British vs. American Chinese Takeaway: 5 Key Differences in Dishes and Culture

As a family originally from Guangzhou now running a Chinese takeaway in Barry, we’ve learned that “Chinese food” isn’t one-size-fits-all. In fact, Chinese takeaways in Britain have evolved in their own quirky way – and they’re a world apart from their American counterparts. Lately, social media has been buzzing with Brits and Americans debating whose Chinese takeout is better (or more “authentic”), highlighting just how different our comfort foods can be. Watching viral TikTok videos of British Chinese meals (piled high with chips and curry sauce) leaving American viewers baffled has been both amusing and enlightening. It’s prompted us to reflect on our own experiences bridging two cultures and cuisines.

We grew up with the Cantonese cooking of Guangzhou, yet we’ve spent years serving the unique Cantonese–British fusion that South Wales adores. Along the way, we’ve also exchanged stories with friends and family abroad - including a cousin in the U.S. who was stunned that we serve “chips” at a Chinese takeaway! These conversations (and the occasional friendly banter about whose Chinese food is proper) have made one thing clear: British and American Chinese takeaways each have their own identity. Today, we want to share five key differences we’ve noticed in both the dishes themselves and the culture surrounding them. From the way we order our Friday night feast to the special sauces we can’t live without, here’s a first-hand look at what sets British Chinese takeaway apart from American Chinese takeout – and why we’re proud of our side of the story.

Feature	British Chinese Takeaway	American Chinese Takeaway
Common Sides	Chips with curry sauce, prawn crackers	Egg rolls, fortune cookies, cream cheese wontons
Popular Dishes	Crispy duck pancakes, sweet & sour chicken balls	General Tso’s chicken, orange chicken, egg foo young
Portion Style	À la carte mains, optional set dinners for twos	Large combo plates with sides included
Packaging	Foil trays and plastic tubs	Folded cardboard boxes (oyster pails)
Desserts	Rare (occasional banana fritter, prawn crackers)	Fortune cookies included by default
Language/Slang	“Getting a Chinese”, “Chinese takeaway”	“Ordering Chinese food”, “Chinese takeout”
Menu Influence	Cantonese-British fusion (e.g. salt & pepper chips)	Cantonese-American with adaptations (e.g. chop suey)
Add-ons	Curry sauce, salt & pepper seasoning	Sweet sauces (e.g. orange, sesame, teriyaki)
Presentation	Separate dishes per person or for sharing	Single-dish combos, often eaten solo
Local Ritual	Friday night takeaway tradition	Christmas takeout tradition among Jewish communities

We’ll cover each of these in more detail further down the blog – along with our own suggestions on how to celebrate at home.

Chips and Curry Sauce vs. General Tso’s Chicken and Fortune Cookies

Chips with curry sauce – a staple in British Chinese takeaways – might raise eyebrows in America. Walk into any Chinese takeaway in the UK and you’ll likely find chips (think thick-cut fries) on the menu, often drenched in golden curry sauce. This “Chinese curry” is a mild, savory gravy we pour over everything from chips to fried rice – a comforting British addition that you wouldn’t encounter in China (In fact, Chinese takeaway curry was probably adapted from Indian curry to suit local British tastes,) We’ve also invented delights like salt and pepper chips, tossing our chips in a wok with garlic, onions, chilies and a dusting of Chinese five-spice and white pepper. The result is an ingenious fusion of British chip-shop fare and Cantonese flavors that first took off in the mid-20th century. These creations are beloved here – many Brits can’t imagine a Friday night “Chinese” without a side of crispy chips (or a scoop of curry to dunk them in).

By contrast, you’d be hard-pressed to find chips or curry sauce at a Chinese restaurant in the United States. American Chinese cuisine has its own roster of iconic extras – starting with the fortune cookie. In the US, it’s tradition to end your Chinese meal with a crisp fortune cookie (break it open for a cheerful or cheeky message inside). Interestingly, these cookies aren’t originally Chinese at all (they likely came from a Japanese recipe), but they’ve become synonymous with American Chinese dining. Another American favorite is General Tso’s chicken, a dish of fried chicken chunks coated in a sweet-spicy glaze, usually served with broccoli on the side. General Tso’s is virtually unknown in UK takeaways – it was invented in New York in the 1970s specifically for American tastes. In America you’ll also find appetizers like crab Rangoon (deep-fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and crab). That’s an indulgence we don’t offer in Britain – dairy like cream cheese isn’t used in traditional Chinese cooking, yet it found its way into American Chinese menus. All these differences mean that a standard Chinese “takeout” order in the US looks nothing like a typical Chinese “takeaway” order in Britain. Each country has developed its own comfort dishes – so while an American might expect chow mein in an oyster pail and a fortune cookie on the side, a Brit is waiting for fried rice in a foil tray and maybe a free bag of prawn crackers instead of dessert!

