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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Bayswater (Circle, District)
Queensway (Central)
Mon-Thu 0:00 - 23:30
Fri-Sat 0:00 - 0:00
Sun 0:00 - 23:00
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Make sure you reserve a table; it'll save you a lot of time. The place was packed out when my friends and I went there. We'd booked a table and had to wait for about 10-15 more minutes, and even then we leapfrogged the people in the queue that hadn't booked in advance, so I don't know how long they had to wait...
Like everyone says, the roast duck is great. I think it's a stretch to say it's the best in the world though. That honour would have to be reserved for a place in Beijing (you can never replicate something in another country perfectly). However, it certainly is a great roast duck, is better than many places I ate at in China and could well be the best in London.
Plus of course, it's authentic chinese food, not british-adapted chinese food :). We need more places like that in London.
Seriously? Apart from some good duck this was a lousy dinner. Average Chinese food, dirty tables that wobble and pushy brusque wait-staff.
We beat the feverish queue by booking ahead and were seated instantly. Time to relax and chat with old friends? Nope - time to be brow-beaten into ordering ASAP. TIME TIME TIME. No Time To Spare!
Starters of poor spring rolls and mediocre soft-shell crab were forgiven by lovely crispy aromatic duck pancakes, but nothing that we couldn't get at somewhere more civilised. Pancakes gone and we were left with braised aubergine, rice and veg that looked like regular canteen schlop. Not the appetising far east delicacies I felt promised by such a high Yelp score.
As well as the hurried, slapdash and loud atmosphere, another Four Seasons classic is the random bill at the end, with no breakdown of costs, just Chinese scribbles. Beware that you optional service charge has already been added to this without warning.
There are some plus points. It's cheap. The full-time orange slices are amazingly juicy and sweet. And best of all, the table changes when you move from starter to main and mains to bill are a work of art. Two wait-staff in unison will transform your table in seconds like a Ferrari Grand Prix team doing a tyre-change.
Best duck I've ever had. Amazing sauce. The other food is excellent also. This is instantly clear as the restaurant is packed with all sorts of people in stark contrast to the half dozen other Chinese restaurants on Queensway. I also think it's completely comparable with the best Chinese food I've had in China and in the US.
Most importantly, it met with the approval of my Chinese parents who now don't want to eat anywhere else in London except there...
I hated this place...
Lousy staff, bleh decor..
We came in with 6 in our party (Aug 9, 2010). They stuck us in the dungeon and forgot about us.
We ordered a family style dinner. After the aps, we asked about the rest of our food. We were told it was coming. After 20 more minutes and several requests for updates we decided to leave. (hmmm, all the Chinese families seated around us seemed to get their food quickly...)
They then tried to bill us for a bunch of other food we never received, ordered, or even knew about.
The discussion turned into a yelling match in the middle of their restaurant after which our server busted out, "I no speak English". Seriously, you were fine with English up until this point. Now you don't speak any english when I need to speak to your manager?!?!?
Stupid trick...
So, the manager took us outside and we further discussed the matter. Seems like the manager didn't know we made numerious requests for the rest of our food. The server told him we wanted to skip out on our bill which wasn't the case. We just wanted to pay what we'd owed.
Long story short, we ate down the street...
And I made of point of telling ever tourist that was looking at their menu of my story... Turned away at least 30 people in that 15 minutes I finished up my cig...
My wife and I went there last week for dinner. The buzz around the roasted duck lured us to this restaurant we never visited before.
First of all: the great reputation for the roast duck is absolutely well deserved. The balance between the crispy crust, the very, very tender meat, and the sweet soy sauce, is really close to be perfect. No surprise they roast hundreds of ducks every day. We also had some very good shrimp dumplings topped with a very spicy sauce - we liked it. We also had squid in soy sauce, very good as well. Everything in generous portions.
The restaurant is always fully packed, so just a couple of hiccups did not spoil our visit at all. We ordered some Singapore style spicy noodles, we got some other noodles, good but not what we ordered. They took us the Singapore noodles, and said they won't have charged the first ones got by mistake. We also ordered a bottle of mineral water, that we never received.
In any case, we tend to focus sooo much on the food, and it was good and great value. When in London we will return, and we recommend this restaurant to you Yelpers!
