How Many Chinese Restaurants In Melbourne?

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One of the oldest and most complex cuisines in the world is often misunderstood and oversimplified by Australians. Cantonese and Sichuan food are perhaps the most readily accessible styles of Chinese food in Melbourne. Keep in mind that these are just two of "the eight major cuisines" of China; the others are from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Anhui, Hunan, and Fujian.

It's not common to draw broad conclusions about a country's food from a small sample. In spite of the fact that Chinese immigration to Australia began in the middle of the nineteenth century, it is only in the last few years that we have seen cuisine from a few of China's less well-known cuisines make their way in Melbourne.

They also continue to concentrate in traditionally Chinese neighbourhoods like Box Hill and Springvale. The far west of China is home to some of the country's best cuisine, including some of the best xiao long bao, spicy Sichuan hotpots, and hearty stews with Middle Eastern influences.

Chinese Restaurants In Melbourne To Support This Weekend

Eat your fill of steamed dumplings, noodle soup, and glazed BBQ duck to express your appreciation for the hard work of our Chinese neighbours. Someone needs to perform this difficult task.

David's

This restaurant, with its light blonde wood, could not be more than 20 years old. David Zhou's restaurant in Melbourne is well-known for serving traditional dishes from rural Shanghai. Try some of our more unusual offerings, such Shanghai belt noodles tossed in black vinegar as well as soft - shell river prawns. This incredible deal includes endless yum cha. Unit 4, Cecil Place, Prahran, Australia.

HuTong Dumpling Bar

Is what I'm hearing wontons? Despite the risk of getting burns on your chest, these pork-filled dumplings with pale-yellow wrappers and blistering chilli oil are delicious and well worth the risk. There are other companies in Melbourne doing similar things to HuTong. If you'd like something that's a bit simpler to transfer from bowl to mouth, consider the northern-style spinach dumplings or the light crystal dumplings filled with shrimp flesh. located at 14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne.

Dainty Sichuan

Among Melbourne's oldest Chinese restaurants, Dainty Sichuan is a mecca for those in search of delicious Asian food. Dainty, in contrast to other Chinese eateries, is enormous and expansive inside, with a fountain taking centre stage at the front door. The walls are covered with embedded Chinese artwork, and the tables are circular with inset hotplates. Dainty is well-known for its spicy affection; the most ordered items are the hearty hotpots and meat meals. Dainty is where locals go to get the greatest Chinese food in Melbourne.

Some people want it spicy. The people of Sichuan, in southwestern China, definitely do, adding the fiery heat of dried chillies, peppercorns, vinegar, and garlic to their signature hotpots and stews. Thankfully, not everything on the menu at Dainty Sichuan is meant to set your mouth on fire. There is also more delicate food, such as pork-filled Chinese dumplings and seasoned Sichuan duck served over cold noodles. South Yarra, at number 176 Toorak Road.

FAQs About Chinese Restaurants

Do They Have Chinese Restaurants In Australia?

At the beginning of the 21st century, Chinese restaurants have been present in a significant majority of Australian cities and towns for over fifty years and in many places for over one hundred and fifty years. They emerged as commercial enterprises on the Victorian goldfields in 1854.

Why Does Every Town In Australia Have A Chinese Restaurant?

Your local Chinese restaurant isn't just a delicious place to eat. It's also a historical symbol of immigration and cultural diversity in Australia. These cookhouses that the Chinese started provided gold miners with meals and catered for Chinese and European tastes.

How Popular Is Chinese Food In Australia?

stralians’ preferred food cuisines shows a growing number of Australians saying they like to eat each of the country’s top ten favourite food cuisines.

Over 14.2 million Australians now like to eat Chinese cuisine (70%), up from 13.5 million four years ago. There have been particularly strong increases for Japanese cuisine to 8.5 million (up 1.6 million), Indian cuisine to 10.4 million (up 1.3 million), Middle Eastern cuisine to 5.7 million (up 1.2 million) and Mexican cuisine to over 9 million (up 1.2 million).

What Food Did China Bring To Australia?

