Yauatcha Restaurant London (Soho)

Went there for a family birthday. The food was great, especially the mixing of seafood with lychees and mango. Very interesting dishes, none of which you would ever see at Royal China. Decor was very modern, service was very attentive. Highly memorable experience.

by wondergurl8765, 10 Aug 2008

Mixed. Unlike some, I didn't find the food expensive at all, in fact I thought the value was excellent (wine maybe a bit pricey though). Service was reasonably good but unspectacular. General ambience was OK but not perfect - the layout is crowded, the decor is dated and uninspiring (especially downstairs). Remarkably for a teahouse, our tea was overheated - it seemed to have been boiled rather than heated only to sub-boiling point as it should be, which was surprising.

The key thing here is to go for the food, which is excellent. Apart from that, there is not a huge amount to recommend the place, although I must say that this is not a negative review at all. It's just tricky to see what's so special.

by bubbles, or john smith (2 reviews), 19 Jul 2008

My only regret is not to have had a table on the ground floor and time to taste the gorgeous desserts. I think the dessert display is a welcoming addition to a traditional teahouse and our waitress was great news in helping us take our order in Cantonese - that extra touch for a bit of homesickness!
All in all, great food and atmosphere (but a somewhat challenging seat if you are on the sofa end!). Will definitely be back for more whenever possible.

by weia (2 reviews), 11 Jul 2008

I don't know why some people are suggesting that the food here is expensive and the staff rude. For me, Yauatcha is one of the best restaurants in London (and I have visited a lot of restaurants around the world).

They always make you wait around 10 minutes before they seat you, therefore I always turn up about 10-20 minutes late so I can be seated straight away. I think the staff are amazing - they take your order promptly and they aren't excessively chatty, which suits me well. Regarding the prices, I think they are very fair considering the quality of the food and given that this is London after all. The food is certainly very tasty... a must for all dumpling lovers!

by ghaaloyouni, 08 Jul 2008

For those that miss the culinary treats of Hong Kong, don't give this restaurant a miss. I read an uncomplimentary review but neverthless decided to give it a try. I disagree with the original review, in as much as I have only encountered good service and pleasant staff. Unfortunately I live four hours' flight away, which impedes me from being a more assiduous guest. When in London, however, this is my first port of call.

by fiesta, 18 Jun 2008

A bit cramped but the food is great and reasonably priced. Had no problems with the service, they were really helpful. I'm vegetarian and found this place catered really well for my dietary requirements, offering plenty of choice.

by love_food, 11 Jun 2008

My favourite, especially the venison puffs. Young and vibrant without trying too hard.

by food1001.1, 16 Feb 2008

Yauatcha is the best place to relax and eat great food in London. Everything is fantastic, especially the macaroons and fancy pastries.

by juan, 28 Jan 2008

Loved the food - no complaints. However, it's not the most comfortable restaurant given the atmosphere and service. I'd say Royal China is as good, if not better, but for a better price and better service.

by zooeyg (6 reviews), 28 Jan 2008

Awful. If you want 'take-away' food with Burger King service in a cramped basement - but with Ramsay prices - you will love this place. I didn't.

by adrianbutter, 24 Jan 2008

For a Michelin-starred restaurant, we thought this was appalling. The food was good, however the standard of service was shocking. The waiters (there were about 15 of them milling around the table like flies) managed to get just about everything wrong. They brought the wrong food/drinks, took away the wine and didn't offer to refill the glasses until asked... the list goes on. The main problem with all this was, however, the attitude to it. No apology = annoyed customers. One Michelin star???

by jcrownshaw, 20 Jan 2008

The problem with this restaurant is the service. There are not enough waiters/waitressess and the way the food is served requires a lot of work (many small dishes one after the other). In our case they forgot two of our main courses and took the bill to our table before we asked for it. Further, the lack of wine coolers meant we had to ask someone to refill our glasses every time (don't think we were even once offered).

