Chinatown in London is an absolute must visit for tourists, foodies and literally anyone really who is looking for a good time. The area is absolute vibes. Located next to and around Soho, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and Leicester Square it can easily be combined with these Central London hotspots for a nice day out in London. For us Halal Explorers, there are some really good halal food options in Chinatown (click here to read), but this post is dedicated to the best desserts you can get in Chinatown. My sweet teeth just had to. For this post I have strictly kept it to Chinatown only, so the spots highlighted below are within the boundaries of what is considered Chinatown (Shaftesbury Avenue, Rupert Street, Charing Cross Road, and Leicester Square). This means that I have excluded the likes of Xing Fu Tang and Cha Cha Roll, because they are technically not in Chinatown even though they are literally footsteps away. Xing Fu Tang, by the way, still do the best bubble tea in town for me. Anyways, let’s get on with this ultimate Chinatown dessert list!
Summarised list:
- Baked goodies from Chinatown Bakery or Bake
- Vanilla mille crepe from Kova (and bubble tea)
- Matcha sundae from Tsujiri
- Ube bilog from Mamasons
- Bubble waffle from Bubblewrap
- Custard bun from Bun House
- Macoron ice cream sandwich from Yolkin
- Brown sugar soufflé pancake from Hefaure
- Icy taro ball from Meet Fresh
- Double skin milk from Five Friends
Detailed list with more information on the stores:
1. Chinatown Bakery
There’s only one place to start really. Sitting bang in the middle of Chinatown (where there are outside benches) is this fairly small but goodie-packed Chinese bakery. This bakery is like no other – the offerings will truly fascinate you and push your boundaries. My best recommendation will just be to go in, explore and pick up what you like the look of. There are sweet and savoury options as well as drinks and snacks. The good thing about this place is that they list the ingredients of all the items, so you know exactly what you can and can’t consume (for dietary restrictions). However, they could make it clearer what is suitable for vegetarians and what isn’t for example as sometimes you may miss it in the ingredient list.
Suggested things to try:
- Custard Bun, Pandan cake or Swiss roll.
Alternative shops
- Bake – a similar bakery that offers something unique – a Taiyaki waffle with ice cream filling – very good!
2. Kova Patisserie
This cute little spot combines Japanese and French dessert ideas and the result is immaculate. The Chinatown branch is tiny and it is takeaway only. Their selection of cakes are on show at the front (with the mille crepes being the most popular of their offerings). Their Matcha Mille Crepe is possibly their most famous item and the Earl Grey version also looks and sounds interesting. However, we aren’t big matcha fans, so we opted for the vanilla one. Spoiler alert: it is my favourite thing on this list! Soooo goooood! Many also claim that they do the best bubble tea in Chinatown (mind you there are many bubble tea options in the area).
Suggested things to try:
- Mille Crepe, Dirty Milk Boba, Strawberry Sando (not available in the Chinatown branch)
Alternative shops
- Sakurado – they specialise in mille crepes. Yunique for bubble.
3. Tsujiri
Tsujiri is a traditional Japanese tea house that specialises in matcha desserts. If matcha is your thing, this has to be your number one spot in Chinatown for dessert. They’ve been around since 1860 (in Japan), so they definitely know what they are doing and there is a feeling of class and elegance in the place. As mentioned before, we aren’t big matcha fans, so we opted for their famous sundae, but changed the matcha soft serve to black sesame. It was delicious and unlike any other sundae we’ve ever had. Some unique and wonderful things were found in the sundae including surprising toasted rice deep inside – this added great texture and flavour.
Suggested things to try:
- Tsujiri Sundae
4. Mamasons
This place needs no introduction. I’ve done a post on them – please click it out below.
