Lao Dao
Tim Pan left Silk Road, the Camberwell room that taught a London generation what Xinjiang food was, and put a Xinjiang tandoor into a Grade II-listed sausage shop on Walworth Road (Vittles).
Why go
The building was Kennedy's, an old London butcher, restored to its art deco fittings before the restaurant moved in. Now there is a red neon glow across the tiles, a liquor-stacked bar with soft jazz coming off it, and old trinkets left where they were (The Infatuation).
The cooking runs on two pieces of apparatus. The tandoor does the skewers, which Jonathan Nunn describes as "exceptional lamb skewers with blistered amber fat". The noodle station pulls belt noodles by hand, and they go underneath the da pan ji, a big plate chicken with potatoes, whole garlic cloves and peppers in it.
Nunn's shorthand for the whole place is "Silk Road but with natural wine". His piece also sets the field: London's Xinjiang and Uyghur restaurants have multiplied since 2008, and Etles, Dilara, Turpan and Tarim are all part of what Lao Dao is now measured against.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the cumin lamb skewers first, because that is the dish everybody who has written about this place names. Lamb ribs. Da pan ji if there are four or more of you, since the noodles come in the same bowl. Fried beef dumplings for the crisp skirt.
- Avoid: arriving before five, since the kitchen only runs evenings. Do not order the big plate chicken for two, and do not expect Sichuan heat from it: The Infatuation found the sauce leans tomato.
What locals & experts say
- Jonathan Nunn, Vittles, April 2024:
Tim Pan left and started Lao Dao (think Silk Road but with natural wine) in Kennedy's sausage shop on Walworth Road, where his kitchen produces exceptional lamb skewers with blistered amber fat from a Xinjiang tandoor.
2 - Elaine Zhao, Time Out London, October 2023, four out of five:
Lao Dao's menu celebrates interesting dishes beyond Silk Road's repertoire, such as the Xinjiang style spiced chicken which features delicious strips of poached chicken, or the crunchy and deeply satisfying stir fried lotus white with chilli sauce.
3 - Jake Missing, The Infatuation London, June 2024, 8.2:
Lao Dao's grilled lamb is tender, caramelised, and something we'd happily get our hands dirty for every week.
On the big plate chicken he is qualified:The sauce leans more tomato than Sichuan spice.
4 - Zane Metcalf Cuenca, sous chef at Don't Tell Dad, asked in February 2026 where chefs eat:
The lamb skewers are divine.
5
Good to know
- Where: 305 Walworth Road SE17 2TG, between Elephant and Castle and Walworth.
- Timing: 5pm to 11pm, every day. There is no lunch service.
- Booking: worth it. The room fills with groups.
- The building: Grade II listed, formerly Kennedy's sausage shop, restored to its art deco state.
- Drink: a natural wine list, and tea served in large painted pots.
- Sites: one. Silk Road in Camberwell is a separate business under separate ownership, and its record does not attach here.
- Hygiene: the FSA holds this premises at 4, rated 17 February 2026, under Southwark, registered as "Laodao" in one word. Four is Good. FHRSID 1530610.
Verdict
should-visit — Worth rearranging an evening for, and the reason is the fire. Tim Pan managed Silk Road on Camberwell Church Street, the room that taught a London generation what Xinjiang food was, then left and put a Xinjiang tandoor into Kennedy's old sausage shop on Walworth Road, a Grade II-listed art deco building the council had just restored. Jonathan Nunn's line in Vittles is the one to trust: the kitchen 'produces exceptional lamb skewers with blistered amber fat from a Xinjiang tandoor'. The Infatuation's Jake Missing scored it 8.2 and said the grilled lamb is 'something we'd happily get our hands dirty for every week'. Time Out's Elaine Zhao gave it four stars and pointed at the dishes that go past Silk Road's repertoire, the poached Xinjiang spiced chicken and the stir-fried lotus white. In February 2026 Zane Metcalf Cuenca, a sous chef at Don't Tell Dad, told a where-do-chefs-eat column that the lamb skewers are divine. Noodles are pulled in house and go under the big plate chicken. It holds at should-visit rather than higher because the field it competes in is now genuinely deep, by Nunn's own account, and nobody has yet said this is the best of it.