Yum Cha at Dynasty Chinese
Photograph: Anna Kucera
Photograph: Anna Kucera

Where to eat yum cha in Sydney on Christmas Day 2024

Sick of ham, turkey and the regs seafood spread? Swap prawn cocktail for har gow

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Don't celebrate Christmas? Or maybe you do celebrate it, but you don't want to deal with all the dishwashing. It's a good thing that some of Sydney's finest and most delicious Chinese venues stay open for December 25, dishing up trolleys upon trolleys of steaming goodies. 

Some of Sydney's best yum cha restaurants will be servicing all of your dumpling needs this Christmas Day so dig out your stretchy pants.

If you're into a more traditional festive spread, check out our list of the best (conventional) Christmas Day restaurant lunches and dinners.

Yum cha restaurants open on Christmas Day

  • Haymarket

Order the chunky hunks of barbecue pork knuckle that our waiter says is “better than belly”. Don't eat meat? Go for sweet braised tofu and spinach dumplings filled with toasted pine nuts. Their dumplings are soft and cloud-like – see for yourself with a serve of the prawn and pork, and follow them with the rolled-then-fried rice rolls. They'll be open from 10am.

  • Chinese
  • Haymarket
  • price 2 of 4
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

The steamed clams from XOPP are textbook tender, the shimmering amber sauce just as mystifyingly complex, and, of course, the addition of springy vermicelli noodles or crisp Chinese doughnuts (or both) remains vital. Best of all? They're available to order on Christmas. 

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  • Haymarket

The former East Ocean Restaurant has made way for the new China Bistro. This bustling, open-plan dining room is a very fine place to indulge in salt-and-pepper delights, roasted meats and pretty much anything they throw your way. They'll be swinging the doors open from 11.30am, but mind the public holiday surcharge.

  • Chinese
  • Sydney

By night it’s Cantonese à la carte, but by day it’s yum cha carts ahoy at this Chinese restaurant hidden in Piccadilly Tower. Palace churns out all the classics, bustled about by enthusiastic cart pushers who’ll happily lift every bamboo steamer for you to inspect its contents. On Christmas Day, you can head in from 11am, but note that they're only open for the lunch session.

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  • Belmore

At Canterbury League Club's Chinese restaurant, Dynasty, you can get a Christmas Day banquet menu. Sweet, glossy, baked barbecue pork buns and impressive 12-fold prawn dumplings await. They're open from 11am on December 25.

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