White Swan in Redbridge

Service has gone down hill, twice in last couple of months they have lost my order, sitting in the queue watching others complain too… very disorganised now

Just enjoyed our first in-house meal after years of this being our favourite and the best takeaway in the area. Well worth visiting a sit down meal, amazing service and the food is even better straight from the kitchen, 5 stars well earned

Went in to order a takeaway with some friends whilst visiting London. Once it was time to pay the lady on the till said it was cash only. We realised none of us had physical cards with us and couldn’t get money out. The moment we said this the lady on the till started ignoring us and wouldn’t look at us anymore. We inquired why they had card machines on the till, she said it was for customers who were dining in. We said great no worries we’ll eat in. She said it was more expensive to dine in, which we said we were fine with. She shook her head without looking at us and went back to ignoring us. Eventually we awkwardly just asked her to cancel the takeaway order which she did again without looking at or acknowledging us. So we just awkwardly left. We weren’t dressed scruffily or rude to her. It was just super weird.

Worse meal i have ever had to be honest ! food was tasteless and was chucked in the bin ! could have got a better meal at the chicken shop.or box meal in tesco worse thing found some Hair in the meal too. The food my dog would not like . staff wanted cash only it’s only when i said cancel the order. They card machine was working .

Excellent Chinese restaurant in Woodford. Varied menu, reasonable prices, fantastic service and delicious authentic food. Visited once again last night absolutely delicious food once again and great service. Hopefully visit again very soon 🤞 Highly Recommend

Paid alot for a rubbish food. My local takeaway only branch would be half the price and better quality

Our favourite local Chinese restaurant. Been going there for years. If there's a family Chinese required, this is the place for us.

The food here was delicious and all cooked perfectly. The service was friendly and efficient. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is that unfortunately the acoustics aren’t good. It was a tues eve and surprisingly busy. It was hard to hear each other talk. No soft furnishing and hardwood floors mean it’s rather echoey but I’d go back as the food is so good. Best Chinese I’ve eaten other than in Chinatown.

It would be really nice if you staff could be polite, thanks

We are regulars at this, our "local chinese". Although we have lived in the area for a long time, we only discovered it during COVID time. Very good food, good value for money. But be careful to book, especially Fridays & weekends. Speaks for it's popularity. 👍

Have come here multiple times and the food is great and never disappoints. The service is great as well and it’s not too expensive

Booked 3 weeks ago for my daughter's 21st and father's day Food was good. We ordered the mixed starters although we all found the chicken to be very salty. That was followed by duck and then assorted main courses which we all shared. Good friendly service

An excellent meal with first class service.

An excellent evening - great food and really good service, whi h was attentive from arrival til departure. We'll definitely go again.

This restaurant has greatly improved. The menu is varied and we have now tried most of the meals on their menu and have not been disappointed. The various flavours are really tasty, great friendly staff and served quite quickly. Worth trying during the week. Value for money.

A rather conveniently located Chinese restaurant with food with a lot of seating. A good selection of food with an on-site bar serving limited beer and other alcohol. Food was nice and tasted good. Servings can be on the slightly smaller side compared to other local Chinese restaurants but it's not too expensive. Rather clean, and tidy restaurant that's on the high street. There is street parking most of which is pretty and display during the day.

The food was amazing, I’m still thinking about their roast duck to this day. Amazing service and the most wonderful staff. The atmosphere was amazing. The food came out quickly and was delicious. Would recommend this place to anyone that would listen to me.

Excellent food, but their policy of 'cash only" on takeaways is very annoying!! They take cards if you sit in, so why do they not take cards for takeaways I wonder??

Visited lto celebrate a friends birthday. Another great meal and service. I had chicken with chilli, prawn toast and seaweed to start. We then order a whole duck. I didn't have a main course as by now I was full up. Again, we had great service

You really must have the panko scallops All delicious food too.

Excellent food in quality, presentation and taste. Service too was excellent.