“A Chinese” vs. “Chinese Takeout”: Language Differences in Ordering

If you’re in Britain, you might hear someone say, “Fancy a Chinese?” – which has nothing to do with fancying a person! Here, “a Chinese” simply means a Chinese meal or takeaway. It’s a bit of British slang that often catches Americans off guard. In the US, nobody would say “a Chinese” – Americans typically say, “Let’s get Chinese food,” or “ordering Chinese takeout.” The difference may be subtle, but it reflects how each culture talks about this cuisine. In the UK, “getting a Chinese” is so ingrained as a phrase that we don’t even think about it – it’s shorthand for a cozy night in with our favourite dishes. Meanwhile, Americans use “Chinese” as a broad category (no article needed), almost like saying “let’s have Italian.”

There are other fun linguistic quirks too. In Britain, we call it “Chinese takeaway” (emphasis on takeaway), whereas Americans say “Chinese takeout.” We also have specific names for dishes that might confuse our friends across the pond. Ask for “crispy seaweed” here and you’ll get a seasoned, crispy cabbage snack – not actually seaweed – which isn’t a common item stateside. And if a Brit mentions “prawn crackers,” they mean the free prawn-flavored crisps often given with a takeaway meal (Americans would say “shrimp chips,” though these aren’t as standard in the US). Conversely, Americans might talk about “egg rolls,” referring to their thicker, fried spring rolls. Here in the UK, we usually just say “spring rolls,” and they can be the giant crispy ones or the mini versions, but the concept is similar. It’s fascinating that we’re often referring to the same kinds of dishes or experiences, but using different words – a little reminder that even our language around food has adapted to local tastes.

Portion Sizes and Packaging: Foil Trays vs. Takeout Boxes

Portion sizes are another area where British and American Chinese takeaways diverge. In general, American portions tend to be bigger – it’s almost a running joke. If you order Chinese in the US, a single entrée might come in a large container that could feed two, and it often includes a side (like rice) as part of a combo. In Britain, our portions are generous but a bit more modest. We typically order separate dishes for each person – e.g. one main per person, plus shared sides – rather than huge combo platters. Of course, we love leftovers too, but American servings often guarantee them! An American “combo plate” might bundle egg fried rice and an egg roll with your main dish, all for one price. In the UK, that style is less common – you’d usually order rice and sides à la carte, or opt for a set dinner for two if you want a bundled feast.

The packaging of our takeaways also highlights this difference. In Britain, your chow mein or sweet and sour will likely arrive in rectangular foil trays or plastic tubs with snap-on lids. They’re sturdy and stack well in the carrier bag (and yes, we always hope nothing leaks en route home!). In the US, however, the iconic image is the cardboard “oyster pail” – those little white folded boxes with a wire handle, often decorated with pagoda prints. Americans commonly pack rice and even mains like lo mein into these paper boxes (They were originally designed for oysters, but became a Chinese takeout staple in the States decades ago.) Here in the UK, we don’t really use those boxes – when my American cousin visited our shop, she actually asked if we had any “cute takeout boxes” like in the movies! We had to laugh and show her our foil containers. Different packaging, but the same goal: get the food home hot and intact. And whether it’s a stack of neat foil rectangles or a paper bucket of fried rice, the first peek inside is always a joy.

Menu Favorites You Won’t Find on the Other Side

One of the biggest surprises for travelers is that the favourite dishes at a Chinese takeaway can be completely different depending on the country. Take crispy aromatic duck for example – a hugely popular dish here in Britain (tender shredded duck served with thin pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce). It’s practically a must-have in UK Chinese feasts, but you won’t see Brits fighting over General Tso’s chicken or Orange chicken – those sweet fried chicken dishes are stars in the US, not here. In fact, crispy duck as we know it is a British invention from the late 20th century, loosely inspired by traditional Chinese duck recipes but adapted to British tastes (the idea of shredding the duck and serving it with pancake rolls was our clever shortcut to mimic Peking Duck). Conversely, General Tso’s chicken was created in America (and named after a Chinese general who likely never ate it) – it’s a staple of American Chinese menus but virtually unheard of in the UK. The same goes for chop suey, an American-Chinese stir-fry of mixed meats and veggies in sauce – it became popular in the US in the 20th century, yet it never really caught on in Britain beyond maybe a mention on old-fashioned menus.

