The 25 Best Chinese Restaurants in Melbourne
From Chinatown institutions and neighbourhood haunts to CBD fine-diners and contemporary Asian-fusion eateries, here are our top picks for when you have a hankering for some top Chinese cuisine.
The 25 Best Chinese Restaurants in Melbourne
From Chinatown institutions and neighbourhood haunts to CBD fine-diners and contemporary Asian-fusion eateries, here are our top picks for when you have a hankering for some top Chinese cuisine.
Melbourne has oodles of noodle joints and is bursting with dumpling dining establishments from suburb to suburb. It can be tough to come up with a list of the best Chinese restaurants in Melbourne, but not impossible. In a city that cherishes culinary excellence and celebrates cultural diversity, the options for indulging in the best Chinese fare are as vast as they are delightful. From the bustling streets of Chinatown to hidden gems scattered across Melbourne, these handpicked restaurants showcase the rich diversity of Chinese cuisine.
Immerse yourself in a symphony of tastes, from the fiery spices of Sichuan to the delicate artistry of Cantonese delicacies, and the bold flavours of Northern China. Steaming dim sum, mouthwatering Peking duck and fragrant stir-fries await you.
So, grab your chopsticks and join us on a gastronomic adventure, exploring Melbourne's best Chinese restaurants.
Recommended reads:
The Best Hot Pots in Melbourne
The Best Dumplings in Melbourne
The Best Yum Cha in Melbourne
The Best Restaurants in Melbourne
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25
Despite the name, Secret Kitchen has quite the reputation in Melbourne. As one of four outposts under the moniker across the city, this CBD location maintains the restaurant groups A-plus scorecard, providing reliably slick and sophisticated service. Menu-wise, don’t expect any major surprises — this is simply traditional Chinese cuisine done really well.
Seafood is proudly the main focus here, which is evident in the menu (each species has at least a dozen options) and the enormous fish tank by the entrance. Dessert doesn’t disappoint either — expect deep-fried durian puffs and steamed custard buns fashioned as cutesy pig heads.
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24
This Chinese restaurant out in Glen Waverley prides itself on giving guests a culinary tour of China. From Shanghai, you can enjoy handmade xiaolongbaos. From Sichuan, there are spicy noodles. And from Guandong, you can sample a whole host of bamboo-steamed rice dishes. Of course, as is in the name, dumplings are also top-notch here.
It is the kind of joint with a team of chefs from all over, so you know whatever you order is going to be authentic and traditional. And even though it is so popular with locals, this spot still manages to serve up really affordable fare.
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23
Located within The Espy in St Kilda — one of Melbourne’s best pubs — Mya Tiger is a contemporary Cantonese restaurant with one of the best Sunday yum chas in Melbourne. For $60 a head, you get three starters and can pick six different dim sum dishes. Choose from spicy pork wontons, prawn dumplings, BBQ pork buns, truffle pork siu mai, soupy xialongbao and a heap of other classics.
You can call it quits there and leave fairly full, or go all out by adding on some duck pancakes, noodles, fried rice, teas and cocktail teapots. And if you miss the Sunday arvo yum cha, we highly recommend you stick around and order the roast duck banquet that’s only available on Sundays. For just $39 per person, you get a glass of bubbles and a selection of duck-filled dishes. It’s regular a la carte offerings are also absolute bangers if you’d rather choose your own adventure.
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22
Noodles, glorious noodles. That’s all you need to order when visiting one of the four Bowltiful sites in Melbourne — more specifically, Lanzhou beef noodles that originate from the Gansu province in China.
To create the signature broth, the crew cooks halal beef and bones overnight, adding radishes later on for a little sweetness. Into this clear and rich broth (or consomme) goes your choice of nine different noodle sizes, ranging from a thin spaghetti-like string to thick three-centromere-long ribbons. And if you must order more than just noodles, you make it one of the two spicy burgers.
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21
In the heart of Chinatown, China Red is one of those spots that is deceptively small at first glance — but there’s a downstairs dining room that always has space for hungry dumpling seekers. The dumpling house specialises in xiaolongbao, veggie dumplings and salt and pepper squid. The gimmick of China Red is ordering everything through a touch-screen menu at each table.
This is great for getting carried away and over-ordering, or adding on extra dishes when you’re halfway through dining — especially when you watch neighbouring tables get excited about something you left off your order. There’s need for food envy here.
