The 10 best Chinese restaurants in Canberra

Front row seats to baskets of freshly made dumplings – Canberra’s CBD Dumpling House is the sporting event we didn’t know we needed. Watch as hefty pellets of pork and prawn are encased in a paper-thin wrapper and then pan-fried, steamed or boiled to perfection. Can’t stay for the game? Select from their takeaway set menu featuring everyone’s favourites: duck pancakes, Shandong chicken, shredded dry chilli beef and never without a side of white rice. You can rear-end the neighbouring car park but please don’t ever drop the ball on the BYO front.

Henry Ford might have invented the assembly line, but Happy’s invented Chinese takeout culture as Canberra’s very first Chinese restaurant. Yes, it's cramped, and the Great Wall painting doesn’t lustre like it used to, but every returning patron has partaken in their three-generation iconography. With a list of two hundred dishes served across fifty years, of course, it’ll be difficult to choose between Happy’s salt and pepper whitebait, gravy-drowned chow mein and fish-fragrant eggplant. But not to fear, every dish is assuredly kissed with a breath of fresh wok-flame.

This pan-Asian establishment from the Chairman group has been Canberra’s go-to East-meets-West dining spot for more than thirty years – and locals have happily savoured every moment of the journey. Most come to have their tastebuds challenged, while others return for the comfort of Asian dining that is so creatively preserved. Menu highlights include the traditional glutinous rice dumplings curiously filled with South-Asian curry, soba noodles doused in shallot oil with red royal prawns, and steamed Barramundi unexpectedly accompanied by herb-brined olives and fermented black beans. 

With white tablecloths, pre-set wine glasses and lantern-lit interiors, Wild Duck Fine Asian lives up to its name. The marriage of restaurant classics with traditional Chinese flair is delivered in spades: take the Wagyu dumplings with yuzu vinaigrette, accordion eggplant served on crispy noodles, and fried confit duck blanketed with a thin layer of taro mash. Every dish nods its head to age-old banquet dining, but with an equally contemporary feel. Try to deny yourself a double-cheese duck croquette from their yum cha-inspired lunch menu.

Au Lac Dickson is Canberra’s rebuttal to the vegetally challenged with twirls of Southeast Asian flavours giving this vegan restaurant more than a leg to stand on. Chinese cuisine has honoured the animal-free rituals of the Buddhist religion for centuries, so the offering of soy-based substitutes is of course sensationally succulent. From everything crispy, sizzling, steamed and stir-fried, there is no tofu-sion when it comes to pleasing its clientele. Not to mention budget san choy baos, meaning you can actually go dancing after this one.

Arched doorways, wicker chairs and earthen plates form the flavour hub of bold Malaysian flavours at Lanterne Rooms, the sister venue to Chairman and Yip. As part of Canberra’s parliamentary heart, the restaurant’s flexible three-course menu is well-loved by all parties, featuring pan-fried bean curd pork rolls, whole fish with Singaporean mud crab sauce, and braised beef cheek in a medicinal bak-kut-teh broth. The fine dining restaurant celebrating the spirit of grandma’s cooking is perfect for those who need to reconnect to the boldness of their inner child.

It’s all about Shanghainese heritage at Mrs Wang’s, but just like the Gen Z squadron sat at the boomer table, a family reunion is only fun with a smidgen of controversy. The restaurant’s yum cha is authentically menu-less, with a silver lining of it being all-you-can-eat (say hello to the cart ladies). For dinner, right next to beef and broccoli, you’ll find eggplant chips to start, kumquat pork ribs to follow and squid ink seafood fried rice to share. For the occasional internet-dancing, lip-syncing craving, this contemporary twist might just tickle your fancy.

Follow the big city lights to this trendy late-night eating house on Lonsdale Street. While the menu is packed with dumplings, bao buns and fried rice, Lazy Su gives these classic Chinese dishes a very funky, modern-day twist. Take the infamous wagyu cheesesteak spring rolls, vegan Peking 'duck' bao and scorched jalapeño poppers. Going straight for Lazy Su's set menu is your best bet, where you’ll sample their greatest hits from China, Japan and beyond, including donburi nori tacos and kimchi fried rice. 

South of Canberra’s city centre, China Tea House takes the cake on spare-change takeout in Wanniassa. You’d be delighted in the process of assembling the perfect budget meal from a foundation of golden spring rolls, a swish of special fried rice and a soak of saucy Mongolian beef. Spending south of fifty has to be our metaphorical icing, or is it really the quintessential mouthful of peas and ham accidentally enrobed in black bean gravy? This carpark diner really is a sweet Canberran piece of cake. And perhaps you can spend extra on dessert, given their banquet menus start at just $18 per person during lunchtime or $28 at dinner. 

'New Asian' is the name of the game at this fun, fast-paced city eatery. Drawing inspiration from the buzzing food halls of East Asia, Akiba's menu presents a flavoursome mix of Asian barbecue, raw bar and modern-day dim sum. Peking duck is wrapped into dumplings, Chinese broccoli is tossed in housemade oyster sauce, and larger proteins are cooked over a live wood and charcoal fire. With a strong Japanese influence, Akiba also boasts the most extensive sake list in Australia.