Reviews of Yi-Ban. (Restaurant) in London (London).
Yi-Ban
London Regatta Centre, 1010 Dockside Rd, London E16 2QT, United Kingdom
Description
Information of Yi-Ban, Restaurant in London (London)
On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.
We don’t have any review or comment on this place.
Map
Open hours of Yi-Ban
Sunday
11am–10:30pm
Monday
12–10pm
Tuesday
12–11pm
Wednesday
12–11pm
Thursday
Closed
Friday
12–11pm
Saturday
12–11pm
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Reviews of Yi-Ban
A.
A nice restaurant with some good quality food.
The location is great and has nice views if you get a seat by the window.
Parking is not free so make sure to have some change or use the app to pay for parking or can use the nearby DLR station.
To be honest the only problem with this restaurant is the customer service, which is dreadful that’s why I’m giving it 3 stars. The service I got was very bad and decided not to pay service charge and after that they treat you even worse.
However if you want some nice food, with nice views and don’t mind about the service you get then this is the place.
O. O.
Went out with wife for dinner here. Nice location by the river, brilliant service, each course on time and nice atmosphere. Could be full, but that does not disturb. Will go again.
F. C.
Frequent this restaurant whenever I crave for dim sum. Attractive view by the river! I Food is reasonably priced, fresh and delicious. The service is quite good too. However, I feel car parking is expensive for that location!
B. L.
TLDR; above average dim sum with a unique view of the City Airport runway. One star lost for the parking arrangement and off beat location.Also remember to call ahead to book on weekends as it can get pretty busy quickly.
The dim sum here is pretty decently but what really makes this place stand out is the view. It is right by city airport and you can see planes constantly taking off and landing.
The menu is fairly standard for a dim sum restaurant and have all the classics. Siu Mai, Prawn dumplings, Cheung Fun, etc. Glad to report that it’s all tasty and well presented. Not quite Royal China level but definitely above average for London.
The only downside is the logistics of getting there. It’s a bit out the way and if you are driving the parking isn’t free so come prepared. The restaurant is also pretty busy on the weekends so make sure you call ahead to book during peak lunch time.
D. W. S.
Far away from London's Chinatown, located in the Docklands (but easily accessible by DLR) you'll find arguably the best dim sum restaurant in London. At weekends it's extremely crowded and you may have to wait up to 30 minutes. It's worth the wait!! The food is simply out of this world and prices are lower than in the West end. Highly recommended
J. M. V.
Went there to try if the restaurant is any good before we decide to go their again for my wife's birthday next month.
Food was very nice but their staff really need training in hospitality and courtesy.
We were seated but didn't give us the menu.
Our food was served without any enthusiasm at all, staff would just take some of the empty plates without asking for permission while we are still eating.
After paying the bill, staff left without even saying thank you nor asking if I want a copy of the receipt.
Reading some of the old comments here, I think the management can't be bothered.
Giving it 3 stars because I enjoyed the food but not the experience.
J. W.
Nice dim sum place by the Thames, simple deco, but a view over the City Airport. Car parking costly at £3 for 2 hours. No soaps in3 out of 4 dispensers, but the toilets are clean. Overall a nice riverside dim dum/dinner restaurant.
B. B.
It was one of my favourite dim sum restaurants in London. However after a few occasions, food quality have deteriorated. I think it’s time to explore other dim sum restaurants.
W. H. L.
Queue time was within 20mins without booking on Saturday.
Location was within walking distance from Royal Albert DLR station.
Food quality was acceptable without WOW factor.
Service speed was good and table was spacious.
Price level was similar as other Dim Sum restaurants.
E. P.
Delicious food ,very clean ,helpful and friendly staff. Gorgeous view of plane taking off ❤⚘
S.
I'm so glad I've discovered this restaurant. I came for Yum Cha with my family and we really enjoyed the food. We came at 11.30am on a Sunday and didn't have to wait for a table. The room is spacious and bright and full of bustling staff attentively waiting on customers. The dim sum menu is extensive and we didn't have to wait long for our food. Everything was delicious and piping hot. Highly recommend.
T. T.
My first time at this restaurant was in 2003. It was recommended by a Chinese friend of mine who claimed it was a genuine chinese restaurant. Their crispy lemon chicken has become a ritual and I couldnt recommend it enough. It is near the London regatta centre in Docklands so a bit of a ride if you are in a different part of town but worth the trip.
B. K.
Very yummy food! Everything tasted amazing...experience was dampened by an extra £25.80 showing up on my bill...the excuse was that there was someone sat at the table before us....the table had been occupied by my party for the best of 3 hours before me....
Doesn't change how amazing the meal was though...just be aware...
Lost them a star..
J. L.
Great food, quick polite service and atmosphere as busy. Highly recommended
C. B.
It was lovely and quiet and very good place to watch the planes coming and going from the airport just across the water
L. D.
Very good dim sum at reasonable prices. Go early brunch at weekends to avoid long queues. Also don't engage staff for recommendations - they are all too busy to make conversation.
B. G.
Quite good, authentic HK dimsum. One of the better ones in London!
C. B.
Delicious food, and really friendly, efficient service.
T. C.
Really authentic cantonese cuisine, with amazing views.
C. F.
Amazing food. Must try.
At first it looked like a normal restaurant from the outside, but as you enter inside the place looks amazing and their food is very delicious. Must try.
O. M.
Not a fancy place by any means, but if you want good food, value and quick service it's perfect.
E. Z.
This restaurant does the best salt & pepper prawns in the whole world. I am not joking or exaggerating! My partner and I randomly went here for lunch when we were attending VidCon, and to this day we still remember what great food they served! Will not hesitate in recommending this restaurant to anyone!
M.
Traditional Dim Sum Chinese restaurant with good choice of dishes. We have found 20 minutes queue on Sunday for lunch time. The location is good with parking on the back and nice view on the lake and City airport. The prices are slightly lower than Chinatown/city centre. The quality of the food was all right, not all the dishes were as good as we expected.
P. P.
We had our office Christmas meal here, and I couldn't fault it at all. The food was amazing, with larger-than-expected portions. The service was effecient and the staff were very helpful. Also, the view is incredible! There were a few times where our conversation stopped as we watched another plane takeoff from City airport over the river.
I'm already planning on coming back.
P. X.
I wish they changed their set menu's every once a while I think that would benefit them. And also expand on their dessert menu (as the serve only ice cream and macroons). Sometimes food can be dry like duck, chicken noodles but the food is tasty and they clean up and serve quick.
H.
Dimsum in September with family. Is best to go on weekday.. not as busy and faster service.
A. M.
Will be visiting again! Great location and plenty of parking.
Food is very tasty and came within 5 minutes despite being very busy when I went. Some may find it slightly expensive but it think it is priced well for the quality they serve. Staff are very helpful and polite. Make sure you get a few dim sums!
A. W.
Best dim sum for the locals in London 🇬🇧
D. G.
amazing dumplings at very reasonable prices. Expect to wait 15-25 mins at peak times but its worth it. Noodle dishes also very nice.
R. W.
Yi Ban is one of the most authentic places to get yum Cha or dinner in London. The staff are great and the views are also lovely. Would recommend most of the menu and if you know your Chinese food then there is everything you could ever desire!
J. L.
Good location with a lovely view if you are by the window. Some dishes are nice and some needed more seasoning/ salt. Service is abrupt but quick to take your order and bring food out. Only ever come here for dim sum which you don’t have to reserve a table but you can call up and check.
If this is your first time coming here for dim sum just note you are given a form with little boxes to shade in your order. The names of the dishes on this are in Chinese only, but there are numbers to let you cross-reference with the bilingual picture menu.
Parking is £3 for 2hours which you pay and display. Bring change for the machine or you can call up to pay by card. We stayed for lunch about 1h15mins which was enough and then went out by the river for fresh air and the view. Might as well get your money’s worth for the parking 😅
Good place for families, kid friendly but no kids menu however kids can still eat fried rice/ noodles. They do have booster seats for kids and not actual high chairs. Can’t go wrong with custard buns, kids love it.
M. M.
Lovely place I'd you like Chinese great views over the docks and city airport. Staff not very chatty food served hot and vert tasty I recommend the ribs
A. K.
Best dim sum and ho fun noodles
P. T.
The service wasn't particularly friendly, but the food was delicious. Reasonable prices. Quick service. There were very noisy guests at some tables when we visited. I thought the staff would ask them to quieten a bit but they didn't.