The Australian public started eating at Chinese restaurants from the 1930s or brought saucepans from home for takeaway meals. Chicken chow mein, chop suey and sweet and sour pork were the mainstays.

What Percentage Of Restaurants Are Chinese?

According to new data from the restaurant reviewing website Yelp, the share of Chinese restaurants in the top 20 metropolitan areas has been consistently falling. Five years ago, an average of 7.3 per cent of all restaurants in these areas were Chinese, compared with 6.5 per cent today.

Flower Drum

The Drum's unaltered decor and employees, who are as polished as the bar's gleaming woodwork, give the impression that the building has been frozen in time. Don't fall for it. Timekeeping accuracy is ensured by the restaurant's Cantonese standards: excellent, crispy-skinned chicken; Peking duck; presented with care; and exquisite crab. We are located at No. 17 Market Lane, in Melbourne.

Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung, a world-famous dumpling restaurant, and two of the world's finest posts can all be located on the top floor of the Emporium. The first site of the restaurant chain that bears the name of Taiwanese black master Din Tai Fung debuted in 1974, and now there are more than a billion of them in Asia, the United States, and Sydney. In all likelihood, he understands what he's doing, but you'd be wrong to assume so. The fried rice and the pork buns are also great options.

You may find Din Tai Fung restaurants in malls all over the globe, but don't be fooled—they serve much more than your typical chain fare. The 18-fold pleated, 3-minute steaming dumplings are an artistic creation in and of themselves. In less than three minutes, you'll be ordering more of the spicy pork and prawn dumplings with a pinch of ginger from floor 4, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne.

Wonderbao

The fluffy, whiteness of bao is hard to resist. Nothing, particularly particular when vegetarian food is just as excellent as meat-based alternatives. The day will be perfect when you grab one of these loaded with fried silken tofu, coriander, and crushed peanuts. Did we mention that at around $3 for a bun, they're cheap? Melbourne, Australia, Shop 4, 19–37 A'Beckett Street

Spice Temple

A full five years after it initially debuted, Neil Perry's sultry cave of Cantonese cuisine still has plenty of fire in the belly. Dishes from all throughout China, from the coastal to the inland, pack a fiery punch because of the liberal use of chilli peppers. Red flags indicate dishes with a high level of heat, but the menu still has plenty of options for those with lower tolerances for spice.

If you want to try more things, ask for half portions and save space for dessert, which may be a waggon wheel-shaped parfait with chilli-numbing caramel, chocolate, and peanuts. Southbank, at the Crown Building.

Lee Ho Fook

In this very Melbourne alley scene, the red neon sign glows like a beacon calling the hungry to come. One of the most popular items on the menu is the Xinjiang-style lamb shoulder, which is a fatty cut of lamb that is seasoned with chilli peppers and served with sumac-spiced fried Gugur bread. When alcohol is considered, this is no longer a cheap and cheerful canteen. Even so, chef Victor Liong's unrepentant kitchen pushes the limits of convention for unforgettable Chinese cuisine that isn't what you're used to. Melbourne, at 11-15 Duckboard Place.

Tim Ho Wan

There's a reason it's been dubbed the "world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant"; for only $20, you can receive a rather filling meal of Hong Kong-style dim sum. Spring rolls stuffed with prawn and egg white mousse are crisp, light, and totally deserving of that Michelin star; they are second only to the pork buns, which are the restaurant's signature dish. Melbourne, Australia; 206 Bourke Street.

Shandong MaMa

Neither the unimpressive arcade decor nor the understated plating of the food at this dumpling shack suggest that it will become an instant success with diners. Attribute it to the magnetic pull of mackerel dumplings. The mackerel, which is beaten into a mousse and infused with coriander, ginger, and chives and served either boiled or potsticker-style with a crisped bottom, is the best dish on the menu. The address is 7/200 Bourke St, Melbourne's Mid-City.

Simon’s Peking Duck

Box Hill

Any of Melbourne's top-tier Beijing Duck restaurants will gladly accept Simon's Peking Duck. In the beginning of 2017, Simon Lay, widely regarded as Melbourne's "godfather of Chinese cuisine," died. However, the business is still run by his heirs, so the duck is safe for the time being.

