Restaurant in London, United Kingdom

Phoenix Palace

Name: Phoenix Palace
Address: 5-9 Glentworth St, London NW1 5PG, United Kingdom, London, GB
Telephone: +44 7770 220629

150Pearl Points

OAD-ranked Cantonese in Marylebone. Book for groups.

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About Phoenix Palace

Phoenix Palace holds an Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe ranking (#247, 2024) and, making it the most credible Cantonese option in Marylebone. Best for groups of four or more coming for dim sum lunch or a celebration dinner. Easier to book and more affordable than Hakkasan or Imperial Treasure, with comparable seriousness in the kitchen.

Who Books Phoenix Palace — and When

Phoenix Palace is the right call for groups wanting a full-scale Cantonese dining experience in Marylebone, particularly for dim sum lunches, family gatherings, celebrations that need space and a kitchen that can handle volume without losing quality. It holds an Opinionated About Dining (OAD) Casual Europe #247 ranking (2024) and was Highly Recommended by OAD in 2023 — credentials that put it meaningfully above the average neighbourhood Chinese restaurant in London and in the same conversation as Imperial Treasure for serious Cantonese cooking outside the West End's flashier rooms.

The Space

Phoenix Palace occupies a substantial ground-floor room on Glentworth Street, a quiet residential stretch a short walk from Baker Street. The dining room is large, this is not an intimate setting. Expect round tables, banquet-style seating, the kind of layout designed for groups of four or more. For a date or a quiet business dinner for two, the scale works against you; the room reads as a celebration venue rather than a romantic one. For a family reunion, a birthday dinner, or a table of six working through a shared menu, the format fits well. The physical setup is built for sharing plates and lazy Susans, not for solo diners or couples who want a hushed corner.

The Neighbourhood Anchor

Marylebone has limited options for full-service Cantonese cooking at this level. Phoenix Palace fills that gap directly. You are not travelling to Chinatown in Soho or to the more polished but considerably pricier rooms of Hakkasan Mayfair. For residents and workers in the NW1 corridor, for visitors staying near Regent's Park or Baker Street, Phoenix Palace is the credible Cantonese option within walking distance. That neighbourhood role matters: this is a restaurant people return to regularly, not just for a one-off occasion. The OAD recognition in consecutive years supports that view, regulars keep it ranked.

Dim Sum vs. Dinner

Sunday hours open at 11am, which makes it one of the few places in this part of London for early dim sum. Weekday and Saturday service runs noon to 11:30pm, giving a long window for both lunch and dinner. Dim sum at lunch is the format this kitchen is built around, the OAD casual ranking aligns with that positioning. If your group is deciding between lunch and dinner, lunch gives you the widest range of dim sum options and typically a more relaxed room. Dinner is a reasonable choice for larger celebrations but confirm your booking well in advance if you have a specific date or group size in mind.

Awards and Credentials

Two consecutive years of OAD recognition, a 2023 Highly Recommended followed by a 2024 ranking at #247 in Casual Europe, give Phoenix Palace verifiable standing. OAD rankings are driven by frequent-diner votes, which means this is a restaurant that performs consistently for people who eat out regularly and know what they are comparing it against. A reinforces that the quality holds across a wide range of visits, not just on good nights.

Booking and Logistics

Booking is rated Easy. You should not need to plan weeks in advance for most slots, though weekend lunches and larger group tables are worth securing a few days ahead. The address is 5-9 Glentworth St, London NW1 5PG, close to Baker Street and Marylebone stations. Hours run Monday to Saturday noon to 11:30pm, Sunday 11am to 10pm.

How Phoenix Palace Compares Logistically

Venue	Cuisine	Booking Difficulty	Price Range	OAD / Award
Phoenix Palace	Cantonese / Chinese	Easy	Mid-range	OAD Casual Europe #247 (2024)
Hakkasan Mayfair	Cantonese	Moderate	High	Michelin-starred
Imperial Treasure	Cantonese	Moderate	High	Michelin-starred
Four Seasons	Cantonese	Easy–Moderate	Mid-range	Chinatown institution
Hunan	Hunanese	Moderate	Mid-range	Long-standing critic favourite

Who Should Book, Who Shouldn't

Book Phoenix Palace if you want OAD-recognised Cantonese cooking in Marylebone without paying Hakkasan or Imperial Treasure prices, you are coming with a group of four or more. It is the practical choice for a celebration dinner or a dim sum weekend with family in the NW1 area. Skip it if you are dining solo, want an intimate setting for two, or are after regional Chinese cooking beyond the Cantonese repertoire, Barshu is the better call for Sichuan. For comparable Chinese cooking in other cities, see Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin and Mister Jiu's in San Francisco.

