yimwah express in Cambridge

In March, we traveled from Canada to the UK and arrived in Cambridge. My parents didn't want to eat Western food, so we chose this Chinese restaurant. The taste of the dishes was average, but acceptable. However, the service was very poor; the waiters didn't even smile and made us feel as if we owed them money. When we paid in cash at the end, the waiter pretended not to know anything about the 10% discount for cash payment.

Authentic taste, considered a good Hong Kong style chef

Food is delicious. Crispy roast pork is excellent. Lucky to have this near by as you won't find better crispy roast pork anywhere!

20240403 Heard good comments, ordered deliveries, still impressed by the food here. 雙拼：叉燒&脆皮豬肉 Char Siu is beautifully seasoned and colored and comes a good balance of tender lean meat and a little fat. Crispy pork belly is really crispy, without being too oily. There can be maybe a little more salt/pepper in comparison with the char siu, but tasty nonetheless. The sauce is delicious and not greasy at all. The cabbage at the bottom is wonderfully soaked in flavor. 蘿蔔糕 Turnip cakes are house-made and quite different from the common ones. There are much more turnip than flour. The flavor is also mellower. The texture is juicy, soft, melts in mouth. The shell has a crispy layer of potato starch. 蝦醬通菜 Morning glory with shrimp paste is amazing. The sauce is thick and generous, and it used ginger instead of garlic, which gives it a less pungent but warmer sensation. Not too much oil either. 海鮮豆腐煲 Seafood and tofu clay pot it’s not a salty, as it usually served in restaurants, which is good. The shrimp and scallop and squid, appear plump and fresh. The tofu is also nicely fried, but not drenched in oil. The only downside is there’s much more food and seafood so the recommended fish clip may be a more economic choice. The plates are small but the food are stacked tall. We emptied them all. (Accidentally rhymed XD (As far as I can remember from my covid era deliveries, their chow fun and noodles should be good too) The vibe is traditional/nostalgic. Food comes super fast. The staff are really friendly. And it’s nice to be able to look at the meat in the half open kitchen. The rice bucket is also cute. I would recommend this restaurant for some decent environment, hearty food, prompt service, and reasonable price.

Will go again for the delicious food.

For those uncertain about what to order or seeking to indulge in the quintessence of this eatery, here's a guided tour of must-try dishes that are sure to cater to a myriad of tastes. 뭘 시키실지 모르시겠다면 이렇게 시키시면 됩니다. 단체로 (10명) 와서 이렇게 쉐어 많이 하는데 흡족하게 맛있게 드실 수 있어요 🤲🏻💕 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗬 Beef Crispy Noodle in Spicy Black Bean Sauce Beef Briaket Noodle Soup Morning Glory with Garlic Sauce Sweet & Sour Pork Chicken, Aubergine, Salted Fish Pot Wonton Soup Egg Fried Rice / Steamed Rice Chinese Tea For foreigners or anyone unfamiliar with the culinary delights contained within this menu, fear not. Each dish is crafted with care, ensuring that every palate, regardless of its origin, is catered to nicely.

The Chinese food is very authentic! This restaurant serves mainly Cantonese cuisine and I must say it’s one of the best in Cambridge. This reminds me of the food you can get in Hong Kong, so it’s a must come if you want to get that feel.

If you are looking for Chinese restaurant in Cambridge cooking authentic Cantonese dishes, Hong Kong style Roast Pork, Cha Siu and Roast Duck plus Hong Kong Milk Tea, try this restaurant and you will not be disappointed.

Absolutely fantastic food and very nice service too. Would definitely recommend for anyone wanting a taste of China. I'd certainly recommend the MaPo Dofu but honestly every dish coming out of the kitchen looked delicious.

