You'd walk past New Lotus House a hundred times without a second glance — it's a modest Chinese takeaway on Tanners Lane with no seating and no pretensions. But that's exactly the point. This family-run outfit has been serving Barkingside for over three decades, and the loyalty is well earned. The crispy aromatic duck is the headline act, the ingredients are genuinely fresh (especially the veg), and the menu spans both Chinese and Thai dishes — more range than your average local takeaway.
A family-run Barkingside takeaway where the crispy aromatic duck and genuinely fresh vegetables have earned three decades of loyal regulars.
Call ahead to order on Friday and Saturday evenings — it gets busy and pickup times can stack up, but service is quick once your order's ready.
Three decades of reliably excellent Chinese takeaway
New Lotus House doesn't look like much from the outside — a modest shopfront on Tanners Lane with no seating and no pretensions. But this family-run takeaway has been feeding Barkingside for over three decades, and the loyalty is well earned. The crispy aromatic duck is the headline act: properly crispy skin, tender meat, and all the pancakes and trimmings done right. The mixed hors d'oeuvres platter — spare ribs, spring rolls, sesame prawns, satay chicken, and seaweed — is generous and genuinely good, not just an afterthought like at so many other spots.
What sets New Lotus House apart from the dozen other Chinese takeaways in the area is the freshness of the ingredients, particularly the vegetables. Multiple reviewers have called this out specifically, and it's true — you're not getting the sad, mushy veg you find at lesser places. The menu spans both Chinese and Thai dishes, so there's more range than you might expect from a local takeaway. Service is quick and the staff are friendly, which matters when you're picking up on a busy Friday evening.
It's not fine dining and it doesn't pretend to be. What it is, is a reliably good local takeaway that earns its 4-star rating honestly. If you live in or around Barkingside, this is your default Chinese — and if you don't, it's worth the detour when you're craving a proper aromatic duck.