A. K.
Nice Chinese restaurant in the East of London, right next to DoubleTree Hilton, and the ExCel Convention Centre. The opening hours are usually 12pm to 10pm. Food quality is very decent and the prices are fair, given the portions are quite large. They did charge for extra chilli padi (£2 for a bowl of chopped chillis) but in all fairness the quality was high. Service lacked a bit, given they insist on applying the 12.5% service charge but otherwise the overall experience was fine. Great views of London City Airport with planes landing and taking off. The sound is not a problem with the balcony doors closed. Clean, comfortable and easy meal.
L. L.
Food’s good, service’s ok.
T. R.
The food was very good but the place looks a bit run down from the outside. The restaurant was busy and the staff were good
M. P.
Wow, fantastic DIm Sum restaurant, arrived mid day,absolutely rammed, most customers Chinese, showing authenticity of the food.
Obtained our numbered ticket, and shown to table within a few minutes
Dishes delivered quickly, as they were prepared, this place is so well organised it is untrue
Can't wait to visit again
S. T.
Came here a couple minutes after they opened on a Sunday morning. Staff seemed to be barely getting the place together, but that’s ok because we were one of the first customers so it’s understandable. This dim sum place is also right on the waters and has great views from inside the restaurant. We were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. The staff could be a bit more attentive and friendly. Seems like every time I asked for something they’d just get annoyed or forget about it all together and I’d have to ask again.
The food was amazing and came out fresh and steamy hot. I ordered the prawn Cheung fun, ha Kau, Siu Mai, seaweed shrimp roll, and the pan fried dumplings. All exceeded my expectations and I would definitely order them again.
Overall would recommend this place to anyone looking for fresh dim sum and good Chinese dishes. Be warned that the staff isn’t the best and can be a bit rude but other than that the food is good!
A. L.
Food was excellent, fantastic views of the River Thames and City Airport, reasonable prices, service wasn’t bad. Please that parking is pay & display costing £5 for 4 hours.
Y. Y.
I love this restaurant, the food the service,special the view next to the window. Feel relaxing when you have dim sum or meal with friends or family. Highly recommended.
M. W.
I have only been to this place a few times over a span many years (4 to 5 years).
However the quality of the food has been extremely high on each of the occasions.
B. L. W.
Great restaurant for Chinese food as well as big party and wedding dinners.
I photographed a Chinese Banquet there recently as a part of Chinese wedding and the food was excellent. The staff was also very helpful and seeing planes taking off and landing at the City Airport opposite was also quite special! Highly recommended.
A. G.
Amazing food and fabulous service. Thoroughly enjoyable meal. We had one of the set meals - really tasty, although.maybe shouldn't have had dessert as well. Would definitely recommend.
R. C.
Amazing food, the reviews are right. A little pricey but well worth it. Service is quick and efficient, great selection of items on the menu.
A. R.
My favourite dim sum place... Anywhere. This is a true hidden gem, well worth a special trip to go find. Make sure to have the xiao long bao!
A. G.
Normally I avoid Chinese restaurants, the food is typically flavourless and greasy but staying in the aloft for 6 nights recently for an event at excel, I found Yi-Ban and actually ate there for 4 out for the 6 nights!! It is an excellent place to eat, reminded me of my trips to Hong-Kong and importantly great food.
R. C.
Very high quality fresh food, my particular favourites were the Roast Pork Puff Pastry, Deep Fried Squid, Meat Croquettes, and the Cream Custard Buns. For someone that is rather fussy and particular with texture, I was impressed and would come back here again.
R. S.
Surprised by the quality of food! The seafood cooked to simply melt in your mouth, aromatic and spicy, sprinkled with crispy garlic; egg fried rice flavorsome and filled with herbs. No wonder it was full on a Tuesday night
S. K.
Great food, service is punctual and you don't wait too long to be seated. Very organised and lovely customer service. Definitely somewhere for the family and friends to go to
J. O.
Quality Chinese food, reasonable prices for somewhere so close to the convention center.
Dim sum is great for sharing, unfortunately I went alone. The Singapore vermicelli and spring rolls were great. Everything at the nearby tables looked fantastic. It was the best restaurant in the neighborhood, especially for late night eats.
Service was quick and friendly.
S. “. S.
Can't complain about the food, service fast and great too. Wished they opted the blinds from r views of the planes landing and taking off
Y. L.
delicious and reasonable price but no free parking.
F. A.
I loved the food! I had the sizzling scallops and prawns with egg fried rice. The seasoning was simple; I could taste the garlic/ginger etc, the prawns and scallops were fresh, the batter it was fried in was tasty and crisp... honestly did the job! Though, it was a tad salty for me, but that could be due to that fact that I try to avoid salt 🤷. The service was good. All the waiters were very pleasant, had a good understanding of the menu (that's very important to me as I ask a LOT of questions 😅) and were very patient. The overall atmosphere, food and service gets a stamp of approval from me! 5/5 value for money 👊
P. A. K.
Food here is amazing, very fast quick and convenient. Quality of food is top notch…. Very busy restaurant amazing views…. I come here quiet often, as private hire such as weddings, and birthdays, as they have a set menu with the special dishes :)))) on sundays here are great too for dimsum … one of my fav restaurants
Thank you
Phong Tran
S. (.
Discovered this via a quick Google maps search as I was staying close by.
It's a rather unassuming restraunt on the top floor of an industrial unit facing City Airport over the river Thames. Inside however its a lovely well presented restraunt.
I was greeted by the staff and even though I was on my own, lead to a window table, with a night time view of the Thames and the airport runway.
I was given a drink and food menu and left just the right amount of time to choose a drink and then my food.
I have to say, I was impressed with the portion sizes as each dish was twice the size of most restaurants.
I chose the salt and chilli ribs, the hot and sour soup followed by the crispy beef and some bamboo shoots and noodles.
I was offered the choice of starters then main or all at once for my food and decided on two courses.
The soup was great and the bowl 2 to 3 times the usual chineese restaurant size.
Staff were attentive but not annoyingly do checking the food was OK and if I needed another drink, but only when I had finished the first one.
The ribs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and looked as good as they tasted with great seasoning.
The crispy beef was again enough for two and the huge bowl of noodles was a challenge to finish off.
Total cost including two beers and a 12.5% service charge £38.50
K. R.
Upmarket Chinese Food in East London. Menu is extensive, staff are attentive and the food is delicious! Very busy on weekend mornings for Dimsum and weekend evenings for the regular menu. Atmosphere is always lively! Would highly recommend.
w.
Came here with the family for the first time.
Getting here isn't hard via car, DLR station (Royal Albert) and bus (300).
There's a lot of parking spaces which is needed especially for the weekends where it's usually busy and sometimes there are waiting times. So book if you want to make sure you're guaranteed a table.
Staff were nice and helpful if asked.
Only drawback was that the aircon was maxed and it was still too hot inside!
The view was nice, London City Airport and the Royal Dock on show.
Recommended.
R. P.
Excellent and authentic dim sum, large, bustling room, very busy indeed. Reminded me of dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong. Highly recommended
K. A.
Probably the most authentic Chinese restaurant in London. Great value and taste good. Dim sum during the day then standard Chinese dishes for dinner.
F. G.
Nice dim sum place, quick service and good food.
M. F.
Fantastic fast service even though it was busy. Staff very accommodating and probably the best Chinese food I have ever tasted in the UK.
D. N.
The best Dim Sum in London at affordable price. A very good place to meet good friends and family members.
L. F.
Great place to dine esp with young little kids as they watch planes take off and land whilst adults dine - esp if you can get a table by the window. It does however get really busy and the wait can be long. But ample parking spaces. As with any typical Chinese restaurant, service tends to be transactional, executional and aloof so one star off. We spent £24 each for dim sum lunch and thought it was on the pricey side. Otherwise, good food but not a restaurant I'll come every week.
J. K.
Great comfortable experience in a formal but inviting atmosphere! I had the pork chop that played tango with my pallet while the spring rolls were exceedingly delicious! Referring to previous reviews, the staff was more than attentive and polite. Food delivery was exceptional for this experience! Worth making this one of my favorites!