Visited on Sunday evening with friends. We had a large table and the restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived. We ordered mixed starters (too much) followed by duck. We were nearly all full, but three of us ordered mains, which we shared. Service was good

Had a fantastic meal here, really good value and friendly service.

Good quality food - reliable restaurant Should book in advance but you may manage to get a table without a booking.

Our favourite for dining in and takeaway. Great selection for non meat eaters as well as all the classics for omnivores.

Ordered through UBER eats at 6.35 pm tonight. Advised delivery at approx 7.30_7.50pm. Rang restaurant spoke to a girl who advised 20 mins. Rang at 8.10 pm said she would contact driver to find out why it has not been delivered yet. She rang back at 8.15pm and said driver was not answering phone. I rang back at 8.20pm to ask if I could have drivers mobile and quite bizarrely she said it could be one of 4 drivers!!!This to my mind brings into effect food hygiene standards ie temperatures and storage of food. The girl was very very unprofessional and kept speaking to GEORGE as it sounded like the phone had been placed on the side I then asked to speak to GEORGE direct but was told he would ring me back but the restaurant and he was very busy although by now our food order was 1 hour and 45 minutes missing!!! I asked for a substantial discount and was told 10 % was all that she could offer ,I politely refused and asked for more. The conversation went on and I tried to explain customer service to this young person but the attitude and lack of respect was apparent to the point she arrogantly dismissed me and put the phone down on me. 5 minutes later I rang back to cancel our order 2 hours overdue and informed her of the terrible customer service and lack of control over food hygiene standards and this I will report to the appropriate authority on Monday coming. Its a shame the food is really good but lack of control over food deliveries- who has the food??? is a massive concern,needless to say we will not be ordering from here ever again. White Swan no more...

I was banned years ago due to them getting my order wrong. To this day they refuse to deliver to me. Its a shame the food is good but the service is terrible. They used to be nearly 5 stars. Glad to see im not the only one this happened to. There's plenty of good Chinese restaurants locally, Wing Sing are friendly, the food is good and a bit cheaper, go there folks

I have been going to the white swan for over 25 years Alan and George are the best, the staff change but are always fantastic 10 out of 10 every time thank you so much George and Alan 👍👍👍👍 Steve and Julie

Very disappointing. We ordered takeaway but it came 45 minutes earlier than ordered and my family weren’t even home yet. They did re-deliver but the food was very disappointing. Chicken and vegetable rice hardly had any ingredients, we literally had to search out a few pieces of chicken. The ribs were very dry and it was all cold. Mushroom noodles were about the best but still only average.

Delicious food and attentive service - it was very busy on a Saturday night so would recommend booking a table - we will be back to sample more dishes!

Delicious food and attentive service. Was very busy on a Saturday night - would recommend booking a table. We will be back!

After walking past The White Swan countless times, I finally decided to try it out on and what a great choice that was! We got there at 7, and the place wasn’t too busy, but wow, did it fill up fast! It's like everyone in Woodford knows this is the spot for amazing Chinese food. The vibe is bustling but in a good way. You could see it's popular by the constant stream of takeaway orders. But let's talk about the food - it's wonderful! We tried a bunch of dishes - crispy beef, scallops, noddles, and Szechuan chicken. Each one was a hit, especially the beef - so crispy and flavorful. The staff deserves a shoutout too. They were super friendly and attentive, even when the place was buzzing. I've read some reviews saying otherwise, but that wasn't our experience at all. They were top-notch! Yes, it got a bit noisy, but that's just because it's a popular spot. And hey, they have a 5-star hygiene rating, which is always reassuring. We're definitely going back, and it's not just for the dine-in experience. Their takeaway menu is just as great, and it's clear that's a big hit with the locals. Love seeing a local spot like this doing so well. So, if you're in Woodford and craving Chinese, The White Swan is the place to be. Awesome food, great service, and a lively atmosphere - what more could you ask for? A 5 out of 5 from me!

Really delicious food and lovely, attentive service. Will definitely be going back!

Delicious food, very friendly service, we will definitely be back again

Great food and excellent service. Thank you Paula and your team, an lovely evening.

