The Best Chinese Restaurants in Melbourne
Chinese is one of the most ancient and varied cuisines in the world, yet it’s often oversimplified in Australia. Case in point: while Cantonese and Sichuan feature heavily here, they’re just two of the “eight great cuisines” (the others are Jiangsu, Zhejian, Fujian, Hunan, Anhui and Shandong). Indeed, despite Australia’s long history of Chinese immigration, some lesser-known Chinese cuisines have only appeared in Melbourne in recent years. And they’re largely in Chinese-community enclaves such as Springvale or Box Hill.
Whether you’re after the signature Peking duck from internationally acclaimed Flower Drum, a fiery hotpot at Sichuan import Panda Hot Pot or Shandong’s signature mackerel dumplings at Shandong Mama, this curated guide has a spot for you.
Restaurant
Flower Drum
One of the true icons of Melbourne dining, Flower Drum’s low-lit, seductive ambience and consistently impeccable service are reasons to visit alone. But if you’re after the gold standard for Cantonese cuisine in the city, look no further.
Restaurant
Lee Ho Fook
From the mind of acclaimed chef Victor Liong, this diner reimagines traditional Chinese flavours through a refined modern lens. Look for it down a graffiti-covered alley off Flinders Lane.
Restaurant
David’s
Rustic Shanghainese dishes worthy of the accolades. David Zhou’s casual eatery hits all the beats for flavour, atmosphere and service. But best of all, this is the kind of place that won’t hurt your wallet.
Restaurant
Lagoon Dining
Take a seat at the black granite bar for hot and sour shredded potato, charcoal-roasted char siu and cured pork belly with rolled rice noodles in XO.
Restaurant
Spice Temple
Innovative Chinese-Australian fusion in a low-lit underground restaurant. More than a decade on, it remains one of the best places in Melbourne to try the lesser-seen cuisines of China's Yunnan, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. While Sichuan food is king here, the entire menu is stylish, vibrant and well-balanced.
Restaurant
Chef David
This 160-seater used to be a hotpot spot, but now it's a grill-yourself Sichuan restaurant. Come for sizzling skewers, whole grilled cod and dozens of side dishes.
Restaurant
Pacific House Restaurant
A bonafide local institution, this spot is known equally for its cheap-and -cheerful dining and flock of Peking ducks hanging in the window. Also in Flemington and South Yarra.
Restaurant
Silks
Working with top-grade produce such as green lip abalone, snow crab and full-blood Wagyu, Crown Casino’s in-house Cantonese restaurant is largely geared towards visiting high rollers. But the luxurious dining room and its sweeping Yarra views are within reach of the average punter, provided they order wisely.
Restaurant
Supper Inn
Supper Inn is a BYO Melbourne institution. Just ask Melbourne’s top chefs – especially after a closing shift. Cantonese food at its best, and least pretentious. Come for chicken congee, XO pippies with Chinese doughnuts and roasted suckling pig.
Restaurant
Ling Nan
Offering no-nonsense Cantonese dining in the heart of the CBD, Ling Nan has been satisfying Melbourne’s late-night cravings for around three decades. New location, same must-order XO pippies.
Restaurant
Panda Hot Pot
Under the watchful eye of a 1.5-tonne steel dragon, Australia’s first outpost of international chain Panda Hot Pot is serving fiery DIY soup with a choice of 80 ingredients. Also in Carnegie.
Restaurant
Tim Ho Wan
With 20 locations spread across Asia and Australia, this Hong Kong dumpling giant must be doing something right. The answer? A Michelin-starred barbeque pork bun, dusted with sugar and baked to crisp perfection.
Restaurant
Mya Tiger
Enjoy an authentic Cantonese banquet with a view, set above Melbourne’s iconic Esplanade Hotel. Pair duck pancakes, spicy pork chilli wontons and sesame prawn toast with a fusion cocktail. Yum Cha Sundays here are a highlight.
Restaurant
Dainty Sichuan South Yarra
The Chongqing noodles here are legendary. Elastic, chewy noodles; baby bok choy; and a chicken and chilli broth with an incredible depth of flavour and spice – both numbing and burning.
Restaurant
Secret Kitchen CBD
You can’t walk past the live seafood tank – one of the largest in the city – without doing a double-take. This Cantonese joint specialises in fresh seafood and seats up to 150 people. Aside from the seafood, the rest of the menu has the usual dim sum favourites. You might eat Peking duck pancakes, fried rice in an omelette pouch, and steamed buns decorated like piglets.
Restaurant
Roast Duck Inn
Look for the crisp red ducks in the window. Enter for a sumptuous feast cooked by Cantonese chefs who have more than three decades of experience. There are two dinner sittings and the restaurant is BYO.