I have been there once on a Sunday afternoon as well and, as it was not very busy, the service was fine. The food was very good both times. However, overall I don't feel at all tempted to go back to be treated as if I were in a cafe.

by jborrero, 16 Jan 2008

It is far beyond funny to read through the comments below. And the stars given by visitors from one to five... thoughtful. I went there a few months ago (the negative comments did not hold me back!), and I loved it. The food was good, as well as the cocktails and the decor. No problem with the staff - especially when I booked my table on the phone - they were patient and helpful. Going to celebrate New Year there tonight! Just can't wait.

by astrid119, 31 Dec 2007

I went with 8 friends for a 30th birthday party. We pre-booked a table for 9pm on a Saturday evening and were eventually seated at 10.10pm! While we were waiting for our table we were not offered any drinks and had to ask a number of times for a drink. They eventually gave us a round on the house. The manager was incredibly apologetic but it still didn't excuse over an hour wait for a table.

The food, however, was great (the restaurant's only saving grace). Service was OK. The evening was completely ruined though, by the table next to us deciding to start filming us eating. Completely rude - I couldn't believe it.

Definitely won't be going back here to eat - EVER!

by shorty79, 17 Dec 2007

I love my dim sum and have been to lots of dim sum restaurants in London and some of the best in Hong Kong. I'd say some dim sum dishes at Yauatcha are good and some are below par. I love my duck pancakes (the big test for any restaurant) and cooked duck, but it is average in this place. The food here for some reason seems to have lost its authenticity. I was expecting powerful, full-of-taste flavours, which it did not deliver. Decidedly overpriced for what you get. Inside the restaurant is very clean and simple, but once you've seen it once you'd get bored coming back. To sum up, there are definitely better dim sum places to go to in this city.

by foodmaster, 14 Dec 2007

Went there this Saturday. Table was not ready when we arrived so had to wait 15 minutes before being seated. The food was nice and our waitress was useful. However, the evening was ruined when the staff decided to stop serving us because they needed the table. Even as we were paying our bill, a staff member came along to remind us to "vacate the table". Due to this, I have to say that I would not recommend this place. I would suggest Hakkasan where the food is similar, but the staff don't throw you out as soon as your seating is over!

by claudio218, 09 Dec 2007

Went there on Saturday for lunch. Nice food, though the menu descriptions could be clearer and the service was so-so. Decor is simple yet sophisticated and the colour scheme quite soothing. However, one big gaff - they'd run out of jasmine tea (on a Saturday)! Oops!

by rea "top london reviewer" (19 reviews), 13 Nov 2007

Yes, it may be expensive but hell, this is a great restaurant in central London. Have been several times now and service has always been great. Staff are polite (no "Have a nice day!" bullshit). I want my wait staff to serve, not start up conversation!

The food is faultless - venison puff is one of my all-time faves! Puddings are utterly to die for, and this is coming from somone who doesn't really like sweet things. Tea selection great too...

The styling is very cool, and what's wrong with wine in tumblers anyways? Just a wine glass without a stem... unfounded snobbery. Bill between three was in the region of £200, but that included a few bottles of very good vino.

by Catoe, 17 Oct 2007

Are you sure you went to the same restaurant as us? We were there on Friday 7th Sept. Table was booked for 8:00 but we managed to get squeezed in earlier with no problems. Staff were very attentive and polite at all times. Food was out of this world (yes, wine is expensive... I recommend the cocktails). I had shark fin soup, box dumpling and a prawn dish for my main. No complaints here, that's for sure. Food was cooked to perfection, prices were reasonable (and I'm not used to eating in what many have reviewed below as pretentious or what I consider 4-5 star restaraunts!)

Summary:
cost - bill for 2 came up to under £80 and both of us agreed it was definitely worth it;
location - in Soho so great for drinking etc;
ambience - chilled and very friendly;
decor - amazing (dark, but very cool indeed);
food - delicious;
staff - can't fault them.
As for those who moaned about the 2 hour sit down, what do you expect? - for what you're getting, turnover is going to be high.

Conclusion: if you want good food, definitely visit Yauatcha!

by NJ, 10 Sep 2007

Went on Tuesday 21 August. Had to wait 15 minutes before we were seated in spite of pre-booking. Waitress seemed rushed and had a job trying to get attention. Eventually gave orders. To our horror our wine was served in drinking tumblers and paid £37 for a NZ Chardonnay-rip off. Food ok but ambience souless with uncomfortable seats. Would never go again as too pretentious compared to good ol' China Town.

by Honest (2 reviews), 23 Aug 2007

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