Having eaten in the restaurant a few times and always enjoyed the food…really disappointed with their take away. Vegetable noodles is basically loads of onion, bean sprouts and noodles. Tasteless. Singapore fried rice…had more going in than the noodles…but my partner said it was also lacking flavour. The salt and pepper squid portion was small and sweating in the cardboard packaging. Very disappointed.

Such a lovely service. It’s changed now they do not offer the all you can eat and I actually think it’s for the better. It’s such delicious and good quality food and the staff are very helpful. I had such a lovely meal.

Really nice food and lovely staff. The menu is varied and there are many vegetarian options. We asked for a few changes to some of the dishes, and this was done without even adding an extra cost. The food is lovely, a good size and well-priced.

Food nice. Service ok until the main waitress or owner not sure who she was decided to clean the table with her spray and cloth whist we were still sitting there finishing off our drinks. It was like you have eaten your food now get out. She didn’t like the fact that she was questioned about why she did what she did.

Returned to White Swan after some time for takeaway! Used to be brilliant! NOT NOW!Food was OK customer service really RUDE. List too long to print! Never again!

Very rude Chinese woman, over the phone and eat in. Such a shame cos I m a local, will never go or order again

Had a set menu dinner here and it was very tasty and well priced. Service was very good too.

Good value Chinese restaurant where the service is quick and friendly, and the food varied and tasty.

3 rd time going....very disappointed. Food nice but service not good. First brought wrong food to table after few mins came and took it away and brought it back to next table! Our order came out at different times.....at end of eve asked for coffees which never appeared!......

The food is good but the staff are miserable and abrupt. Went on a Friday evening and it was pretty empty.

I found the food to be nice but the customer service very poor. Most of the staff are rude and perhaps need to work on their people skills. They are unfriendly and if you ask for something it’s like you’re bothering them. This made my dinning experiences a little uncomfortable and for that I wouldn’t return in a hurry. I should add that there was one slightly older lady who I found very pleasant and helpful.

I found the customer service unacceptablebly very cold and starchy and in moments completely rude. There was one English speaking gentleman who welcomed me and took my order a very warm well spoken and customer focused. Unfortunately to say but I felt the women working their to me were racist as their treatment was extremely cold and icy... barely opening their mouths to o say goodbye. I'm spending money in your business you should be professional and courteous. Unfortunately this was missing & the reason my visit there was spoilt. Definitely not a warm environment to eat in...at beat.

Food ok but couldn’t get us out quick enough, very below customer service- coats on behind the bar at 10 pm .. as a regular customer - just lost us

This restaurant lacks atmosphere. The staff are rather sullen and just do their job. No pleasantries. The food was very tasty but quite small portion sizes. It could be a real gem if the staff smiled and made you feel welcome and they popped some background music on. I’d go back for the food as it was good.

Staff pleasant food great. Went there as staff at another restaurant rude to us so went there. It was quiet and staff attentive.

Average place and the first lady serving was extremely rude. We request a change and then service experience was better. Food was average. Atmosphere casual

My Mum and her two friends visited this restaurant last night for an early dinner. They were very disappointed saying that the waiting staff were surly and didn’t smile. No finger bowls or hot towels were given and when they asked they only got given one bowl of hot water to clean their hands rather then one each. The portions were small and served on flat plates rather than in traditional bowls. also chop sticks were not put on a holder as they used to be. This restaurant has unfortunately gone downhill since they last visited and they won’t be returning any time soon.

Fantastic crispy duck amongst many other delicacies Our favourite Chinese Restaurant

Arrived with the doorway blocked by the maintenance man - not a good start! Restaurant was fine but lacked a bit of atmosphere/ambience - rather cold and uninviting! Nice waitresses who were very helpful. Had a couple of Chinese beers to start followed by bottles of blush at a reasonable price Had the mixed starter which was okay apart from the ribs which were very dry and not very good - not like the photo at all. Main course included better ribs in sauce with crispy chilli beef and some more duck rolls - had the Cantonese duck breast which I wanted in beansprouts which seemed to be a problem? The duck breast wasnt like it usually comes? Overall not bad and not expensive but wasnt blown away!

