The best Chinese restaurants in Dunedin run from daily yum cha trolleys on George Street to Sichuan cooking and slow-roasted Peking duck a short walk from the Oval. Whether you want a quick lunch, a banquet table for a birthday or a takeaway on the way home, Chinese restaurants in Dunedin cover Cantonese, Sichuan and northern styles across the central city and South Dunedin. Golden Harvest and Nanking Palace are two of the long-standing names below.
1Golden Harvest Restaurant
Golden Harvest has served Chinese cuisine and yum cha from George Street in central Dunedin since 1993. The kitchen builds its banquet and a la carte menus around locally sourced ingredients, with dim sum available every day the restaurant is open. It suits diners after a sit-down yum cha lunch as much as groups booking a private function room.
Services
- Dim sum and yum cha service
- Banquet and a la carte Chinese dining
- Private dining for functions and events, up to 140 guests
- Online ordering for pick-up
- Gift vouchers
Highlights
- Established in 1993 at 218 George Street
- Runner-up for Best Dumplings in New Zealand, 2021
- Fully licensed, with BYO wine permitted
- Open every day of the year except Christmas Day
Location & Contact
Name: Golden Harvest Restaurant
Address: 218 George Street, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 477 8888
Website: goldenharvest.co.nz
2Nanking Palace Restaurant
Nanking Palace is a family-run Chinese restaurant on King Edward Street in South Dunedin, opened in 1963 by the parents of current owner Michael Hall. The decor is modelled on an emperor’s palace, with four separate dining rooms that can be booked singly or combined to seat up to 200 guests. A takeaway counter next door serves Chinese dishes alongside fish and chips and burgers.
Services
- Lunch and dinner restaurant service
- Chinese takeaways, plus fish and chips and burgers
- Group bookings and private functions for up to 200 guests
- Set banquet menus for larger tables
- Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes
Highlights
- Opened in 1963 and still run by the same family
- Chefs from Guangdong Province, China
- Four themed dining rooms, with long rectangular and round tables
- Microphone available for speeches, and guests may bring their own cake
- Fully licensed bar, with BYO wine permitted
Location & Contact
Name: Nanking Palace Restaurant
Address: 198-204 King Edward Street, South Dunedin, Dunedin 9012
Phone: 03 455 4218
Website: nanking.co.nz
3Impression Restaurant Dunedin
Impression cooks northern Chinese and Sichuan dishes from Manor Place, close to the Oval. Peking duck is the signature: the bird is air-dried for a full 24 hours before roasting, then served with pancakes, hoisin sauce, spring onions and other condiments. The restaurant opens seven days for lunch and dinner and takes group bookings.
Services
- Peking duck served in two courses with pancakes and condiments
- Sichuan dishes and hot pot
- Hand-pulled noodles
- Dine-in and takeaway, seven days a week
Highlights
- Peking duck air-dried for 24 hours before roasting
- Open seven days for both lunch and dinner
- Full bar on site
- BYO wine or beer at $10 corkage per bottle
Location & Contact
Name: Impression Restaurant Dunedin
Address: 2 Manor Place, Dunedin 9016
Phone: 03 477 8800
Website: impressiondunedin.co.nz
Chinese Restaurants in Dunedin at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Harvest Restaurant | Dunedin | Established in 1993 at 218 George Street |
| Nanking Palace Restaurant | South Dunedin | Opened in 1963 and still run by the same family |
| Impression Restaurant Dunedin | Dunedin | Peking duck air-dried for 24 hours before roasting |
How to Choose the Right Chinese Restaurant in Dunedin
- Settle on a style of cooking first, because Cantonese yum cha, Sichuan heat and northern noodles and dumplings are very different meals.
- Check whether dim sum is served daily or only at weekends, since yum cha hours are usually shorter than dinner hours.
- Ask about room capacity and set menus before you book a birthday, wedding or corporate table.
- Confirm the licence arrangement, as some restaurants are fully licensed, some allow BYO wine, and corkage charges vary.
- Flag allergies and vegetarian, vegan or gluten free needs when you book rather than on arrival, so the kitchen can plan for them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Chinese Restaurants
What styles of Chinese food do Dunedin restaurants serve?
Cantonese cooking is the long-established style here, which is why yum cha, dim sum, sweet and sour dishes and banquet menus are so widely available. Sichuan and northern Chinese cooking have followed, bringing chilli-heavy dishes, hot pot and hand-pulled noodles. Most kitchens list dishes from more than one region, so it is worth reading a menu rather than assuming.
Where can I get yum cha in Dunedin?
Yum cha is served in the central city, and it is usually a lunchtime meal rather than an evening one. Some restaurants run dim sum every day and others limit it to weekends, so ring ahead if you are planning a Saturday table. Dim sum menus are ordered dish by dish, which makes them well suited to a group that wants to share.
Can a Chinese restaurant in Dunedin handle a large group or function?
Yes. Function capacity in this trade ranges from a private room for a family birthday up to a whole-restaurant booking for a couple of hundred guests. Set banquet menus at a fixed price per head are common for larger tables, because they keep service moving and take the guesswork out of ordering. Book well ahead for weekend evenings.
Do Chinese restaurants in Dunedin do takeaway and delivery?
Takeaway is standard, and phoning your order through for pick-up is usually the quickest route. Several restaurants also run online ordering from their own site or list on a delivery app. Note that a restaurant’s takeaway menu is sometimes different from the dine-in menu, so check before you assume a dish is available.
Are there vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options?
Vegetarian dishes such as stir-fried seasonal greens, tofu hot pot and vegetable dumplings appear on most menus, and several kitchens mark vegan and gluten free dishes as well. Soy sauce, oyster sauce and batter are the usual sticking points for gluten free diners, so tell staff when you book and again when you order.
Which parts of Dunedin have Chinese restaurants?
The main concentration is the central city, particularly along George Street and the streets around it, which is handy for the university end of town and for anyone staying in the centre. Manor Place, near the Oval, and King Edward Street in South Dunedin also have long-running restaurants. If you are searching from the southern suburbs, South Dunedin will usually be the shorter drive.
Is BYO available, and what does corkage cost?
Many Chinese restaurants in Dunedin are fully licensed and also allow BYO, though the terms vary. BYO is often limited to wine rather than beer or spirits, and a corkage fee is charged per bottle. Ask when you book so you are not caught out at the table.
How do I check that a restaurant is registered and inspected?
Food businesses that sell food to the public must be registered and verified under the Food Act 2014, and in Dunedin that is administered by the Dunedin City Council. Registered premises are graded following a verification visit and the certificate is normally displayed on site. The council’s food for sale pages explain how registration, verification and grading work.
How We Chose the Best Chinese Restaurants in Dunedin
Every business in this guide was found by searching for chinese restaurants in Dunedin, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Dunedin, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.