Looking for the top yum cha Melbourne has to offer? You've come to the right place. Yum cha has evolved over the years, especially in the cultural melting pot of Melbourne, so traditional offerings like Siu Mai, Har Gow and Congee will be served alongside some more contemporary dishes, like Buddha BBQ buns, and chicken ribs with spicy mayo, depending on which menu you’re looking at.
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Melbourne has got some amazing for all your yum cha needs. So needless to say, we’ve curated a list of the best Yum Cha in Melbourne for 2025:
Bang Bang
315 Hampton Street, Hampton
Image: Bang Bang | Supplied
It’s safe to say that Bang Bang knows a thing or two about yum cha. They’ve gone full out with Korean salmon tartare, pork gyoza, and chicken Siu Mai with flying fish roe. They don’t shy away from the classics, crispy veg spring rolls and BBQ pork buns make their way onto the course lineup as well. Diners are welcomed with a Saint Felix spiced lemonade cocktail, and then it's time to dig into ten courses over the next three hours. We’d recommend booking in to make sure you’re getting bang (bang) for your buck.
INSIDER INTEL:
- If you find yourself here between 5 pm-6 pm during the week, you can score $2 oysters.
- Word on the street is they have a $5 happy hour that covers selected beers, wines, and spritz during the week.
- They do a mean raw-tasting plate that covers kingfish sashimi, snapper ceviche, salmon tartare, and oysters for just $35.
Tao Tao House
815 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn
A warm interior and traditional art adorning the walls gives way to some of the best yum cha Melbourne has, and we don’t say that lightly. Tao Tao House has some absolutely fabulous options, with all the usual suspects, from the prawn dumplings to football dumplings (Ham Sui Gok), as they’re star of the show—salty, sweet, crunchy and chewy.
Vegetarians and vegans don’t need to feel left out, as they serve a similar fried pumpkin dumplings version. They actually look like tiny little pumpkins, so make sure you get a serving or two (or three). The wagyu beef cheek is also a must-order, and don’t forget to wash it down with some steaming hot jasmine tea.
- They’re one of the only venues in Melbourne that offer Hong Kong-style mango pancakes.
- Many items on the menu are fresh to order, including the Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls)
- It’s trolley service on weekends here.
Secret Kitchen
Chadstone, CBD, Doncaster
A big part of the Melbourne yum cha scene since opening its doors in 2007, Secret Kitchen loves to combine traditional flavours with modern techniques. With a slew of yum cha favourites from sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, fried calamari, and congee with century egg and pork mince are all winners on their menu, but we can never get past a good serving of zhaliang, Chinese savoury doughnuts wrapped in rice noodles and drenched in a salty-sweet sauce. We definitely recommend booking, especially their 222 Exhibit Street store as there’s usually a line to get in on the weekends.
INSIDER INTEL:
- You cannot go wrong with the full yum cha menu.
- If you’ve ever wanted to chow down a full lobster, you’d be in luck - it’s lobster special month.
- They have the cutest little piglet custard buns.
Old Beijing
31-37 Artemis Lane, Melbourne CBD
Image: Old Beijing | Supplied
It may be on the higher end of the spending front, but Old Beijing and its elevated take on traditional Chinese dining is a spectacle in itself. In one of the most unlikely of locations on the fringe alcove of QV in the CBD, the 200-seat diner is an intricately decorated and spaced dining hall, lanterns hang from above diffusing the light across the room and artful wall dividers split table areas.
The level of craft here is masterful, a frontrunner as some of the best yum cha Melbourne could serve up, you’ll find an array of staples, specialities and downright revelations across its menu including its signature Xiao Long Bao, pork buns, chicken feet with blackbean sauce and more.
- Old Beijing serves Imperial style Chinese food and has a full yum cha menu.
- Expect the full lazy Susan style eating, it's traditional and it's good.
- Get the xiao long bao, their signature dumplings are the biz.