C. S.
Standard Chinese fayre. The (physical) menu is very weird. Loads of photos of food on many pages which makes it feel like it's for people who can't read English.
S. P.
Everything was really great. Every dish we ordered tasted amazing.
A. T.
Food is good as ever… it’s just the way to queue and gaining entrance is confusing and needs sorted out. But I believe as long as it’s busy owner don’t really worry about at all.
J. W.
Pros
Delicious variety of food
Good decor and atmosphere
Good view of the River Thames
Cons
Quite pricey for what they offer. Dish are minimum £10 each
I would recommend this for family style lunch/dinner as you can order a number of dishes to share. Average cost per person is £15/£20, not including drinks.
U. K.
One of my favourite dim sum places. Great location and fresh food.
G. T.
Delicious food and the staff are friendly and helpful. They have lots of options and something for everyone. They also cater to vegans and have lots of yum tofu dishes. Try the salt and pepper tofu as it has lots of yum fried garlic on it! So good!!! And the black bean tofu is amazing too. Additionally the whole restaurant has a great view of the docks and the London city airport runway. Really beautiful.
W.
Good food, decent price, nice view and adequate service. You'll hear aeroplanes frequently but it doesn't really bother you much, especially when its busy. Would come again.
P. G.
Great Chinese food, excellent friendly service, magnificent London City Airport view, clean and bright ambience, free parking.....just love this place.
X. P.
Nice nice
I. B.
Always come here for Dim Sum when in London or nearby. Normally very good, plenty of parking and readily accessible via DLR. Been a few times for evening dinner anyways satisfied.
D. D.
Great restaurant, polite and friendly staff, convenient parking. Best sweet & sour prawns I ever had.
O. S.
Simply excellent food, and a great view over the city airport at night. The atmosphere was lively, almost loud considering it was 8pm on a Tuesday, but still relaxing. Staff were helpful, polite and efficient. The restaurant is upstairs and the entrance is easily missed. I strongly recommend booking a table, I am not even sure if walk-in dining is possible if it's busy.
F. T.
Okay place for a quick dim sum fix. Reasonable, standard prices for dim sum. Nice location by the water. Can get busy especially on the weekend, we arrived just before 12 and got seated immediately, but there was a huge queue outside as we were heading out - always best to arrive early!
T. 9.
Great place, good portions, feels like home. Highly recommended
L.
I often go to dim sum. Dim sum quality is good. Recommend by a Chinese friend.
B. P.
Lovely food - very tasty, friendly staff, and lovely scenery especially in the evenings
M. H.
The best Chinese restaurant I've ever been too, really nice food, great staff and a great view. Very quick service,would recommend to anyone.
J. P. B.
Great dim sum, but watch out for the car park. I didn't think to check the signs because it's in the middle of nowhere, there's clearly ample parking, but it's a private car park, and if you miss the signs it's a £60 fine. A bit disappointed by the property management company, but great dimsum anyway.
A. x.
Very nice tasty food which was served quick and was hot. We went on Saturday and the restaurant was half full. It's very busy on Sundays so expect to wait for a table. Nice view of the river Thames. Well worth going.
T. C.
Food is above average but slightly pricy. A good choice of traditional Cantonese dishes. Have to pay for parking.
S. K.
Delicious food and good service, but prepare to wait to get in for Sunday lunch.
J. T.
Lunch was nice and everything came out hot and steaming
P. W.
Nice place of a Chinese restaurant for Dim Sum
T. N.
Yi-Ban hosted our wedding banquet. They were so kind and helpful- no request was too much trouble. Michael dealt with us and he was super responsive which I greatly appreciated. Thank you Michael and all at Yi-Ban!
I. P.
My fav dim sum in london. Worth the trek. View of the air strip at city airport is great too.
R. L.
Food is nice, Hong Kong style’s food, you can speak Cantonese there !
H. K.
Delicious food, spacious place with a nice view on the London City Airport. Dim Sum is highly enjoyable as well as all other food
T. Q.
Authentic Chinese food in a great (if slightly difficult to find) location! Reasonable prices & you get to watch the planes take off.
D. C.
Was looking forward to dim sum and a friend suggested this place. Apparently the food quality was a lot better in the past.
O. O.
Nice place to have some Chinese meal just opposite holiday inn express- excel.
M.
visited when Yi-ban reopened due to COVID lockdown. think we didn't dinne out for long time, all the dishes are tasty. Staff was very polite as well, also good that table can be reserved via their website. just watch out that the parking is actually Pay&display which was used to be.
R. M.
Had a delicious meal here, soup to start and 5 dishes shared between two. Both lefr very satisfied. Stopped in for a takwaway only but liked the ambence and cleanliness so much decided to grab a table for two. Which was immediately provided. All in all a top place.
D. E.
Great location very near the Excel London trade show venue, but uneventful and relatively bland Chinese fare.
S. A.
Delicious fresh food and really good, prompt service.
V. N.
Great place to eat and catch up with friends. Been going for years. Highly recommended.
J. S.
Food is a bit too salty. But the view is defo great. Worth a visit.
T. T. A. T.
Great food and service. Nice place to eat. Parking is directly outside so very convenient. However you do need to pay for parking.
X. L.
Busy during the weekend. Taste is very good and nice view of the city airport.
J. W.
Visited on the off chance just before lock down whilst in the area visiting a local art gallery. The food was decent and the service prompt and polite. I especially enjoyed the grilled pork dumplings and the portion size was plentiful. The crispy shredded beef was also exceptional. I am not a regular to the area but I would defiantly visit again when open. Not the ideal location for public transport but there is ample parking outside.
D. H.
A Chinese restaurant. Portions were generous and we didn't wait long for the food.
G. D.
Lovely to see Yi-Ban back and still serving great value dimsum at top speed!
S. P.
Ok good views, average service, food is ok similar to most Chinese restaurants.
Sting in the tail is the cost very, very expensive for what it is and this is not justified in the cost.
Ok if you have an expenses account but even our accountant blanched at the cost for two individuals.
A. K.
Excellent dim sum foods and the service was fairly quick during the busy Sunday lunch period. It's better to book in advance though for busy times as the wait can be up to an hour otherwise.
A. C.
Food was amazing, ambiance is expected like it should be in a Chinese dim sum
Restaurant and the service was great! Being Cantonese it’s been difficult for me to find legit dim sum in london, I think this is as close as I will be able to get..
y.
Expensive but good dim sum. Service a bit chaotic but got there in the end
j. h.
Food and portion size
Very good
Good prices
K. S.
Huge tasty gourmet burger and chips was awesome
E. M.
Customer service not so great. Food was decent
L. S.
Superb quality food and very reasonably priced
c. c.
Authentic Chinese cuisine, nice decor, good view from the restaurant.
S. P.
Love the food here! Nice view of city airport. Friendly staff too!
A. P.
Surprisingly excellent 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I enjoyed everything I ordered.
c. c.
We have been going to Yi-Ban for years. Wonderful to be able to return after long lockdown. As usual, excellent food, good service and lovely environment overlooking the river and city airport. Great to be back.
A. C.
Amazing food. Friendly staff. Highly recommended.
W. A.
What a wonderful evening! The ambience was top notch and the food was good. Would visit again...soon. ☺
D. T.
Found by accident whilst staying at Hotel just behind. We had really great food which was served well and quickly. Not like a usual Chinese (Thank Goodness) The restaurant was full during a weekday luch time mostly with Chinese families. The view over the Thames and London City Airport was great. Would certainly revisit if and when we are in the area. Service not the quickest but great choice of food and very good quality too. Would definitely eat here again in fact I hope so in order to taste more of their menu.
T. S.
Very tasty Chinese foods and nice view. Highly recommended!
M. A.
It's ok ... not as good as it was before Covid
D. T.
Good tasting dim sum at decent prices with a view of the Royal Albert Dock and London City Airport opposite. Huge, spacious & clean. The restaurant has easy access, it's close to home and has a car park. There are karaoke rooms for private parties as well. Quick and swift service from the chefs and staff. I visit nearly every month for lunch with friends & family, and visit regularly for dinner parties with my fellow members in the UK Chinese Community.
S. T.
Always in the mood for dim sum, especially to catch up with friends you haven't seen in a while.