What is this bullshit about the best duck in the world? FT, go to CHINA AND HAVE A DUCK ANYWHERE IN BEIJING OR GUANGZHOU. Or even....try San Francisco or LA.
The duck is good. But I could find duck just as good selling for 5-7 pounds (WHOLE DUCK) in the Bay Area. I'm a spoiled San Fran brat because we Californians actually have good Chinese food unlike ANYWHERE IN EUROPE WHY WHY WHY. Ugh. I've given up on London. I thought that at least London would have decent Chinese food, but no. It's expensive. And the best I can find is "ok"...like Four Seasons.
Basically, this place is like any cheap, small hole in the wall Cantonese restaurant you can find lined up on the streets of Oakland California....except double the prices (not EVEN taking into account the exchange rate). You know, this is the place you go to get a good beef ho fun after drinking too much in SF. Incidentally, Four Seasons makes the best beef ho fun I've had in the UK....which is sad because how hard is it to make beef ho fun? Not very (which is why every hole in the wall in SF can...)
3 stars because for London, it's good.
I recently made my second trip to this restaurant while on a trip to London for a wedding. Of course I ordered some duck dishes with the people I was with.
Basically, if you come to this place and don't order the duck, you shouldn't be allowed back. If you don't like duck, try it at this place and see how you feel. If you still don't like duck, your loss.
YUM. YUMMY. YUM. YUM.
A total Roast Duck Win. Except it was a little burnt on a couple of pieces. The duck was succulent and super crispy skin.
I found the waitress who served me very friendly, but it was very quiet and she was complaining of bad business due to the snow, so I am going to go back for more today! Hopefully my roast duck obsession can keep them in business! (but no good for my diet!)
Unfortunately they don't have soured plum sauce, which to me is a Cantonese roast duck milestone, so minus one star for that. Oh and no peanuts. Poop.
Listed in: Trust me, my tongue was "made…, My favourite places to eat in…
One of the best places in London for roast duck! The portion we had today was juicy, succulent, tasty... Couldn't ask for more.
I like it here because it us busy and bustling. The food is always nice - my favourites are the roast duck (obviously!), the Japanese tofu with enoki mushrooms, Cantonese sizzling beef and Chinese broccoli with prawn cakes. Mmm...
The downside of a busy place is that service can be chaotic and you may have to wait a while for a table. Today was fairly pleasant as we didn't have to wait too long. In addition, while the staff wanted to move us to a smaller table to allow a larger group to sit down (which in my opinion, is just terribly efficient), they were polite and apologetic about it and it was no hardship to us. The manager also came along to (indirectly) compliment my coat, which did cause the rest of my group to question their own style sense!
I like coming here because turnaround is quick, the food yummy and there is no fuss.
Listed in: Best Noodles in the World
I went to Four Seasons to try the roast duck, which the FT described in a review a couple of weekends ago as possibly the best in the world. I haven't tried all the roast duck in the world (although I'm working on it), but this duck was indeed, by any standard, stupid-delicious. The skin was thin and crispy, the meat tender, and it came smothered in a perfectly-sweet, not-too-salty soy sauce.
But that's not all. The other dishes we ordered were great too. The hot and sour soup was actually pretty spicy, which it almost never is anywhere else, and it was full of little treats and prizes that you don't usually find in there, like shrimp and fish cakes, along with the usual veggies and shredded pork. The house fried noodles and sizzling bean curd with mixed seafood were similarly full of goodies, and all the seafood was really fresh.
I just finished the rest of the leftover duck for dinner, and am happy.
I've been trying to find an authentic and affordable Chinese restaurant since I first arrived in London; and this place takes the cake!
What we ordered:(2 people, yes we are fat pigs)
Gai lan with oyster sauce - I love this veggie
Roasted duck (very succulent, flavourful, but a bit on the fatty side)
Sweet and Sour pork - okay
Fried pork dumplings - filling was yummy but the skin was too doughy
Service was ok, not too bad for Chinese restaurant. Lots of chinese people eating here which is always a good sign.
