Red Sun Chinese Restaurant

First time I went I really enjoyed the place. We ate mostly from the Sichuanese menu which was spicy and from what I can remember, very tasty and of reasonable quality.
My next trip was decidedly less good. The sober day’s light hit far fewer of the aesthetic flaws than the drunken night’s dusk, meaning this time I actually realised that this place is filthy and decrepit.
Had the food been sensational I’d have forgiven the surroundings but as the food was average to far below average, it was unforgivable. Plus the place is almost as expensive as places nearby like Royal China, so why bother?
Plus my beer and all soft drinks were served warm.

Red Sun was packed when we arrived at the recommendation of a local. We were willing to wait a few minutes, but they came and asked if we minded eating downstairs. Didn’t know what that meant, so accepted the offer and was ushered into an area where mops and brooms might be stored. There was a large tables of Asians nearby and another couple on the other side. It wasn’t a great decision on our part as the upstairs seemed bright and cheery with a big window and looked like a lot of fun. Personally, if I was the owner, I wouldn’t have put two Americans in the basement. We are a great country and saved Europe in two world wars. That said, the food seemed like it would have been delicious under different circumstances. We got there in part because it was near our room at Durrant;s Hotel, in retrospect would have been more interesting to walk up to Marlybone area. Bottom line is Red Sun is a good place to go if you live on that block, about the same quality as hundreds of other Chinese restaurants all over USA.

Wow, excellent food! Just arrived in London after a long day of traveling and my group was starved. We decided to go to this Chinese restaurant because of the reviews and it was also the closest one to us. So glad we dined here. The place is very small, and consequently, we had to share a table with another patron. She was a regular to this place and told us it was very similar to real home style Chinese food (she was from China). We ordered a number of dishes; including broccoli beef, egg foo young, cashew chicken, and some house fried rice. All were excellent (though their portions are a little on the small side) choices, and I will definitely be returning during my stay in London. Good food, good company, good times.

Have been staying near this restaurant for several business trips and going to other more «upscale» places on Baker Street. Not any more. Any one who could not like this place is silly.
No, not high end cuisine but really really good comfort food. The salt & pepper squid is fantastic. This last trip I dined there twice and completely satisfied. Homey and good. Go, eat, enjoy.

I have some mixed feeling about the restaurant. I’m not sure if I’m going back if I don’t see some improvements in the food and staff’s attitude. The only thing I liked were the spotless bathrooms the cleaning staff deserves promotion.

This was the worst Chinese restaurant experience I have been to in my 12 years in London. I just came back from there and felt compelled that I have to write a review to warn others who haven’t been there and are thinking of trying it out just because of some good reviews and hype.
Tonight was Chinese New Year’s eve, 9^th of Feb 2013, me and a group of well sophisticated friends 8 of us gathered at the place to celebrate. We had a table booked but upstairs was full so we were asked to sit in the basement. On the way down the sight was gross and surreal. It was damp and I wasn’t sure whether I was tripping over something when I walked down there. The wooden flooring was so damp it was soft and curled up! There were only 2 tables in the basement, ours was the worst situated right next to 3 huge freezers and loud kitchen. The food was unbelievably gross and tastes aweful now thinking about it I will tell you the final outcome in the end of my writing.
The kitchen that was right next to our table was really loud with constant chopping board sound. There was maybe a door or something open there was constant cold draft beneath our table. In the end our feet were frozen and we finally had to wear our coats to chat to each other. One of our friends didn’t even want to take off all her cloths in the beginning as she already felt it was gross and wanted to run away but stayed calm for the sake of our get together dinner. She said she had to wash her bag after she got home because she put it on the damp floor.
During the dinner while our dishes were being served, someone started to smoke cigarettes in the kitchen! The smoke came in and easily filled the entire basement I was choking! It was so shocking and gross and unacceptable in addition to the already bad experience that was building up for all of us but we managed to hold a smiley face throughout what was supposed to be a nice evening. The outcome was, I came home and actually vomitted by just thinking about the place where I ate and the smoke in the damp basement on my Chinese New Year’s eve! :-(
Agree with Liz that the steamed rice was yellow! Yuk!
Really bad experience, wish I had never sat down or should have told my friend to collectively change the venue. The place was SO GROSS it should be shut down really.

I was a little hesitant about having dinner here with the first review but I’m always the type to give anything a try at least once. It definitely felt like time stood still for a number of decades in this restaurant. I felt that I was walking a bit cautiously in going to the toilet cuz it felt a bit eery down there.
Anyhow, the food really isn’t that horrible. This is very traditional food from Shanghai. If you have a party of 8 or more, you have the option to leave it to the cook to decide what to make for 15 pounds per person. We had 10 people so there were a total of 20 different dishes — a mix of cold and hot dishes. This isn’t the type of place for the non-​adventurous palate. The cold dishes are probably the most obscure. Chilled chicken, chicken stomach, gizzard, lotus roots etc. The hot dishes are a little be more western friendly like steamed dumpling, fish, pork ribs, bok choy, prawns etc. I think you can find other places with better quality of food however this does feel like you’re eating at someone’s home. I love variety and having a lot of little dishes (the korean in me) so this was a unique dining experience.

I have only ever been here for the tasting menu and not what is on the menu book itself. Leaving it to the chef to decide and cook up Northern chinese cuisine is the best way to go.
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It’s absolutely authentic Shanghai food. My friends and I went there last week. We were quite impressed by the taste of the dishes. DEFO come again.

This is a very authentic Shanghainese restaurant near Marble Arch and Oxford Street. It is located on a side street that could be quite hard to find!
Inside, the atmosphere is cosy, with tables quite close together. The staff are friendly and service is quick. However, it would probably be best to go with a Chinese speaking person as their full menu is in Chinese, and the staff might struggle to explain some of the more exotic sounding dishes on the menu.
Portions are rather big, and I would say if you had a group of 4, you will probably only need to order 3 dishes to share. Food tastes authentic, but not particularly flavourful.
Pricewise, expec to pay about £11−15 per person for food with tea.

The exterior reminded me of some store front you used to see in SF Chinatown from the early 1900’s. It was painted red and I couldn’t tell if it was a majong parlor or opium den. We passed it several times and didn’t want to try it until one evening because we got back soooo late from Stonehenge and we were starving, so we ended up here, a restaurant a couple of blocks from our hotel.
The small upstairs dining room was full and we were escorted downstairs to a basement room which serves as a storage place. I do remember one of the young female staffers giving us a strange look, the looks you give unwelcomed non-​locals.
There was another party in the room and after they finished eating, they began to watch and sing along (karaōke) a DVD, I knew I was in the wrong place when I started to see mainland Chinese soldiers marching on the screen and the group of diners stood to sing the national anthem of China. All the staff spoke Mandarin and barely any English, so communicating what we wanted to eat was challenging. The food was not good, with the exception of the duck chow mein, costing us 50 pounds for 7 dishes (that would be about 100 USD since the dollar is doing so poorly against the pound). Definitely no plans to be back. But, what an experience!

Red sun is a northern Chinese restaurant serving mainly Shanghainese food. It is a warm and cosy place. The owners are from Shanghai; if you can speak Shanghainese, you will get a warmer welcome. Like most Shanghainese cuisine, the food is quite oily and salty! The strong flavours are not for everyone. I went twice with some of my Shanghainese friends; both occasions turned out really well. The owners prepared the food for us so every dish is a surprise (mostly pleasant) instead of pre-​ordering from the menu. On the whole, I quite like this place and its food although I’m not a big fan of strong flavours.