A First-Timer's Guide to Dim Sum in London
Dim sum is a Cantonese tradition of small, shareable steamed and fried dishes, traditionally eaten with tea; in London, Peacock London serves an all-day luxury version until 5pm, built around ingredients like lobster and truffle.
Dim sum ("touching the heart") originated as a Cantonese tradition of small plates served alongside tea, historically eaten as a late-morning or early-afternoon meal rather than a full sit-down dinner. A typical order spans steamed dumplings, buns, rice noodle rolls and fried items, ordered a few dishes at a time and shared across the table.
What to order first
Classic starting points include steamed dumplings (har gow, siu mai) and rice-noodle rolls (cheung fun). At Peacock London, the equivalent dishes are given a luxury treatment — lobster cheung fun in place of the usual shrimp filling, and morel mushroom and truffle dumplings alongside iberico pork and foie gras gyoza.
When to go
Dim sum is served all day at Peacock London, until 5pm, which makes it workable for a leisurely weekend lunch, a business lunch, or an early pre-theatre meal — all with the restaurant's river-facing view of Big Ben.
- ServiceAll day, until 5pm
- Good forLunch, groups, first-timers