Looking for the best Chinese restaurants in Sydney?
Given how culturally diverse its population and culinary scene is, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Harbour city has a plethora of fantastic Chinese restaurants to choose from.
Taking influence initially from Cantonese food, as most early immigrants hailed from Hong Kong, restaurants in Harbour City now showcase the gastronomic delights of many different provinces within China.
Found in most suburbs, from Kogarah to Haymarket, Hurstville to Forest Lodge, you can find everything from dumplings and classic fried rice to duck feet and fried goose, in the Chinese restaurants in Sydney.
Below is a selection of 20 of the best of them.
Zhongyi Clay Pot Restaurant
Situated in Haymarket, the Zhongyi Clay Pot Restaurant is a pretty cool concept restaurant where customers choose fresh ingredients which are then slowly cooked in a simmered broth within a clay pot.
This Cantonese style of cooking is known for its sizzle. Which is the kind of gastronomic noise that will send your hunger pangs into overdrive!
In English, ‘Zhongyi’ translates as satisfaction. Which is definitely an emotion you will be feeling after eating at this restaurant.
Address: 39-41 Goulburn Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9281 8866
Hours: Monday – Sunday 12 pm – 10 pm
Xi Xiang Feng Seafood Restaurant
Over in the suburb of Beverly Hills, the Xi Xiang Feng Seafood Restaurant is the place to go if you love seafood that is cooked fresh out of the tank.
A buzzy restaurant that offers a wide selection of tasty dishes like lobster, oysters, crispy pork and tofu, this place is open from 5 pm to 1.30 am every day. So it’s a great place to go when you have those after-pub munchies.
Address: 483- 485 King Georges Road, Beverly Hills. NSW 2209
Phone: (02) 9585 1899
Hours: Monday – Sunday 5 pm – 1.30 am
The Eight
Arguably one of Sydney’s best yum cha restaurants, The Eight is a relatively new player on the city’s Chinese dining scene.
Set within a huge space that features sleek back and red decor, this Haymarket venue offers up a banquet option, as well as a fabulous a la carte menu. It even has a dedicated dim sum menu too.
Offering a taste sensation that captures the best of both modern and classic cuisine, this eatery is a popular spot with both city workers and tourists alike.
Address: Level 3, Market City, 8-18 Hay Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9281 0886
Hours: Monday – Friday 10 am – 3.30 pm/ 5.30 pm- 11 pm, Saturday- Sunday 9 am – 3.30 pm/ 5.30 pm – 11 pm
Mr. Wong
An institution in the CBD, Mr Wong is a huge French-colonial style venue that is spread across two levels in the Sydney CBD.
Accommodating seating for 240 people, the restaurant features ambient and intimate lighting, moody jazz and stylish oriental décor.
Their Cantonese menu features 80 dishes, which range from classic mud crab to dim sum. One of their most popular dishes is the bbq duck, which is so good, that it has a whole room dedicated to it.
Address: 3 Bridge Lane, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9114 7317
Hours: Monday- Sunday 12 pm – 3 pm/ 5.30 pm – 11 pm
XOPP
XOPP might sound like a 90s hip hop group from Brooklyn, but it is in fact a notable restaurant in the CBD suburb of Haymarket.
Tucked away in the busy Darling Quarter food precinct, this industrial-chic venue serves up elevated Chinese dishes and a robust wine list.
Named after, and paying homage, to their flagship dish XO Pippies the venue offers a fabulous lunch and dinner menu, as well as a lunchtime yum cha and a separate banquet option.
Contained within an elegant space that has three separate dining rooms, as well as a bar that also offers more inventive snacks and smaller dishes, this is a lovely place to come for date night or a special occasion.
Address: The Darling Exchange, Mezzanine Level, Shop 31/ 1 Little Pier Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 8030 0000
Hours: Wednesday- Thursday 12 pm – 3 pm/ 5 pm – 10 pm, Friday – Sunday 12 pm – 3 pm/ 5 pm – 10 pm
Taste of Shunde
Fancy something a bit different than your usual Chinese order? Then perhaps a visit to the Taste of Shunde might be in order?
Based in both Kogarah and Eastwood, this authentic, no-frills venue offers up a dining experience unlike any other in the city.
We are talking roast goose, and fried milk, both of which offer a niche style of cuisine that will introduce you to a whole new world of flavours.
Address: A16/5 Belgrave Street, Kogarah, NSW 2217
Phone: (02) 8385 9720
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11.30 am – 3 pm, 5.30 pm – 10 pm
Hurstville Chinese Restaurant
When it comes to outstanding Cantonese food, Hurstville Chinese Restaurant is up there as one of the best places in Sydney to get it.