Banquets may be had in one of two ways, both of which include a whole tender duck served with handmade soft pancakes, crispy duck skin, turmeric, fresh spring ointment, and special sauce. During banquets, guests may help themselves to free bowls of duck soup made with curd beans and many additional foods or noodles. It serves some of the best Chinese food in Melbourne.

Lau’s Family Kitchen

St Kilda

Lau's Family Kitchen, located in the middle of Saint Kilda, is a popular Chinese restaurant managed by a friendly family. There aren't many Chinese restaurants in Bang, Victoria, Australia, on Port Phillip Bay, thus it stands out as a unique choice.

Beautiful wood panelling and lofty decks provide the same level of design titillation to the inside. The greatest Chinese in Melbourne comes at a premium, so make a reservation in advance if you want to enjoy all this fantasy. The greatest Chinese in Melbourne can be found at Lau's Family Kitchen.

One Noodle Friendship

Preston

Despite the fact that the signature dish is handmade noodles served in large springs, the cinema will feature all of the great works from China's classical period. Despite offering a variety of dishes, including ears, dumplings, fried rice, and even hot pigs, the restaurant's welcoming atmosphere is what keeps customers coming back week after week.

Even though the dish is otherwise fairly typical Chinese fare, its inclusion here helps to further cement the legendary status of one specific bowl of noodles. The idea is that the furniture can't be transformed into a Vogue Living set by some mystical process. Throwing a noodle party is simple, BYO, and loads of fun. See what happens when the Defs attempt to eat pigs' ears. It serves some of the best Chinese food in Melbourne.

Gold Leaf

Preston, Docklands, Sunshine, Springvale,

The Chinese fare at Gold Leaf, one of Melbourne's oldest Asian eateries, is among the city's best. The featured banquets are appropriate for groups of 4–10 people and include a noodle dish cooked with sautéed lobster or ginger, mud crab, shallots, and noodles. The people they're talking to know who they are. Deep-fried scallops are filled with light raspberry pudding and ice cream, and they go well with the szechuan pepper calamari.

Bamboo House

CBD

Since 1984, locals have been flocking to the Bamboo House on Bourke Street for its excellent renditions of traditional Cantonese cuisine. You are going to enter a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne that has been nicely painted in red and gold and edged with bamboo, but the white, inexpensive tablecloths will swiftly drive that truth home.

Bamboo Kitchen is known for its Peking Duck, but they also serve hot calamari and Sichuan beef. Any day of the week, whether you're booking a service or walking in for a table, Bamboo House will provide you with excellent service.

Wonderbao

CBD

The tastiest Chinese food in Melbourne can be found at Wonderbao. Behind RMIT's downtown campus is a quaint little street restaurant that, despite its modest size, consistently produces delicious food. Chicken bao, Barbecue pork bao, and even shiitake and tofu bao are all options for meat-averse diners. If you're feeling a little down about 3:00 in the afternoon, Wonderbao and a cup of soy milk are just the thing to perk you up.

Australian Chinese Restaurants: A Brief History

We've already established that the Thai government's push for more restaurants serving Thai cuisine in Australia is part of a larger campaign to attract more tourists and investors to the country. However, there are Chinese restaurants in every major city in Australia.

There were a large number of Chinese male indentured labourers in rural Australia, and many of them began their working lives as chefs at outposts and country pubs. When the number of Chinese people living in Australia increased dramatically during the gold rush of the 1850s, little stores known as "cookhouses" sprang up all throughout the country to meet the demand.

When cookhouses started getting more and more Western customers, they diversified their menus from their original Cantonese focus. Ballarat, Victoria was home to a Chinese restaurant known as the Eureka Lead, where Westerners could enjoy roasts and puddings prepared in the style of traditional Chinese cooking.

By the year 1890, one-third of Australia's chefs were Chinese. The goldfields, however, saw an outbreak of anti-Chinese sentiment, leading to tighter restrictions on the immigration of Chinese miners. The White Australia policy, enacted in 1901, effectively halted Chinese immigration to Australia.

