Tai Pan in Luton

Food was absolutely excellent we have not been here for a while since last ownership, very tasty quality is excellent & good size portions for a very reasonable price compared to other local takeaways.

As a recommendation from a friend who lived in the area who claimed it was his go to out of the lot in Luton area. I decided to sample my two go to dishes here. Overall, was well made and decent. But not perfect and a little bit of excessive MSG use left me thirsty afterwards. A good chinese place does not need to use too much MSG. I’ll start with the BBQ Pork fried rice. I actually ordered this without pea but was still included, perhaps a miscommunication, so I’ll let that one slide. Can’t say they contributed much to the flavour unfortunately. The pork was decent had flavour with the egg and rice. Not too salty but can tell it had salt, unfortunately not enough soy sauce (both light and dark) was used. The colour of the rice was pretty light and they compensated by using more salt and MSG rather than putting reliance on soy sauce to do the job. Egg felt like it was missing flavour, it tells me they may have separated the egg yolk out and didn’t crack a fresh egg in the wok. The BBQ Pork was deep fried rather than roasted and shown signs of marination; decently prepped. It wasn’t the best was definitely decent. Above the UK national standard I expect from a Chinese takeaway/restaurant. Good portion size for the standard size container. Now salt and pepper chicken. I must praise the size of the chicken & how well the batter was made. Chicken texture was not dry, very well made batter, crispy without overcooking the chicken. 10/10 on their prep and deep frying anthology. Unfortunately, this perfectly well prepped chicken is let down by their salt and pepper spice mix, the mixture was not distributed well so a fair share of the flavour was stuck at the bottom of the container. Right level of spice kick from using fresh chili, correct. Excessive amount of fresh chopped onions is used, it didn’t spend enough time in the wok doing the spice mix so it wasn’t charred unfortunately. Good mix of other dried spices and seasoning. What was most interesting was the inclusion of what looked like crispy rice noodle at the bottom underneath everything. Not a bad thing but thats a UK first for me in comparison to other chinese establishments. Despite my criticism, I do recommend coming here to order. As the food quality all round is good. It also wasn’t oily! Do be aware that they only accept cash before visiting.

lovely food 🙌 Got crispy chilli shredded beef and chicken chow mein and sweet n sour sauce, beautiful 🤌🏻

New owners taken over and quality of food great before but now gone downhill

This is the worst Chinese I have ever eaten this must be lutons standard because people were waiting like myself for this garbage food smelled like dirty clothes and drain water this is my last time ordering from any takeaway in luton absolute garbage

Easy to order and food was ready quickly. Generous portions. Yellow bean sauce requested but not given with chicken and cashew nut dish.

Quick friendly service. Enjoyed the food.

Lovely food served quickly A**. Under new management and the prices have gone up now.

I order the same thing every time they never fail.I would recommend the salt and pepper chicken. They do online services too .

Excellent food , Open kitchen, It's no surprise that this place is so busy despite being cash only, they had new website, easy to order online.

The portions are big and the food is top quality. Wish they took card.. so remember to take cash!

Been looking for a good Chinese since i moved to Luton and it didn't disappoint. Both myself and my partner enjoyed our food and we will definitely be using Tai Pan from now on.

Got the menu from post tonight . Food was really nice, Really good value for money. Ordered sweet & sour chicken, large chow mein, beef fried rice, salt pepper chips. I highly recommend, you will not be disappointed.

Best chinese .Spring roll & king prawn curry boiled rice absolutely delicious. We like the new owner, very nice staff . Would defiantly recommend.

New owners and unfortunately not the same quality of food. Kung po chicken is more like sweet and sour which I hate. Traditional pancake roll was also completely different. Shame but won't be back.

Absolutely my favourite Chinese takeaway. The barbecue spare ribs taste reminds me of when we use to get takeaway on a Friday night in the 80s. You order ahead and it's ready when you get there. Would be nice if they delivered, but it's worth the trip. The portions are very big for the price, easily sharable. You won't be disappointed.

friendly staff , my favourite chinese takeaway.

