and the service was rushed and rude. Our waitress would hurriedly serve our food and spoke to us as if she was ushering us to get out

Great restaurant for dim sum! I’ve been here a few times now and the lunch dim sum menu is the best. Everything we tried was delicious and super filling too. Definitely recommend the soup dumplings. The staff were so friendly and didn’t rush us or anything. I’ll definitely be coming back.

Needed toilet for my kid but the worker refused by saying customer only. She then changed her mind when I insisted that he needed to go.

I've put this as poor for these reasons. First the good things. The Sauvignon Blanc was lovely. The wasabi prawn dim sum was delicious. The prawn stir fry was lovely. The starter of a mix of seafood was all deep fried and pretty good. But ... The prawn main was not what we ordered. The right one came ... The sirloin of beef was really average. Like really average. But the killer was the duck dish that came to the table COLD. Like not cooked. The excuse was it came to the wrong table: oh so who were you meant to be serving cold meat to???? There was no apology, until I said one should have been given, and no offer of recompense. Hence I said the service charge had to be taken off the bill. This is a pretty unforgiveable crime in a restaurant: uncooked food and no apology so for that it gets a poor and probably should have been lower but the good bits were good.

amazing yum cha and shredded duck; and food was so tasty and inexpensive for a group of 7 of us! interior decoration is stunning too!

Had a wonderful family lunch at Pearl Liang. The food was amazing, service efficient and friendly and the restaurant had a lovely feel. Can't wait to visit again

Amazing food, everything was delicious!

It was a good accidental find. Came walking along the canals and decided for chinese. Service was extremely efficient and friendly. Food was good, served fast and delicious. Portions is just ok, would expect a little more for the price. Overall good and will return.

Fantastic place to have Chinese food from dim sum to chef special. Service is excellent but you must tell them what you like.

Kinda dingy. Service was not great. Servers do not smile. Food was mediocre. Overpriced.

Beautiful interior that feels authentic - went with Chinese friends who felt that the dim sum in particular was of good quality. Highlight for me was the BBQ pork buns, some of the best I’ve had! Service a little brusque, would still visit again though 👌🏾

Visited for lunch with some Asian friends. Very popular dim sum place with large selection of plates. We tried many different options and everything was delicious. I would definitely visit again. Recommended!

Delicious and delicate dim sum! Honestly can’t beat their dim sum here

Packed with Chinese people, a sure sign the food is authentic.

First trip back after many years. We had some fabulous, tasty and fresh dim sum. Everything we ordered was great. Will be back again and so convenient for Paddington station.

Beautiful restaurant with very attentive staff! My friend and I ordered dim sum and a side of roast pork. It tasted really authentic with fresh ingredients. I would recommend the shanghai pork dumplings!

Very reasonable prices. Good space and good food. Fantastic staff and parking near the basin end of the station is free after 6.30 including single yellow lines

Excellent dim sum & soft shelled crab

Very high quality Chinese food. Dim sun was excellent

I have been here few times to have dim sum with my friends. Food is authentic and fresh. I l like the egg tarts! Major reasons I keep returning is, 1. Convenient location, short walk from Paddington station 2. Can make reservations and has big table for big group 3. Can have conversation with my friends and would not get rushed off as soon as we finished the food

Been disappointed at Chinese cuisine in London so far but Pearl Liang has been a pleasant surprise and find. Everything was fresh and fairly authentic. We went for dim sum which was reasonably priced with some creative dishes. The noodle dishes were also very good and reasonably priced during lunches.

Mu favorite Chinese restaurant in London

We ordered duck which was without taste and the ribs were unbelievable tasteless. The beef was ok and the vegetables fine. The service was like robots. For this price you would expect much more in terms of food and service.

terrible service and disgusting food🤮🤮🤮(cause i only review the worst restaurants to warn others XD, u guys need no improvement at all since ur attitude is obviously hopeless)

You’ve been reported that you asked for tips with very bad service. Shame😕

Delicious food and great venue.

Absolutely awful Chinese food !!! Don’t go. Food was tasteless and service was terrible…

London’s Asian food scene has really come a long way. i had the best lobster noodles at Pearl Liang!

It's a nice place for lunch or dinner. Located just beside Paddington station. Food quality is good though the portion amount is less compared to the high price. Overall it's good, but not great .

Dim sum is awesome, and the waitress is very attentive.

A wonderful place to spend Chinese New Year with the family. They have an 10 course menu for CNY, including the traditional Fortune Salad (Yee Sang) and dessert. Be aware you can only choose the CNY Set Menu if you have 6-8 people (£75pp) or choose individual dishes from the CNY A La Carte Menu. Despite the venue being very busy for the festive period, the staff and food were amazing.

Staff were rude and rushed us out of the restaurant. Added a 12.5% “optional” charge on to our bill. We asked if we had to pay this and the rude staff member said yes this is compulsory. We again queried that it said optional and she said that isn’t correct and we had to pay it. Wouldn’t return as the staff ruin any positives

The staff were all accommodating and extremely friendly. Absolutely amazing service. We picked a great place for our anniversary. Big thanks to all of those that served us.

Quality not as good per previous visits but still a good dim sum meet up destination 2024 update: now the guaranteed go-to for dim sum. Last 3 visits worthy of 5 stars

This was Chinese NY. So extremely busy . But the staff were marvellous. The food was lovely . Would go here again . We went with family .

