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The best Chinese restaurants in Australia right now

Modern Chinese in Brisbane, a Sichuan empire in Melbourne and addictive Hunanese in Sydney. These are the best spots for a Chinese feed according to our 2020 Restaurant Guide.
Golden Century

Golden Century

Parker Blain
Address
Shop 3, 171 George St, Brisbane

Brisbane

Donna Chang

Heritage quarters with decorative ceilings create a premium setting at this upmarket riff on Chinese.

What to order: A glass from Penny Grant’s broad-ranging list and the kitchen’s riff on classic prawn toast.

Shop 3, 171 George St, Brisbane, (07) 3243 4838

Happy Boy

Bunker-style interiors meet a roving line up of greatest hits, with a left-field round-up of wines by-the-glass.

What to order: The value banquet.

East St, Fortitude Valley, Qld, +61 413 246 890

Little Valley

Modish interiors provide a smart backdrop at this modern Chinese fine diner, from the team at Rick Shores.

What to order: The tangle of goodness that is the Chinese Bolognese.

6 Warner St, Fortitude Valley, Qld, 0431 619 884

Melbourne

Dainty Sichuan

Nothing dainty about the fiery flavours at this ever-expanding Melbourne empire.

What to order: Fish-flavour eggplant.

Multiple locations including, 176 Toorak Road , South Yarra , Vic, (03) 9078 1686

David’s

Homestyle Shanghai cuisine and great tea in stylish warehouse surrounds.

What to order: Spring onion noodles with dried shrimp

4 Cecil Pl, Prahan, Vic, (03) 9529 5199

Dragon Hot Pot

24-hour spicy soup specialist, big on flavour, low on price.

What to order: Fiery malatang broth base.

213 Russell St, Melbourne, (03) 9662 1833

Flower Drum

A luxe temple of Cantonese excellence and superb service with fans spanning generations.

What to order: Sautéed pearl meat.

17 Market Ln, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 9662 3655

Hu Tong

Multiple levels of dumpling magic and pan-Chinese distinction from Shanghai to Sichuan.

What to order: xiao long bao.

14-16 Market Ln, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 9650 8128

RuYi

Cool space with modern Chinese and a smart drinks list to match.

What to order: Tangy ox tongue.

16 Liverpool St, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 9090 7778

https://www.instagram.com/p/BboKo-Eh95E/

Sydney

Golden Century

An institution complete with live seafood tanks and fast-paced service. Still one of Sydney’s busiest, and best places to be at 2am.

What to order: Live pipis in XO sauce.

393-399 Sussex St, Sydney, (02) 9212 3901

Mr Wong

Multileveled and multi-flavoured, Mr Wong is a well-oiled machine playing the classics, just better.

What to order: Dumplings, mud crab and deep-fried ice-cream.

3 Bridge Ln, Sydney, 2000, (02) 9114 7317

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0FNN8YAk33/

Spice Temple

All style and intrigue, Neil Perry’s Chinese diner spotlights regions less travelled with fierce attention to detail.

What to order: The lamb pancake.

10 Bligh St, Sydney, NSW, (02) 8099 7088

Queen Chow

Head to Newtown for cut-above pubstyle Chinese, or Manly for spins on takeaway classics.

What to order: Oversized xiao long bao.

2/167 Enmore Rd, Enmore, NSW, (02) 9114 7333

Chairman Mao

Serving Hunanese fare made with care. Full of addictive spice and textures.

What to order: Broad beans with pork mince.

189 Anzac Pde, Kensington, NSW, (02) 9697 9189

Xi’an Biang Biang

Slippery noodles slick with chilli, no-frills service and full-on flavour.

What to order: Rou jia mo, and biang biang noodles, of course.

Shop 39/1 Dixon St, Haymarket, NSW, (02) 9261 2745

The best Chinese restaurants in Australia right now
Shop 3, 171 George St, Brisbane

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