Child-friendly restaurant in/near Chinatown or Covent garden area?

[oneofsuesylvesterscheerios]

We're off to the Big Smoke on Tuesday [bumpkin emoticon] and we wanted to take the dds (age 5 & 9) out for tea before their surprise visit to the Lion King.

They love Chinese - but are also pretty good with any kind of food really - and I wondered about a lively authentic place in Chinatown maybe, or alternatively anywhere they can eat that will be part of the 'event' but we won't get ripped off. We'd be eating 5ish.

Be grateful for any ideas

tokyo diner at leicester square is japanese, canteen style, reasonable prices and very friendly to children. The chicken katsu curry is mild and very tasty

Cheers Any. That looks good.

Any more suggestions?

Wahaca is a good one, Mexican though. It's Thomasina Miers's restaurant, reasonably priced and funky. I can't recall the address but there must be a website.

Yes there is a website - been on it and my mouth's watering. Yum!

Wong Kei is the obvious choice tbh, authentic, they don't exactly hand out crayons but it's quick and cheap and good.

Oh Wong Kei would be good for children ! I think they would look after you , would be a good laugh anyway .

Went there may years ago - well before children !

Will have a look - we're not after crayons! Just somewhere that the dds will feel welcome and would be buzzy and good fun and nice food

Ooo I love Wong Kei!

Wong kei hurry you out - don't go there with little ones. Golden dragon just along the road much friendlier with fab statues of - not surprisingly - golden dragons upstairs!

Cheers for that - yes, don't want to be kicked out before we're ready! Will have a look at Golden Dragons.

I have to say after trawling the restaurant review sites, it doesn't fill me with confidence...

There is a Spaghetti House on St. Martin's Lane.

Not exactly gourmet, (it is part of a chain), but the food/atmosphere should be suitable for kids, it is in the right area for where you want to be, and won't break the bank.

Sorry I don't have any suggestions for chinese.

I've gone orf Chinese actually reading the reviews. There's not one that says the service is any better than contemptuous. Exaggeration... a bit, but not very heartening.

Spag House sounds promising. I was also thinking about Zizzis maybe...

A lot of the proper Chinese places can be quite rude tbh, I wouldn't worry about it though, it is what it is, if you want real Chinese food it's part of the package often.

I doubt you'll get turfed out of Wong Kei at 5pm on a Tuesday, and they really aren't as rude as some of the reports suggest, you'll just go in, sit down, be delivered huge portions of food in 5 minutes flat and pay about 10 quid for the privilege. There are some buffet places in Chinatown, which are terrible, a dozen or so identikit 'roast duck in the window' places, a couple of more upmarket Chinese places, none terribly inspiring. There is also Rasa Sayang, which serves spicy Malaysian food rasasayang.mkrestaurant.co.uk/ and is always pretty busy.

Ahh - Rasa Sayang....used to love to eat there many years back. But, unless they've moved, I wouldn't think the location (in Soho?) would work as a pre-Lion King supper. I would think the walk from restaurant to theatre would be upwards of 20 minutes.

Rasa Sayang only opened a year or so ago. Just off Gerrard Street

Harbour City on Gerrard Street (near one of the arches) - we've been going for years, always friendly service, they have a booster seat strapped in before we get to the table, they always put a straw in the kids' drinks etc. And good, fast service, which always helps with children.

I should add - good service for a Chinese restaurant. This is compared with others I've been to where we wait 30-40 minutes in an empty restaurant to have our orders taken!