Beautifully interior-decorated restaurant and it looked popular for couples, groups and families with small children. Hence place for everyone. Everything is located on the ground floor. The food was delicious and generous portions. We were invited to celebrate a birthday party, hence don't know the cost of it. Staff is well trained and food is delivered fast. But for food and a beautiful interior with a Karp fish pool and lack of decorations, I advise you to visit it.

I had a lunch there. The food was good but the service was terrible. As during lunch they had special lunch menu which was a little cheaper compared to the usual one, the waiter didn’t charge me with the lunch menu but the normal one. Although the difference was just maybe 30 cents, but the feeling was disgusting. It was a cheating even I reminded her the lunch menu but still…🤷‍♂️

One of the most authentic Chinese dim sum places in London. Dim sum is above average and staff there are very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend every dim sum lover to try this place!

We had dim sum lunch and the food standard is comparable to those in Hong Kong. We will be back!

Service is a bit brusque during lunch - but still efficient - and the food and ambience more than makes up for it.

I used to eat here at least once a month until I moved away from London 5 years ago. At the time the service was friendly and attentive and the food was consistently excellent. In returning for the first time this evening, and having booked well ahead, I was given a single, drafty, table near the door. The starter (crispy duck) was good but the main not so, with the prawns tasty but overcooked and the accompanying rice having obviously been kept warm under a heat lamp for a while - and below that singed surface it was hardly warm, certainly not hot. Between services I was ignored, with no feedback requested either then or when paying. I’d greatly looked forward to this meal and was thoroughly disappointed. Sadly, I’ll not be back.

Excellent CNY meal delivered by Pearl Liang!! The crispy chilli pepper lobster was finger licking good - fresh meat and thin batter coating, yet full of flavours. Even they said only CNY menu will be offered last week but they tried their best to accommodate requests from a la carte menu such as Peking duck which is great customer service.

A modern an nicely decorated restaurant. With sections for private party groups. Visited day before Chinese new year so was extremely popular. We hadn't made a reservation but we were accommodated. Due to expectations of being busy there was only a set menu available which was quite limited for choice. We ordered four dishes between the two of us. Decent size portions. However I would not say any of it was of a great standard taste wise . The roast duck was served cold and very fatty. The spring rolls tasted like they contained sausage meat. The cocktails looked good tho.

Slightly better than the average but portions were tiny (IMO pricey for what you got) & wait times were longer than what you’d expect for yumcha service. We had most things on the yumcha menu, nothing was a huge stand out.

Been going here for years. Quality food and service. Can't fault it! We ordered the lobster noodles, Peking duck, prawn dumplings and a few other dishes. Their dim sum menu is also fantastic. Note that egg tarts are only available before 15:30.

About average Chinese restaurant.

Our first time trying Pearl Liang. It was nice finding a 'proper' Chinese restaurant in the heart of the Paddington area near the station. It took a while for someone to come to us to seat us as it was rather busy. It also took a while for someone to come take our drinks and food orders. We forgive the delays as there was only one empty table in the main restaurant area. We tried the light dim sum set menu (8 assorted dumplings), together with king scallop shu mai, pork ribs in black bean and minced pork & shrimp croquettes. It was more than enough food for both of us. Apart from he chewiness of the pork ribs, everything else went down smoothly. Great flavours. Apart from expecting some more attentiveness from the staff, we had no complaints. We'd love to return and give it another try.

Amazing dim sum and Chinese desserts

Calm atmosphere, excellent customer service and the food is superb.

This place is a hidden gem! Quality food with reasonable price 👍🏻 Better than those in China town

신경질적인 여자 서버, 딤섬에서 나는 돼지고기 냄새, 작은 볶음밥에서 말라비틀어진 씹히지도 않는 쌀알갱이들. 점심때 샐러리맨들 포장하려고 북적거리는 거 보고 가봤는데 별루였음.

Specifically asked for no fish ingredients in any of the dishes... starter soup came smelling of fish... after explaining our bad experience with fish oils in the past. More fish came our way. Main course for my husband was a steak in a chilli sauce ... dried chillies and swimming in fish oil fats. Myself as a vegetarian ordered vegetable spring rolls... sauce was with fish sauce after asking who was the vegetarian and then told me not to dio the spring rolls in it. ... at the end of the visit my husband hardly ate and was not happy. The beef was rubbery and stank of fish. Staff commented that no fish was used and accused my husband of not being anke to handle the heat of spicy food ( he eats Carolina reaper chillies as a daily thing in his diet so thus was quite insulting.

Horrible food and extremely bad service

Service sehr nett. Meine Nudeln waren mir zu wenig gewürzt. Der Rest war topp.

try this restaurant and you'll never want to go to restaurant in China Town again.

Service is rude, rude, rude. Tries ordering waitress kept trying to run away even though we insisted we wanted to order food. At the end of 20 min of trying to order we cancelled and went for another place.

Great place! Fabulous and very interesting dishes… Tasty dumplings! Superb Peking Duck! the highlight is the Dover Sole!!!

A big Chinese restaurant with a good selection of dishes on the menu. The dimsum was very good and I recommend the roast duck. There are plenty of tables so you don't have to wait for a table.