Best Chinese Restaurants Sydney
Sydney’s best Chinese eats are no longer just restricted to cheap and cheerful eateries in Haymarket.
From Cantonese lantern lit institutions in the CBD to hatted exports from Brisbane taking Manly Wharf by storm, and even one tucked inside an Inner West brewery, these are the best Chinese restaurants Sydney has right now
Some are built for a proper dress up occasion, others are strictly for a beer and a lazy Susan with mates. Either way, at these spots, you’ll want to book ahead.
Merivale's grand Cantonese icon on Bridge Lane, Circular Quay, is still the one for a proper night out. Dan Hong's kitchen turns out barbecue duck, XO pipis and a dim sum program worth returning for, all inside a warehouse style room strung with vintage French chairs and ceiling fans. Book ahead, it fills fast.
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Down a discreet CBD stairwell on Bligh Street, Spice Temple takes Chinese food away from Cantonese comfort into Sichuan, Hunan and Xinjiang territory, with chillies doing plenty of the talking. Order the Sichuan Negroni, then let the kitchen's tea smoked duck and mud crab do the rest. Dark and built for a date night.
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Chef Louis Tikaram's harbourfront return to Sydney has landed on Manly Wharf, already one of the best water view tables in the city. The Cantonese menu leans on live seafood, from steamed rock lobster to Peking duck from a custom built oven, best shared over a long Sunday lunch.
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Inspired by chef Michael Clift's grandfather, this Angel Place newcomer from the Clam Bar and Pellegrino 2000 team plays across Guangdong and Sichuan, with a whole roasted duck as the centrepiece. Neon light, a moody soundtrack and an MSG Martini set the tone. Good for a late one, the kitchen runs into the early hours.
Golden Century's slicker Darling Square offshoot channels the family's XO pipis into a new Cantonese menu, wrapped inside Kengo Kuma's timber lined Exchange building. Snow crab, rock lobster and a wall of live tanks keep the seafood focus intact, while the cocktail list gives it more of a night out edge than its Chinatown parent.
Merivale's original Queen Chow, above the Queens Hotel in Enmore, serves the Cantonese classics that once packed out its Manly wharf spin off, now closed. Typhoon shelter crab, barbecue duck and a serious wine list make it worth the trip inland, especially for a group booking with a lazy Susan in play.
Inside the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre in Marrickville, Lucky Prawn plays it for kitsch, all floral carpet and eighties Chinese restaurant nostalgia, with craft beer instead of jasmine tea. Prawn toast, crab omelette and a deep fried Viennetta make it the easy, unpretentious pick when you want fun over fuss.