For more options across the city, see our full London restaurants guide, plus hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences in London. If you are combining a London trip with the wider UK, Pearl also covers Waterside Inn in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I eat at the bar at Phoenix Palace?

Bar seating is not documented in the venue record, Phoenix Palace is primarily set up for table dining. For solo visits, the counter or small tables near the front are the better bet. Call ahead if bar seating is a priority.

What should a first-timer know about Phoenix Palace?

Come for dim sum, preferably on a Sunday when service opens at 11am. Phoenix Palace holds back-to-back OAD recognition for 2023 and 2024, which means the cooking is vetted beyond neighbourhood default. It is a large room, so do not expect an intimate setting — this is a venue built for groups and families, not quiet dinners for two.

Does Phoenix Palace handle dietary restrictions?

Cantonese menus of this scale typically carry options across seafood, vegetable, meat categories, which gives reasonable flexibility. That said, specific dietary accommodation policies are not documented in the venue record, so check the venue's official channels before booking if restrictions are a concern.

Is lunch or dinner better at Phoenix Palace?

Lunch is the stronger case, particularly the Sunday dim sum service which starts at 11am — earlier than most comparable options in this part of London. Dinner runs until 11:30pm on weekdays and Saturday, making it a functional late option, but the OAD recognition and local reputation are built around the dim sum offering.

How far ahead should I book Phoenix Palace?

Booking is rated Easy, so last-minute reservations are generally achievable for weekday lunches and smaller tables. Weekend lunch slots and larger group tables are worth securing a few days in advance. You do not need to plan weeks out the way you would for Hakkasan or a tasting-menu restaurant.

Is Phoenix Palace good for solo dining?

Manageable, but not the natural fit. The room and menu format are built around sharing plates and group orders, which is standard for Cantonese dining at this scale. Solo diners can order from the full menu, but the value and format work better with at least two people to spread dishes across.

Can Phoenix Palace accommodate groups?

Yes, groups are the core use case. The dining room is substantial, the Cantonese format with shared dishes suits tables of four or more. For large group bookings or private dining enquiries, check the venue's official channels — specific private room availability is not confirmed in the venue record.

Location

5-9 Glentworth St, London NW1 5PG, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

Compare Phoenix Palace

How Easy to Book: Phoenix Palace vs. Peers

Venue	Cuisine	Price	Booking Difficulty
Phoenix Palace	Chinese		Easy
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay	Contemporary European, French	££££	Unknown
CORE by Clare Smyth	Modern British	££££	Unknown
The Ledbury	Modern European, Modern Cuisine	££££	Unknown
Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library	Modern French	££££	Unknown
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal	Modern British, Traditional British	££££	Unknown

Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.

Also Consider

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Contemporary European, French, ££££
CORE by Clare Smyth, Modern British, ££££
The Ledbury, Modern European, Modern Cuisine, ££££
Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, Modern French, ££££
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Modern British, Traditional British, ££££

Phoenix Palace sits in a different category from London's flagship fine-dining rooms. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, CORE by Clare Smyth, The Ledbury, Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal are all ££££ tasting-menu or à la carte fine-dining venues operating at the top of the London market. If you are choosing between those rooms and Phoenix Palace, you are solving for different occasions: those venues suit a set-piece dinner for two where the cooking is the main event; Phoenix Palace suits a group wanting a long, shared Cantonese lunch without the fine-dining price point.

Within the Chinese restaurant category in London, the more useful comparisons are Hakkasan Mayfair and Imperial Treasure. Both are Michelin-starred, both are significantly more expensive, both require more advance planning to book. Phoenix Palace's OAD Casual Europe ranking gives it credibility at a lower price point, the right choice if the Michelin-starred rooms feel like overkill for the occasion or the budget. For Sichuan rather than Cantonese, Barshu is the stronger call.

The practical decision is straightforward: if you want serious Cantonese cooking in Marylebone at mid-range prices and can fill a table of four or more, Phoenix Palace is the booking. If you want the Michelin-starred version of the same cuisine and are willing to pay significantly more and book further ahead, move to Hakkasan or Imperial Treasure. If your occasion calls for London's top fine-dining rooms in a European format, the ££££ options above are in a separate category entirely.