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    Kowloon

    2.8 (60 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese, Bakeries, Buffets
    Open 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Kowloon Photos

    KOWLOON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Very loud
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Kowloon

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    Reviews With Photos

    Ambrose C.

    As a non-European visitor to London, one of the most frustrating things about visiting this amazing city is finding an decent and inexpensive place to eat while on a tight budget. Fortunately, London's Chinatown seems to be the neighbourhood my family and I turned to whenever we did not want to spend more than £7 on a dish. I came to this Chinese bakery recently with my friend and we got a few snacks. We got some Daan Taat (egg tarts), Gai Mei Bau (Cocktail bun), and some Coconut tarts. Each piece was around 90 pence, which is fairly inexpensive for an expensive city like London. The Daan Taat was pretty good, tasted almost exactly the same as some of the best Daan Taat in Boston's Chinatown. The Gai Mei Bau was also pretty good and a couple pieces could make a filling breakfast. Inside was fairly sweet and the bun itself was soft and chewy. It tasted almost exactly the same as some of the best Gai Mei Bau in New York's Chinatown. As for the Coconut tarts, they were also pretty tasty, and I enjoyed the sweet coconut flavour. I also came back for a second visit to get a Cha Siu Bau (Roasted Pork Bun). It was probably the most expensive version I had to pay for it (about £1.70), but this is London. However, it was fairly big compared to the versions I had back in Boston and about the same size as the ones I had in Toronto and New York City. The bun was pretty tasty, soft and chewy on the outside, and meaty and flavourful on the inside of the bun. Overall, this is a pretty good place to get some inexpensive Chinese bakery staples in London's Chinatown, and I would probably come back again if I do not want to spend more than £4 on breakfast or lunch.

    Qype User (Timina…)

    Kowloon Bakery is an institution, and the frenzy of the queues of people - Chinese and other - trying to order some pork buns and sweet lotus cakes are proof of it. They make all manner of pastries, sweet and savoury. Slide in the front door, try to keep your place in the group of customers yelling out orders and pointing at the shelves, and you'll leave with some exceptionally tasty treats. They've recently renovated and expanded the bakery.

    Jed C.

    Well I promised my girlfriend I would cook her dinner tonight. However, what with alot of recent excitement in and around my flat, I didn't actually find the time to shop for delicious fresh food for my delicious fresh girlfriend (forgive the crass analogy, just turning phrase for your pleasure!) so after we did some shopping in Chinatown, I said I would take her to an all you can eat buffet. What followed was a dark chapter in my life as a restaurant connoisseur. Chinatown is an exciting place, especially for a first timer like me, but I was insistant on finding myself an all-you-can-eat as opposed to other restaurants where I couldn't eat myself to insensitivity for relatively cheap prices.. I eventually came across this place for £8.50 a meal and I was, as I usually am, easily satisfied. Pulling my girlfriend in, I asked for a table for two and was led to a table for eight and just placed there. Slightly perturbed, I took my seat but was told to in fact sit in a specific two-person bit of this eight-person table. Interesting... So I sat down. I was immediately asked what I would like to drink and I waited to see what my girlfriend wanted - simply because of the unwritten rule I employ when dining with a girl.. always let them order drinks first. I always get tap water (restaurant drink prices are just criminal) so that it doesn't make me look cheap when I order tap water after they order themselves something exciting.. however, at this restaurant, they told me that tap water wasn't an available service.. the menu listed everything from water to fizzy drinks at £1.50 and I thought Christ, that's expensive. I decided (unwisely, as it turned out) to order the same as my girlfriend, Green Tea. It also was £1.50 but had free refills so i thought, awesome! So before I went and got myself some food from the buffet, my tea was on my table but too hot to drink.. Green Tea Temperature : Piping Hot So I went and helped myself to some food. I was looking forward to this bit but I ended up feeling quite disappointed. They had alot of choice for the little commodities like prawn toast, seaweed, prawn crackers etc but as for the main food I am sure other places in the past have offered me at least double the amount that the Kowloon Restaurant does. With three types of staple (thinner noodles, normal noodles and rice) I chose my usual.. normal noodles with lots of meat. I was tucking in with my girlfriend when she, in her beautiful way that means she cannot be horrible about anyone or anything, said 'these noodles are a bit.. special' and laughed. She was right on the money.. an odd, almost soil like taste followed a mouthful of these noodles. I was a bit perturbed but the texture was still like normal and mixed with meat, it was bearable. The salt tally on my body was increasing sharply though so I turned to my drink for refreshment but.. Green Tea Temperature : Piping Hot This situation had become a bit too annoying for my liking and, gasping for appropriate refreshment, I was backed into the corner of getting myself some mineral water. Expensive, I thought, but the perfect accompaniment to this salt festival in my mouth. What I ordered and what they bought me though appeared to be very different things. I expected half a litre of nice cold mineral water. What I got was a warm bottle that had less liquid in it then a can of coke does. It managed to fill a single cup to the brim and that was it. Having drank this (it took me all of 6 seconds to do so) I turned to my girlfriend and asked her where the rest of my god damn water was! She didn't appear to know either.. so through a series of events, I was pretty fuming. In the end though, it did manage to get slightly worse. Green Tea Temperature : Piping Hot Having finished my meal, I reclined my chair with a full belly and was slightly less peeved then before. My girlfriend thanked the waitress in Chinese for her meal and luckily she didn't catch my glowering glance as I let her and the waitress know exactly what I thought of the meal. The waitress, in turn, was disappointed in me for taking some duck meat off the bone from the buffet cart and not managing to consume the bone itself.. for this I was so sorry, I must have left my shark dentures at home! I was charged £2.10 for leaving these bones on my plate and instead of arguing like I wanted too I just left so that I could tell my girlfriend, and anyone within about ten feet of us, what I thought of that restaurant. If you couldn't quite hear me, I was the one with the air turning blue all around me! I am not coming back to this place... I recommend that you don't either. Green Tea Temperature : God knows because I didn't get to drink it!