Restaurant
Dragon Hot Pot
Cheap, delicious and fun, as all great malatang joints should be. Fill your golden pot with meat, tofu, noodles and vegetables from the self-serve fridge, then bathe your spoils in hot-and-sour Sichuan-style broth.
Restaurant
Hutong Dumpling Bar CBD
Shanghainese food from eastern China, where dishes are small and designed for sharing. Visit for great drunken chicken and the classic xiao long bao. Also in Prahran and Southbank.
Restaurant
China Red
A bustling city eatery that's part of the growing Hu-Tong dumpling empire. Ordering a double-serve of xiao long bao via touch screen never gets old here.
Restaurant
Shandong Mama
It’s all in the name at this Chinatown favourite. Shandong province is known for its superlative seafood, and the mackerel dumplings here don’t disappoint. The vegan zucchini version has a cult following all its own.
Restaurant
Ruyi
A high-end restaurant serving contemporary Chinese fare. Though many of these dishes aim to elevate tradition, there’s plenty of nostalgia to be found here.
Restaurant
Magic Cuisine
This stall in Box Hill has got cooked meat, entrees and vegetable dishes pre-packaged in takeaway containers, ready for you to grab and take to work or reheat at home. Just add rice.
Restaurant
Tina’s Noodle Kitchen
This casual diner – by the Dainty Sichuan crew – is dedicated to Chongqing-style noodle soup. So everything here is hot, spicy and slurpable. Make sure to get here nice and early, because it gets busy fast. Also in Preston, Glen Waverley and the CBD.
Restaurant
Gold Leaf Eastern Restaurant
For lunch, take your pick from any of the roaming yum cha carts that pass by every few minutes, or dig into an à la carte dinner featuring black bean sauce-slathered prawns or seafood in clay pots. Also in Docklands, Preston, Sunshine and Springvale.
Restaurant
Karlaylisi Restaurant
This Uyghur restaurant serves springy hand-pulled spicy noodles, beef dumplings, and flaky pastries filled with lamb and cumin.
Restaurant
Little Sichuan
This “little” sibling of hotpot institution Dainty Sichuan uses the same rich broths and variety of ingredients, but specialises in malatang style – or hotpot for one.
Restaurant
China Chilli
Choose your own hotpot adventure at this all-you-can-eat Sichuan joint. The dark, red-lit interior feels like it’s straight out of a Wong Kar Wai film. Complex flavours define its Sichuan hotpot, assorted grilled seafood dishes and steamed and braised meats. Also in Box Hill.
Restaurant
Lucky Chan
Daily yum cha, live seafood from the tank and crispy fried noodles are all designed to share at this Cantonese restaurant. Take a seat in the courtyard for a view of the Yarra through bamboo stalks, while sipping jasmine tea or a Singapore Sling.
Restaurant
West Lake
A Chinese institution, West Lake has weathered the test of Chinatown's high turnover rates for decades. There’s excellent all-day yum cha, then tasty classics like scallops in XO sauce and stir-fried vegetables until well past midnight. Late-night cravings? Satisfy them here.
Restaurant
Benyue Kitchen
This southern-Chinese family restaurant – by Lau’s Family Kitchen alumni – serves crowd favourites like lamb spring rolls, fluffy crab omelette and Peking duck. Plus, there are plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.
Restaurant
One Noodle Friendship
Find this low-key Chinese restaurant just around the corner from Preston Market. It's all about hand-pulled Lanzhou-style wheat noodles (made from scratch every day) served in hot, spiced broth with a side of chewy dumplings.
Restaurant
Bowltiful CBD
The entirely halal diner specialises in Gansu cuisine from northern China. In particular, deeply comforting Lanzhou beef noodle soups with a clear, consommé-like broth and hand-pulled wheat noodles available in nine different widths.
Cafe
Sanhe Congee
It’s all about congee at this bright spot near Queen Vic Market. The Chinese dish is on full show – from savoury versions with pork and seafood to sweet bowls with goji berries. Plus, find plenty of dim sum staples.
Restaurant
Potluck
Here, dishes are inspired by owner Esther Sun’s childhood meals, created through her lens as a first-gen Chinese Australian. Try her mum’s signature beef noodle soup, as well as prawn toast and san choy bow.
More Options
Haidilao Hotpot, Glen Waverley, Box Hill and CBD
This Sichuan hotpot giant offers a more memorable dining experience than most. Across manicures, singing waitstaff, board games and a kid’s play area, there’s plenty to keep you entertained – before you even order. Choose your hotpot adventure across your base (including spicy oil, mushroom, tomato and pepper), protein (with options such as tofu, Wagyu, ox tongue and marbled pork belly) and the self-serve condiment bar. And for extra theatrics, order the “dancing noodles” – waitstaff will stretch and pull the noodles tableside before dropping them into your hotpot.