Presenting a no-fuss menu, that is available in both Mandarin and English, the venue offers a great range of authentic dishes.
For a real treat. try any of their congee dishes, or their honey prawn. Their stir-fry wagyu beef with snow peas is also highly recommended too.
Address: 184 Forest Road, Hurstville, NSW 2200
Phone: (02) 9586 0828
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11 am – 3.30 pm/ 5.30 pm – 10 pm
China Lane
Want to treat yourself to a bit of glitz and glamour? Then head on over to China Lane.
You will find this elegant venue in a laneway setting on Angel Place within the CBD. A popular haunt with tourists, locals and workers, it provides a menu of modern Asian cuisine, which is presented in the form of several different banquet menus.
The food here is delicious, and there are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options on offer, as well as a terrific selection of specialty cocktails.
Address: 2 Angel Place, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9231 3939
Hours: Monday – Friday 12 pm – 3 pm/ 5.30 pm – late, Saturday 5.30 pm – late
Queen Chow Manly
Queen Chow Manly enjoys one of the most picturesque of all Chinese restaurant settings in Sydney.
Occupying a waterside location on the Manly Wharf Esplanade, this is the perfect place to come if you love seafood.
The menu here offers a great selection of lobster, oysters, fish and dim sum dishes. All of which are perfectly cooked and beautifully plated.
If you have any room after your main meal, be sure to try the deep-fried ice cream as well. You won’t be disappointed!
Address: 22-23 Manly Wharf Esplanade, Manly, NSW 2095
Phone: (02) 9114 7341
Hours: Wed- Thursday 12 pm – 3 pm/ 5.30 pm – 9 pm, Friday- Saturday 12 pm – 10 pm, Sunday 12 pm – 3 pm.
Xi’an Eatery
The Xi’an Eatery occupies almost legendary status in Burwood on account of its huge portion sizes and big, bold flavours.
Located on Burwood Road, this restaurant celebrates the cuisine of the Shaanxi Province. Its menu runs into several pages and is full of juicy noodles, lamb skewers, pulled pork burgers and their signature cold noodles that you just won’t be able to get enough of.
Their prices are very reasonable too, with a massive bowl of noodles being just $12. Which represents outstanding value, because they are big enough to feed two people.
Address: 183D Burwood Road, Burwood, NSW 2134
Phone: (02) 8056 4600
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11 am – 9.30 pm
Marigold
Located in Haymarket, the fact that Marigold manages to stand out in a suburb where there are several excellent Chinese restaurants is a testament to its quality of food and service.
One of the oldest in the city, this venue is renowned for its buzzy atmosphere and a setting that features a vaulted ceiling with chandeliers.
Offering excellent variety and value for money, they serve up all the classics here like bbq pork buns and prawn dumplings. You’ll have to be on the ball with the trollies though, as they tend to come and go quickly.
Address: 4 683 George Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9281 3388
Hours: Monday – Sunday 10 am – 3 pm/ 5.30 pm – 9.30 pm
Spice Temple
If you want to branch out from your usual Chinese cuisine then you should pay a visit to the Spice Temple.
Located in the heart of the CBD, this fabulous restaurant will take diners on a gastronomy journey throughout some of China’s lesser-known food regions. This includes the likes of Yunnan, Xinjiang, Hunan, Sichuan, Guangxi and Jiangxi.
Designed to be shared with family and friends, and enjoyed banquet-style, they strive to make dishes that are balanced, exciting and harmonious. Which you can eat in a chic and intimate space that is warm and inviting.
Address: 10 Bligh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 8099 7088
Hours: Wednesday – Friday 12 pm – 3 pm, Tuesday – Thursday 6 pm – 9 pm, Friday 6 pm – 10 pm, Saturday 5.30 pm- 10 pm.
ChongQing Street Noodle
Another very popular eatery in Burwood, ChongQing Street Noodle serves up delicious dishes from the region in which the city takes its name.
Its signature offering is Xia Mian which takes the form of a hearty, comforting, single-dish noodle soup that is bursting with flavour.
If you are ever in the area and find yourself wondering where to eat, this is a great place to go.
Address: 31 Belmore Street, Burwood, NSW 2134
Phone: 0499 365 111
Hours: Monday – Friday 11.30 am – 9 pm, Saturday – Sunday 11 am – 9.30 pm
Beijing Impression
For those who love duck – and let’s face it what’s not to love about it – Beijing Impression is the place to go.