It's not my local Chinese, but when I'm in the area visiting family, I do like to go to The White Swan and order a takeaway. The food is excellent and the staff are really friendly.

Very disappointing. Haven't been there for some time, used to be amazing but unfortunately this time very disappointing. The service was very poor like they really couldn't be bothered. Ordered our food and when the food came out, they brought something completely different to what I ordered. They then asked me if I was sure I hadn't ordered it. They reluctantly took it back. They eventually brought me the correct order. Food was very nice. We asked for the bill. When came to take the money, we paid by card, there was no apology just took the payment and then just walked away with no thank you. Very rude. Won't be returning

We travel from Southend to visit this fantastic Chinese Restaurant and have enjoyed our three family visits in the last two months. The food, service and ambiance is first class with large portions and a very varied menu, Service is attentive and Jen and her team provide excellent hospitality. The crispy duck alone is worth a visit and highly recommended and without doubt my favourite Chinese Restaurant

Another excellent meal. Great friendly service and good value. Good sized portions and no long waits either. Overall very good.

We booked for a family visit on Saturday night. They wanted us to pay a deposit when booking, which we wouldn't Great choices and big portions. We ended up ordering more food than we needed, so took leftovers home. The restaurant was full.

Ashame to say my wife and I have only just started using theses. Food is great but we ordered a takeaway half of duck which when delivered was aquter I phoned them only to told cancel it then by a very rude young lady who I think was the manager ..also still owed £11.50. Or a duck. Disappointed b... back to Mr chans for us

Absolutely outstanding Food and everything

Last night’s take away was on the whole bland and tasteless. Kung po didn’t even have any cashews & the rice was dry. Extremely disappointing from a restaurant we’ve eaten in many times and thoroughly enjoyed

Booked a table for mother's Day and it was the worst experience I had in a while. We had our starters on time but our mains never came after 40mn so we asked the waitress, only to be told they are finishing the phone and online orders before starting ours. This is absolutely unacceptable to prioritise outside customers rather than sitting in ones. No apologies received only excuses that seems not genuine. I will never go back to this cheap and unprofessional restaurant.

Disappointed. We have always had a really good meal here but this time it was so noisy we could not talk to our friends. We were about to walk out but then asked to be moved to another table which was a little bit better (but not much!). We will not risk it again.

Nice food, food prices reasonable . Wine bit expensive. Service very good and friendly

Lovely food, Great prices, Friendly staff and lots of beer flowing

I was surprised as I had read previous reviews and expected better. The king prawn was extremely dry and bland, the spicy seafood rice had a weird taste to it not nice at all. The spring rolls were nice. Overall it was not money well spent. Disappointed as looked forward to having a good Chinese meal after not eating out for awhile :(

was told pick up would be 10 minutes waited over 30 mins and staff was rude when challenged about how long it had taken shocking service update: got a free portion of crackers and apology food was decent as well

Pre Ordered a delivery through Uber eats for 6pm on Sat 18th Feb. I was advised that the delivery would arrive at 6:15 which was perfect! 6:15 came and went, at 6:45 I phoned the White Swan and was told that my order had left the restaurant for delivery. Phoned again at 7:20 (phone constantly engaged) and was told that the order had just left with the driver and when I tried to complain about the previous statement of delivery (at 6:45) the lady hung up on me! Eventually cancelled the order through Uber eats at 7:45. I understand that they are busy and orders can sometimes take a long time but to be lied too twice, hung up on and still nothing arrives is disgraceful!! I have used them and visited them many times in the past but never again. Avoid at all costs.

Lovely food with excellent service. Try the peppercorn chicken. Definitely going to make this place a regular haunt.