Wheelchair access ✔️
H. M.
Always good. Nothing like the average High Street Chinese restaurant. So much better!
P. “. Y.
Plenty of parking near the restaurant, although you do have to pay. Great atmosphere, especially the day (Chinese New Year 2020) my friends and I went. Fantastic views of London City Airport! The staff were attentive and prompt and the food was great. Will visit again.
T. K.
Great Place, Staff are very polite, food is delicious and they have cocktails! Restaurant also has a pretty good view...
N. J.
Definitely the best Chinese cuisine I've ever tasted! Lovely relaxing laid back atmosphere, with views of London City Airport. Extremely efficient staff, main course comes out within 5 minutes of ordering! Doesn't currently accept tips by card is worthy of note. Offers a complete authentic Chinese menu along side the more standard British Chinese restaurant menus. Definitely worth a visit!
Z. L.
Great dim sum hidden away, can be very busy and staff are not super friendly but the food makes up for it. Not easy to find with minimal signage but it is inside on the 1st floor of a relatively standalone building.
T. T.
The location is odd given that there is not much around except from the ExCel centre. The place overlooks London City airport and it's a great place if you like plane watching. Most importantly, the food is good. I go there on a regular basis over the weekends for dim sum and it's been consistently good, I'd say one of the best in town. The service is quick and the food comes quickly too. On weekends, there can be a wait if you come after 12:30pm or so but it's not too long if you are in a small group. 5 stars based on price/quality and service. Highly recommended.
D. E.
Food and service ok, just ok.. Few years ago it was excellent
I. C.
Great food good service but felt like I was being rushed
L. M.
Very tasty food and views in the marina and City Airport are a nice plus.
On the flipside it's a very very busy restaurant so its pretty noisy which can be stressful at times
f.
Very good dim sum with a nice view. Parking used to be free not anymore.
R. J.
Best Chinese food 😋 ever hands 🙌 down , trust me , and value too !
K. H.
The food was good, but I over-ordered with salt and chili ribs and Dim Sum, but both were very good and the bowl of rice which arrived was huge (which explained why it was £5 for egg fried rice - it would easily feed two hungry people). I had a nice glass of wine, and it was altogether a short but sweet experience. If you are unfortunate enough to at ExCel for any reasson, I can recommend this restaurant.
g. g.
Really tasty food,big portions and affordable prices!!!
a. h.
Great dim sum for reasonable prices with a view of the Thames and city airport.
J. G.
Busy, speedy Cantonese restaurant doing many of the usual things and plenty of more interesting dishes. It fills up during the early evening although it is quite large. The service is polite and very quick. I have been with Chinese colleagues at lunchtime and the Dim Sum is pretty authentic, e.g. chicken feet if you are adventurous as well as the usual dumplings, buns etc.
D. L.
Decent food quality, spacious, nice view. Always busy on the weekends, lots of parking spaces but parking is not free anymore now 😔
M. L.
Best dim sum in London hands down. Usually go to Royal China (which is great as well) but have to say Yi-Ban nudged ahead.
M. K.
Service and food was good . We were shown to a table straight away, really enjoyed it.
J.
I literally come here every week, been going here for many years now. Many years back it was quiet and I remember they had half price dim sum. Now they have improved and it’s busy and the food taste is even better! decent price per dish. Dim sum round the corner to me! Only downside is they have recently (5months ago) input the parking charge of £3 for 2 hours .. annoying.
B. M.
A very unassuming place when you look at it from the outside. Inside the decor is great and a huge area for dining. I imagine a popular place when there is a show on at the Excel arena. The menu has plenty of choice and variety, the service was polite and quick as per a good Chinese restaurant. Food was beautifully cooked, nice light flavors, lots of different textures. Looking forward to my next visit when I'm at the Excel again.
S. M.
Love this place on Sunday for DimSum. Near airport so you can watch planes land and take off. All authentic Chinese DimSum on Sunday. White linen tablecloths so a special place and inexpensive. Waitors efficient and expedient. My fave.
A. L.
Great Restaurant with an authentic Cantonese food menu.
We have been to this restaurant on way way way too many occasions and it never disappoints. The food there is always up to scratch leaving you feeling warm, happy and definitely full.
Don't go expecting Michelin Star restaurant quality but certainly go if you want a hearty meal. Prices there are extremely reasonable for what they serve and certainly a place if you love Cantonese food. It's a lot better than your standard China town restaurant.
What will I recommend? Dim Sum for a good and hearty brunch and for Dinner, Eel cooked in Black Bean Sauce, their clay pot dishes (although not cooked in clay pots) and Roast meats.
Have to give it a try if you haven't already.
D. C.
Really, really good food. The service is excellent, friendly, fast, efficient and helpful. Price is quite reasonable. Good view of the waterside. The building itself is a bit rubbish, but that really doesn't matter when the food is so good.
The 'lemon chicken' is the best I've ever had by a mile. So many Chinese places do it poorly, but Yi-Ban surpassed my expectations, have never eaten one so good.
B.
One of the best Dim Sum places in East London with a pleasant view
P. A.
Found by accident whilst staying at Hotel just behind. We had really great food which was served well and quickly. Not like a usual Chinese (Thank Goodness) The restaurant was full during a weekday luch time mostly with Chinese families. The view over the Thames and London City Airport was great. Would certainly revisit if and when we are in the area.
S. N. n. G.
Good food, fast service, friendly staff. Large restaurant with plenty of space and view of city airport.
U. O.
Some good Chinese foods there. Nice place
G. W.
Our regular place for Chinese family meals. Was really busy so this must be a reflection of its popularity and standard of food
K. L.
Always busy since reopened after lockdown. Guaranteed good food and friendly service. The bosses look after their staff and they look after the customers.
C. W. C.
Great food, reasonably priced, modern and airy interior. A family favourite. Great for wedding banquets too, with excellent views of the river. Can get busy on the weekend so make sure you go early/book in advance (bookings are taken for groups only, minimum of 8 people [?])/anticipate a 20-30 min wait. Car park is often busy but just about copes (was never stuck without a space).
J.
Great food, easy parking, surprisingly quiet despite being directly opposite the City Airport.
Favourite place to go for dim sum as they are one of the few places to do 'molten style' egg buns. The egg tarts are lovely too when they are fresh out of the oven.
T. H.
Great selection of tasty dim sum, friendly staff and did i mention the dim sum?
P. M.
A great neighborhood Chinese restaurant with views of City airport. A lot of classic Cantonese dishes. Enjoyed the seafood wraps and softshell crab especially. The dim sum lunch menu looks very appealing as well. Recommended.
M. T.
Went here during my stay at a local hotel. The Chinese food was authentic and very good. We had a Shanghainese Chinese national with our group, and even he was raving about it. The set menu had everything you needed for a full meal. Nobody went away hungry, that"s for sure!
L. P.
Spent a fantastic afternoon stuffing my face with dim sum. A great place to pop in or spend time in. Bright welcoming restaurant. Prices are very reasonable. They take card payments, and there is decent wheelchair/buggy access via a lift to the restaurant area.
A. N.
Been to yiban several times and have never been disappointed. Food is very good and service pretty quick
A. L.
Surprisingly good Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Our group of five had a lot of different dishes, and it all tasted great! And that is from a group of people that is quite used to Asian cuisine through both family and travels. Kudos!
S. B. T.
Nice food, parking seemed a bit too expensive. It can get very noisy.
D. S.
Chinese food as good as you will find in China
A. L.
Decent food and prices with a great view to the airstrip that enables you to plane watch
X. Q. A.
This Chinese restaurant stands out in an area of generic, mediocre food. We were staying at the Aloft for a conference in the Excel convention center and it's really one of the best options within walking distance. Service was lightning fast within a massive and very full dining room, and -while a bit rude- I still give them 5 stars for the speed and price quality relationship. The food was what you would expect of a good "western" chinese restaurant. We tried fried noodles, glazed pork and flamed lamb and everything was good. The gyoza were disappointing, not recommended. We tried to come back on Sunday but it was "closed" due to a private event, and of course they didn't bother to update Google maps to reflect it. Keep in mind that the 5 stars are taking into account the location. In the center of town it would be a 4 star Google rating. Recommended if you are stuck in this area.
R. S.
reasonable food and prices. amazing airport location. Great views.