Situated in the suburb of Ashfield, these guys are a high-end restaurant chain which serves up northeastern Chinese dishes you can’t find anywhere else in the city.
They also specialise in Peking Duck, which they have so down pat, that they even have a drying room to ensure the skin is always perfectly crispy.
With that attention to detail, you just know it’s going to be good!
Address: 11-13 Hercules Street, Ashfield, NSW 2131
Phone: 0413 735 979
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11 am – 2.30 pm/ 5 pm – 9.30 pm
Spicy Joint
Championing the flavours of the Sichuan region, Spicy Joint is aptly named.
Situated in Haymarket the restaurant is renowned for occupying a sleek and chic venue and for offering a huge menu.
Another venue that serves up massive portions, the flavours of some of their dishes like the deep-fried chicken with dry chilli pepper, and braised chicken feet with chilli sauce, might be a bit too hot for some diners.
So, for this reason, it is a good idea to order a side of cold noodles with your main, to balance some of the heat out.
Address: 4 25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9212 1777
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11.30 am – 2 pm/ 4.30 pm – 10 pm
Nanjing Dumpling
Ask many Sydneysiders where the best place to go for dumplings in the city is and the chances are they will say Nanjing Dumpling.
A charming hole-in-the-wall in Haymarket, this restaurant should be easy enough to find as there is usually a bit of a queue outside it.
It’s hard to recommend anything in particular from the menu because it is all fantastic. However, the shallot pancakes and, of course, their signature Nanjing dumplings are must-try items.
Address: 6 Little Hay Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: 0499 333 808
Hours: Monday – Sunday 7.30 am – 9.30 pm
Palace Chinese Restaurant
Many restaurants are championed for the quality of their yum cha offering in Sydney, but the Palace Chinese Restaurant is arguably the best.
Situated within the Stockland Piccadilly Shopping Centre, this CBD stalwart is renowned for serving up delicious, authentic and contemporary Cantonese cuisine.
Their lunchtime yum cha is legendary in Sydney and attracts hoards of hungry diners every day. While their extensive dinner menu caters to all tastes.
The huge dining room, which features Chinese motifs, is also a very relaxed and inviting space in which to dine.
Address: Shop 38, Level 1, Piccadilly Tower, 133/145 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9283 6288
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 11 am- 3 pm/ 5 pm – 10 pm, Saturday- Sunday 9 am – 3pm/ 5 pm – 1- pm
New Shanghai Westfield Sydney
If a day of shopping at Westfield Sydney has brought on hunger pangs then the New Shanghai is an excellent place to fill yourself up on some delightful Chinese food.
Situated just underneath the shopping centre, the interior of this quaint eatery has a distinctly 1930s Shanghai street-style vibe about it.
The menu also presents a range of authentic and delicious dishes that originate from the same region, with their slow braised pork belly being a real crowd favourite.
Address: Shop 1017-1020, 188 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 8386 8368
Hours: Sun- Monday 11 am – 7 pm, Tuesday 11 am – 7.30 pm, Wednesday – Saturday 11 am – 8 pm
Kiroran Silk Road Uyghur Restaurant
In an area like Haymarket which boasts a plethora of Chinese restaurants, it is good to have a point of difference.
At the Kiroran Silk Road Uyghur Restaurant, they have fully grasped this concept, offering a niche of Asian cuisine that is difficult to find elsewhere in Sydney.
Based on Dixon Street, this hole-in-the-wall champions flavours from the Uighur people. A Turkic ethnic group of people who live in the furthest reaches of western China.
The food you get here is warm and hearty. Try the polo, which is a delicious combination of rice stewed with lamb, onion and pumpkin, which you are sure to enjoy.
Address: 3/6 Dixon Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9267 8555
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 12 pm – 9 pm
Lotus Dumpling Bar
Love dumplings? Then the Lotus Dumpling Bar is the place for you.
Tucked away at Dawes Point, within the CBD, this fabulous restaurant boasts an open kitchen, which provides an extra dash of theatre as you can watch the chefs create their masterpieces, from the comfort of your table.
There are many fantastic dishes for you to try here, but once you taste the crisp fried eggplant which comes with a delightful chilli and honey sauce, you won’t want anything else.
Address: Shop 3/16 Hickson Road, Dawes Point, NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9251 8328
Hours: Monday – Tuesday 5 pm – 8.30 pm, Wednesday – Thursday 5 pm – 9 pm, Friday- Saturday 12 pm – 3 pm/ 5 pm – 9 pm