Best Asian Food Restaurants in Hackney

"Late night serenades, a caviar menu and a dining room drenched in red velvet: dates don’t get much more glamorous than they do at Park Chinois. From the swoon-inducing live band to the bathroom taps shaped like gold swans, this Mayfair Chinese restaurant is an exercise in opulence, styled after the glamorous nightclubs of 1930s Shanghai. Intimate nights can be shared upstairs in the Salon de Chine, while dinner in the downstairs Club Chinois is accompanied by a high-kicking cabaret show – a dead cert for getting all concerned hot under the collar."

"The first thing to know about Alan Yau's Mayfair restaurant, inspired by the golden era of French chinoiserie and with more than a nod to old Hollywood glamour, is that it's beautiful. The second is that the live jazz is so good, the vibe so smoochy, it should have an X certificate - the world's first X-rated restaurant. And the third is the food."

"This sophisticated restaurant in the heart of Mayfair specializes in French Chinese cuisine. The era of 1930s Shanghai inspires the decor and there is live music, creating a vibran..."

"With a waterfall behind the bar and a giant gold-plated crocodile hanging on the wall, it’s hard not to get caught up in the glamour of Sexy Fish – a lavish pan-Asian brasserie with real “wow factor”. Eager staff in multi-coloured waistcoats attend to diners’ every need, delivering thrillingly fashionable food at heavyweight prices to an equally fashionable crowd peppered with celeb faces. Wagyu ganku rolls come topped with white miso and black truffle, while scallops are pepped up with jalapeño sauce and pickled green apple, although the biggest hits are elsewhere – witness tender, honey-glazed duck breast sharpened with kimchi and pickled daikon or sticky pull-apart pork ribs from the robata grill dressed with green onions and chilli."

"Arguably the city’s most flamboyant restaurant, Richard Caring’s Sexy Fish is a sight to behold. Apparently it cost £15 million to produce – which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has stepped inside. With bronze Damien Hirst-designed bronze mermaids adorning the bar, a coral reef ceiling, a giant gold-plated crocodile on display and walls running with water, the space feels like some kind of mystical, underwater-inspired wonderland."

"A delivery, Deliveroo-only kitchen — so proceed informed — which adds a regionally diverse option to a share of good Cantonese options in west London. A crimson, brooding mapo tofu is excellent, with skewers of barbecued lamb or chicken holding up surprisingly well; skip the noodle dishes and seriously consider the pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings."

"The Garden at 120 is the City of London’s latest rooftop spot, offering free entry without the need to pre-book. The location sits above the multi-colored crown of Fen Court and offers views to the South, East and West. The North offers an amazing close-up view of Gherkin tower."

"The philosophy at Momo Canteen is simple: authentic Asian flavours without any compromise. And since 2010 that's exactly what they've delivered. As well as China, their influences stretch to Korea, Vietnam and Thailand, serving some of the best street-food delights this side of South-East Asia."

"Secluded in one of the labyrinthine side streets behind Goodge Street tube station, this chic, cosy vegetarian café has tempting displays of colourful salads, hot dishes, cakes and pastries by the entrance; and a miniscule seating area at the back. Originally set up by a father and son duo, the venue shut down for a few months last year, and has recently reopened with a new owner. It’s notable for currently being the only vegetarian venue in London to showcase cooking with broadly Ottolenghi-esque Middle Eastern influences."

"Restaurants Chinese Soho. The original of a Sichuan gang that also includes BaoziInn, Barshu is a refreshing change from Chinatown’s mostly Cantonese restaurants. Come here for prairie tripe, fragrant and hot pig’s trotters, stir-fried chicken gizzards with pickled chilli and other fiery tongue-tinglers – just remember to have plenty of soothing tea on tap."

"Chinatown, like the indomitable village in Asterix, has largely held out against the culinary renaissance that has transformed the capital into the roiling galaxy of restaurants, tasting rooms and trend-infused “concepts” that it is today. To go into Soho, to those identikit MSG joints feels like a throwback to the Dark Ages. Leave it to the tourists, right?"

"You might think Bar Shu – adorned with slatted blinds, latticed woodwork and tasselled lanterns – was a sweet-and-sour honeytrap for Soho tourists; but you'd be missing out on possibly the best Sichuan food in... Top ChoiceBritish in East London"

"Brothers Barney and Gabriel set up their bakery biz just a month into the first lockdown and now they’ve got their very own shop off Portobello Road. And their savoury buns feature some of faves stuffed into a buttery croissant bun. Think the brunch classic of eggs royale and a chicken caesar lunchtime staple, to a taco bun fully loaded with chipotle pulled chicken, guacamole and sour cream."

