Top 5 Chinese Restaurants in Sydney Australia

Sydney, Top Restaurants

Ready for Chopsticks Asia, elevated edition? Sydney’s Chinatown scene was recently named among the best in the world, and its high‑end Chinese restaurants now rival inner‑city fine‑dining venues. For food‑obsessed locals and visitors alike, here’s your ultimate guide to the top five Chinese restaurants in Sydney for 2025—plus how to reach them, what to order, and why they’re worth the fuss.

🔍 How We Picked These Restaurants

  • Consistently top‑ranked by Sydney food critics and platforms (Sitchu, Time Out, Boss Hunting) in mid‑2025

  • Recent updates included (e.g. Golden Century reopened January 2025 at Crown) 

  • Signature dishes that locals wait in line for—duck, dim sum, XO pippies, hot‑pots

  • A mix of fine‑dining and high‑energy hubs (banquet vs. casual Chic)

Text welcomes SEO robots, but humans firsthand diner delight.

1. Mr Wong (Sydney CBD)

Cuisine: Cantonese. Dim sum. Dinner theatre.
Features: Ambient, two‑level tea‑house setting with open duck kitchen and more than 80 dishes.

Why it’s on the list:
London’s Financial Times crowned it “modern alternative” to traditional business dining—and it has kept that energy well into 2025.
Awarded multiple Good Food Guide Hats and regularly top‑ranked by Sitchu as a premier Cantonese destination.

Signature dishes:

  • Roast Peking duck pancakes (via private duck‑room theatrics)

  • Prawn & pork har gow (silky, delicate)

  • Chilli‑salt mud crab and Glacier 51 toothfish

  • Honey‑glazed char siu pork

Contact:

Best time to go: Weekdays after 7 pm for late night dim sum; weekend bookings required 2–3 weeks in advance.

2. Spice Temple (CBD, Bligh Street Mall)

Cuisine: Regional Chinese watching Sichuan, Yunnan, Jiangxi.
Setting: Romantic subterranean venue, ribbon marble bar, velvet booths.

Why it’s on the list:
Hailed by Sitchu and Time Out for pushing provincial Chinese beyond menus or street‑food clichés. Run by Neil Perry alum Andy Evans (ex‑Spice Alley) and former China Doll chef, it blends authentic fire with elegance.

Signature dishes:

  • Num‑bing Sichuan mala prawns and chicken wings

  • Yunnan short ribs braised in Hunan pepper

  • Clean Jiangxi-style fish soup

  • Seven‑flavour chilli tofu and tea-smoked duck

Contact:

  • Phone: 02 8099 7088

  • Address: Basement, City Mutual Building, 10 Bligh St, Sydney NSW 2001 (facing flagship NAB building)

  • Website: spicetemple.com.au/sydney

Top tip: Go for the banquet menu (AU $85pp: five regional dishes / 10‑person min). Reservations essential Thu–Sat.

3. China Doll (Woolloomooloo, Finger Wharf)

Cuisine: Modern Chinese‑Asian fusion with seafood and ethically sourced produce.
Atmosphere: Expansive waterfront dining with sunset views, expansive bar.

Why it’s on the list:
A Good Food Guide award‑winner, regularly profiled as “…where the harbour fizzes at sunset and chefs bridge Asia to Australia”. Fashionable locals love it for well‑crafted tofu hot pots, pandan pavlova, and sake cocktails.

Signature dishes:

  • Tea‑smoked duck breast with lychee and celery

  • Steamed fish with soy and ginger (daily catch)

  • Pork belly in siu mai parcel with quail egg

  • Pandan jelly with coconut foam dessert

Contact:

Best for: Weddings, large groups (semi‑private Hibiscus room drinks over the water). Pre‑dinner cocktails at the bar recommended.

4. Golden Century / XOPP by Golden Century (Crown Sydney & Haymarket)

Cuisine: Classic Cantonese seafood, BBQ, live lobster tanks.
Vibe: Old‑school Baltimore‑style Cantonese with new‑age polish; red neon, oyster shells.