Suggested things to try:
- Ube Bilog
5. Bubblewrap
This particular spot can claim to be the one that popularised the quintessential Hong Kong street food staple, the bubble waffle, in London. It all started out as a university project and then before you know it, it became a viral sensation. There wouldn’t be a day you’d go past this shop in Chinatown and not see a painstakingly long queue. They have some classic flavour combos (they all look appealing). This time we opted for the Chinese New Year special they currently had on offer, which was the HK Milk Tea Combo: it was made of the Original Bubblewrap Waffle, Hong Kong Milk Tea Gelato, Boba & Salted Creme Cheese. And it was as delicious as it was pretty! If you like bubble tea, then this is a must for you, you’ll love this! It was everything you’d want in a dessert. Fluffy and airy bubble waffles, ice cream with strong tea flavour, and the sweet and chewy tapioca pearls. It’s not overwhelmingly filling either as the waffle bubbles are light due to them being airy on the inside. Winner!!
Suggested things to try:
- Choose the waffle of your choice. There are a number of combos to choose from and some seasonal combos too.
6. Bun House
This spot specialises in steamed buns. For dessert though, you’re coming here for one thing and one thing only: the custard bun! It’s a cute steamed bun filled with hot runny custard. The size is small and something you can easily consume even after a full day of eating. The custard inside is super hot, so it is advisable to split it open (for practical reasons as well as the obligatory TikTok video shot). Be careful though, it will get messy. This was my wife’s favourite thing on this list. I loved it too, but I think I would prefer the custard to be thicker, so it would be less messy.
Suggested things to try:
- Custard Bun
7. Yolkin
Yolkin is an ice cream parlour with a twist. The idea came about because the founder, Sammie Le, did not want to waste egg yolks after her baking sessions. That’s where the name comes from too – yolk-in. Then, one thing led to another and the end creation is a super innovative and cute ice cream macaron sandwich. I’ll let the pictures do the talking for this one. You get to choose your own ice cream flavour and they have a few unique ones to choose from. We opted for pandan and it was delicious!
Suggested things to try:
- Choose your own macaron and ice cream flavour. Flavours change frequently.
8. Hefaure
Japanese soufflé pancakes have been the talk of town for a while now. These guys here definitely serve up one of the best versions in town. I would strongly urge you to not go for what everyone else is getting (i.e. the biscoff or kitkat one), but to go for the brown sugar tapioca pearl one. It is life changing. Warm Japanese soufflé pancake + warm brown sugar tapioca pearls + cold cream. Fluffy. Creamy. Chewy. Tell me this ain’t genius. I dare you.
Suggested things to try:
- Brown sugar bubble soufflé
Alternative shops
- Cha Cha Roll – just footsteps outside of Chinatown.
The final two spots on this list are more traditional desserts. So, it may not suit everyone’s palates.
9. Meet Fresh
Meet Fresh specialise in authentic Taiwanese desserts. They have a unique variety of desserts that you’ll probably not find anywhere else. The icy taro ball is one of the most popular options here and is perfect to beat off the summer heat. There’s also a hot option for the winter. Be sure to check out there menu to try something different.
Suggested things to try:
- Icy Taro Ball
10. Five Friends Desserts
This is as authentic and traditional as it gets to be honest. Straight from China (with over 500 stores there), this Cantonese dessert spot, is offering authentic and wonderful Chinese desserts to the people of London. Similar to the one above, I would urge you to check out their menu to really try something different (especially if you’re tried of bubble tea and ice cream). We went for the class double skin milk, which can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty (many centuries ago). This Cantonese dessert has truly survived the test of time proving its quality.
Suggested things to try:
- Double Skin Milk
Important to note:
With the exception of Mamasons, all the shops on this list are not exclusively halal. So, do double check on the day you are there as to what is appropriate for the halal diet.
Getting there
Nearest station: Leicester Square
Nearest mosque: Muslim World League Goodge Street (10 minute walk)
Parking: Ossulston Street – free evenings and weekends – plenty of parking spaces on Sundays – about 20-30 min walk from Soho/Chinatown, but it is just outside congestion zone
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