The 9 best Chinese restaurants in Adelaide

For more than 30 years, Ming’s Palace has been a beloved family favourite and a cornerstone of Adelaide’s Chinese dining scene. Famous for its Peking duck carved tableside (seriously, it’s the best in town), this celebrated spot feels like stepping into a welcoming home filled with history, with walls showcasing old newspaper clippings and well-earned awards. Aside from the legendary duck, this family-owned restaurant serves up classics, like sizzling lamb, fortune chicken and live seafood straight from the tanks. Can’t decide what to order? Well, with three affordable banquet options available, all you’ll have to worry about is saving room for dessert. 

Follow your North Star to Gouger Street’s Star House, where classic Cantonese cuisine shines brighter than ever. Established in 2007, this local gem has become a hotspot for yum cha and seafood lovers. Their 50-page menu is a bible of Chinese cuisine, with everything from steamed barbecue pork buns and dim sim to the always popular sweetcorn soup and sizzling Sichuan hot pots. Whether you're after an affordable feast with dumplings under $10 or fancy splurging on luxurious live seafood like lobster, crab and abalone, Star House delivers for every mood and wallet.

Located at the start of the Gouger Street rush, this award-winning Chinese restaurant offers the best of both worlds – intimate indoor seating and a lively alfresco area. Forget about flimsy laminated menus and plastic chairs; Concubine is a more fine dining affair, with oriental artwork and artefacts gracing the walls and glowing lanterns adding warmth to the dark wood interiors. The menu is just as impressive, featuring an expansive list of traditional dishes fused with local ingredients. Favourites include pork dumplings with black vinegar, Kung Pao chicken with Sichuan chilli, wok-fried SA prawns in XO sauce, and twice-cooked pork ribs in barbecue sauce.

Fresh dumplings are always a good idea in our book, and when a place is called Star Dumplings, you know you’re onto a winner. Located just outside the Adelaide Central Markets on Moonta Street, this simple, compact eatery is the perfect spot for a quick lunch break or a post-late-night shopping sesh feed. Serving steamed and fried pork, chicken and prawn dumplings, they also offer other traditional dishes, including Mongolian beef with rice, stir-fried pork noodles and the mighty popular chilli chicken. Add in friendly service and generous portion sizes at great prices, and your only challenge will be finding a seat. 

Amidst the chaos of Chinatown, Wah Hing offers a peaceful retreat with a more intimate, laid-back vibe. The mood is set with soft pendant lights, dark furnishings and timber floors, allowing the vibrant flavours of the dishes to take centre stage. Our advice? Start with the shallot pancakes (so flaky), sang chow bow, and Sichuan hot and sour duck soup. For mains, choose from specialty dishes like crispy taro duck, salt and pepper whitebait, SA king prawns in honey chilli sauce, red pepper kangaroo fillet, or three courses of Peking duck that’s worth every cent. Add some Asian greens on the side and the dry salty fish and chicken fried rice and you’ve got a winning spread.

Journey to ancient China with this authentic Sichuan hot pot palace located in buzzing Chinatown. A world-famous franchise originating on the streets of Chengdu, China – now with more than 900 locations across the globe – this hot pot heaven dishes up a two-hour all-you-can-eat hot pot buffet for $78.80, featuring premium Wagyu beef, meatballs, seafood, fresh veg, soup bases and dipping sauces. Aesthetically stunning with an interior of traditional decor direct from China, meals are prepared in an open-style kitchen, offering an immersive experience for diners.

A staple in the Adelaide Chinese foodie scene since 2003, Gouger Street’s unpretentious East Taste Café is always buzzing with diners looking for a fried rice or honey chicken fix. Traditional Chinese flavours strongly influence the affordable Asian-fusion menu, featuring cult favourites like shallot pancakes, salt and pepper eggplant, spicy barbecue pork and sizzling black pepper beef. For a sweety treaty, get around the fried ice cream or red bean pancakes, and if you prefer to BYO drop of vino than choose from their selection of wines or bottled beer, the restaurant offers a bargain $9 corkage per bottle.

Since 1983, the House of Chow has been a legendary part of Adelaide’s dining scene, earning rave reviews for its exclusive gluten-free menu. The 14-page menu is like a journey through China and beyond, featuring flavours from Sichuan, Canton, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Thailand. Kick your feast off with the chef’s special seafood bean curd soup, fresh sang choy bow and old-school pork and prawn spring rolls. For mains, share a whole Peking duck or pick from their live seafood selection – think lobster doused in ginger and shallot sauce, or mud craw cooked with sambal chilli. Like any classic Aussie-Asian restaurant, there’s also nuggets and fish and chips for the little ones.

Ying Chow isn’t just any average Chinese restaurant – it’s an Adelaide institution that’s been drawing crowds to Gouger Street since 1994. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the no-frills décor doesn’t distract from what really matters – the friendly service and next-level food. Must orders include the signature e-shand chicken, salt and pepper bean curd, shallot pancakes, red vinegar ribs and the chef’s pick – stir-fried crocodile with snow peas. BYO booze or choose from their small selection of local wines and beer.