Why it’s on the list:
Golden Century is a Sydney institution—sussex Street original for 30+ years. Reopened a new flagship in January 2025 at Crown Tower, with same XO pipis and live lobster carvings, winning Restaurant & Catering Awards of Excellence (2024)

Also runs XOPP by Golden Century in Darling Square/Haymarket, a more urban extension of its signature dishes.

Signature dishes:

  • XO‑sauce pipis over fried vermicelli (still the city’s best‑sold seafood dish)

  • Live Blue Swimmer or mud crab grilled table‑side

  • Whole bone‑in Cantonese roast duck

  • Wok‑fried lobster, garlic snow crab, pigeon wings

Contact:

  • Phone: 02 8030 0000 

  • Email: info@xopp.com.au 

  • Website: goldencentury.com.au

  • Address:

    • Golden Century at Crown, Level 3, 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000

    • XOPP by Golden Century, Mezzanine Level M, 1 Little Pier St, Haymarket NSW

Know before you go: This is a shared‑table chaos zone. Go from 8 people up for private lobster pit nights. Book 7 days ahead for groups; walk‑in often leads to cocktail‑bar queue.

5. Din Tai Fung (multiple Sydney locations)

Cuisine: Taiwanese dumpling specialist—cellophane wrappers on XLB (soup dumplings), noodles, bao.
Chain, cult international acclaim.

Why it’s on the list:
One of few Chinese/Taiwanese restaurants globally that pairs precision steamer‑machines with repeatable quality—Sydney locations at Westfield Sydney, World Square, The Star, Chatswood, etc. Urbanlist tagged it “home of the world’s tastiest dumplings” and locals queue for it daily.

Signature dishes:

  • Pork Xiao Long Bao (20.8‑21.2 g per dumpling by their strict standard)

  • Shrimp & pork shao‑mai

  • Dan dan noodles, Drunken chicken, and salted cucumber salad

Contact (Westfield Pitt St branch):

  • Phone: 410542049 (no formatting) 

  • Website: dintaifung.com.au

  • Address: Shop K504/5, 188 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000

Heads‑up: No outside bookings—seating is walk‑in only with digital self‑service kiosks in mall. Expect casual turnaround vibe.

🍜 Ordering Tips for Visitors

  1. Banquet vs À‑la‑carte:

    • Spice Temple: $85–$110/pax banquet

    • Golden Century: large‑table dinner with seafood special

    • China Doll & Mr Wong: à la carte recommended after group

    • Din Tai Fung: pay‑per‑plate; set menus optional

  2. Allergy notices: Most kitchens use shellfish, soy, MSG. Spice Temple and China Doll take allergies seriously; always pre‑warn on phone or form.

  3. Payment options:

    • Golden Century accepts cards, UnionPay, WeChat Pay, Alipay, cash; no BYO alcohol, no split bills.

    • Mr Wong & Spice Temple: standard card + café‑bar cocktails.

  4. Dress code: Smart casual suits crown venues judge; weekends at Spice Temple and Mr Wong can get stomped—avoid training shoes.

  5. Public transit access:

    • Mr Wong, Spice Temple, Din Tai Fung (Westfield Pitt St): near Town Hall, St James, Martin Place Circle Quay.

    • China Doll: near Woolloomooloo Wharf/Finger Wharf Ferry.

    • Golden Century: Crown Tower (M1 Darling Harbour stop) or walking from Wynyard.

❗ Book It, Try It, Love It — Final Thoughts from Austoplist

  • Mr Wong: lively and consistently special, especially for dim sum and char‑sui roast meats.

  • Spice Temple: bold, rare Chinese regional dishes with Michelin‑style service.

  • China Doll: modern, fresh, and harbour‑view sexy—perfect for sunset dinners.

  • Golden Century/XOPP: institution level Cantonese seafood — goose‑bumps delivered via live lobster.

  • Din Tai Fung: safe bet, always flawless dumpling experience at value.

Why it matters now (2025): Sydney’s Chinese food tables have swung far beyond Chinatown food courts. With Golden Century’s reopening 20 January 2025 , the city reclaims a culinary heritage landmark. Restaurants like Spice Temple and Mr Wong serve craft-forward renditions that won’t appear the same five years from now.

So grab your chopsticks, book early, and explore the tastes of China imported—and transcended—in Sydney this year.

Contact Us to Feature Your Restaurant?

Contact Us