Shan Shui, Chinese Kitchen — Restaurant in London

The staff member at the entrance who seated us to our table was very kind. However, when it came to ordering, it took over 1 hour for a kids meal and two duck noodle meals to arrive to our table. It took about 20 minutes for water to arrive (after prompting).

We were told at the door that there would be a 20-25 minute wait on food. We allowed around 30 minutes before checking in again on the wait. After prompting on food twice, the waitress would, on each occasion, say ‘i’ll go and check’, and then would go straight to other tables and deal with orders or start cleaning tables in front of us, and not return.

When the food did arrive, 2/3 meals arrived and the other one was delivered to a nearby table 5 minutes later, that had just walked in. It sat there for a further 5 minutes whilst the nearby table tried to get the attention of staff. We had to explain to our waitress that her colleague had taken the dish back to the kitchen.

We were also told by the waitress that no bubble tea was in stock as it had ‘finished for the day’ (which we tried to order with our meal), only to find out on leaving that it had been in stock the whole time, but the restaurant temporarily suspends it when they deem it to be busy (which is confusing, as it is listed as an item on the menu that is brought to the table). The restaurant used to offer a ‘kids eat free’ meal, but now charge for the children’s menu.

When the waitress came at the end of the meal and asked how everything was, we were frank with her and explained calmly that we weren’t happy with the amount of time it had taken to serve the food, whilst we were also dealing with a hungry (and indeed thirsty) infant. The waitress proceeded to argue with us and tell us that we should have expected a wait and that the restaurant has a system of only serving meals together, which, in her view, was why tables ordering the same meals in the same quantities nearby had been given the same dishes we ordered after just walking in, but we had not. We explained that we were told a waiting time on entry and would have expected the restaurant to stick to this, rather than take an hour to serve us, particularly also given that we had an infant with us. We said that we would have simply appreciated an apology and acknowledgement of the error, whether this was due to an error in the kitchen or with wait staff, or communication between them, and reminded the waitress that she had asked us how...

I want to share a troubling experience that occurred at Shanshui restaurant in Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport on August 21st, 2024, during dinner time.

My mother, who was traveling alone, encountered what seemed like discriminatory behavior from one of the waitresses. When my mother politely asked in Chinese if the waitress spoke the language, the waitress rudely rolled her eyes, replied "No" in Chinese, and then turned her back on her, effectively ignoring her. While it’s understandable that she does not speak Chinese, her rude response was completely unnecessary and unprofessional.

I want to acknowledge that the other two waiters—a young lady and a gentleman, neither of whom were Asian or spoke Chinese—were very polite and provided excellent service. However, the initial incident with the first waitress marred the overall experience for us.

This behavior seriously tarnished the restaurant's reputation and left us with a negative impression of London’s hospitality, especially since this happened just before our departure from the UK. It’s concerning that a server at an international airport would treat a non-English-speaking customer in such a manner. It raises the question of whether the staff are adequately trained to handle diverse customer interactions without bias or discrimination.

To make matters worse, I contacted customer service at Heathrow, who provided me with an email address for the restaurant, but I haven't received any response since I sent my complaint.

I’m sharing this review to highlight the importance of proper customer service and the need for better training at Shanshui. I hope that management takes this seriously and ensures that future travelers, especially elderly ones, are treated with the respect and kindness...

I was in search of a halal option while waiting for my flight at terminal 2 at Heathrow and I was advised by one of the airport staff that Shan Shui is my best bet. I was unsure as I wasn’t really in the mood for this cuisine but I thought I’d at least give it a look. I ventured over and was immediately greeted by the restaurant hostess Greta.

She was so kind and welcoming from the get go! Immediately provided an excellent customer experience with her attitude. So much so that it immediately had me sold on the place and I decided I’ll eat here. She walked me inside and sat me down. Gave me a menu and told me my waiter would be over shortly. Please recognise Greta for her work as her professionalism and customer service as her warmth and attitude as a hostess is excellent and she is a credit to your business!

Once inside, I ordered the South East Asian fried Chicken and egg fried rice. They made a point of asking if I had allergies which was nice.

Once the food arrived, I realised my phone battery was dying and asked if there were any charging ports. They kindly offered to move me to the bar where I could find outlets. Very accomodating.

The food was amazing. The meal came with a sauce that complimented it soooo well.

It was the perfect pre-flight meal.

This is now my go to spot for all future travel through heathrow and i...