The best Chinese restaurants in Sydney

What is it? Sydney icon Golden Century – famous for its XO pipis, delicious yum cha and late-night dining – is now open at Crown Sydney, after closing its OG location in 2020.

Why we love it: Stepping into Golden Century’s new home is like visiting an old friend who’s had a bit of not-so-subtle cosmetic work done. But while there are many differences, the essence of the OG GC remains: excellent bronzed roast duck, some of Sydney’s best yum cha and a dining experience that feels like an extended family reunion.

Time Out tip: Do as the waiter suggests and order the hot lava buns, injected with a custard that incorporates salted egg yolk. It’s a fan favourite for TikTokkers who film it oozing with filling – but proceed with caution, as it really is molten lava inside.

Address: Level 3, Crown Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW 2000

Expect to pay: Starters from $12; mains $30–$60; dim sum from $13

A visit to this popular Haymarket eatery is a one-way ticket to flavour town, and the best part is that you can travel there on a shoestring and not miss out on any of the fun. Must order: beef hot pot with a fiery Sichuan-spiked broth, and crunchy chilled cucumbers dressed with dried, roasted chillies, a whack of salt and enough garlic to repel Edward Cullen. So, so good.

Time Out tip: Low on cash this week? Spicy Joint's Dan Dan noodles cost just $4.90. Boom.

This Ashfield Chinese restaurant is a favourite of some of the best chefs in Sydney, so you know it's going to be legit. Work your way through provincial specialities like country-style pan fried fish cakes and steamed minced pork with salted fish before moving onto king prawns, pork rib and salt baked chicken. You'll also find huge hot pots and warming bowls of congee.

Time Out tip: Eaton Restaurant stays open until 1am, seven nights a week. No wonder chefs love it for a late-night, post-shift feed.

For more than 15 years, Spice Temple has been serving some of the most delicious Chinese dishes to be found in Sydney. Headed up by executive chef Andy Evans, who has been on the pans since day dot, the subterranean CBD restaurant is renowned for putting a spotlight on China’s regional cuisines, from Sichuan to Yunnan, Hunan and Guangxi. The crisp and golden lamb-and-cumin pancake, as well as the succulent white-cut chicken with ‘strange flavour dressing’, are two of the things we order. 

Time Out tip: Super-hot dishes are red on the menu – so spice wusses, tread lightly.

This little Xinjiang-style restaurant has always been popular enough for lines to snake out the door – thankfully now they have a whole lot of on-the-street seating, so you're less likely to have to wait to get a seat inside. Once seated, you're in for some seriously delicious treats, like hand-pulled noodles with lamb, and light-as-a-feather dumplings. Plus, the prices are seriously right. There are a few Xinjiang noodle houses like this in a row and dotted around Chinatown – but we're calling it, this one is The Best.

Time Out tip: Chinese Noodle Restaurant is BYO, so bring along a bottle of your fave red or white.

At the Eight they push the boat just that little further – there's an extra lick of attention paid to everything on offer, from the moist, sweet, tender barbecue pork to the stout little mango pancakes. The congee is excellent – all loose and glutinous with little pieces of pork and preserved egg woven through, topped with little bits of fried bread and green onion. If you're not a Chinese nanna, you might have to arm wrestle the waitress for it, but persevere. The dumplings are generally a little smaller than the footballs you see around Sydney, and just a little more tender - namely the prawn and pork. 

Time Out tip: The Eight is one of our fave yum cha spots in Sydney. Bring a group of friends and go hard.

They’ll tell you to go for the Peking duck. They’ll tell you it’s a juicy bird with crisp skin and sweet meat. And they’d be right. It is. This is just one of the many roast delights at Mr Wong – a two-level Canto-extravaganza offering everything from fancy dim sum to green beans stir-fried with pork mince and house-made XO sauce. 

Time Out tip: Mr Wong is well-versed in the art of big, boozy lunches – and it's even better when work is footing the bill.

Beloved Sydney icon Malay Chinese is found at Circular Quay's dining precinct Sydney Place. Here, they specialise in laksa lemak, which is made from coconut milk and curry paste and devoured at hawker stalls in Malaysia and Singapore. There are 11 types to choose from, ranging from chicken to beef and prawn. Other notable mentions go to the comforting Hainan chicken with a nourishing broth, and char kway teow with its slippery, fat rice noodles and trademark smoky notes. Malay Chinese is a mostly takeaway affair, so get down here early.

Time Out tip: Don't wear white ('cos, laksa).

Enjoy a succulent Chinese meal with plenty of seafood at this long-standing Beverly Hills eatery (and it’s open until 1.30am every night). As Shakespeare asked in Romeo and Juliet, ‘What’s in a name?’ Luckily, for Yummy Seafood Chinese Restaurant, it lives up to its moniker. Yummy? Tick. Seafood? Tick! Chinese? Tick!!

Time Out tip: Congee is served after 9pm, but not for lunch, so if you're craving a warm bowl of goodness, come late.