Chinese food was once viewed with suspicion in Australia; nevertheless, "bohemian" Australians and workers with late dinner demands rapidly grew to embrace Chinese food. As early as the middle of the 1930s, Chinese workers could be brought into Australia with the use of exceptions from the White Australia Policy that were granted to cooks and restaurant owners.

However, they were not allowed to bring any close relatives, so they had to keep their connections to the outside world secret. Though several of them claimed to be "chefs," they had never even taken a cooking class in their lives.

When evaluating whether it was necessary to hire more people, the restaurant took into account its menu and its typical customers. Both "Chinese" restaurants that serve Easterners and Westerners who frequent them are seen favourably. While traditional Cantonese cuisine places a premium on pig and seafood, the "Australian" influence has brought a greater emphasis on beef and sweet-and-sour dishes.

Applications for eateries that offered "common" fare or targeted to the "lower end of the market" of working-class Chinese and Westerners were often turned down.

The restaurant industry in Australia saw a boom as a result of the influx of Chinese and refugees during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

Many Allies prefered dining out during WWII to cooking in the barracks, and they frequently said that the presence of the enemy country changed local attitudes about Chinese food.

The White Australia Act was revised in 1958 and again in 1966, allowing Asians to legally migrate to Australia.

Chinese restaurants in Australia have persisted through the country's two world wars, discriminatory laws, and lax immigration policies of the preceding century. Twenty years ago, you would never find a Chinese component in an Australian kitchen.

Places In Melbourne That Serve Real Chinese Food You'll See What's Right There.

People outside of Asia often image massive mounds of Chow Mein and bright orange chicken nuggets dangling from enormous stainless bench steamers. Stop making excuses and prepare your stomach for some real Chinese cuisine.

Finding authentic Chinese cuisine in Melbourne is like digging for lost treasure. Even while finding the greatest restaurants requires some effort, the payoff much exceeds that of a simple treasure chest.

Supper Inn

Now, at first look, the vintage lighted sign at the end of a short alley, followed by an ancient staircase going up to the institution, may not appear promising, and you may even suspect that we lied to you. Whatever may be missing on the outside is more than made up for in flavour, thanks to the old-school aesthetic which imparts a typical old-school spirit to the cuisine.

Warm bowls of congee served with fresh you tiao Chinese doughnuts, along with crowd-pleasing whole steamed fish and roast duck, are just a few examples of the traditional Chinese comfort cuisine served at Supper Inn.

In keeping with the retro motif, the majority of the menu is displayed on pieces of paper affixed to the walls. and is written in the conventional style. Talk to the wait staff and enquire about the daily specials or suggestions.

From personal experience, we can say that a bowl of their congee is a must. They offer 10 various kinds, from the most basic (steamed chicken) to the most indulgent (Salted Duck Egg Congee), which is highly recommended. The XO Pi-(clams), Pi's wok-fried with shells shining from the spicy sauce, are another popular choice. Serve it over hot rice for a wonderful meal any time of year.

Doors open nightly at 5:30 and close at 2:30.
Place of Business: 15 Celestial Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Rose Garden

Rows of roasted chicken, sticky char siew (BBQ pork), and crispy roast duck hang on metal rungs next to the window, their enticing aromas wafting out the entrance and inviting you to come in for the "OG" of Chinese cuisine.

In addition to traditional Chinese barbeque, the restaurant also offers a variety of proteins prepared in a variety of styles, including Sichuan, curry, and stir-fried. Many customers, however, visit with a specific goal in mind: the roasts served over hot rice and smothered in delicious, black, savoury soy gravy.

We recommend getting the traditional trio of Char Siew (Sticky BBQ Pork), Siew Yoke (Crispy Pork Belly), and Roast Duck if you're going for the roasts. ($11.50), or you may get more of one item for just $9.50.

Meats cooked in the Hainanese way are hung up next to the traditional roasts. So, if you're looking for something a little less rich (but still full of zesty Chinese flavour), We highly recommend the tender, steamed Soy Sauce Chicken (which will set you back $9).

Store Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sunday, CLOSED
Location: 435 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia