Kowloon

The bakery in front of the buffet restaurant is great. I’ve never gone past the bakery into the restaurant itself, but the barbecue pork buns, custard buns, red bean mochi, and sweet lotus pastry are fantastic. The service is too quick to be friendly, but the food is delicious and almost never more than £1.5 per pastry. Perfect for a quick pit stop, or as a reward for making it through the commuter and tourist crowds in the morning.

Once upon a time, the foolish hungry american tourist stopped at the buffet. happily never after.
Food: admittedly tastes alright, but choices are limited (many are filler vegetarian items — fried wontons with no filling, potato pastries, fries, sweet potato tempura only, fried rice with no egg, etc.) meat dishes (ex. beef stir fry, chicken w/​black bean, mongolian pork were good) but i tried not to look to closely (read hygiene section).
Service: FAIL. could write an expletive-​ridden essay, but attempting to write cliff notes version… should’ve left when the crazy host lady seated me next to the staff only door which kept slamming. got yelled at by lady because didn’t know to pay first. yelled at by staff because another person put here bag on my table while zipping jacket (thought i was sneakily adding to people at table). another man got reprimanded for getting more food (staff said «i wish you were gone already»).
Hygiene: yes, its that bad that this gets it’s own section (a personal Unilocal first!). dirty floors, dirty food area. will spare fellow Unilocalers pictures — do not wish to cause loss of appetite.
1) no clean plates provided for subsequent trips
2) lady halfheartedly washing dishes in middle of restaurant (weird) while screaming at waitstaff and banging dishes onto cleaned pile. station is next to buffet area.
3) don’t look at floors. didnt brave a visit to restroom. pity/​applaud one who does.
lady washing
Bottom Line: doesn’t matter how hungry you are don’t dine-​in buffet here. crazy lady hostess & staff. if desperate, try other buffets in area perhaps? or get takeaway of lots of regular chinese food.

BAKERY Review Only:
This is the most authentic Chinese bakery in London. We enjoyed it so much that we made the effort to visit a 2^nd time after finishing a tour in Trafalgar Square.
Egg tarts — Yes, good crust that doesn’t collapse on the first bite. Center contents were perfect as it was smooth and rested on my tongue with no running liquid and reminds you of egg custards back in the days when people gave damn about quality.
Sesame seed balls — there is a pretty decent churn on these and we had to wait 5 – 10 min for the next batch. For those who do not like the familiar large chunks of red bean, this is a good compromise as there is a sufficient amount but it doesn’t overwhelm the entire ball.
BBQ Pork bun — large portion, we got lucky that it was still pretty warm.

Another one of the Restaurants in Chinatown that has a bakery front so you can just buy and go. I selected a duck pastry (wasn’t sure what it was and took a risk) and got a red bean mochi ! The mochi was delicious! So delicious I wanted to go back and get more! The duck pastry was interesting to say the least. I started with the duck pastry and ate only half. It had interesting flavours, like a sweet bean/​peanut paste? And then some fermented duck egg? That was my guess at least. It was a gamble but I’m still glad I tried it! The mochi was good to end on since it was so yummy and sweet! I love red bean mochi.

This place deserves 0 stars. Nasty. The fried food was very soggy. The wait staff was rude. Maybe it’s a European rule but it’s nasty that they only give you one plate and you have to keep reusing it.

Yummmmmmyy… for only a fiver you can do the take away buffet! Pretty good deal and the food is good!

We’re tourist and decided to try the restaurant buffet. What a mistake! They were half empty and yet they sat us in a drafty table and refused to let us sit at another table because it sat 4 and it was just my husband and myself. Normally we would walk out but we were too tired to argue. Then it gets better, there is a sign posted at your table about charging extra if they feel you are wasting food! Last time I checked, it was a buffet! To round out our horrendous experience so far, the food was nothing special and the wait staff sucked! The waiter kept walking back and forth like a caged animal and refused to take our plates until I said something! Stay away. they don’t want your business!

I only go to the bakery for a quick pit stop. This place is always busy with people picking out sweet and savoury delights. But after seeing the Munchies Youtube Channel and Action Bronson (rapper who also knows world food and can cook) state that this place has THE best BBQ Pork bun… I had to go. I went, I bought two, and I loved it. As he also stated it’s better warm but they don’t really warm it up. And barely speak much English, but loved it all the same as a cheap snack on the go. And for £1.20. Cheap as chips!

This is a review for the little bakery, not the restaurant next door: Great little bakery, open late and serving a number of sweet and savoury treats! Reasonably priced for individual little snacks. Service is very fast paced and non-​smiley: you order what you want and it’s boxed up straight away. Then you leave your box while you go to the till and pay. Once you have your receipt you can pick up your package and enjoy.

One of the better Bakeries in Chinatown– brisk, efficient staff (one lot who take and box your purchases, before handing an invoice to the person at the cash desk). The standard I use for judging bakeries in Chinatown is pretty simple– the roast pork bun. here, I found it well executed and fresh, as were other purchases, including a lurid but delicious Swiss roll. Prices are pretty similar to the local competition £1-£2 per item.

It used to be the best Chinese bakery in Chinatown but I’m afraid their standards have dropped in the last couple months. What used to be fresh egg tarts with the fragrant egg middle and buttery flaky crust is now replaced with a diluted egg filling and a really sad crust. Along with the egg tarts, I bought my usual share of beef curry turnovers, banana mochi, melon cake and sesame ball. Melon cake was okay but the rest tasted stale. Would not go back again — the search for a decent Chinese bakery continues…

Best Chinese bakery in Chinatown. The prices have hardly gone up since I was a kid, there’s a great selection. Personal faves are pork bun, curry puffs, and egg tarts. There really is no need to try the other ones.

Quick glance:
+ two varieties of egg tart
+ staff handles baked goods
Full review:
After visiting half a dozen bakeries in Chinatown, I found it here at Kowloon — egg tart with short crust base. All the other bakeries offered only the puff pastry variety (some looking sadder than others) but I’ve always been a fan of the short crust base. Imagine my delight when I finally found it here at Kowloon, and they look perfectly formed! Not to mention oh so tasty.
The other positive is that the staff handles all the baked goods so you know the food stays relatively hygienic.

Ever since my first egg custard tart in the foodie wonderland of Hong Kong last year, I’ve had a hankering to find one closer to home that hits the same spot. If I hadn’t had that specific treat in mind I’d have been in big trouble, as boy is there some yummy looking stuff in here!
Ignoring the fact that at almost 6ft I felt like more of a giant in there than usual, the tricky part is figuring out the non-​obvious serving ‘system’ which kinda adds to the experience. Basically just push your way over to a server as soon as you see one free, as you won’t be beckoned in. Point out what you want (literally) and they’ll load you up a box of goodies whilst you go pay at the cash-​only till. Pick up your box. Enjoy.
Ok I confess it was actually my housemate that figured that out whilst I was looking around drooling. There’s huge choice, both savoury and sweet, and all looks enticingly fresh (not like those places you go in and suspect some things have been sitting there for a week). Also a small seating area at the back though it looks like most people take away.
At £1 a pop the mark-​up on the custard tarts versus HK is noticeable but hey inevitable, and we picked up half a dozen to satisfy the cravings! Firm pastry, light custard, not too sweet and with a good amount of wobble, so I’ll definitely be hitting this place again to taste test some more. For now though I still have 3 left in the box to deal with before my housemate gets home… mmm.

They adon’t put it in individual plastic wrap which is annoying.
Alot of choices but they didn’t have the ones I wanted
Actual bread is pretty good, but i dont think its as good as delicious patissiere

Great selection of baked goods here, so many to try!
On my last visit we were just in and out, which I really appreciated as the place was full of people waiting for their pastries. The workers were efficient in the process. And everything we got was quite tasty!

I love this bakery!
The quality of Kowloon’s pork buns and sausage croissants is excellent. The dough is light and pork filling is super sweet — making the perfect pork bun! However if you are westerner you may be shocked by the sweetness of Kowloon’s pastry. A lot of Asian breads tend to be very sweet. However, if you can get past this — you will be able to enjoy these little delights!
Kowloon reminds me of many Asian bakeries in Singapore and Australia. These types of bakeries are littered everywhere in Singapore and Australia! I was determined to find one in London, because I missed these bakeries so much! By comparison to Singapore — Kowloon is just as good!
You have to try this place next time you’re in Chinatown. I certainly will be going back for more!

I never know what to order when I go to one of these Chinese bakery type places. Most of them just don’t seem right, as neutral and unbiased as that sounds. And whenever I go eating with my Chinese friends, it’s almost always for dimsum or real food. But then last weekend I met just the right person; a fine Englishman, who wanted to run home in anguish after the London Pride parties in Soho made him borderline claustrophobic. «Would you like to pick up a Cha Siu Bau?» he asked. «Would I what???» I replied, and in instant recognition of my Chinese bakery evangelist, I jumped at the idea and him lead us (there were seven of us) to Kowloon on Gerrard St, which was teeming with even more human flesh than Soho.
We wriggled our way into Kowloon as we received half baked greetings from the demi attendants who were not amused by the mass intrusion of what looked like decisively low revenue targets. An aggressive Chinese woman asked us what we wanted and before the answer was attempted in full, there was a paper box taped up with a threatening bill for a little lesser than £10.
The appearance being one of an overglazed bun, I still couldn’t figure out what the big deal was. The first crunch revealed sweet bread, the sweetness coming from the glaze, which as an afterthought was just about right. Sweet tenderloin oozed out of the core of the dough which an elegance almost characteristic of the finest chocolate fondant I’ve had in Paris. The cornstarch from the sweet syrupy sauce played in my stomach for a minute reminding me of the steamed cousin of this baby I’d had, albeit inadvertently ordered, in Chinatown, Manhattan a few years ago. Loved, loved it! I’m a fan!
The chinese totally know how to stuff their bread.

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.

I am reviewing the cake takeaway section of Kowloon, not the rather generic looking buffet restaurant of the same name next door.
I love looking in through the window at the treasure trove of Chinese buns and cakes just to whet my appetitie. There is a small café seating area but most people come for takeaway.
The space just inside the door where you place your order is rather cramped and it can be sometimes hard to see what is available in the myriad trays. However, the queueing is generally good-​natured if a little po-​faced at times
There are some savoury pies that will do for a light lunch like beef curry puff and some dishes that are usually dim sum dishes like savoury meat croquette. To be honest, the lovely flavours and textures are lost a bit in translation but try something new and you may be pleasantly surprised. For the sweet-​toothed, there are cream cakes but I would recommend trying some Chinese delicacies like Chinese custard tarts and sesame seed balls.
The girls serving you the food will give you a bag with your goodies and a bill, which you pay at the door.
Worth a look for a treat and light lunch!