Recently on a weekend we decided to explore this restaurant for lunch. We were late, knowing the restaurant will stop taking order by 2pm we reached just 10 mins before. We ordered Set menu B (£30pp) for all 3 of us. Interestingly we received 1. House Special Mixed Platter (N) - which contained exactly 3 pcs of Sesame Prawn on Toast, Capital Spare Ribs, Satay Chicken on skewer, Spring rolls, Crispy Seaweed with Cashew nuts. 2. Around 6 pancakes with one standard plate Crispy Aromatic Duck 3. 1 plate of King Prawns (Around 8 pcs) with garlic & chilli 4. 1 plate of Sweet and sour Chicken (standard plate) 5. 1 plate of PakChoi (standard plate) 6. 1 Special fried rice (1 Pot) Based on my experience of travelling different countries and having food in different restaurants, I can say content (quantity) wise, it was under no circumstances justify £90 bill + service charge. I will never go back to this restaurant in future.

One of the best Hong Kong style dishes in Cambridge.

I've regularly enjoyed the delectable dishes at this restaurant. The food quality is reasonable, offering a nice experience with each visit. While the service is okay, and the atmosphere is decent, it's the flavors that keep me coming back for more.

I was very surprised with this restaurant. We order Cantonese duck, salt and pepper squid, and king prawn sweet and sour. Very generous portions and the quality of the food was great. The waiters were very helpful and friendly. Definitely coming back.

I have been going to Yim Wah countless of times in the last 10 years as a family. Our favourite is their crispy pork belly. It tastes amazing! It's the best I've every tastes anywhere. Their char siu, roast duck and beef brisket are also very delicious. I whole heartedly recommend this restaurant. Very good service, the whole family (Mr Fook and his family) have been serving us for 10 years. Always warm welcome, friendly smile and quick service. And good price too. If you are in Cambridge, this is one restaurant you have to try, especially if you like Chinese food.

Horrible seeing the bodies of dead ducks hanging 😠

I'm never been so unwelcome in my life. Staff unprofessional ! I was disappointed 😞 with my lunch and service really bad ! 👎 Avoid this place!!!!!!

Hi ,We’re have experienced today in this “restaurant “ We’ve felt like they’re trying to get rid of us! Pushing to order and no explanation at all ! :( no drinks to be offered nothing ! Ladies she sits us at the table we’re they working station is and running around & banging the chair till I trying to eat:((( Was not nice at all ! Food was really cold and no taste at all .No souses ! Too much rice look big mess in the plate.It’s not what you’re expecting from “Chinese Restaurant “! Poor service ! Never ever again come back to this place still really surprised they still open ! If you’re running restaurants Guest comes first.And if you’re closing down for please do not take new clients just to make more money !!:(

We visited this restaurant on Christmas eve and we had set menu B. Service was very good, There was a small issue with the pancakes for the Peking duck. But the rest of the meal was great and the mains were great.

Ordered a claypot rice with spare ribs and the meat has definitely gone off, smelling sour and rancid. We have kindly let the staff know to be aware, but to our surprise she made excuses rather than acknowledging the problem. This just shows the level of hygiene in the kitchen as they can turn a blind eye to rancid meat. There is no chance of me coming back in case of any food poisoning. To add, the floor was also extremely greasy and slippery to walk on.

I am a regular customer here at Yim Wah Express. My all time favourites are Cantonese Roast Duck on egg fried rice, Supreme Chicken Rice, and crispy pork belly, Peking duck, Sour soup etc. It is always busy here but it is worth the wait for delicious cantonese food. Staff are nice and friendly too!!

Used to be our favourite Chinese restaurant in Cambridge but haven't been for a while ; this was our first post-Covid visit. We ordered our favourite dishes and they were very different, which would have been OK if they'd tasted OK but they were sadly not very good. Not only were portions smaller but the ratio of main ingredients to something that resembled gloop was poor. Flavours were different - quite salty and harder to detect the expected tastes of ginger/garlic etc. Maybe it was an off day in the kitchen but I'm hesitant to go back.

The best Chinese food I've had in a very long time. We had a set menu. Even the vegetable side dish was tasty. Friendly staff.

Authentic Cantonese-style roasted duck, char-siu, and crispy pork belly!