China Red
206 Bourke Street, CBD
The logo for China Red means double happiness, so a good time is all but certain. There’s a touch-screen ordering system, so getting food delivered to your table is done in a flash. The spicy wontons have a fun Schechuan pepper-numbing kick to them, and Xiao Long Bao is not to be missed, and you obviously can’t beat the Chinatown location. For some truly quality yum cha, you can’t get past it.
INSIDER INTEL:
- Don’t miss their spicy wontons with a Schezhuan pepper kick and their Xiao Long Bao, which is a standout.
- Knack a table by the window, to people-watch the CBD while you chow down on some dumplings.
- Order custard buns to go, and stroll down the street enjoying them later.
Red Door Yum Cha
1 Mcilwrick Street, Windsor
The Red Door Yum Cha menu is stacked with only high-grade dumplings ranging from lobster and scallop, prawn and crab, chicken and peanut, vegetarian, Shanghai pork and corn and prawn. Other must-tries include the pulled pork with spiced honey, spinach and green tea noodles and slow-cooked chilli and lime leaf chicken. They do it a little differently here; instead of trolleys ducking and weaving between tables, there’s a menu to order off of, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the best yum cha restaurants in Melbourne.
INSIDER INTEL:
- Their $43 set menu covers eight courses, black beef bean hot pot, rice, vegetables, and dessert (pause for breath), talk about a bargain.
- Their wine starts at $35 a bottle.
- They do incredibly cool specials, like a rainbow chocolate mochi xiao long bao. 'Scuse me?Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung
Level 4/287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD
The hype was palpable when Din Tai Fung opened in our city. Hailed as some of the best yum cha outside of Asia, and certainly some of the best yum cha Melbourne CBD has to offer, their dumplings are little bites of deliciousness.
Located just off Bourke Street in the Emporium, Din Tai Fung’s standards are outrageously high, both in taste and presentation. They also have a pretty loaded menu, so if you’re not sure where to start try the spicy shrimp and pork wonton, Kung Pao chicken or shrimp and pork wonton noodles with a spicy sauce.
Chopsticks reaching into Din Tai Fung's dumplings, considered some of the best yum cha in Melbourne.
INSIDER INTEL:
- The crab meat and roe with pork dumplings are glorious. We recommend trying the fried rice and pork buns too.
- It's in the Emporium, don't get confused, we know the Chinese restaurant in a shopping centre is a little more Sydney than we're used to in Melbourne.
- They do incredibly cool specials, like a rainbow chocolate mochi xiao long bao. 'Scuse me?
David’s
4 Cecil Place, Prahran
Image: David's | Supplied
David’s is a mainstay of the yum cha scene in Melbourne and has been for some time now. This isn’t your regular yum cha either, instead of Cantonese cuisine, David’s specialises in Shanghainese dishes. With over 20 years of heritage in every dish; highlights include the San Choi Bao, roast duck, and authentic Dongpo pork belly. Their yum cha menu is all you can eat, and best of all, there’s a vegan version available too.
A bowl of garlic-covered greens, from David's, considered some of the best yum cha Melbourne has to offer.
INSIDER INTEL:
- If you’re after a solid dinner opt for one of the feed me options, there's two with different mains and a selection of yum cha.
- David's also does an unlimited Shanghainese-inspired yum cha on the weekend with an alternate vegan menu if you so desire.
- The wine selection is excellent as well, but you can't go past their umeshu spritz ... at least twice during dinner.
HuTong Dumpling Bar
14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne
Image: HuTong's | Supplied
You know you’re in the right place when there’s a menu that’s at least five pages long. We won’t lie, this is yum cha in the strictest sense—there are no trolleys, no session times, but they do have page after page of dim sum available.
Hu Tong dumpling bar first started up in 2008 and there are a few things the hub has become renowned for. For starters, get on those handmade chilli wontons, then pair it with one of the lighter dishes on the menu like the Peking duck pancake and you have some of the best yum cha Melbourne can serve up. A bowl of some of the best yum cha in Melbourne.