"Picky kids need not worry because Battersea's London House is letting them feast on a delicious selection of treats. From meatballs and pasta and sausage and mash, to a sweet and sticky chocolate brownie, every taste can be catered for."

"You will find a paddling pool and water splash area as well as a family enclosure. There is also a zip line, boating lake and playground, and a light railway."

"Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London are my personal recommendations for travellers interested in English history, though a walk by Buckingham Palace might be a better place to spot one of the royals (or at least some handsome guards!). Art-lovers can spend hours inside the Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery, while theater-goers will want to buy tickets for Shakespeare’s Globe or the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Walking through one of London’s numerous parks is also an option, and so is admiring the architecture of Tower Bridge, the Gherkin, or St. Paul’s Cathedral. In the evenings, have some fish and chips in a pub or enjoy London’s multicultural dining options."

"The Westminster Abbey Museum, or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, sits 52 feet above the abbey floor in the 13th century triforium. Guests will take in incredible views of the abbey as they climb the Weston Tower to the museum. The secret space that houses the galleries was hidden for more than 700 years."

"Richmond Park is right in the midst of Greater London but covering 2500 acres of land, you feel instantly transported to the middle of the countryside. The largest of London’s 8 royal parks, it has a long history linked to the royal family since the 13th Century. Richmond Park is a National Nature Reserve and London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest."

"Richmond Park can be found in the attractive South-West London town of Richmond. This is the largest of the Royal Parks in London encompassing various landscapes including woodlands, grasslands, ponds and even hills. The park also has an area of 700-year-old Oak trees and Isabella Plantation which is an organically designed woodland garden."

"The highest point in Richmond Park affords uninterrupted views of the London skyline. This is the largest of the Royal Parks where you will be able to observe wild deer running freely. Be sure to visit the Isabella Plantation, an ornamental woodland garden full of exotic plants."

"They’re not the most anatomically accurate dinosaur sculptures ever made, but from 1854 they are the world’s first – and youngsters go crazy for them. They, like the fiendish maze (considerably less fiendish in winter when the hedges are bare), were among the many attractions of the cutting-edge Victorian pleasure grounds created to surround the Crystal Palace, relocated from Hyde Park (no.22) to the top of Sydenham Hill. Not all have survived; the palace itself burnt down in 1936 – but the simple pleasures that remain, combined with many later additions (including an urban farm and skatepark), make for a charming and idiosyncratic park."

"No mere park, this was originally brought to life as a Victorian Pleasure Ground. Among its attractions are lakes, a maze, their famous world-first dinosaur models (which, despite exaggerated rumours of their demise, are still in place) and the Italian terraces, which survived the fire that destroyed the Crystal Palace. There's also the 'rusty laptop' concert stage, on the site Bob Marley once played, but it's sadly underused, and perhaps more interesting as an oddity of architecture."

"Last but certainly not least is the reptile ruling Crystal Palace Park. A real adventure in South East London, with a lovely cafe, multiple paths to follow and some massive stone lizards, making this park a little more exciting than your average hang out!. Now why not check out"

"The Xi’an Chinese cooking that has made chef Wei Guirong — an alumnus of Sichuanese restaurant Barshu in Chinatown—a star of London dining, is now at home in Bloomsbury. Master Wei is Guirong’s first solo project — following her joint venture, Xi’an Impression by the Emirates Stadium in Highbury, a tiny restaurant which has rightly earned cult status among lovers of regional Chinese food in the capital. At Master Wei the focus is on the region’s flour-foods, mianshi: peerless biang biang noodle dishes, with vegetables or beef and hot chilli oil; fine liang pi, cold skin noodles with a cool, refreshing, umami rich dressing, and the chef’s inimitable “burgers” with a cumin-spiced beef or pork filling."

"Renowned for their signature thick noodles, Master Wei is up there with Chinatown's finest for top-notch bowls and traditional bites. Opt for a beef or veggie biang biang or branch out and get your chops around a pulled pork burger to see for yourself why it's arguably the best Chinese takeaway in the city. When you can't decide, it seems the only option is both..."

"Guirong Wei’s Qishan-style hand-pulled noodles are an elite cold weather food, a crimson slurp of sour, hot soup with a mottling of chilli oil clinging to its surface. It almost makes the heaters at her Bloomsbury restaurant unnecessary — almost, but they’ll ensure that the only cold skin on show is the liang pi noodles."