剑桥最好吃的粤菜馆，烧鸭烧鸡烧肉不错，炒空心菜芥蓝菜心不错，家常豆腐，煎酿三宝推荐！

Really good food for very reasonable prices. (See edit) Edit: had a gluten free dish allergy problem a year ago. Yim wah were very apologetic and said the issue in protocol had been sorted so I didn't change my review. Just ordered again for the first time and again had an allergy issue with the same dish despite getting it confirmed gluten free with the server and manager. The food remains excellent but they seem unable to cater for gluten free as advertised and I would hesitate to bring any friends to yim wah if they have special dietary reqs or serious allergies

Definitely coming back here for the delicious food and friendly staff. Authentic roast meats.

Service from the female owner was very friendly. But overall disappointed with the food. Its obviously very popular with Chinese customers so not sure what went wrong. But generally found the food rather tasteless. The paneer in one the specials was also horribly wobbly. Quite probably it supposed to be like that in chinese cooking but I am used to eating it crisped in Indian, which is lovely. I think on balance this may now be the best option for Chinese food in Cambridge. Sadly Hakka has closed. Totally different kind of restaurant of course, but it was totally sublime. The best Chinese food I recall I have ever eaten.

The pork belly on the roasted meats platter justifies a five star review by itself, but the aubergine, the crispy noodles, the turnip cake and the custard lava bun all reinforce it.

Best Chinese in Cambridge (and probably the UK!)

Authentic Canton cuisine. Live the fish head and tofu pot.

Still my favorite Chinese restaurant.

Ordered from Deliveroo and reported a concern of food hygiene. Ordered some veg and found some slimy stuff inside and not sure what it was. Looked like some burnt stuff but it’s not a small piece but a chunk of it. Felt sick afterwards. Left phone number for restaurant to contact for but never heard from them.

10% discount for takeaway. Given the pressure on tables, this could be 15% usefully.

Have been several times to Yim Wah. I have Cantonese style sweet and sour chicken, Singapore Chow Mein with the Vermicelli. I have always liked Chinese food, and I liked it on this visit.

Friendly staff, really good food. Closing time was a little early (9.30) so we did feel a bit rushed, but we did know this in advance. Would definitely return and bring more people.

Just the best restaurant in England... Should have 3 Michelin *** so fresh and Whiman and her dad so adorable. Everything is delicious. Thank you

Roasted duck is not fresh, has an expired smell, After that, Afterwards, I changed to another roasted pork and tried it. It was more delicious, no problem.

This is a Chinese restaurant operating in Cambridge. It is a fairly large restaurant. Setup is simple. The menu is wide and serves mainly Cantonese dishes. The Cantonese Roast Duck is good and recommended. The Chicken with Oyster Sauce as well as the Beef with Garlic and Chilli Sauce are also recommended. Service is fast and professional. Cleanliness is good. Prices are reasonable. Public washrooms are available within the restaurant.

出奇地點了蝦餃 有半肥瘦肉 有筍絲 真正傳統製作方法 比現在香港的只有蝦球 好得多了 中菜出品亦算不錯 到劍橋遊覽值得一試。

We went for a family dinner and also if we arrived quite late they served us with courtesy and very friendly. Food was really great, we had various starters, the Crispy Duck, noodle soup and chow mein. I look forward to come back

Okay place, foods can be better.

出于对香港茶餐厅的好感，晚餐点了柱侯牛腩堡、云吞捞面、蒜蓉炒菜心。大失所望！没有牛腩只有煮得很老的牛肉，调味也仅仅靠酱油+蚝油兑了一点芡汁就端上来了；捞面更是把水煮鸡蛋面倒了一点酱油汁，云吞里面包的不知道是什么，根本没有肉馅味。整个英国游的中餐里最差！

This is the best chinese i have ever been to. The takeaway is also very good.

Very bad experience with this restaurant. The rice and fish they cook is super salty. And the service there is super bad.

We drove past this restaurant and thought it looked good. We went back for dinner that night and I can't express how pleased we are that we did. The food was absolutely delicious, staff were fantastic and it was also really well priced! Will be back next time we're in Cambridge

We came here last week (24/6/2023) We chose this place as you can book a table even during weekend's. We ordered 1/2 Roast duck, seems that it has been reheated, so it may not have been a freshly cooked. Salt n peppered squid was better. Fried beef brown hor fun (flat noodles) was not oily which was nice. Braised fish heads with tofu was nice. The fried lor bat go (white turnip/mooli) which looked like tofu was nice too.

