A steam kitchen built for the middle of a London weekday.
Steam Street exists because Chinese food in Britain is still treated as a fried, late-night indulgence. Steaming — the oldest technique in the Cantonese kitchen — gives you the same comfort without the grease — food you can eat on a Tuesday lunch break and still feel good about.
Harrison Li
Harrison grew up in southern China, where a plate of steamed meat over rice was simply what you ate — quick, warming and entirely ordinary. Studying in London, he found the same food either absent or buried under a takeaway menu of fried dishes.
Steam Street is his answer: a tight menu of steamed mains built on real Cantonese pairings, cooked to order so every portion lands the same way, in a room that feels calm rather than transactional.
— Harrison Li, Founder
Founder-led, operator-built.
Harrison Li
Grew up eating steamed protein and rice as an everyday meal, studied in London at UCL and spent his time here watching Chinese food stay stuck in the takeaway category. Steam Street is his attempt to move it into the daily lunch rotation.
Shirash Pathirana
A career restaurant operator with years of senior experience at McDonald's. He makes sure every tray that leaves our counter is the same one you loved last time, and that it arrives quickly.
What we stand for
Steamed, always
Every main is steamed to order. No oil-heavy shortcuts, no heat lamps, nothing sitting around.
Open kitchen
Steaming and prep in full view. If we would not show it, we would not serve it.
Real Cantonese technique
Marinades, timings and pairings drawn from home-style Cantonese cooking, translated for a fast-casual counter.
Speed without compromise
A tray in your hands in minutes. Fast is an operating standard, never a recipe decision.
Where we are
- Concept
Menu, format and the look and feel of the room developed and tested.
- Getting ready
Current stage. Recipes finalised, team building and launch list growing.
We are here - First home
Signing and fitting out our first central London room.
- Opening day
Doors open — launch list hears first, then more neighbourhoods.
Come and see us
Press, partnerships, suppliers and future team members — we are always happy to talk ahead of opening.
Get in touch