Garlic and Peper chciken lovely fresh tasty food best Chinese iv had in Luton so far and I'm picky. Taste fresh flavours amazing and price really good

Very good Chinese take away! We got cashew chicken, sweetcorn soup, prawn fried rice and spicy noodle . Food tasted yummy, non oily and generous amount. This will be my go to option for takeaway now.

was surprised to read the last review. We've always had very nice takeaways from Tai Pan , The ribs particularly good and fab salt & pepper chicken . The staff are much better than the lady before. Great quality in our view.

I was surprised to read the last review. We've always had very nice takeaways from Tai Pan , The ribs particularly good and fab salt & pepper chicken . The staff are much better than the lady before. Great quality in our view.

Since the new owners this place has gone down hill, ordered today and the food was disgusting 😑 I actually was the worst Chinese we have ever eaten, prawns were burnt, egg rice was cold not to mention our order was wrong and had things missing

Very good experience for first time

Fantastic food and service! Cannot fault this place!!

Food is excellent quality & tastes fab but it is quite pricey. Prawn toasts could be a lot better - too thin so not much flavour or texture & you only get a few triangles!!! It would be great if the Taipan was open on a Sunday evening like a lot of the takeaways are. They would really see an increase in their business. Also with the Covid situation a lot of the stores etc encourage the use of Card Transactions. Taipan only takes cash which is inconvenient.

Really good tasty chinese food use this place often for many years

Always an amazing meal. Prices are reasonable and worth it for the food. Always cooked perfectly and the gentleman at front of house is always welcoming and polite

Well came here for my first time in years , and I order my food and it was only 20mins wait ! Got there and I noticed the place was clean and kitchen too . It’s good as you can see them cooking food too . A bit like Jae”s in Bushmead when he had this place , and new then he was owner of tai pan , so I asked regarding there Chicken satay and they still did it so I ordered some of this and by far it was the best just like it was in bushmead such a lovely sauce and all of my meal was perfect 🤩 defo be coming back . So nice to know now I have a regular Chinese now instead of been going to a Chinese in Leagrave and knowing that I found out it was having undercooked chicken 🐓 and hygiene was poor ?? So glad to of found TAI PAN AS MY NEW CHINESE , New year new Chinese!!

New customer, excellent food would highly recommend cannot fault at all. We ordered several dishes each was perfect. Will definitely be back.

First time I ordered and purchased a largish order the food was superb 5 star recommended I will return.

The web site and menus that are in the store have one price and then when I arrive to collect there is a sign on the counter saying that they will "temporarily" charge 10% extra. The food is bland, nothing that is on the thai menu tastes anything like authentic although at least the king prawns were king prawns and tested ok. A very poor experience.

Food is good, expensive that's ok when you pay for good food. But the people who work there could be more polite.

Staff as rude as ever, put prices up 10% beef chow mein tonight absolutely disgusting dripping in grease couldn’t eat it didn’t have the energy to walk back again suffice to say will definitely not be going back 😂🤢🤢

The food itself was hot, fresh and delicious. However, the unbelievable and incredible part was the food was ordered over the phone to be collected. Upon collection the food was there, boxed ready to take. However this restaurant doesn't take card payments. Those collecting didn't have a card to use a cash machine, just expected to be able to use Apple Pay which they couldn't do. Before they could offer to go home for cash, they gifted them the whole box of food and said "don't worry, you just enjoy your meal!" Incredible! It was £45 they were willing to hand over as a gift! They returned to the restaurant the next day and paid the full amount, but others may not have and the staff just wanted to ensure the food was enjoyed and not wasted! Fantastic and definitely the new go to for Chinese in our family.

Very authentic oriental food, freshly prepared. Good value for money.

FIRST TIME, DEFINATELY LAST TIME ! This is by far the WORST Chinese I have had in Luton... Chicken Balls were the smallest I have ever seen and there was only 9 when the menu clearly states 10... The chips were actually so bad, undercooked that nobody ate them, not even the dog would eat them... The food was cold and had to be reheated... To top it off, I was overcharged as well after checking the menu prices when I got home... The only thing that OK was the egg rice, unbelievable... NEVER AGAIN !