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    Kowloon Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Kowloon

    It was probably the most expensive version I had to pay for it (about £1.

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    Arome - coconut bun

    Arome

    4.5(17 reviews)
    0.2 miSoho

    Arome produced pastries both beautiful and divine!…read more On the recommendation of friends, we made a stop by here for a Monday breakfast. According to their website, they deliver "European excellence with Asian flair" which is really a great way to describe their pastries and the experience! Definitely the quality that you would expect with some of those Asian flavors. Here is what we tried: Chocolate Pistachio Escargot (5/5): Shaped in a snail shell, in between the flaky layers of pastry were luscious chocolate sprinkled with pistachio for nutty texture. Really enjoyed this one! Honey Butter Toast (4/5): Touted as their signature, I had high expectations for this. It is exactly as described which that slightly sweetness from the honey in a perfectly toasted milk bread. I did enjoy this a lot but also felt like it would benefit by having something else for texture or contrast. Chicken Butter Croissant (4/5): The croissant had the nice flaky layer with chewy interior. I loved the savory chicken sausage with the slightly sweet soy glaze that provided nice contrast and that Asian twist. When we got there a little after opening, there was no line but all the seats were taken as the place is quite limited on seats. While we were asked to wait for a little a bit outside, we did not have to wait too long. However, the line did end up getting longer as we were leaving and some ended up eating outside. Overall, if you are interested in tasting some tasty pastries, I would recommend Arome!

    I came here alone and ate three pastries to myself. Everything was delicious and made so fresh…read more They have very unique offerings you can't get everywhere. The chicken hotdog croissant was my absolute favorite. 10/10 Even though they have a line sometimes the service is really quick and they do a good job of getting everyone through. It's a small place with intimate setting.

    Photos
    Arome - Coconut special bun

    Coconut special bun

    Arome - Sausage croissant

    Sausage croissant

    Arome

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    Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market - cinnamon roll

    Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market

    4.5(146 reviews)
    1.8 miLondon Bridge
    £

    Mmmmm......Donuts! (Said in the voice of Homer Simpson.)…read more They do donuts so righteous here. As we were walking around Borough Market we saw the line for Bread Ahead and realized it was for the donut stand they had outside along the street. We had to jump on line and drool over the display of sugary goodness. We each tried a different donut and was not disappointed! So many varieties to choose from - coconut, lemon curd, blackcurrant cheesecake, seasalt caramel and honeycomb, and others. They don't skimp on the fillings as each bite was flavorful. Yum!

    The borough market bakery. They have a stall inside the market an a bakery right outside the market…read morehall. I'd reccomend checking out the bakery as this is where the fresh goodies are made and you're more likely to get the fresh batch here. Price wise, it's a bit steep. At 5£ per donut and 6.50£ for a piece of focaccia. But you're in a tourist area so high prices should be expected. We opted for the cheese focaccia that came right out from the oven. For 6£, it's not bad. It's pretty sizable and a good shareable snack! It's a good crusty bread and had a subtle garlic flavor with a blend of stringy cheese. If you like cheesy garlic bread, this is for you! Out of all the snacks you could get in the borough market, this is a solid option! But I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.

    Photos
    Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market - Bread ahead doughnuts

    Bread ahead doughnuts

    Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market - Bread ahead doughnuts

    Bread ahead doughnuts

    Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market - Crème brûlée donut

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    Crème brûlée donut

    Kowloon - chinese - Updated May 2026

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