Melbourne has long prided itself on being Australia's culinary capital, and its Chinese food scene is no exception. While Sydney may have the larger Chinese population, Melbourne punches above its weight when it comes to quality and diversity. The city's coffee culture and obsession with food means that even its regional Chinese restaurants must meet a high standard to survive.
Box Hill, in the eastern suburbs, is the heart of Melbourne's authentic Chinese food scene. The area around Box Hill Central and Whitehorse Road is packed with Chinese restaurants of every regional variety â from Cantonese dim sum to Sichuan and Hunan to Dongbei and Xinjiang. The quality is genuinely world-class, driven by a large Chinese student population and a steady stream of skilled migration from mainland China.
Melbourne's Chinatown in the CBD is the oldest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western world, and while it is more tourist-oriented than Box Hill, it still has some excellent options. The city has also seen a boom in modern Chinese dining in recent years, with stylish restaurants bringing creative takes on Sichuan flavors to a wider audience.
Melbourne has dozens of restaurants serving Sichuan and Hunan-style food. We narrowed down the best using these criteria:
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Take the train to Box Hill and hit Sichuan House and Hunan Style â the closest you'll get to Chengdu and Changsha in Victoria.
Longrain Sichuan in South Yarra for stylish decor, good cocktails, and creative Sichuan food in a great neighborhood.
Hot Pot Kingdom in Box Hill for an all-you-can-eat Sichuan hot pot experience that is perfect for groups and birthdays.
Clayton Sichuan for cheap, filling, authentic Sichuan food that won't break the student budget. Cash-friendly and fast.
HuTong Sichuan in Chinatown for solid Sichuan food without the trip to the suburbs. Great for city workers and tourists.
Spicy & Tingly in Footscray for excellent dry pot and mala tang in one of Melbourne's best food neighborhoods.
Box Hill in the eastern suburbs has the most authentic Chinese food in Melbourne, including excellent Sichuan restaurants. The CBD Chinatown area is more tourist-oriented but has some solid options. Other good areas include Clayton (near Monash University) and Glen Waverley.
Yes, Melbourne has a strong and growing Sichuan food scene. Box Hill is the main hub, with several authentic Sichuan restaurants run by chefs from Sichuan province. The quality has improved dramatically in recent years as more Chinese students and skilled migrants have settled in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. Learn more about Sichuan and Hunan cuisines on our site.
Dedicated Hunan restaurants are quite rare in Melbourne, even compared to Sydney. Most of the spicy Chinese restaurants in Melbourne focus on Sichuan cuisine, though many also serve Hunan-influenced dishes like chopped chili fish head and dry pot. The best Hunan-specific options tend to be in Box Hill and Clayton.
Box Hill in Melbourne's eastern suburbs is known for having one of Australia's best Asian food scenes. The area around Box Hill Central and Whitehorse Road is packed with Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Malaysian restaurants, including some of Victoria's best Sichuan and dumpling restaurants. It is easily accessible by train from the city.
At Sichuan restaurants in Melbourne, be sure to try: mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, water-boiled fish or beef, dry pot dishes, dan dan noodles, spicy wontons, mouth-watering chicken, and tea-smoked duck. Many restaurants also offer Sichuan-style hot pot.
Absolutely. If you are serious about authentic Sichuan food, Box Hill is well worth the 30-40 minute train ride from the city. The quality and authenticity of the Chinese food there is on a completely different level from most CBD or Chinatown restaurants.
Melbourne has a growing hot pot scene, with the best options concentrated in Box Hill and the CBD. Look for all-you-can-eat or a la carte hot pot places that offer Sichuan-style mala (numbing-spicy) broth. Many offer a split pot with both spicy and mild broths so you can mix and match.
Sydney generally has a larger and more diverse Chinese food scene, especially for regional cuisines like Sichuan and Hunan. But Melbourne punches above its weight, particularly in Box Hill, and its food scene has been improving rapidly. The two cities are closer in quality than many people realize, with Sydney having a slight edge in authenticity and variety.
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