So clean and tidy, open kitchen. Meal was delicious

Food is amazing. Great menu and always hot and fresh. Thanked the Chef for his ongoing high standards tonight he was very humble. Highly recommended

Incredibly busy and worth the wait. Food is awesome!

Superb service and delicious food every time!

We order meals regularly from this take away restaurant. They always provide a substantial meal, beautifully cooked, fragrant and delicious. We often get some prawn crackers too. The prices are reasonable and there is telephone ordering available too. The staff have got to know us well over the years and we are greeted with a smile. During the worst of the Covid pandemic, we collected by car and the server brought our food out to us in the carpark. I understand they also worked hard during the lockdowns to provide food for establishments in the neighbourhood. No complaints and we wouldn't go anywhere else in our town!

Lovely women working there, and they remember our order. The food is fabulous. We tend to get the noodles with chicken and veg and chilli sauce, but the whole menu looks tempting. They cook it in front of you, which is always a bonus.

Amazing food, amazing service and will defineatly eat from here again.

First time ordering from here, very very disgusting! I can understand why its not on JustEat or Deliveroo. After a few forks of the rice, the food went in the bin as something tasted well off and had my stomach turning. I wouldnt call this chinese food, the rice was tasteless and didnt even have the right colour for singarpore fried rice let alone the taste. A waste of money and very disappointed. Wont be going back.

Brilliant, friendly staff, prompt order. Food outstanding, especially the prawns. Free taster meal a great idea. My new favourite 'Chinese!

You always get an excellent meal. Try the Vietnamese Beef - delicious.

Always good food, cooked fresh, great hygiene and really friendly people 👍

Lovely friendly staff food cooked in a spotless open kitchen well worth the journey across town

I liked it the lady at the front was very nice. Thus place is cash only however there is an atm located just a few doors away. I ordered mixed vegetable chow mein, beef in black bean sauce & chicken curry. The order was prepared quickly and I enjoyed my takeaway

Woman very rude behind the counter, cook does not wear a hat or mask, this is bad hygiene. I will not be using agian

I did not visit Tai Pan, but did visit the restaurant next door.

Very delicious food 😋 and they keep very clean environment and very quick service

Amazing food. 1st visit but will certainly be returning. 😁😁😁😁

I think Tai Pan is the best and most hygienic Chinese takeaways in Luton

Great Chinese take away food at reasonable prices. Cash only. No cards. Telephone orders taken for collection only. No delivery. Closed on Sunday.

Been using Taipan for 20yrs. Still the best in the area! Everything is good...beef w green pepper in black bean sauce. S&P king prawn...

Thank you for thinking of us at this challenging time. The food you donated to us was amazing and on behalf of the ITU team thank you to all your staff.

From all of the staff on ITU in the Luton and Dunstable hospital, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for delivering some delicious food for us to eat on our (very short) break. Most of the time, nurses don't get much time to eat, as their breaks are barely 30 minutes (by the time you got to the staff room, often less) And with having to take off all the protective equipment, it means even less time now. I was prepared to just eat half of the sandwich I'd packed. And then I saw the food they donated for us! Wow! You are amazing... Thank you so much, it really filled a lot of us up and the cakes were a lovely touch too.

Totally agree, food was lovely but the lady at front of house is not very friendly!

Rudest customer service ever! I came in yesterday and waited over half an hour they offered a free dessert and prawn crackers to a lazy who had ordered after me but got served earlier! (This isn’t about the freebies) but the continuous rudeness she showed towards anyone colluded that entered! I would not recommend !

You have to wait extremely long time for your food, if they say it will be ready in 15-20mins they mean 45-50mins, you turn up a wait around like a spare part for ages!

Food absolutely beautiful recommendations of yeah totally!!!!

Haven't been here for quite some time as the lady is miserable but as we were passing we thought we'd give it go.... WRONG CHOICE! I ordered chips, satay sauce and a vegetable fried rice and basically received and egg fried rice with a feeble amount of vegetables in it! WE WONT BE GOING BACK!

Friendly staff and great food cooked to order

Like the way they cook right in view - great food and fresh - no worries here ! - it’s not a restaurant though - it’s just a take away but never the less it a great establishment spot on !