Breathe a sigh of relief: the pippies in XO sauce at XOPP are just as good as they are at the dearly departed Golden Century. And that’s a damn good thing, because it would be pretty awkward if the dish that inspired the awkwardly named (say it slowly, one letter at a time) and eagerly anticipated spinoff of the Chinatown institution were not up to scratch. Look beyond those pippies, however, and the comparisons to its closed sister venue are few and far between. Up here, in the strangely semicircular space on the first floor of Kengo Kuma’s cyclonic Exchange building, there’s hardly a tablecloth or a fish tank in sight. XOPP not only indulges that unending romance with those tried-and-true Cantonese classics, but also gives us a few new reasons to fall in love all over again. 

Time Out tip: Golden Century is opening this summer at Crown Sydney, returning to its OG roots with a venue that pays homage to its original Sussex Street eatery, which opened in 1989.

Xi An Cuisine is a family-owned-and-operated casual Chinese diner in Haymarket. You’ll find this hole-in-the-wall spot at 90 Hay Street. It’s as cheap and cheerful as it gets, with most plates costing around $13 – and they’re super delicious.

Time Out tip: You’ve got to order the fatty pork "Chinese burger" (its actual name is rou jia mo) with lashings of chilli oil.

Come for Cantonese hits and a fun time at the OG Queen Chow Enmore, found in the Queens Hotel. All of your favourite dishes are there – including plump and juicy dumplings, glistening crisp duck; fragrant market fish with ginger shallot and white soy; and king prawns with garlic butter and enoki and wood ear mushrooms. Feel like being a baller? Go for lobster with your choice of sauce from XO, black bean and chilli, garlic butter, ginger shallot or salt and pepper.

Time Out tip: On Friday to Sunday, there’s yum cha during the day, and a DJ plays non-stop bangers at night.

Did you and your family visit your local Chinese restaurant when you were growing up and have your order down pat? Things like plump, glistening honey king prawns, beef and black bean with its deep, umami flavour, and special fried rice with fluffy grains, canary-yellow eggs, and peas? Ours certainly did. If you're the same, a visit to The Lucky Prawn—a Chinese-Australian bistro housed in Marrickville's wonderful Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre—will feel like a nostalgic treat. Helmed by former Cho Cho San and CicciaBella chef Nic Wong, The Lucky Prawn is an ode to the Chinese-Australian diners dotted all over the country. And while not strictly authentic, this cheerful red and gold restaurant delivers on comfort and deliciousness in spades. Add a couple of Hawke's ripping beers, and you'll be laughing. 

Time Out tip: Add the prawn toast to your order.

It was a sad day when Sydney institution Golden Century closed its doors, but thankfully, The Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant filled the dumpling-shaped hole in our hearts (and took over the site). There are a lot of excellent offerings in Sydney’s Chinatown, making it a competitive space, but Royal Palace delivers on flavour, nostalgia, and the theatre of being able to choose your own fresh seafood.

Time Out tip: The sprawling 600-seat Cantonese diner offers traditional yum cha. 

Holding court in the red and gold dining room of the Palace Chinese Restaurant comes with great responsibility. If you are in the power seat by the trolley channel you need to be decisive when the extra-juicy pink-hued roast pork rolls around, served in thin slices with the right fat-to-meat ratio. Move quickly when the blistered greens beans come out of the kitchen, scalding hot, salted like the sea and dressed in garlic. 

Time Out tip: It’s worth checking every basket, because in addition to taut-skinned, tightly packed prawn and garlic chive dumplings there might be a sneaky serve of duck dumplings on the trolley. 

They do things differently at Spice World, Haymarket’s very own truly quirky and ultimately delicious eating experience. The first Australian outpost for one of China’s biggest hot pot chains peddles Barbies draped in beef; a giant soup-based stock cube fashioned into the shape of a Hello Kitty; and robots that glide around the venue serving up digital smiles and mints.

Time Out tip: Condiment fiends will be pleased to know there’s also a sauce banquet. 

Luxe, elegant and a little bit special, pearls are the ocean’s jewel. Pearl is also the name of the elevated CBD Cantonese restaurant by the Lotus Dining Group (Lotus the Galeries, Lotus Barangaroo, Lotus Double Bay). And just like the ocean's shiny lustrous sphere, it's pretty special, too. Located in the Quay Quarter on Bridge and Young Streets, the 84-seat restaurant and bar serves modern takes on the cuisine from China’s Canton province, with influences from Hong Kong, where chef and director of culinary Cheung Shui Yip is from.

Time Out tip: Be sure to try their signature roast duck, with its glossy, crisp skin and juicy meat.

This Woolloomooloo finger wharf hot spot is the go-to for ladies' long lunches, water views and shareable pan-Asian cuisine. Book a big table and order up a bunch of dishes that trot through Beijing (Peking duck pancakes), Bali (cobia yellow curry), Bangkok (crisp pork belly with chilli caramel and prik nam pla) and Sydney (salt and pepper king prawns with toasted chilli and garlic).

Time Out tip: The three banquet menu options are great for groups and the wharf location lends itself to a glam pre-lunch party snap.