Will come back again, but maybe order less food. =)
YEAH! not used to paying so much for Chinese food, but my cousin took me here and SHE paid - so that was cool. But my last meal in London was something a little closer to my ethnic roots - and as it was a cold night, having hot, succulent slices of duck meat paired with stir-fried noodles was quite welcome. The duck here is sublime, and I say this as a person who, in the past, was like, "meh" about duck. Now I find myself thinking, "God that was great duck. Where can I find more duck like that."
Highly highly highly recommended - GET THE DUCK.
yup, the duck is yum-town.
As we left the underground station and headed to our hotel, we couldn't help but notice the crowd of people standing outside this restaurant.
We come to find out they're known for their roast duck; so, we decided to give them a shot. As the family waited outside, I walked up and down Queensway looking at all the shops and knickknacks. About 40 mins later we were finally seated.
We ordered the Aromatic duck as well as the Roast duck. Both were just OK. I prefer the Roast duck in Los Angeles. The skin is crispier and the flavor is all around... better.
The service -- although fast, wasn't that great... but what can you expect in a Chinese Restaurant.
Great Roast duck, Great BBQ pork Awesome veggies. I have been going here every time I go back on vacation. We usually rent an apartment in the Kensington area, by tradition our first dinner is usually here. The food is consistently good. Service could be better, I don't blame the waiters, this place is packed and can get very NOISY at times.Sometimes the queue spills onto the street.
As much as I look forward to my next vacation in London, I look forward to my first dinner at Four Seasons.
The good:
Very nice roast duck.
Excellent pak choi / kailan in crab sauce
Consistent quality over the 8 years I have frequented this restaurant.
The bad:
There is always a queue at meal times (though this is a good sign).
The staff can be quite surly.
The Four Season Restaurant in London's Queensway don't mess around when it comes to roast ducks.
Just across the street from the Bayswater tube stop, this Chinese restaurant gives out the roast duck aroma that you can smell from a block away. If you don't know restaurant's exact location, just look for the long lines outside the restaurant. Lines continue to form even on those cold London winter days. That tells you how seriously yummy the ducks are.
If you go, order the roast duck, BBQ pork and a dish or two of stir fried vegetables and that's all you need. The ducks are roasted to perfection with a thin layer of crispy skin that I wish I could just skim off the skin and eat it like potatoes chips. The meat is still juicy and moist and it is served hot with the most addicting duck sauce that the chef saved from the ducks drippings. Drizzle the sauce over rice and you'll find yourself going back for seconds and thirds.
Is a simple Chinese restaurant, but the food is authentic, very delicious and the price tag is modest. And like typical Chinese restaurants, the table service is spotty and you have to speak over all the noises when the restaurant is full. But I don't go there expecting Savoy's level of services, I go there because I love their roast ducks.
Listed in: London
This is the original Four Seasons restaurant - another branch has opened recently in Chinatown. It is famous among the Chinese community for having the best roast duck in town and the long queues snaking out of the door at the weekends attest to that fact. Apparently, their famous roast duck chef left last year but that doesn't seem to have diminished any of its popularity.
Now, just to clarify matters. Roast duck are the birds hanging up for display on the shopfront. Crispy aromatic duck is the deep fried duck starter served with pancakes, cucumber and plum sauce and is a peculiarly English dish - you can't find this in the Far East. Peking duck is another starter which has a much more elaborate preparation including the use of a bicycle pump to separate the skin from the flesh to ensure a crispy finish and is usually served in several courses.
Four Seasons is famous for its roast duck and I love watching the chefs expertly dissecting the duck to feed the seemingly never endless queues of eager customers in the restaurant and waiting for takeaway. It fascinates me to watch any expert wield their tool of choice and the way the chefs use their huge meat cleavers to de-bone the duck is amazing. I just stand and watch at the window for ages sometimes.
At busy periods, make sure that you leave your name and party size with the waiter just inside the door so you're in the queue for a table. Takeaway is also done in the cramped area just inside the door, so make sure you're not claustrophobic!
The service is brisk as it has to be in such a popular place. You're offered the duck on or off the bone, which is fairly unique in my experience - they charge more for de-boning. There is also the usual Ango-Canto fare in a full menu but most people come for duck.
So, is it the best duck in London? It's among the best but I find the accompanying sauce a bit too sweet.