E. A.
I enjoy eating here. It's a quiet spot overlooking the Thames. Good food options either selecting what you like or going for a set menus. You can also take remainders home in take away packs. There's ample parking. Toilets on the outside. The prices are okay for the location and quality of food.
s. o.
Amazing food. Great service. Yi Ban is back after a covid induced 14 month closure and they were sorely missed.
B. M.
Good food and nice views over London city airport.. That's if you love planes and water
M.
Went for dinner, fairly short notice but they had a table for us. Initial reception was quite cold, got dumped at a table with barely a word. Man named Ivan came to take our drinks order, barely speaking at all. Drinks still hadn't arrived after we had our starter. Asked a different waiter about them and he immediately sorted them out for us with apologies. Food was great, super tasty and served quite quickly despite the place being quite busy. When we asked for the bill Ivan appeared again, didn't speak a word to us. Then before we had properly gotten up from the table he was already ripping off the table cloth. So short version, food was great, most of the waiters were nice and helpful, but this Ivan should not be working the floor with customers with his attitude.
A. V.
I have been coming here for dim sum for over a decade and it has been consistently excellent over that time. It's always busy on a weekend, but the food comes hot, fast and tasty. The service is what I would expect in a busy Chinese restaurant - brusque but efficient. Don't expect a casual chat or even a smile, and sometimes catching their attention can be tricky, but you're not there to make friends with the staff - you're there for the perfectly executed mouthfuls of lunchtime joy. Don't bother going in the evening - it becomes a very mediocre westernised Cantonese which while not bad isn't worth the effort of the journey.
j. v.
It's a nice Chinese place over looking the Thames and London City Airport. Worth a visit if you like a restaurants with good ambience. The food is classic and the service is quick. My only but bear is the windows need a good clean and some of the decor could do with an update.
K. M.
Nice food (dim sum and Chinese evening menu), decent prices and decent sized dishes. There is ample free parking.
The decor is industrial looking due to the building but clean and tidy.
Only gripe is that in a Sunday where they be very busy for dim sum, the staff are quite keen to usher you off when you are finished.
a. g.
Seriously the best Chinese food I have ever had.
K. S.
Nice food. Ok atmosphere
R. C.
It's one of the better dim sum places you can find outside of Chinatown.
Although still tastes good, the quality is not as great as a few years back.
One of my favourite places to go for dim sum without the hassle of central London parking!
K. J.
Amazing location and the best Chinese food I have every had. It is worth every pound/dollar/euro/rupee that you spend. The tables over look the London city airport and you can see flights take off and land, which gets a little noisy but is okay.
M. L.
Went there today with best friends for a brunch. Food is good but be warned for minimum of £3 parking charge. Its rather expensive if you count the cost per table along with the service charge etc. Our table for car parking cost came to £6 on top of the food bill. Like most parking charge it will always go up. Will not be going back again.
S. L.
Great place to go to for a Chinese meal with family & friends! Food was delicious, friendly staff, reasonably priced, city airport is just next door and you get to see the planes taking off and landing! And Don't forget to pay for parking, £3 for two hours!
I. S.
What a top spot for dining with such a gorgeous view of Gallions Point Marina and City Airport's runway.
We came here on a Sunday evening for dinner, and this place was absolutely buzzing with customers. For such a large restaurant, it was definitely i good sign of successful business :)
The service was excellent and very efficient. The food was so fresh and tasty that i now want to come back and try pretty much everything from their menu (apart from shark fin soup, which should be removed from the menu for environmental reasons!).
Steamed dumpling, sizzling squid and Chinese duck were particularity impressive!
Plenty of parking spaces outside of the restaurant.
The only downside, is that booking page on the web-site was not working properly, as it was suggesting that there were no spaces available that evening, however it was possible to book a table over the phone.
c. s.
Good place nice views great food not cheap . Warning to all drivers you have to pay for parking 7 days of the week 3 pounds for two hours but considering the location driving there is a must. Parking charges are unfair if visiting for a meal this should be compensated by the establishment you visit in this area even though they are not that high most places in london are free especially on weekends don't know whos idea this was but it truly puts a downer on you experience here . Not faulting the restaurant though still very good .
N. C.
Having in mind the location of the restaurant, the prices are pretty decent. The waitresses are friendly and polite, even if you need to ask twice for something in regards the menu or the dishes. The food is also fantastic - always cooked with fresh ingredients and a touch of originality. Try the mixed seafood with Udon - it's amazing.
P. (.
Probably the best Chinese restaurant around. Great for dim sum and great views of city airport. If you're going did din din in the weekends get early (around 12) as queues can get long and there's not an option to reserve unless you're a big group of eight or more
R. W.
Excellent Chinese restaurant next door to Travelodge and other hotels near the Excel centre. Just walked in 8pm got a table with river views. Staff very efficient if not overly chatty. Food was very tasty and hot with good portions. Not much wait between courses. No waiting for bill at end. Would definitely go again when in the area.
S. F.
Food is ok, not bad at all... the issue here is the service, the waiter stood next to us without even saying a word waiting for the order, when the order arrived the plates were basicaly throw in the table and again no words... About cutlery just forks. And if we talk about decoration or presentation of the place I would have to rate this on 1 star.
V. J.
Good food, attentive staff.
J.
Fantastic food to eat in or as takeaway, great service and amazing views of London City Airports, the marina, Silvertown and beyond.
J. T.
Food is consistently one of the best Chinese restaurants in East London. But loses 2 stars ⭐⭐ as in December they introduced a car parking fee of £3 for 2 hours! Scandalous. If you go with your family in a few cars you are immediately £9+ out of pocket even before you've had a bite to eat!
I will be going elsewhere from now on!
E. C.
Been coming here for years for dim sum and dinner, the ambience and the food has been great. Even had my wedding banquet here.
However, during a recent visit for lunch found a few of the steamed dishes tasted mostly of msg and sugar, totally masking the flavour of the main ingredients. Everything else seems fine though.
G. M.
Service for drinks was very slow although the food was good and served quickly x
M. K.
Best Dim Sum in London. Stunning food in a lovely environment.
K. E. க.
Good food friendly staff and a bit of nice view of river Thames.
Update : I visited this place 3 times in total. After my first two visits I did not have any issues. The food was good but i got food poisoning after my last visit.
G. L.
I've been coming here for years since it first opened so that should give you some idea that the food servered here will not disappoint you, it's always to a high standard. Perfect venue to socialise with friends and family for lunch or dinner. It has a wonderful ambience being next to the dock in a striking contemporary minimalist building with dramatic views of the city airport through the full height glazed facade.
So why only the 4 stars? Well if I could be seated straight away at the weekends for lunch I'd upgrade it to 5! Management take note! Obviously will update you all on my next visit. 😁
G. W.
We used to eat dim sum here many years back and rated it. It was one of five places in London we rate. Recently I took some visitors to the UK here for an evening meal, they were staying in the area, and we loved it. Will visit again.
R. C.
Dim sum and good selection of mains, quality of food is good. Not a great deal of veggie choices couldn't find any vegan. So I was limited to noodles, rice and the only non msg veg dish of asparagus
M. D. V.
Been a few times. Once in the private room for a birthday or anniversary with preselected food. Been in the main room celebrating a birthday which again was good atmosphere and most recently for a wedding with whole place rented out again preselected food.
S. S.
Amazing service and food as usual, will go back.
R. Y.
Good quality food with authentic Chinese flavours. However very expensive compared to Chinese restaurants outside of London. Cost more than 20 pounds per person for a reasonable size order.
E. H.
Real Hong Kong style dim sum, good quality and always satisfying, with a side of terrible parking. The menu feels a bit frozen in time, however, just the best classic hits, all the time. I don't think there is much on the menu I haven't eaten at dim sum restaurants 20, 30 years ago.
G. D.
Yi Ban is a Cantonese food style restaurant which does Dim Sum food during the day and a more standard Chinese menu in the evening. You can still order the evening food during the day. It is reasonably priced considering it is not in Chinatown and has a good selection of dim sum. It is next to the river opposite city airport and on a nice day it is very relaxing and pleasant. You can get there via DLR or by car. Please note that the car park now charges £3 for first two hours.
A. A.
I would have given 5 only if the interior gets renovated... The staff is really kind and very quick.
The food is really tasty and prices are good.
The place is a well known restaurant with many customers waiting to be seated....
