The best yum cha in Sydney

We know it sounds petty, but leaving your yum cha brunch only to see a queue standing where there was no queue before really gives your full belly an extra golden glow. What they’re waiting for you’ve already got: it’s the ultimate reward for rising a little early to get to this super popular yum cha destination in Chinatown. Keep an eye out for the steamed dumpling trolley because it’s the most elusive one there. The prawns are extremely fresh and totally worth waiting for. Holding out for the final act? They get a full three-pointer for their mango pancakes, mango pudding capped with a pool of condensed milk and the coconut jelly, which is intensely tropical and creamy.

Emperor's Garden has been serving delicious and traditional Cantonese dishes since it opened in 1979. Sensational barbecue pork, roast pork and yum cha can all be found at this Haymarket eatery. And while Emperor's Garden is not famous for its service, if you're after a cracking feed with your people and a damn good time, we reckon you'll leave full and happy. It's open seven days a week from 8am, which is another tick.

Holding court in the red and gold dining room of the Palace Chinese Restaurant comes with great responsibility. They're famous for their extra-juicy pink-hued roast pork, served in thin slices with the perfect fat-to-meat ratio. Move quickly when the blistered greens beans come out of the kitchen, scalding hot, salted like the sea and dressed in garlic. And check every basket for dumpling specials. The biggest challenge here is resistance in the face of an onslaught of yum cha classics. Maybe you should build up your resistance slowly, with many repeat visits to this official residence for Sydney’s best yum cha.    

You won’t find any trolleys at Queen Chow Enmore, the leafy and stylish Cantonese restaurant located on top of Queens Hotel. What you will find however – if you come on Friday to Sunday from noon to 4pm – is a menu with yum cha’s greatest hits: salty and sweet scallop and prawn siu mai; fat prawn har gau; crisp chicken and chive dumplings; piping-hot xiao long bao. The dumplings are expertly made, sunlight pours through the open roof, and the music is upbeat and fun. Add on some cold beers and you’re all set to tackle the weekend.

A 600-seat Cantonese restaurant with traditional yum cha, live seafood and late-night dining is now open in the former Golden Century digs. If you’ve been missing the legendary restaurant (we sure have), then we reckon the Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant may fill that dumpling-shaped hole in your heart. Come for trollies dishing up plump prawn har gau, pork with black beans, juicy siu mai, and finish with mango pancakes and egg tarts (we’ll take five, please).

East Phoenix is definitely the sleekest in this stable of yum cha restaurants. It's so sharp it’s almost business-like. There’s no kitschy decor here – they’re sticking to a classic black, white and red colour scheme. The steamer trolley will bring you all the greatest hits including prawn har gao, steamed buns, siu mai and more. It’s only a short hop from there to a dessert of egg custard tarts that come in a pastry shell that’s so short it dissolves in your mouth faster than fairy floss. 

If you’ve always wanted to eat at Mr Wong but never had the cash, we recommend a weekday yum cha adventure. Because if you take the mud crabs, whole ducks and wine out of the picture, you won't be spending more than you would at the major players around the city. There are no trolleys so you order off the menu, and they get points right off the bat for offering to alter dumpling numbers to evenly split amongst your party. Plus, because you’re ordering in one hit you’re less likely to accidentally end up with too much food because you impulse ordered in a hungry panic as a trolley blew by you. And the quality here is truly undeniable. It’s on the chueng fun subsection that we find our MVP, supple rice noodles wrapped around a fried dough stick so crunchy it causes a minor read on the Richter scale, and sweet chunks of prawn meat in the middle.

Don’t feel rejected if they direct you to a seat in an otherwise empty quadrant of this Chinatown stalwart: the trolleys will not skip you. This is a quieter spot for mid-week yum cha, and they’re not in the business of hurrying you off, which is why one gentleman is doing the crossword while happily scarfing down little open-top parcels of prawn and sweet corn. East Ocean does a killer rice noodle roll, where big chunks of sweet prawn meat are rolled up like a cigar in crisp pastry adorned with crunchy sesame seeds. And the trolley ladies aren’t above spruiking their wares from a table away if they see you eyeing them off. 

The Lucky Prawn is a Chinese-Australian bistro housed in Marrickville's excellent Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre. Decked out in red, gold, and its very own giant crustacean affectionately dubbed ‘Shane Prawn’, The Lucky Prawn is covered in nostalgia and dining here feels like stepping back in time and visiting the local Chinese restaurant with your family. You can always pop in for some cracking prawn toast and fried rice, but the first Sunday of the month – where you’ll find yum cha, special dishes, and a performance by a dazzling drag queen host – is where it's at. Chuck it in the diary and we’ll see you there.

It's worth the trip to this Canterbury League Club just to marvel at the incredible indoor rainforest in the foyer, complete with a waterfall, artificial tiki torches, indoor plants and an actual lagoon. Behind it is the Dynasty Chinese Restaurant where yum cha is served daily from 11am until 3pm on weekdays, or from 10am on weekends, when you should probably book a table. The trolleys come to your table, load you up with an initial serve of classic steamed dim sum and then walkie talkie any extra orders you might have to the kitchen. It might lack some of the instant gratification of looking into the steamer baskets for each dish, but it does speed up the process. From steamed pine nut and mushroom dumplings to baked barbecue pork pastries to beef belly and tendon in Hoi Sin sauce, Dynasty has you covered. 

Yes, there is a queue running up the stairway that leads to the Golden Unicorn, but you also need a number, so weave up one side and find the woman with the clipboard to secure a spot in the line first. If you land an outer ring table you’ll have the best shot at first dibs on the trolleys. It's worth noting that roast meats aren't served on trolleys, so be sure to place your order after you sit down to get it brought out from the kitchen. If you’re wanting to branch out, give the fried trolley some extra attention. There are fried taro dumplings in a crunchy, lacy shell with a savoury filling and as a prelude to dessert you can ease into things with red bean buns, all golden and fried on the outside, with a rich gummy interior. 

Ok, so we know strictly speaking this one isn't yum cha in the traditional sense. There are no rolling carts of steamed buns however, the dumplings, spring rolls, and barbequed ginger chicken wings at Uncle Ming's are well worth a visit if you've got those steamer cravings. There are heaps of vegan and gluten free options too, so no one's missing out. Plus you can wash it all down with a couple of killer cocktails and a house beer. 

The Crown’s luxe Cantonese restaurant Silks is now slinging yum cha for lunch, which sounds like a one-way ticket to yum town to us. The menu features dishes like Southern rock lobster dumplings; barbecue Berkshire pork in rice rolls; deep fried prawn dumplings; and vegetarian fried rice with black truffle. Plus, prawn and chive dumplings; veg spring rolls; and wok-fried egg noodles with char siu, bean sprouts and garlic chives. Finish on a sweet note with mango pudding with sago, fresh seasonal fruit and Portuguese egg tarts. See? Yum.

This is one of the nicer yum cha dining rooms in the city. Dark navy carpet meets grey, chocolate brown and pale timber panels while down-lit private rooms are available for high-flying dim summers, with two-storey floor-to-ceiling windows in the main room. There might be walking specials of deep-fried chicken satay sticks under a deep layer of sauce but there’s also roast duck, taken off the bone. If the usual steamed dumpling gear doesn’t get you going (and it really should - the dumplings here are great), there are also chicken pot stickers making their way around the room, as well as steamed scallops, pretty on the half-shell, and plates of vongole. Sky Phoenix has risen from the ashes and nested above the Westfield - make sure you do too.