Meanwhile, British Chinese takeaways have their own heroes. We’ve already mentioned how chips and curry sauce are ubiquitous here, as are chicken balls (bite-sized battered chicken pieces with a side of bright red sweet & sour dip). Dishes like sweet and sour chicken balls or crispy chilli beef are British classics – Westernized, yes, but deeply loved by generations. Americans have sweet and sour chicken too, but usually in a different form (chunks of chicken stir-fried with pineapple and pepper, rather than our separate fried balls). And consider prawn toast (sometimes called sesame prawn toast) – in the UK, this crunchy fried bread appetizer topped with minced prawn is a takeaway staple. In the US, you’d be more likely to encounter crab Rangoon as the cheesy fried starter of choice. Similarly, salt and chilli (pepper) spare ribs and salt and pepper chips are beloved in Britain, but an American might scratch their head at those names. On the flip side, an American Chinese menu might offer egg foo young (a gravy-smothered omelette) or Mongolian beef, which aren’t commonly found here. Both countries do share a love for certain Cantonese classics – you can find chow mein, fried rice, spring rolls, and beef in black bean sauce in both London and Los Angeles. But it’s the unique local creations – born from creativity and necessity – that really set our menus apart. It’s gotten to the point that some American Chinese dishes are starting to appear in the UK (we’ve seen fortune cookies or even chop suey pop up occasionally due to global influence), but by and large, each side of the Atlantic sticks to its own favourites. And that’s part of the fun – every time we compare notes with overseas friends, we discover a new dish we’ve never tried, and vice versa.

Tradition and Trends: British vs. American Takeaway Culture

Beyond the menu, the culture around Chinese takeaways has evolved quite differently in the UK and the US. Here in Britain, the Chinese takeaway is a cherished part of our weekly rhythm – truly a national routine. Many families have a tradition like “Chinese on Friday nights,” and everyone has their go-to order (we can almost guarantee Mrs. Jones down the road will ring up for a special chow mein every Friday at 7 pm sharp!). It’s comfort food and family time rolled into one. We’ve become part of that tradition – as a local takeaway, we know many of our regulars by name, and we’ve learned their usual orders by heart. This sense of community and ritual – whether it’s a Friday night in with friends, a post-pub bite, or a cosy night for two on the sofa – is something we treasure. In the US, Chinese takeout also holds a beloved place, but the patterns can differ. American families certainly love a good Friday takeout, yet Chinese food in the US has also long been associated with quick, convenient dinners on any night of the week. (Fun fact: there’s even a tradition among many American Jewish families to eat Chinese food on Christmas Day, since Chinese restaurants are often open when others close for the holiday – a custom less known over here.)

In recent years, these cultural differences have themselves become a topic of fascination, especially online. British Chinese takeaway has even turned into a bit of a social media sensation, thanks to cross-cultural curiosity. When we post a photo of a hearty Welsh Chinese “munchy box” (piled with chips, chicken balls, spring rolls, and doused in curry sauce), the image might bewilder American viewers who wonder where the broccoli and fortune cookies are. This past year saw lively TikTok debates where Americans expressed shock (and yes, some mock horror) at our beige-looking but delicious meals, calling them inauthentic – while Brits clapped back in defense of our food. It’s been a largely good-natured exchange that actually brought more attention to the history behind our food. The truth is, both British and American Chinese cuisines were created by immigrant communities adapting to what locals wanted and what ingredients they had. Neither is “authentic” to China – and that’s okay. Each one is authentic to its own culture. As Angela Hui – a British-born Chinese writer – noted, British Chinese takeaways were built from the hard work and innovation of families (like hers and ours) who arrived with little and created something new. The same can be said of American Chinese pioneers a century earlier. In a way, the differences in our takeaways tell the story of diaspora communities in two different countries.

In the end, it’s all great food – just with local flair. We’re proud to carry on the British Chinese takeaway tradition here in Barry, while appreciating the American version for what it is. When we tuck into our salt-and-chilli chips or drizzle curry sauce over everything, we’re savoring a bit of unique British culinary culture. And when our American friends enjoy their General Tso’s chicken with a fortune cookie for dessert, they’re part of their own story. Neither one is “better” – they’re different, and that’s the beauty of food culture. As we like to say, authenticity is about making food with care and serving the community around you, not about whether it matches a recipe from Beijing. British Chinese takeaway may look a little different (okay, a lot different) from Chinese food in other places, but it’s ours – a tasty symbol of how cultures can blend and create new traditions. And after digging into this topic, we’ll conclude the same way we would with a good meal: by appreciating what makes it special. British Chinese takeaway culture is one-of-a-kind, from the chips and curry to the colloquial slang, and it’s woven into the fabric of life here. Long may that continue (with extra curry on the chips, please!).