We arrived this evening for my little one's 8th birthday (at their request), a week later than we'd intended to visit as the phone is rarely picked up, for an eveing meal. We arrived 5 mins early for our table and were seated at a round table near the door. We were served quickly and the food was reasonably good, but the entire experience was ruined by the service and atmosphere. Because of our location, we were continually surrounded by a stedy stream of customers there to collect their takeawy. When I say surrounded, I mean that quite literally. We had 3 different people at least 1ft away from us waiting for at least 15 mins for their takeaway. At one point we had 6 different people 1ft away from us around our table and the door wide open, allowing in a breeze. We asked to move but were told they were too busy. Two tables around us remained unused during the 1.5hrs we were there, so we could have easily moved. On top of this, we had to ask for a finger water bowl for our ribs (they usually provide this without request), napkins and for additional ice as our white wine and water were at room temperature. We asked for the bill within the hr and it took 15 mins to arrive. They didn't offer a discount or any apology for the unpleasent experience. We have been to this restaurant many times over the last 20 yrs but the service has declined so significantly we have no desire to return. The food isn't so enjoyable that the rest of the failings can be forgiven. A deeply uncomfortable experience. Just order takeaway and save yourselve the discomfort and zoo-creature like experience.

Always great food, friendly staff Sitting in or take out

Haven’t been to this restaurant for a long time but we fancied Chinese tonight so decided to visit. I was pleasantly surprised it was far better than I remembered. Food came out hot and in a reasonable amount of time. It was really tasty. Would definitely visit again soon. Service was also good and meal was reasonably priced!

Best Chinese restaurant in the area. Really good food and such reasonable prices. Would highly recommend

An amazing place. The food was fabulous. Freshly cooked , tasty and clean food. Would highly recommend for a nice evening out or a small party. Atmosphere and party vibe for New Year's Eve was great. Thank you

Excellent food, reasonably priced, cheerful friendly staff, very clean.

Probably the best Chinese food in this area.

Had a great time with the family and food was lovely and great prices

First time ordering a takeaway... very good service and polite staff. But for me the food was not flavoured enough and very plain. I did like the hot and sour soup. Singapore noodles was too soggy. Sweet and chicken HK style batter not crispy enough so that was quiet a let down. Sweet and sour flavour is sweet but does not have enough tangy sour to it. Chili salt prawns were very good though.

Being Christmas the service was a bit hampered, but still attentive and food excellent as always.

I had home delivery of a variety of dishes, crispy duck, chicken in black bean sauce, special fried rice and white Swan special noodles. Half of the noodles were hard and basically uncooked. Owner stated that this was how they cooked them. I took them back as there was no apology when I phoned to bring this to her attention. When I got to the restuarant the woman at the till ignored my plea for her to look at the food. She was extremely rude and refused to look at uncooked noodles. She fobbed me off by saying she would inform the chef. She refunded my money but didn't give a damn that the food wasn't enabled. Very poor customer service. Rest of the food was lovely though.

Staff were not very good at all, I absolutely understand that English is not everybody's first language and learning another language is very hard but if you choose a customer facing role where your job is to take orders and converse a little to make people feel welcome then you really should try at least to learn the basics before starting. Mix ups were all over the place and all because of such a difficult language barrier... The restaurant itself has really gone downhill over the last 5-6 years or so, from cracks in walls to unrepaired glass it is need of a big tidy up. The food was a mixed bag, we had the mixed starters, the ribs were cooked well but just 50%fat, the satay was OK if not a bit over cooked and pancake rolls a bit bland. The mains were OK but nothing that will set the world alight.... All in all very disappointing and unfortunately adter many years of poping by we will now not be going back again and I am urging others to follow.

First time visiting and the White Swan didn't disappoint. We ordered a variety of dishes and every single one of them was delicious. The staff were attentive and service was on point. We're a family of six and sat on a rectangular table that was sectioned off making it even more special, next time we'd like to reserve the circular table just to make sharing the dishes easier. Overall we all had a lovely time and the food was very reasonably price too. We will definitely be back.

Amazing place. Staff friendly and helpful. Food is out of this world gorgeous! Couldn't recommend any higher.