I'm a regular and love the food here. Made even better by the fact you can see them cooking your food.

Food piping hot, tasty and quick polite service. Best Chinese takeaway in Luton. Can't understand the last couple of reviews been using Taipan for years and will continue to do so.

Went there today had chicken curry and special fried rice , sesame prawn toast and spring rolls did not enjoy one bit onion was raw and lots of it , curry sauce tasted nasty so did the rest of the food never again will I go there total waste of money didn’t enjoy any of it should of took it. Back but doubt I get very far !!

Always a friendly smile, great food and not too expensive.

Food is good although I wont use this place as the woman behind the counter is one of the rudest people I've ever met.

Usually go to Bamboo Garden or Jade House but the latter has closed down. Tried this out the other day and was pleasantly surprised. A little pricey, but well worth it. Food was great and far less greasy than most other Chinese. Also 5 star hygiene rating and liked the fact you could watch them cooking the food in the open kitchen. Will definitely be returning!

My favourite place for a take away! Food is delicious. Highly reccommend

Friendly, entertained my 4 year old while waiting and best Chinese food I've had in ages. Their not on Just Eat and dont need to be as although its nice to order and have it delivered this place is well worth going old school and picking it up yourself.

Excellent Chinese, very hot tasty and lovely people!

1st time The food and service very good Will use again

Good fresh tasty food, and great service..

Great food as usual Always a smile a good service

I make big order today! BIG BOOOOIIII ORRRRDDDEEEERRR

I really like the food, gd portions,, just wish the lady wasn't so rude to her workers especially when serving customers,, poor staff look embarrassed 😳

Great food, really nice people. This is a takeaway only and not a restaurant.

The food is always fresh, hot and truly authentic 😋😋

Good service, nice food, recommended

Dogs bollocks won't go far wrong

I've loved this place ever since it first opened (I can't remember how many years ago now). By modern standards, not the most ambitious menu, but the quality is excellent. I definitely recommend it.

It was more expensive than others locally but food was very poor quality. I won’t be using it again.

visited on off chance as was passing .food was ok not the best ive had but certainly would return again. cant pay by card only cash ..be aware def reccomend tho

Great service, great food, lovely people

Great food,the best in luton.BUT the lady who greats you is soooooo rude!!! Get some new staff!!!!

Excellent quality Chinese food.

Very average, although the service was quick, there are much better Chinese takeaways for similar prices nearby.

One of the best Chinese takeaways in the area. Great food, friendly staff, and a super clean open kitchen where you can see everything done.

This has been our local takeaway for years and we use it regularly- always get good service and the lady in there knows us by name :) Food is always tasty and good sized portions - we share a rice and have our own mains. Today i was on my own and chose the chowmein- went for the special as my husband had enjoyed it before- loads of lovely meat and seafood on top but on investigating they had used thinner noodles than usual, there were no beansprouts and there was not the same smoky kind of sauce around it so it was quite bland. :(

Food is ok really but food is more expensive then my usual Chinese and it is more greasy the staff are never really polite in here only use this one when my regular is shut

Love this take away as they serve freshly cooked food to order with fresh crunchy vegetables in. Good value too,.

Very nice people and great food

Amazing food! And amazing quality!

Food is normally very good although the service is very bad...always very RUDE (lady whose normally at the counter)!!!

This was my favourite cousin's favourite Chinese restaurant so I tend to go with my cousins. the food is always good. The service is always rubbish. S--l--o--w. Inadequate. Inefficient. Rude. If you can endure the wait and overcome the rudeness, its worth a visit. Don't go if you want something intimate and quiet, because its not! We went yesterday for Chinese New Year and it was chaos. I wasn't particularly hungry when we arrived but i was starving by the time we got our food. We had a table of 14 and they served the food in two halves so half the table watched the other half eat for well over 1/2 hour. Equally, the first-served half had to sit and wait for us to finish!!

Excellent food and service! Being going here since it first opened and wouldn't go anywhere else but here for Chinese food

Great quality Cantonese restaurant with friendly staff