I would definitely recommend for a try and will certainly come back...
K. G.
Good food, good service,good view, I loved it. Maybe the only thing that they can change for better is to start sell coke in bottles or cans and to isolate the smell from the washing room. But I am definitely going back there.
S. C.
Foods and services are good. And the price is in average. If you compare with others in Chinatown , Yi-Ban is much better. Only one thing not prefect is parking. We need to pay. It used to be free.
R. D.
Possibly one of the best Chinese meals ever. Super popular with travellers, but also local Chinese, which must be a good sign! Good views of planes at London City Airport too.
k. w.
Chinese dim sum , plenty of varieties to choose from. Well prepared and tasty. I did not give five start because one of the dish that we order, "steam rice with meat " was too hard, perhaps due to insufficient water
H. A.
Always awesome goos for dim sum and for dinner. Good variety of food and deserts too. Clean with free car park and great view of the city airport run way across the Thames. Service is excellent quick and fast but can be very busy on occasions and wait can be over 30 mins long. Nice chinese decor too and location is out side the Thames so can go for a walk outside once finished. The restaurant is located on the 1st floor so view with full length glass window across city airport runway makes it great.
J. M.
I would recommend this place considering the area however not the best Chinese I've been too...! The staff are professional and provide a good level of service. The food is of a good standard with a nice selection to choose from. There is also a reasonable selection of beverages. The place is well located and worth a visit if you are in the area.
P. (.
Probably the best Chinese restaurant around. Great for dim sum and great views of city airport. If you're going did din din in the weekends get early (around 12) as queues can get long and there's not an option to reserve unless you're a big group of eight or more
J.
I literally come here every week, been going here for many years now. Many years back it was quiet and I remember they had half price dim sum. Now they have improved and it’s busy and the food taste is even better! decent price per dish. …
R. W.
Excellent Chinese restaurant next door to Travelodge and other hotels near the Excel centre. Just walked in 8pm got a table with river views. Staff very efficient if not overly chatty. Food was very tasty and hot with good portions. Not …
T. T.
The location is odd given that there is not much around except from the ExCel centre. The place overlooks London City airport and it's a great place if you like plane watching. Most importantly, the food is good. I go there on a regular …
J. M.
I would recommend this place considering the area however not the best Chinese I've been too...! The staff are professional and provide a good level of service. The food is of a good standard with a nice selection to choose from. There is …
S. L.
Great place to go to for a Chinese meal with family & friends! Food was delicious, friendly staff, reasonably priced, city airport is just next door and you get to see the planes taking off and landing! And Don't forget to pay for parking, £3 for two hours!
E. A.
I enjoy eating here. It's a quiet spot overlooking the Thames. Good food options either selecting what you like or going for a set menus. You can also take remainders home in take away packs. There's ample parking. Toilets on the outside. The prices are okay for the location and quality of food.
K. H.
The food was good, but I over-ordered with salt and chili ribs and Dim Sum, but both were very good and the bowl of rice which arrived was huge (which explained why it was £5 for egg fried rice - it would easily feed two hungry people). I …
j. v.
It's a nice Chinese place over looking the Thames and London City Airport. Worth a visit if you like a restaurants with good ambience. The food is classic and the service is quick. My only but bear is the windows need a good clean and some of the decor could do with an update.
H. A.
Nice place, you can always tell a good Chinese by how many Chinese people eat there. Parking is pretty good, lift for wheelchair users or old people, disabled toliets and regular toilets are good. Foods great and the price is what you would expect for an upmarket Chinese. Quick and good service for food and drinks.
M. I. (.
Was here for wedding banquet, food was ok I guess, service but slow and not very helpful waiters could be down to communication problems. Was very accommodating as the wedding banquet very quickly became a wedding rave 🙈.. nice view of the airport, lots of parking. Can't complain.
D. H.
Good for DimSum but at my most recent visit The dishes were less tasty and a bit bland. But afterwards we realised they'd added enough MSG to make us all thirsty.
The location and venue remains great. Service has improved. But probably because the dishes were no longer as good meant there was hardly any queue whereas there always used to be at least a 10 minute wait.
Parking is free and usually adequate.
A. A.
Nice on Valentine's. Mojito was best food was excellently prepared. Waiters and team were suprisingly nice but the bill for dinner was very expensive for two.
J. M.
Awesome setting, great dim sum
K. H.
Love this place. Great food. Usually try and get here if I have to stay I the East side of London. Just lost one star as it can be pricey but I think it's worth it.
M. F. (. P.
Food extremely nice, but the hospitality not so great, we went for take away dinner, considering there were 15 minutes waiting we ask to approach the bar. We ordered and asked to possibly sit on a empty table (there were plenty available), the denied us the possibility and left us standing on the bar.. I mean it's nothing serious but I personally found it impolite
L. N.
I come here all the time for dim sum and it’s great. As I come here so often and order some of the dishes all the time I’m kind of used to the taste so when a certain dish is cooked by a different chef or missing a particular ingredient then I can tell - sometimes this does happen and it’s a bit of a disappointment, but most of the time it’s consistent. Same with service, sometimes it can be good and sometimes quite bad. Overall great place for dim sum.
C. L.
Good food, fairly price, service is good and fast. Need to go early on Sunday for dim sum or you will end up waiting. Space for parking, DLR not far. Kids can see airplanes takes off and land, to keep then entertained.
J. L.
Always a favourite to dine or pick up food if in the area. Gets busy during the weekend so recommend booking a table in advance.
A. W.
Really great food, and the staff are very friendly. Only downside is there is no draught beer. We went in a large group and tasted half the menu and was really impressed, I would say the food is on the hot side however I liked this!
S. C.
Great place for Dim Sum with a nice view of the planes taking off from City Airport. More expensive than the normal Chinatown options but as they give you a proper receipt it's possible to work out if you've eaten what you paid for! If you go before 12 on a Sunday you shouldn't have to wait too long for a table, after 12 the queue can go all the way down the stairs...
B. S. K.
Beautiful view of the dock and Airport. Food is fantastic
I. C.
Great food and very beautiful water-side location.
S. S.
Not bad for a local restaurant, they could be a little more welcoming and friendly. Been here a few times, they only seem to want to go the extra mile for larger groups, mainly their own origin. Sort it out or you'll end up losing custom!
R. S.
Good food, reasonable price, great view of LCY runway. I often go here to get take away as I work at the airport. I have also sat and ate in couple times, service has been good, most of the waiters do not speak full English, but they work as a team and help eachother. Would recommend to bring the kids so they can eat and watch planes take off and land. Food is a 4 out of 5. Not much vegan/vegatarian options. You can't have oyster sauce on a vegatariandish and call it vegatartian (lol). The only other thing I am disappointed is the charge for chilli oil to takeaway, but you can add it to you order yourself and it's free, a little tacky though.
A. H.
Good traditional menu. Loads of Chinese clientele come here to eat so that's a positive sign. Good food. Good service and lovely view of the river. As a first timer visiting, the restaurant was a bit difficult to find.
C. H.
Overall it's good for dim sum. Great views of the planes landing or taking off from London City Airport (if the blinds are open). Taken off one star as some portions are smaller than other restaurants and the service charge is so high. Taken off another star as they still serve shark fin soup.
E. N.
Best place to eat in the area. The view is odd an unexpected, London City Airport: If you like aircraft then this is the place for you? The food is very good and the service is also good. Not the cheapest place to eat in town but certainly worth a visit if you are in the area.
A. K.
Went for the dim sum. Have plenty of selection, but flavour wise are not special and a bit bland. But the reason for 3 star is the price which is very good, if only from the food i will give a 2 stars
C. B.
Lovely authentic-ish Chinese food, the closest I could get from food I've got in China. The staff is usually a bit more friendly then most other Chinese restaurants. The price is not the cheapest though, expect a dinner for two to be at around £70.
G. K.
What used to be a £55 family lunch now costs £65, service charge at 12.5% and new parking cost at min £3 for 2hr, so that's now almost £20 a head. Dim Sum food is still good though.
N. S.
Excellent real Chinese food. Queues can be long on the weekend but worth the wait. Don't expect friendly staff when they're busy though! Recommend Singapore noodles.
A. E.
Once again a great dim sum session, this time for mum's 80th!