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20
Gold Leaf has a couple of very important drawcards. One is that there are many around for your convenience—Preston, Burwood, Springvale and Sunshine. It seems likely that whatever far reaches of Melbourne your weekend might lead you to, Gold Leaf has got you and will feed you up nice and well.
And with over thirty years of smashing out delish Cantonese food, the crew really know what they are doing. Either take your pick of fresh seafood from the fish tanks, or deep dive into the absolutely enormous menu full of sizzling claypot dishes, stir-fries, roast meats and veg, plus a few Cantonese classics made with kangaroo and crocodile. We often get overwhelmed with the choices here so opt for one of the banquets — ranging from $45–$95 per person.
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19
Shanghai Street has been around since 2010, and is Melbourne’s foremost specialist in Shanghai cuisine, especially Shanghai xiaolongbao and juicy dumplings. The menu kicks off with a focus on homemade traditional xiaolongbao and fried mini buns, with the highlight being the steamed crab and pork option. These are as traditional as you’ll find in Melbourne, and they are perfectly soft and succulent.
There is a strong focus on dumplings too, with the option to have them boiled or pan-fried. We’d recommend the chicken and prawn boiled, while the pan-fried beef dumplings are also a big hit. If you like them in a broth then the pork, mushroom and prawn wanton soup is for you.
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18
The Commune Group has proved it’s got the goods when it comes to contemporary Vietnamese and Japanese flavours, having gifted Melbourne with Tokyo Tina, the Hanoi Hannah stable and Windsor’s flame-driven Firebird. And when the team opened Moonhouse back in 2022, they immediately delivered one of Melbourne’s best contemporary Chinese restaurants.
The kitchen’s playing to Melbourne culinary nostalgia by dishing up a contemporary reworking of some classic Chinese flavours while serving one of the city’s best yum cha lunches. Drop by Moonhouse on a Saturday or Sunday to nab the $59 endless yum cha, which cycles through 12 different dishes and can even come with bottomless booze for an additional $45 per person. It’s a must-try dining experience in Melbourne.
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17
You’ve probably walked past Panda Hot Pot’s huge wooden doors and couldn’t resist snapping a pic or two. After taking over the old Dracula’s site in 2019, Panda has made its mark on Melbourne with its authentic Sichuan menu and free nightly entertainment.
First, choose from their selection of seven soup bases — for those who are less spice-inclined, don’t worry, there are heaps of chilli-free options. Then you can start filling your table with platters of fresh seafood, roses made out of ox tongue, or a smokey box of dry ice layered with their signature cuts of meat. We recommend a jug of fresh watermelon juice to wash it all down, as well as a plate of their fried sticky rice cake for dessert.
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16
For the uninitiated who visit Din Tai Fung Emporium, the sight of ten or so people encased in what seems like a hermetically sealed, glass-walled prison may be slightly disconcerting at first. Upon closer inspection though, the glass walls serve only as a screen, displaying the precision and artisanal care that Din Tai Fung’s dumpling masters put into what you are soon to devour.
For the regulars — particularly those that love to display their cultural prowess to the world — the opportunity to teach someone the ways of eating xiaolongbao without losing the encased nectarous soup (or severely burning their mouth) is enough to allow a foodie to die happy. While it is easy to be distracted by perennial favourites, it’s important to keep your mind (and stomach) open to options. The menu here is vast and worthy of exploring across multiple visits.
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15
The boldly executed Chef David on Elizabeth Street is a vision of marble, metallics and neon blue — and it serves up some seriously tasty eats. You’ve got an incredible Peking duck, over 15 different kinds of barbecued skewers, a whole selection of grilled fish (these are some of Chef David’s signature creations) and an impressive lineup of wok-cooked dishes. Starters like popcorn chicken, tempura soft-shell crab bao buns and spicy pig trotters are also crowd-favourites.
When it comes to drinks, you can get on the classic and signature cocktails, wines and beers in either bottles, jugs or towers. This spot can get a bit rowdy come Friday or Saturday night, when the crew often hosts live music and DJs. Dancers have been known to make their way around tables from time to time as well. All in all, it’s fun, vibey and absolutely packed full of great Chinese eats.
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14
Anyone familiar with Neil Perry will know of his affection for Asian cuisine. It is a passion that has been successfully translated into his Spice Temple ventures first in Sydney and then Melbourne (right on the Southbank). With more than 50 dishes on the epic menu, the team here — now led by Executive Chef Andy Evans — has pushed the fusion aspect of Chinese food without losing traditional flavours.
The focus shifts away from Cantonese-style food and instead explores regional Chinese provinces including Sichuan, Yunnan and Jianxi. The extra spicy dishes are also highlighted in red either as a warning to those intolerant of fiery mouthfuls of food or a beacon to those who love burning sensations.
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13
Suzi Q on Chapel Street is heaps of fun. The 150-seat site is Mamas Dining Group’s (Hochi Mama, Straight Outta Saigon, Kiss and Tell) biggest venture to date, and it includes not only an enormous 80s-inspired main dining room and bar with double vaulted ceilings, but also a private mezzanine level and karaoke room.
Within these retro surrounds, punters will dine on nostalgic Chinese eats that are proudly inauthentic and just playful enough to make you smirk. Head Chef Michael Stolley (ex-Ish Restaurant, Eazy Peazy) is executing this all with playful contemporary flair, serving up a mixture of yum cha bites and bigger sharing dishes. Pair it all with some of the crew’s top-notch signature cocktails to make a proper night of it.
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12
Yum cha over at David’s in Prahran is no joke. Open on Saturdays and Sundays, the light and airy space plays host to some serious dim sum situations. Pick your time (12pm or 2pm on Saturdays, and 11:30am or 1:30pm on Sundays) and shuffle in with some mates and an empty tum ready to fill.
Opened by David Zhou almost 20 years ago — and starting out as a small tea store on Chapel Street — this reincarnation of David’s knows its prawn dumplings from its pork buns. Specialising in country Shanghai food, you’ll be grazing away and throwing down dumplings as fast as they come out (remember to chew). Go for unfussy, chill vibes and stay for the fact that the food doesn’t stop coming — it’s bottomless, and they deliver each dish at lightning speed.
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11
Simon Lay, Founder of Simon’s Peking Duck, was a living legend in Melbourne. He was well-known for tossing his famous duck pancakes while serving customers, plus his sense of humour and loveable nature made him an unforgettable part of the city’s dining experience here. Sadly, he passed away back in 2018, and while Simon’s Peking Duck Chinese Restaurant will never be the same, it survives in his honour and lives up admirably to his legacy of making the best Peking duck in Melbourne.
This Box Hill classic serves up traditional Chinese fare with personality and style. If you’re here, it’s probably for the Peking duck, and there are two options as to how it’s served. Option one comes with pancakes, spring onion, cucumbers and its special plum sauce. It is served alongside stir-fried bean shoots with duck meat and duck bone soup with bean curd. Option two skips the bean shoots and instead comes with duck stir-fried with handmade crispy noodles. Both ways, it must be said, are outstanding.
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10
The first Red Emperor site opened in Southbank back in 1992, and it continues to be one of Melbourne’s most-loved Chinese restaurants — especially as it and its Chinatown sibling both offer up bottomless yum cha lunches every day of the week for $70 per person. A la carte yum cha is also up for grabs each day, for those looking for a more low-key afternoon feed.
And come dinnertime, the team bashes out an astoundingly long list of brilliant Chinese dishes, ranging from several provinces. If you’re keen to make your way through the whole menu when first visiting, be sure to order some bevs while you make up your mind, or alternatively, get one of the many banquets.
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9
You’ll notice Richmond’s Pacific House from the street with its array of ducks hanging in the windows and chefs working frantically behind them. The street scene tells you everything you need to know — this is a place that’s serious about food and not much else. There are no bells and whistles here, just deliciously made Cantonese food you know won’t let you down.
Grab a seat inside and settle in for a big ol’ feast. The duck that you saw in the window is a must-order, but seafood is equally essential. Our favourite? The incredible lobster noodles that have been on the menu for as long as we can remember. That and whatever the waiters tell you is the star in the tanks out back.
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8
Nestled up an unassuming Chinatown staircase, this Cantonese restaurant is a simple sort of spot with minimal frills. But it’s also a true institution — a longtime hit with off-the-clock chefs and discerning late-night diners alike. And it’s not hard to see why.
The menu is a roll-call of classics done well and served without restraint. And the fact that it is a BYO restaurant, only makes it even better. Gather a bunch of mates or the whole family and prepare from some brilliant Chinese fare in Melbourne’s CBD that won’t break the bank.
