When we talk about Chinese food, what do we really mean? It’s a country that has eight culinary cuisines that comprise of Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan and Zhejiang cuisines. What we tend to see at Chinese restaurants in regional Victoria is a mainly Cantonese influence, and this is greatly owed to the gold rush migration of (mainly) Cantonese people from the Guangdong province.
Many Chinese migrants who started up restaurants in country Victoria tailored their food to the Western palate. These were some of the most resilient people, facing adversity, and their descendants continue on the tradition of serving comfort food in regional towns. It’s also worth noting that you can spot Thai dishes on a lot of these venues' menus too. These are our picks for six of the best Chinese restaurants in wider Victoria.
RECOMMENDED: The best Chinese restaurants in Melbourne.
65/67 Mitchell St, Bendigo
Bendigo’s Toi Shan could quite possibly be Australia’s oldest Chinese restaurant. The long-serving stalwart has been in existence since 1892 and has had many different owners come and go in its time. This is the type of institution that prides itself on its house-made steamed dim sims and bird’s nests crafted from vermicelli-like strands of potato, filled to the brim with prawns and glazed vegetables.
64 Maurice Ave, Mallacoota
At Lucy’s in Mallacoota, the handmade rice noodles (using rice ground in house) with locally sourced abalone slices, thick, deveined prawns, sliced white onion and a cornstarch-loaded gravy are a stand-out. Or the grandmother’s ‘special dumplings’, which are each the size of your palm and filled with minced vegetables in a delicate dumpling wrapper. Sweet chilli sauces wait patiently in plastic jars and outweigh the minced chilli and garlic, and the venue is always filled to the brim with locals. It’s a Mallacoota institution that’s been run by the same family for a while, with Lucy originally hailing from Nanning in Guangxi.
19 Violet Grove, Wendouree
Even though it’s technically in Wendouree, many locals refer to Glory Ocean as Ballarat’s best Chinese restaurant. Does it serve dim sims? Tick. Special fried rice? Tick. There's even a designated chop suey section of the menu and stock standard sweet and sour pork glistening in its brightly hued glory. Sweet and sour pork is a classic Cantonese dish that the Chinese refer to as gu lao rou, meaning pork with a long history, and Glory Ocean’s has long supplied its masses with the good stuff.
7 Julia St, Portland
There’s something about a classic Cantonese restaurant equipped with lazy susans and the theatrics of sizzling plates that evokes a sense of joy like no other. Canton Palace in Portland does just that. The fully licenced venue offers an all-you-can-eat buffet night on Wednesdays and Saturdays filled with favourites like combination dishes and honey chicken. Housemade dumplings are also available on special from time to time and can be snapped up for $1.50 each.
88 High St, Maryborough
It wouldn’t be a country Cantonese restaurant if it didn’t have an exorbitantly long menu boasting enough choices to feed a small nation (hello, Chinese hospitality). Peach Village Restaurant in Maryborough offers a slightly more contemporary approach with its decor and its swish website, plus a menu that boasts plenty of Cantonese classics and nostalgia i n the form of deep-fried ice cream and banana fritters.
167 Corio St, Shepparton
King City Chinese Restaurant in Shepparton also offers a smorgasbord of Cantonese dishes, and the staff are known to be generous when topping your plates up. Again, that inimitable Chinese hospitality. Order the roast duck loaded with five-spice, barbecue pork swimming in a plum sauce or umami-laden strips of Mongolian beef. There are plenty of tofu and vegetarian dishes for those looking for more plant-based options, too.
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