Kung Pao Panda

You're standing on Bethnal Green Road, probably just come from Broadway Market or heading towards the park, and you fancy something that doesn't taste like it's been sitting under a heat lamp since yesterday. Walk into Kung Pao Panda and you'll find exactly the kind of straightforward Chinese cooking that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with the corporate chains. The menu's focused—they're not trying to be everything to everyone—which means the Sichuan dishes pack proper heat and the Cantonese plates show genuine technique. Order at the counter, grab a seat if they've got one, or take it back to yours. It's the sort of spot locals keep coming back to because the food actually justifies the trip.