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7
The husband and wife duo behind Yulongfu take their dumplings very seriously. Located on Bourke Street, this Shanghainese-style dumpling shop is a celebration of tradition and craft, executed through a menu full of signature dim sum morsels handmade to long-held family recipes, some dating back as far as 1904.
It’s run by some of the most friendly front-of-house staff in the city. They’ll pop your BYO chilled wines in the fridge and talk you through the long menus. We are obsessed with their oysters cooked in XO sauce, the xiaolongbao, clay pot beef and mapo tofu. Just be warned that the separate spicy menu is no joke. Even the spiced-down version will have you reaching for your beers after every bite. Consider yourselves warned.
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6
Hawthorne’s Tao Tao House is your classic white linen Chinese restaurant, complete with lazy susans and traditional eats. The menu here is everything you dream of when heading to a Chinese-Australian restaurant, including one hell of a yum cha offering — including classics like prawn dumplings, spare ribs in black bean sauce and mushroom and duck rolls.
The poultry dishes are also big hits. These include diced chicken in a teriyaki sauce and a succulent sesame duck — stuffed with prawn paste, coated with sesame and served with mushroom sauce. Vegetarians can indulge in the ‘typhoon shelter’ eggplants that are wok-fried with garlic and chilli and a side of Chinese broccoli and fried rice. Banquets also abound here, so feel free to let the chefs decide what you’ll be filling up on.
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5
Have you ever wished you could wash down all that spicy hot pot with an ice-cold beer out in the open air? David’s Master Pot branch has a cosy beer garden at the rear of the restaurant, making it one of the only of its kind in Melbourne. After choosing your favourite ingredients from the open fridge, follow the neon signs to the cushy outdoor area.
Our tip is to try the signature stir-fry spicy pot — it’s a dry version of their famous soup base that uses over 20 kinds of Chinese herbs and spices for a fiery kick. Remember to ask for a complimentary bowl of steamed white rice for a match made in malatang heaven.
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4
Lygon Street and its surrounds might once have been wall-to-wall, old-school Melbourne Italian joints — and famously so. But a new wave of residents is slowly but surely shaking up the demographic. One of these is the relative newcomer, Lagoon Dining.
The menu is grounded in traditional Chinese sensibilities, though you’ll also spy plenty of other Asian influences, as well as a few clever riffs on Chinese food concepts plucked from further abroad. Pull up a seat at the bar and snack your way through the regularly changing menu while sipping on a truly stellar drinks lineup. Expect a broad-ranging rotation of craft beers, a globally-inspired wine list and cocktails, aperitifs and spirits for days.
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3
Le Ho Fook has been serving up creative and stylish modern Chinese fare in Melbourne since 2013, when it opened its doors in Collingwood. Now located in the CBD, the brainchild of head chef and owner Victor Liong has become a Melbourne dining institution. The focus is Chinese-Australian classics with a contemporary take, designed to please everyone from the grandparents to the kids.
The a la carte menu features a large list of house specialties, which rotates from time to time. If you haven’t been to this Melbourne Chinese restaurant before, as it to you dining bucket list, stat.
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2
Internationally recognised for authentic Cantonese cuisine and exceptional service, Flower Drum’s menu emphasises fresh seafood and meats with a creative modern twist. You’ll find all the Cantonese classics at this lavish restaurant, from silky duck wontons and steamed tofu to delicate pieces of crab and tender Peking duck.
We also highly recommend you try the Flower Drum lunch banquet, with delicate seafood rice paper rolls, sang choi bao, Peking duck pancakes, wok-fried barramundi fillet and stir-fried eye fillet with mushrooms and soy. It’s a no-brainer for those wanting classic Chinese fare in old-school fine-dining surrounds.
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1
Don’t let the name fool you, for Dainty Sichuan on Toorak Road packs a hell of a punch. Water fountains and buddhas greet you at the entrance, while the aromas from the kitchen get your tastebuds on high alert. The order of the day here is Sichuan, and the Sichuan-style pork belly is succulent and full of flavour. It comes with a serving of chillies and boiled rice and is worth the price of admission alone.
Be sure to wash it all down with a bottle of wine, for this joint is BYO ($10 per bottle), or order some beers if the spice is too much for you. This has got to be one of our favourite Chinese restaurants in Melbourne, and is well worth a trip down south.
Top Images: Moonhouse.
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