Listed in: London Oriental Oral Delights
This place was highly recommended by just about everyone, and I was a bit hesitant to try the duck since I had duck the previous night and wanted to start my "healthier" eating habits initiative today...BUT i couldn't help myself. As I watched the man in the windo chop the juicy duck, I had to try it..so I did, and it was well worth it.
Other than the sumptuous and delectable duck, I ordered the seafood noodle dish, which was AMAZING.
The only reason it didn't receive a five-star rating was the simple reason ore: customer service.....service was FAST, but that's about it.
This is definitely a gem outside of touristy Chinatown. A London resident took me to this place, says it's famous for its roasted duck. We got there and as I expected, there was a queue although I didn't expect to wait an hour for a table since most Chinese restaurants have the ability to move patrons quickly, but I guess it was just the timing.
Once we were seated, everything was good. We were attended to immediately. We ordered the duck, some bbq pork, a stir-fry vegetable dish, belly pork claypot and soup. The food came out quickly and everything was very yummy! The duck was definitely worth the wait!
What can I say? Used to travel from Oxford to London just to get the duck. You cannot miss it. Of course, as in any other good Chinese place, service is rather weak but as soon as you have the first bite of that addictive duck you won't mind the service at all - it could be served by Seinfeld's Soup Nazi and it would still be the best!
Like most people I find it very difficult to navigate the labyrinth that is Chinatown. Restaurant's could be good, bad or awful and from the outside there is absolutely no way of telling. The general technique I apply is to find a queue and join it. This is how I stumbled on Four Seasons.
After a short wait we were directed up a very narrow staircase to what felt like it should be some body's living room. There must have been forty people in this tiny space but the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing because of it. With a reputation for being specialist's in 'Crispy Duck' we felt it would be bad of us not to give it a try. The duck was delicious and everything you would expect from a great Chinese restaurant. Our other course, Kung Po Prawns was also very nice, if a little too sweet for my tastes. If you're ever in the same situation as me and worrying which restaurant to go to in Chinatown, I'd recommend the Four Seasons over any of the others I've tried. Maybe don't take your vegetarian friends though, the meat display in the window might be a bit too much...
I came to Four Seasons with out of town work colleagues for dinner, and I was surprised to see a long queue of people inside and outside the joint. My colleagues were raving about the duck and apparently, that is the main attraction about the place. While I'm not a huge fan of duck, I'll still have my fill of confit du canard from time to time. We ordered various vegetable and seafood dishes, and of course, duck! One thing I took away from Four Seasons is that it contributed to upgrading my opinion of Cantonese cuisine in London. Every dish we ordered there was delicious and well prepared and service was quick. I recommend Four Seasons for those who want to brave some Chinese cuisine outside Chinatown.
I was not impressed - but not by the service like everyone else says. The food was simply not very good - even the duck! Everything was VERY greasy, even for Chinese food.
I know duck is a fatty meat, so I was expecting that. But it was cold and not all that flavorful. For "the best duck in the city" I was completely unimpressed
Noodles were greasy and tasted okay for the first few bites then just got weird. Cantonese Beef (I think) was fine but no better than chinese you would get from one of those street vendors in Camden. Same with the egg rolls - tasted like the same ones you'd buy in the freezer section and were like sponges of grease.
There are a ton of other Chinese places right in the area.... no reason to have to wait around at this one when it gets busy. I wont be going back.
I have been to Four seasons so many times, and I have never been surprised to find a queue of people outside and there is only one reason for this, the duck in this place is second to none, so succulent and tasty. Writing this is even making my mouth water. It honestly is delicious.
However, in contrast, the service in this place is terrible, the staff make no qualms in letting you know that once you have finished your food (in my case it is always the duck), they want you out. It's a struggle for them to smile but even in me knowing this, I still go back, as so many do. The duck is out of this world.
As for the décor, there is nothing special inside, just tables and chairs. It is a small restaurant, but I have heard that they will be expanding as there really is a demand for it.
Simply, this is the greatest tasting duck I have ever had. I had a lot of duck growing up as my dad once had a shop on the edge on Chinatown, and I had it for lunch many a time, so I know what a good duck is.
Thumbs up, 10 out of 10, go Four Seasons. My advice would be to go in a large group so that the staff do not give you looks to hurry you out.
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