J. M.
Lovely food and place with a nice view of the Thames. Had a mini wedding celebration here with friends and family, came back with husband for a date and was still impressed by food and service.
A. H.
Nice views, very accessible location with heaps of parking. Food is quite standard - lots of Chinese people go there and quite popular for Chinese weddings. Service is ok, atmosphere ok, they usually have space - still go back quite regularly for an easy meal.
Make sure to call ahead before going - they can be closed for private functions.
Crispy duck was good.
W. S.
Had to pay for the parking now but food is still good
B. C.
Great food. Must be the best Chinese food I enjoyed for a long time. Staff's great, very helpful and well organised. Food's piping hot arrived at your table within 10 mins during busy times.
Will visit again in the future.
E. P.
Definitely recommend. Great food always on time and we'll prepared. Has some exceptional menu options that's worth trying.
J. P.
It feels slightly overpriced at first but once you try the food the prices make sense! One of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve ever been! Easy 5 stars
R. L.
Great place, food very good, customer service excellent
H. G.
Really good food. Quick service as well. However we did have to prompt them a couple of times for drinks but since it was so busy we understood
P. S.
Unbelievable tasting experience!
It was an incredibly busy day when we ate here but the food was fantastic and very reasonably priced, would undoubtedly go again and have told many people about this place!
T. K.
Most delicious Chinese dishes in London. Egg fried rice alone is somewhat a masterpiece. Very busy Fri and Sat evenings. Try usual weekdays so you can also enjoy London City Airport views
S. M.
Almost frill-less Chinese restaurant. Very quick service. Great food and reasonable prices......what more could you want
They've lost a star. It's a 45 minute drive from chelmsford and then have to PAY FOR PARKING. I've found a more relaxed place at Banquet in Stanway
S. A. B.
I went here for a function, the food was amazing (the lobster was delicious). The view of the river is to die for and the interior spot on. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly and delt with the very busy function well.
Would highly reccomend!
V. L.
Good dimsum after a workout with Windy Pandas Dragon Boat Club 😊
K. o.
Nice food. Looks like a warehouse from outside but once you're in theres a nice view of the docks. Plane spotters will love the view of planes taking off from London City airport
A.
Amazing food, great view and the staff are really nice and professional. Best Chinese food I've had! Tiny issue is that your constantly hearing planes taking off and it quite difficult to locate.
w. l.
Brilliant food and good service I had
J. F.
Lovely food, good atmosphere. Service was very prompt. Arrived at 8.45. A shame that the waiters made it obvious that they wanted to reset the table at 10pm to go home. And a service charge added to the bill isn’t good.
D. M.
I find the dim sum here excellent. The food is always fresh and well presented. Staff are friendly and helpful. The price is reasonable and we always get 10%discount as NHS staff!
M. D.
A great place. Service is good, the food is yummy and there is a large bar where you can get drinks separately if you wish to do so. The staff is friendly, there is easy car parking so driving here is not an issue either. Check it out folks 👍👍
I. D.
Very high standard of food, have been twice this month after not even knowing it existed! I find myself eating more of the starters because they are prepared so well, but as said before staff can be abit standoffish or vacant looking but it didnt really bother me as i was more interested in the quality of my food - as i should be.
J. S.
Love coming here for dim sum. Used to go to lotus but the dim sum chef moved here. Great dishes but make sure you get here early (as soon as it opens)on a weekend otherwise you will have to wait.
G. S.
Love the food I've tried here, but don't ask me what it was exactly as the in-laws ordered it. the views are mainly industrial but still beautiful in their own way.... Can't wait to go back .
E. T.
Hmm, well I have watched this restaurant open and been a patron for many years, especially during the years when we dragonboated on the river outside. On Saturdays after our dragonboating session our team would descend en masse to this place for dim sum.
Food can be hit and miss. When it first opened and we went there for dinner. There was a catepillar crawling in some leaves in our food....we had to argue with the management and they finally let us have it (this one dish) for free.
Otherwise, the food is generally of a decent standard. However, last Saturday, when I went, there was something wrong with the pork meat in the siu mai and also in another of our dumpling. The meat smelled fine but when you tried to eat it it tasted off. There was that horrible meat smell....I hope they sort it out because if this happens again next time I visit, I would be more inclined to go to Royal China in Canary Wharf or Sekai in Greenwich, or Lotus in Crossharbour.
Having read some of the reviews below, it's not true you "have" to endure the flight of stairs. There is a lift behind the stairs (ask reception if you don't know where it is). I also have no idea why someone would say there are no Asians there as the place is usually packed with families having dim sum at weekend (and most of the time a huge queue if you arrive a bit later than 12pm when they open).
T. R.
Lots of Asian people eating here is usually a very good sign but I was not particularly blown away by it. Good views and close to the train, pricing was good, overall a good experience.
M. D.
Great food. If you pay the bill, no one will look on you and you cant order even a glass of water. So, you are the king untill payment. After that go away and free the table.
T.
Good food, recommend getting here early as it can get busy during he lunch periods.
I have been many times for lunch, dinner and wedding events. Highly recommend the sea food, especially with the shark fin soup it tastes great.
N. L.
Great little restaurant tucked away behind excel. Too busy on Sunday lunch time. But most other times you can get a table ok and dine while watching the planes take off by city airport. The food i find a cut above the average chineses restaurant in chinatown. Mid price.
M. H.
Good dim sum with views of planes landing and taking off from London city airport. Also has parking. If you're travelling from far on a Sunday then it may be best to check that there isn't a wedding going on!
T. T.
Good food and quick service. The tables could be further spaced apart to help with social distancing.
A. J.
Food is good. A bit too noisy on weekends...
R. J.
Fabulous dim sum, every time. Yi-Ban is consistent and you can enjoy your meal while watching planes take off from city airport and the rowers in the water. It's a lovely atmosphere.
D. S.
Regular dim sum venue for me. Food is on point 9/10 times. Freshly made, great quality and great taste. Very good option for dim sum outside of central London!
M. A.
Looks like a popular place with quick and concise service.
J. H.
Fantastic food and atmosphere Great view of the Docklands
Z. A.
As good as (it not better) than a traditional affair at China Town, in much better location and offering better service
C. L.
This is such an amazing restaurant. I travel from north Essex to eat here often as it is such good value for money with the most fantastic food and great service. Can't go wrong.
J. D.
The restaurant is lovely with great views of the water and London city airport. The food is exceptionally good and decently priced. Ideal to celebrate a special occasion.
C.
Great value and very yummy food
M. M.
Yi-Ban should have been at least a 4/5 star restaurant. However, this contemporary eatery likes to shoot itself in the foot and is let down by inconsistent standards and its disengaging staff.
Getting to this remote and isolated eatery is a mission on public transport and a bit irksome by car. Just when you think that you must have taken a wrong turn, you realise that the unattractive concrete box of a building is in fact the London Regatta Centre, and is the right place. Yi-Ban is located upstairs.
Fortunately, the interior is more welcoming and contemporary in style, featuring large floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Royal Docks and the London City Airport. Plane watching whilst eating is a thing, apparently. To be fair, I find it to be a novelty, for a few minutes at least. At nighttime, the waterside setting does create a somewhat romantic ambiance and offers a good night-scape.
The menu is expansive and includes very good Hotpot and Seafood offerings and a very popular Dim Sum selection. It is a traditional Chinese menu, with some Vietnamese additions. The Seafood in particular, is adventurous and includes exotics such as Abalone, Sea Whelk and Sharks Fin. Some people may be offended by a few of the exotic items on the menu; so make sure you and your fellow diners find it palatable seeing items such as Shark Fin on a menu, before booking. The best dishes include: the Peking Duck, Salt & Chilli Prawns, Steamed Sea Bass with Onion & Ginger, Sea Whelks in a Curry Sauce, Sizzling Ginger Lamb and the Singapore Vermicelli.
Unfortunately, the cooking standards vary as much as the menu. There is a reoccurring problem of inconsistent and sometimes indolent cooking. This is frustrating, as the same dish may differ somewhat on a repeat visit and either be too salty or have an excess of overtly pungent sauce or be overcooked. You get the picture, one rarely gets the same tasting dish twice. I find this vexing, as with a little basic competency, dishes could easily be consistently good or great and not just average. The Dim Sum is case in point, as they are often cool and not hot. On occasion, some were cold and a few tasted of microwave reheating! This results in the calibre of the food being too erratic or clumsy for my liking and, given the task of getting to Yi-Ban in the first place, it sometimes feels like a let down.