We hadn't been here for over a year - now we've been twice in two weeks! It's much more contemporary inside than before...the dodgy and dirty carpet is now a thing of the past. The menu has also been updated with plenty of variety and a good selection of interesting vegetarian options and even Thai dishes...food is served piping hot and very fresh. Prices here to eat in (in my opinion) offer incredible value! Both times we were here..(early Saturday dinner 5:30-ish) it started out very quiet - but by the time we left, it was jam packed. It never used to be like that. If you're in the area and need your Chinese-food-fix...I think it's definately worth a visit!

Went for dinner couple of weeks ago. Such lovely food and great service. Cant wait to go again

The food is delicious and there are lots of options for vegetarians. The decor needs a bit of a refresh but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the food. I would recommend if you’re looking for a good Chinese in the area.

Our usual Chinese is currently under refurbishment so we decided to try this place. My wife was rudely spoken to, asked 'are you ready or not?' and was pressured to look through the menu quicker. The food was terrible, the chicken was incredibly dry and the egg fried rice hadn't seen an egg. Will never come here again.

Ordered via Uber Eats , delivery was very fast and food nice and hot. Thoroughly enjoyed our Easter treat, the meats were all very tender and tasty.

Classic Chinese with a wide range of dishes , well executed. Seating in the restaurant or take away. Quick service. Prices in line with most take aways. Nice little local

We came here for mother’s day and while I understand the menu was simplified in anticipation of a busy day, the set menu value wasn’t value for money at all and the portions were small. For £20+ per head, I would expect bigger portions/ not making customers share a limited number of side dishes between them, and for each guest to have more choice over the main course. The starters however, were fantastic, in particular the squid. In the future, I would advise this restaurant to allow its customers more choice over set menus and to be less restrictive with portion sizes as we have been here before on Mother’s day and been far more satisfied.

The delivery tonight was the worst I have had for a long time it was cold and inedible I would not order ever again

Great meal tonight. Quick service. Friendly staff. Wheelchair user friendly, ramp for entry with staff assisting. Highly recommend. Will be back, thanks!

Nice staff and ambience. Only has veggie food so can't comment on the rest of the menu. It was nice enough..nothing super special.

I order 2x ChickenChowMeine.This is how many chicken was in one portion.Its embarrassing for restaurant.If i want noodle… i be order noodles. In picture is one portion split in two (i have cury souse ) Dont look appetising,but taste realy good. Shame on friday night...

Take cards when the fancy so never know if you have to pay cash .when there busy they wont answer the phone .rubbish service rude at times. Shame because foods quite good

We have been to this restaurant many times and we do not recognise the same restaurant as commented upon by the negative reviewers. The food is wonderful, the service is friendly and attentive and the cost is very reasonable. There is nothing to stop you...

Four of us went to the White Swan on a Saturday evening. They were busy & the restaurant was full especially as they had one party of over 20 people. All of the staff were very friendly, efficient & helpful and most importantly of all...

Bad staff, bad place to go. Used to be great, they just cancelled my order without me knowing and said they don’t need my custom. I’ll stick to dynasty

I have been to this place many times. I will never go back. Takeaway. Early evening. Not busy. Lady I have seen before was on ‘reception’ talking on phone mainly to Uber eats. Constantly. She ignored me. 5 minutes later a waitress took my order. Handed me my raffle ticket. No problem. I went off for 10 minutes. Came back. Lady still on phone to Uber. 5 mins tick by. 10 mins tick by. I see two meals awaiting collection on the collection shelf. I try to see if one was mine. Could not tell. Go back to listen to lady talking to Uber. 12 mins tick by. I put my ticket on the counter right in front of her. She finishes on the phone. Ignores me and screws up my ticket and throws it away. I point out that she has thrown my ticket away. She retrieved it and threw it at me crumpled up. I uncrumpled it and asked her to at least check the two meals on the collection shelf. She did and found my meal. Now about 20 mins. Not a word of apology just dumped in front of me. I hailed a passing male waiter and asked to see the manager. He said he was the manager. He was not the manager. I know the manager. He basically blanked my complaints, took no action. He said he would ring me the next day. He did not. Absolutely appalling service. They are not interested in walk-in takeaways. Just Uber.