INSIDER INTEL:
- This place has a whopping three storeys, and if you’re lucky you can sit close enough to watch the kitchen do their thing.
- The dumplings are probably the closest thing to perfect (a lady on google wrote, “maybe I will put the awesome dumpling lady in my suitcase and bring her back home with me”)
- Everything is placed on a rotating table, perfect for sharing.
Spice Temple
8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Spice Temple is a dumpling haven; the Southbank traditional yum cha spot has got to be one of the best in Melbourne’s CBD. They have two banquet options with a collection of the restaurant's greatest hits from spring rolls, — or alternatively, you can order a la carte. If you order a la carte we have to recommend the Bang Bang chicken and the lamb dumplings with chilli.
INSIDER INTEL:
- Bookings are highly recommended for this classic Melbourne Chinese restaurant in the Crown Casino complex, it's popular of a weekend.
- If you're clever about it you'll be able to land a table with an excellent view of the Yarra.
- Definitely indulge in the banquet, take ordering off your hands, it starts at $139 and must include the entire table.
Flower Drum
17 Market Lane, Melbourne CBD
Image: Flower Drum | Supplied
Chances are if you've searched 'yum cha Melbourne', you’ve stumbled across Flower Drum. The Chinese restaurant is one of the best yum cha restaurants that Melbourne has to offer. The restaurant is known for its legacy as a Chinese culinary institution with its elegant interior, elite service, and a gold-standard repertoire of Cantonese dishes.
With lunch and dinner banquet menus, the hard guesswork goes right out the window and you’re left with a bountiful selection of plates that imprint long-lasting memories on your tastebuds. You have to try their sesame-marinated jellyfish, prawn and chives Har Gao or spring onion pastry filled with pork. Inside a restaurant with some of the best yum cha in Melbourne.
INSIDER INTEL:
- Flower Drum is Melbourne's OG fancy Chinese restaurant, but it's a lot more than that, it regularly features on best restaurant lists (like ours).
- It's renowned for its Peking duck. We've said that a lot but the Peking duck at Flower Drum is pretty special.
- We give up and order the banquet every time we go, but there's great a la carte options as well starting at $12 ... and includes jellyfish!
Gold Leaf Chinese Restaurant
Springvale, Burwood, Preston
With multiple locations across Melbourne, Gold Leaf Chinese Restaurant is clearly onto something, serving up some of the best yum cha. With a fantastic collection of super-fresh seafood, you can’t go wrong with the deep-fried oysters or king crab.
The pan-fried duck breast will make a lasting impression upon sight and the chicken San Choi Bao has been finely dialled. There’s a bunch of great vegetarian dishes too and quite frankly the vegetarian Singapore noodles are one of our favourites.
INSIDER INTEL:
- Try out the seafood san choi bao, an assortment of veggies and seafood in a lettuce leaf cup that packs a punch of flavour.
- Look, while you're at it, you better get the chicken feet as well, they're incredible.
- Banquets start at around $40 and go up to around $100 depending on how flush you're feeling.
Shark Fin Inn
50 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
Shark Fin really delivers the goods when it comes to yum cha, their circling carts deliver plates of dim sim, spare ribs with black bean sauce, salt and pepper squid and more. For something a little different, try the fried taro dumpling or prawn puff. Their pork and peanut dumplings are a no-brainer, much like the prawn and sweet corn ones. If you are looking for a bigger dish, the beef fried noodles are phenomenal.
INSIDER INTEL:
- Shark Fin Inn is one of those heavily-debated 'best Chinese in Melbourne' joints. Expect to argue with mates if it's not also your favourite.
- This is classic banquet style Chinese and has been about since the 1980s. That's a long time for a restaurant.
- Expect to pay upwards of $60 per head, with drinks a little extra on top, but trust us, it's worth it.