The reception staff can be welcoming, but the waiters seem to sometimes go through the motions without noticing the customers. Some are also abruptly rude and require tolerating! Clearly, the waiters should be the ones tolerating the customers, but no one seems to have told them. However, they do seem to be friendly with their regular clientele. At peak business times, customers can be ferried in and out and it is very busy over the weekends; so book in advance.
Yi-Ban is a pretentious eatery which tries to be more upmarket than it actually is and generally ends up charging too much for the quality and standards it actually delivers. That is not to say that Yi-Ban is not a good eatery, because it can be, it just depends on the mood of its staff at the time of your visit. Overall, I have found the dining experience at Yi-Ban rather ostentatious, underwhelming and definitely hit and miss. I think Yi-Ban fancies itself as a good West End alternative, but is wide of the mark; especially when it comes to consistency and customer service. This is a real shame, as Yi-Ban does have some good dishes and with improved customer service and a little love, care and attention, it could be a real gem.
S. “. H.
If you're coming for dim sum on the weekend then make sure to get here really early as it fills up pretty quickly. The dim sum is standard fare. The only real stand out dish is the curried whelks. Service is quite abrupt.
C. A.
Take away. Food was very nice!
C. S.
Efficient staff, amazing view, very good food
K. L.
My dim sum go-to place - authentic Canton style dim sum with a view. Tasted just like the dim sum back home in HK. Parking right outside the restaurant or 5 mins walk from Royal Albert DLR Station. There is a lift from ground floor to the 1st floor so buggy and wheelchair friendly. Arrive before 12 noon during weekend to secure a table with great view.
K. W.
Been here ever since it first opened about 10 years ago. The owners are nice, food is brilliant, parking is convenient, fully staffed all the time. The best restaurant that serves dim sum in the area.
A. C.
Food ok, great view. Parking is free before but now they charge £3 for 2 hours. Think it’s better to be waived if we spend money in the restaurant??
J. K.
Great quality food and reasonably priced. I try to go here as often as I can. Parking is limited so best to arrive early, this doesn't always guarantee a space as the car park is shared with the regatta club which empties around 12.
N. W.
Decent priced meals and drinks. £3.20 for beer is alright. Good views of the planes coming into land and take off. Good views over the river too of the boat crews.
B.
I attended a wedding here. Good venue and easy to get to on DLR
L. N.
Great authentic Chinese food, beautifully presented right on the river Thames with lots of parking. Regularly used for weddings and parties. Weekends can get really busy.
L. L. I.
Food range was good but was bit on the salty side. Great view from the restaurant of city airport planes taking off and landing. Free parking
P. D.
Very industrial cold look, not really ideal for weddings, the only upside is that its got a full view of the london city airport divided by a little patch of water and enough parking. Food is normal but not wow. So in overall a mere - 'eh' its ok.
S. C.
Dim sum is great, as good if not better than what you find in Chinatown, and fast friendly service. Reasonably priced. Interior could use a bit of an update but otherwise highly recommended.
A. H.
Decent dim sum at reasonable prices. Has a free car park and good views of London City Airport (if you like that sort of thing). Spacious and reasonably modern.
S. G.
The best dimsum in town ! Definitely recommend it to those looking for an authentic dimsum experience.
Service was quick, staff was polite but curt. It is a very busy place so it is expected.
M. M.
It's not much to look at as you come in, but don't let it fool you. As you walk in you see the amazing view of the windows on the water overlooking the airport! Then the food was excellent and came out so fast!
V. S.
Good Chinese food. This place is frequented by a lot of Chinese folk, so this also adds to the authenticity of the place. Good views of you are seated at the windows. Very busy on weekends so book in advance.
R. C.
I really enjoy my Sunday dim sums at Yi-ban.
Just time it well as the ques can be quite long, and due to the restaurant shape you can either have a great table by the window.. or not a great table.
J. D.
Very good food and nice view over the water and airport. Only.... The people working there almost don't say a word. To bad because I want to ask for dessert and left after some time with no dessert...
L.
The food here used to be quite good before but haven't been back in a while and the recent trip here was disappointing. Not as good as it used to be, you can find better elsewhere. Everything is brought out quickly but standard has fallen.
M. R.
Good quality food, absolutely AWEFUL service. The waiters here are literally the rudest people I have ever been served by. You have to be pretty stoic to get through the service and be able to enjoy the food!
k. G.
Food was delicious, freshly cooked and very tasty. The only (slight) downside was that we had quite a wait before our food arrived as they were very busy but we were happy to wait.
P. W.
Tasty Chilly Seafood and fried rice. Lots of Chinese families eating here which is a good sign. Can also watch aeroplanes taking off and landing from London City airport.
S. J.
Nice Chinese restaurant in excellent location. Iver looking runway if City Airport. The food is great. Authentic Chinese. The clientèle is predominantly of Chinese origin so you know the food is authentic.
B. A. A.
Brilliant place some of the best food I've had. The waiters there are also very helpful delivering the immaculate food. Would definitely recommend!
S.
Solid experience. Good food and fast service. The size of the place makes it less intimate than hoped and therefore only 4 of 5 but would come back and do recommend it
T. B.
Brilliant food! Highly recommend to go here
S. B.
Delicious food and friendly staff.
S.
Nice and peaceful place to eat with friends and family.
D. a.
Really nice food the portions are really big and can feed at least 2 people per portion. Main service was a bit slow but I am putting that down to how busy it was but everything else was superb.
S. S. (.
the food is delicious. the service is fast and attentive specially during dim sum. the venue has a nice view of london city airport
K. H.
Expensive, a bit crowded, not the friendliest staff, but the location and the view are nice. Good food but not amazing. If you just want water, ask for tap or they will serve you expensive bottled.
R. S.
Excellent staff. Dedicated to making sure the customer is catered for. Fresh beautiful authentic Chinese cuisine....i was blown away by this restaurant...x
t. n.
The last 3 times I've been here, food has been great and staff attentive. It's a little bit more pricey though.
J.
It was a bit loud as a main part of the restaurant was occupied by a wedding guests. The food was decent but the view was amazing if someone likes plane spotting!!!
D. O.
A bit out of the city and is very inconspicuous as inside a big warehouse, but this is a very nice little chinese restaurant; even my taiwanese mum enjoys the dim sum here! Sometimes in the evenings they also have live vocalists, so don't be shocked if you're serenaded tableside.
S. Q.
Very good
U. U.
Bangin crispy belly pork! The food here is quality and resembles that of a quality Chinese restaurant in Soho but in the east end. Foods a bit pricey but you get what you pay for.
Plenty of parking here and also accessible via DLR (2 mins walk away.)
A. N.
Yi Bin is a Chinese restaurant in Docklands. In weekends it gets really busy. When we were there we found the staff bit unfriendly. The good is average. The prices are ok.
B. V.
Good portion, good food.
K. N.
Decent lunch but pricy dinner. Come here with day light to see the stunning view of City airport. It deserves more than 4 stars.
M. L.
Food was great. Service was all over the place - they brought at 4 other peoples meals to us! But they were very polite and friendly
k. k.
Very nice place, delicious food 🙂
J. S.
Very good Chinese/Asian food, generally always very busy. Amazing ringside view of planes landing and taking off.
M. B.
Very tasty Chinese food. Feng Shui atmosphere:)
M. P.
good food! have to queue but worth it. nice view of london city airport as well. Not so travel friendly, but car is good
V. A.
Food is good. A bit on the pricey side and last time we were there we had an overly long wait time (over 1 hour) with not good enough customer service, I feel.
S. C.
Love this place. Love the fact there is free parking. Very good food and best of all menu with photo so you know what to expect.
M.
Great dim-sum with an excellent view of LCY. This is the place to bring your plane-spotting friends to. It’s an excellent place.
J. D.
We thought the food was fresh, especially the vegetable dishes we had, but the quality of the meat was mediocre. Quite expensive for what it is.
M. F.
I go here all the time and the food is great and reasonably priced, the on site parking is no longer free now sue to a 3rd party wanting to cash in on the popularity of the restaurant in the evening.