Average Chinese food, good service and had air conditioning Good for groups

Been going here for years. Love it. The food is great. I always have leftovers. The team is friendly. I go almost every time I visit Cambridge.

Really good, old school style Chinese restaurant. Food was tasty, service was good and they had clean toilets.

All the food are delicious, stir fried noodles and hogan is brilliant.

We always use Yim Express as it’s THE best Chinese restaurant in Cambridge. Our last meal was unusually disappointing and the main reason was because the normally delicious roast duck was marinated a different way to the usual way. Please please go back to the way it should and has been.

Delicious. My friends' favorite in Cambridge

Cozy little place and the food tasted great. The chicken feet was sweet and spicy, which is unexpected.

Just wonderful food and service. Simply the best Cantonese food in Cambridge and wider area. The duck is amazing.

As a cantonese, I can assure you this is the best cantonese restaurant I have eaten in the UK. I couldn't even find one quite like that after living in London for a decade. I only wish Yim Wah also open a branch in London 🥲 Came here with friends for lunch as we are visiting Cambridge for the day. I ended up getting some takeaway with me on the train back to London in the evening. Highly recommend their roast duck and pork combo. Will certainly return when I am in Cambridge again.

Delicious Chinese. Do try the boneless duck and custard dumplings!

We had some great crispy duck, sweet and sour chicken, and bok choy here! Great service, though the portions were smaller than we expected for family style dishes.

Really great food at an affordable price. We went in as a group of 4, and ordered 3 mains, one appetiser, one serving of egg fried rice (huge) and one chow mein. With 2 beers, this came to just under £20/head including 10% service. It was more than enough food. Oh, and the very generous portion of prawn crackers for just £2.50. The food was delicious. Deep fried tofu exactly as it should be, sizzling prawns, crispy roast pork belly were all delightful. But the star of the show was a chicken, aubergine and dried fish clay pot. I can't recommend it enough - it was fantastic. Add in a nice interior, a good location and wonderfully friendly and efficient service, and this comfortably earned its five stars. I'll be back.

What an absolute gem of a place. This is hands down some of the best Cantonese food I’ve had. The roast duck and crispy pork was simply delicious. We would make the 40 miles trip regularly just to eat at this place. The service staff greeted us in a friendly and warm manner and we were made to feel very welcome through the meal. I highly recommend coming to this restaurant if you live in Cambridge or visiting the area!

Whilst visiting Cambridge, we decided that a good Chinese meal was what we wanted. Following a little research, we decided on Yim Wah Express and what a great choice. This was our 1st time here, but not our last. The food was just amazing... we chose to have a set menu and this was a great way to enjoy a wide array of different foods. Everything was well prepared, well presented and well cooked. There were 4 of us here and each of us enjoyed the whole experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant for the food, service and atmosphere, however to top it all the price was also very reasonable.

Absolutely exceptional. The crispy pork is a must while the crispy noodles were some of the best I have had anywhere in China or the UK. Fast service, kind staff, good portion sizes (especially the soup). Although the wanton soup was not quite to my liking, the quality of the food was consistent, especially the crispy duck and pancakes, and the noodles. I strongly recommend this place.

The hostess with the mostest. Lovely food for a lunch time

Great Hong Kong food - all the Hong Kongers I know in Cambridge have high praise for Yim Wah!

Have eaten at this family operated business several times for both lunch and dinner. It is extremely good food. We sat next to a table of Chinese people who had driven from London to eat there on my first visit. Last night we had a huge variety of dishes for a family gathering and every single dish was unique in flavour and delicious. I can't recommend Yim Wah Express highly enough. Portions are generous and pricing is good for a city restaurant. Staff are very friendly and no requests are a bother. 10percent service charges are added to the bill but we were perfectly happy to oblige for such a lovely meal and great service. Can't wait to come back here again

Really nice food, each dish has its own distinct flavour, enjoyed it a lot. Would give it 4.5 if I could. Recommend!

係英國來講非常好味，食咗燒肉飯，燒鴨飯，咖喱牛腩飯，奶茶。好味過香港某些燒臘店好多, 杯奶茶又滑又好飲，非常正！

Really good Hong Kong-style restaurant. Go for the BBQ duck and Brisket.

Very typical Hong Kong restaurant (cha chan ting) atmosphere. Great food no matter dim sum, stir fry, or pots... Defo will revisit from time to time

It is an excellent food,very tasty, excellent services. When ever I visit Cambridge, I will not miss this food. Logan from London

Amazing restaurant, one of the best in Cambridge. Great food and very quick service.

Excellent place. Amazing food and service

Arguably the best roast duck I’ve ever tasted in UK, (best than those in China town of London)yet the price is so competitive! Perfect choice if you are looking authentic Cantonese food.

Yim Wah is an authentic gem in the heart of Cambridge! The chef is the patriarch, which means everything is just so good. The roasts displayed by the kitchen are our favourites. They serve proper dimsum and tasty meal dishes, with great service from the friendly staff. This is the best local Chinese place. Xie Xie!

Good authentic Chinese food served in simple setting. Ignore how it looks from outside.

So after seeing some other reviews (like authentic, good service etc.) I decided to go to Yim Wahs aswell. I am in cambridge on a business trip, but in my time here I was never THAT disappointed after a meal. When I came in the restaurant was fairly full, but the big tables were almost finished with eating. I got to my table and waited for the menu, which only showed up after I asked for it (strangly the asia couple that came long after me, got one immidiatly). OK, I let this slide as "it was hectic and only a small thing". Bad start, but well, happens. I ordered: "Hot&Sour soup", "Ha Gau" Dim Sum (""cryal prawn""), "Lava Custard Buns" and Mapo Tofu. I dont want to sound to harsh or unfair, but how do you managed to cook a "Hot and Sour" soup without ANY detecable flavor? There were three kinds of meats (shrimp, chicken, beef) in there but the only thing I could taste was a bit of pure vinegar. The rest was just water thickend with starch. I need to ask for chili oil to get a bit of "hot" in there (or maybe it was just the temperature of the soup not spicyness). The Lava Custard was surprisingly coconut flavored, with alot of orange food coloring AND unsolved sugar crystals. Not the best mouthfeel to just bite on raw sugar. But hey, until now its just starters, as long as the main dish is tasty, right? RIGHT? Well, the Mapo Tofu fit right into the menu, as it tasted very bland. Not hint of spicy or chili heat from it AT ALL. It was so bizzar, that I thought to myself at one point, that I have maybe corona and lost all sense of taste. But thanks to the cola and soja condiment I was rest assure, that this was not on my side. I have no idea why so many praise this restaurant. Its neither authentic, nor is it even good (sadly I would even say below average). I paid for the whole meal 31 pounds and cried after this huge waste. I could have gone 3 doors over to either Little Seoul or "The House" to have a better meal by far. Do yourself a favor and avoid eating here (and dont order either).

Ambience s cozy with aromatic food fragrance😅 service staff s quick n alert🤗👍 2 seat us(10 minutes wait) a party of 7 persons. Siew mai n har got n fried carrot cake were served 1st😋😋 amazingly delish with fresh ingredients😋😚 duck was crispy🤤 on d outside n juicy inside, came in a huge portion🤩😋 chicken looks simple with jz soy sauce but was crazily juicy🤤🤤 n tasty 😋😋 tofu with seafood s definitely worth ordering 😋🤭 yummylicious too, mapo tofu s jz ok, fried rice was served in a bucket n can b shared with 4 persons🤗. Beef brisket was served in a claypot with radish😋😋 soft n full of flavour😋😋 Overall, foods were served hot quickly n we finished im a flash 😂😋😋🤩😍 will definitely visit again soon 👍👌

Just a bit different to most Chinese restaurants and all the better for it! Lovely friendly service and a varied, interesting, copious menu. Good value for money and well worth a visit.

One of the best. They know how to cook meat and with some veggie selections. The main chef is very experienced( >40 yrs of experience) . The chicken ho fun is good, plus the salt and pepper squid with The garlic flakes.

The price has increased, portion has shrunk. Food used to be super amazing, but it's dangerously creeping down towards "OK"…please keep it back up!

The restaurant looks outdated, but it is clean. The food was tasty and the waiting time was not too long, which made it nice. Friendly stuff.

2022年1月1日光顧，舖頭没有休息，唯二點鐘才到點心選擇會少了些，質量不錯。

The food at Yim Wah is fantastic. I particularly recommend the roast meat and roast duck. The ambiance is not cosy, but this is often the case in places like this where they are 100% focused on the food.

Very affordable, high quality and big portions. I have nothing but good things to say about this place. We went in for dinner on Friday and there was ample seating and the food was very reasonably priced. Definitely recommend! Staff were very friendly.

Favorite chinese food in Cambridge. Great vegetarian options too!

We showed up a full half hour before our booked time, and despite the restaurant being busy, staff found us a table. Thanks for that, Yim Wah Express. The food here is a cut above many Chinese restaurants I've visited. Prawn toasts were crisp as can be, noodle dishes freshly-prepared. One of the chef's specials, fine green beans with chilli and minced pork, was something different and delicious. Tap water brought and then replenished - one of my signs of good service!

Very high quality proper Chinese like they don’t have much these days. We had traditional British Chinese food but some of the dishes coming out for a banquet table looked quite amazing.

Wonderful service, with really tasty food, the waitress wanted to make sure we were looked after.

I went with a Chinese friend for whom this was the first ever time of booking a table at a Chinese restaurant! We both enjoyed our lunch of soup, three meats, rice, dim sum and sauces.

Very good food and I would recommend the roasted meats and dry fried beef rice noodles BUT hugely let down but a young male server who rudely told me to “carry on waiting” after we had waited at least 20 mins for service. He ignored me when I asked to pay for the bill too. I understand the restaurant was busy, but his unprofessionalism puts the restaurant business at risk of losing customers. Poor show. Luckily the female server more than made up for it.

I went for an early lunch ( it opens at 11.30am). I ordered a Ho fun (rice sticks) with beef and black bean sauce. The meat was very tender, and the sauce was good. Service was prompt and polite.

Stunning food and loads of it! Big portions of authentic Chinese dishes. The chefs are older guys looking calm and skilled. It's a well managed operation. Try not to be put off by the lack of fancy decor. The price was really reasonable. The set menus are especially great value. The food never stopped arriving.

Best Chinese meal I’ve had in a long time, we will definitely go back. Service was warm and friendly and the food was excellent.

As soon as we walked in we knew this is a restaurant serving real Chinese food. Many Chinese people were eating and ducks are displayed. We ordered a small dish to share and it was good enough for us. We would absolutely come back if we have a chance.

not exactly inexpensive, but huge portions especially for the noodles and fried rice. in order of pictures: aubergine in chilli bean sauce - 10/10, insanely good. have it with white rice. chicken with garlic spring onion and chilli - 9/10 chicken fried rice - 6/10 crispy noodle with beef and black bean - 9/10, extremely generous with the beef, could be spicier thai style noodle with prawn - 7/10

Large party, the staff were excellent and food was amazing. Tables all set out perfectly. Enjoyed by all. Same place next year!!!

Always delicious! Excellent food and service. Can't recommend enough.

Authentic Cantonese cuisine. Their BBQs are very good. Reasonablelly priced and good portion.

Authentic & wonderful Cantonese dining place

It was quiet when we visited. Good friendly customer service. Food was very nice and fresh.

My favourite cuisine is Chinese food so since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease I’ve been so sad about not finding gluten free Chinese, and have tried a different restaurant that was GF but was rubbish. Yim Wah was amazing, just like the regular food but I didn’t get ill! The gluten free salt and pepper king prawns was some of the tastiest Chinese I’ve ever had even before being GF. Plus the staff knew what they were talking about when it came to this dietary info and were very friendly and helpful. My dad who can eat regular food and did also really enjoyed it so it’s obviously good for people without dietary requirements too, but we’re just so pleased to have found a Chinese that doesn’t make me ill! Please never close!